Study Notes : The Sayyid Dynasty (1414-50 AD)

The Sayyid Dynasty (1414-50 AD)

Khizr-Khan, a lieutenant of Timur, was a Sayyid and so his dynasty is called Sayyid Dynasty. Khizr Khan ruled till 1421, but his whole reign was marked by utter chaos and disorder. He was succeeded, after his death, by his son Mubarak Shah (1421-1434). During his reign the subedars of Punjab, bhatinda and Doab broke out in revolt and the whole of his period was spent in trying to supress them. He died in 1434 and was succeeded by his son Mohammad Shat (1434-1443). During his reign, the ruler of Malwa invaded Delhi, which was however, saved by the valiant Subedar of Lahore, Bahlol Lodhi

Sayyid Dynasty Rulers

Khizr Khan        1414-21 AD

Mubarak Shah        1421-33 AD

Muhammad Shah        1421-43 AD

AlauddinAlam Shah 1443-51 AD

Khizr Khan(1414-1421):Timur's nominee captured Delhi and was proclaimed the new Sultan and the first of the Sayyid Dynasty. They ruled over Delhi and surroundings districts.

He was a lieutenant of Timur.

He was a Sayyid and so his dynasty is called Sayyid Dynasty.

Mubarak Shah(1421-1434):He succeeded Khizr at the throne after his successful expeditions against Mewatis, Katehars and the Gangetic Doab area. He was killed by the nobles in his own court.

Muhammad Shah(1434-1443):The nobles put Muhammad Shah on the throne, but could not survive the in-fighting among the nobles in the court. He was authorized to rule a meagre area of around 30 miles and rest of the Sultnate was ruled by the nobles.

Alam Shah (1443-1451):The last Sayyid king descended in favour of Bahlol Lodhi and himself retired. Thus began the Lodhi dynasty, which confined to Delhi and a few surrounding areas.

Lodhi or Pathans Sultans

Bahlol Lodhi (1451-88 AD)

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• Bahlol Lodhi was one of the Afghan sardars who established himself in Punjab afer invasion of Timur
• He founded the Lodhi dynasty. He founded the rule of the Lodhi dynasty by usurping the throne from the last of the Sayyid rulers.
• Bahlol belonged to the Shahu Khel clan of the Lodhi Pashtun tribe.
• He was a strong and brave ruler. He tried to restore the glory of Delhi by conquering territories around Delhi and after continuous war for 26 years, he succeeded in extending his authority over Jaunpur, Rewail, Itawah, Mewar, Sambhal, and Gwalior etc.
• He was a kind and generous ruler. He was always prepared to help his subjects. Though he was himself illiterate, he extended his patronage to art and learning. He died in 1488.

Sikandar Lodhi (1489-1517 AD)

• Sikandar Lodhi was the son of Bahlol Lodhi who conquered Bihar and Western Bengal.
• He shifted his capital from Delhi to Agra in 1504, a city founded by him.
• Sikandar was a fanatical Muslim and he broke the sacred images of the Jwalamukhi Temple at Naga Kot and ordered the temples of Mathura to be destroyed.
• He took a keen interest in the development of agriculture. He introduced the Gaz-i-Sikandari (Sikandar's yard) of 32 digits for measuring cultivated fields.
• He was a staunch Sunni and a Muslim fanatic. He lacked religious tolerance. In the name of religion, he perpetuated untold cruelties on the Hindus.

Ibrahim Lodhi (1517-26 AD)

• He was the last king of Lodhi dynasty and the last Sultan of Delhi
• He was the son of Sikandar Lodhi
• The Afghan nobility was brave and freedom-loving people but it was because of its fissiparous and individualistic tendencies that the Afghan monarchy was weakened. Moreover, Ibrahim Lodhi asserted the absolute power of the Sultan.
• At last DaulatKan Lodhi, the governor of Punab invited Babur to poverthrow Ibrahim Lodhi, Babur accepted the offer and inflicated a crushing defeat on Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in 1526.
• No Sultan of India except Sultan Ibrahim had been killed on the battle field.
• Causes of Decline of Delhi Sultanate: 
• The main causes were:-
• Deposite and military type of government which did not have the confidence of the people
• Degeneration of Delhi Sultans (esp. the wild projects of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq,Incompetence of FirozTughlaq)
• War of succession as there was no fixed law of it
• Greed and incompetency of nobles
• Defective military organisation
• Vastness of empire and poor means of communication
• Finanical instability
• Number of slaves increased to 1,80,000 in FirozTughlaq's time which was a burden on the treasury
• Invasion of Timur

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