• Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq or Ghazi Malik was the founder of the Tughluq Dynasty. This dynasty is also known as the Dynasty of the Qaraunah Turks as the father of Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq was a Qaraunah Turk.

Rise of Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq

• During the reign of Ala-ud-Din Khilji, he was appointed the Warden of the Marches and Governor of Dipalpur. He fought against the Mongols on 29 occasions and chased them out of India. Ghazi Malik was one of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom at the time of the death of Ala-ud-Din Khilji and he continued to be so during the reign of Mubarak Shah. Assisted by his son Juna Khan, he marched against Khusrau Shah, defeated him and then got him executed and ascended the throne in 1320. He was the first Sultan of Delhi who took up the title of Ghazi Malik or slayer of the infidels.

Muhammad-bin-Tughluq (1325-1351)

• Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq was succeeded by his son Prince Juna Khan who took up the title of Muhammad Tughluq.There are lot of literary sources of information regarding Muhammad-bin-Tughluq.

Literary Sources

• Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi of Zia-ud-Din Barani
• Travel accounts given by Ibn Batuta
• Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi by Shams-i-Siraji Afif,
• Fatuhat-i-Firuz Shahi, an autobiographical memoir of Firuz Shah Tughluq.
• Munshat-i-Mahru of Ain-ul-Mulk Multani.
• Tughluqnamah of Amir Khusro and
• Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi of Yahiya-bin-Ahmad Sarhindi.
• He was brought up as a soldier. He was a precocious child. He was appointed the Master of the Horse of Khusro Shah. However, Juna Khan started an agitation against Khusro Shah, his patron. He helped his father in overthrowing Khusro Shah. When his father became the Emperor in 1320, Prince Juna Khan was appointed the heir-apparent and was also given the title of Ulugh Khan. He undertook two expeditions to Warangal in 1322 and 1323 and although he failed in the first, he succeeded in the second. He seated himself on the throne soon after the death of his father in 1325.
• He maintained diplomatic relations with far off countries like Egypt, China and Iran. He also introduced many liberal and beneficial reforms.He wanted to liquidate the barriers which separated the North from the South. He believed in making the whole of India as one political and administrative unit. His Deccan experiment led to the rapid cultural transformation of the South. Scholars, mystics, merchants, poets, administrators and armies moved from Daulatabad to Multan and from Bengal to Gujarat. When Muhammad Tughluq ascended the throne of Delhi, the Central Asian scene was in a state of constant flux. There was a vacuum in the political life of Central Asia and Muhammad Tughluq tried to fill that vacuum.
• He was very tolerant in religious matters and participated in their religious ceremonies and festivals. The Sultan is reported to have visited the Satrunjaya temples at Palatina and the idol houses of Girnar. He is reported to have issued a Farman for the construction of a new rest house for monks.
• He believed that all offices must be open to talent. He appointed low-born persons to the highest offices in the administration. He believed that the foundations of the empire could be strengthened only by giving it a broad base. With that object in view, he appointed Hindus to some of the highest offices in the state. He patronised Hindu scholars and poets. It was estimated that there were as many as 1,000 poets of Arabic, Persian and Hindi at his court.
• He initiated various reforms and initiatives which , mostly ended in miserable failures:

Revenue Reforms

• He ordered the compilation of a register of the revenue and expenditure of the provinces of his kingdom. The Governors of the provinces were required to send to Delhi all relevant records and other materials required for that purpose. The result was that summaries of income and expenditure came to Delhi from the various parts of the empire and the system worked smoothly.

Taxation in the Doab

• The Sultan needed a lot of wealth for administering the affairs of the State, for the upkeep of the army and for executing his ambitious plans. So, he did a financial experiment in the Doab between the Ganges and the Jamuna. He not only increased (by 10 to 20 times) the rate of taxation but also revived and created some additional Abwabs or cesses. Unfortunately, this measure was carried out at a time when a severe famine was prevailing in the Doab and the distress of the people was greatly aggravated by its disastrous effects. Those who were rich became rebels; the lands were ruined and cultivation was arrested. Grain became dear, the rains were deficient and so famine became general. It lasted for years and thousands upon thousands of people perished.

Agricultural Reforms

• The Sultan created a new Department of Agriculture called Diwan-i-Kohi. The main object of this Department was to bring more land under cultivation by giving direct help to the peasants. A large tract of land measuring 60 miles square, was chosen for that purpose. Land was cultivated and different crops were grown in rotation. In two years the Government spent more than 70 lakhs.
• Land was given to those who were in need of it. Unfortunately, the experiment proved to be a failure. The land chosen for experiment was not fertile. The period of three years was too small to give any concrete results. The money was not properly spent and a large part of it was merely wasted.

Transfer of Capital

• Muhammad bin Tughlaq wanted to make Devagiri his second capital so that he might be able to control South India better.Also he felt that the new capital had its strategic value. It was safe from Mongolian invasions which constantly threatened Delhi. In 1327 he made extensive preparations for the transfer of royal household and the ulemas and Sufis from Delhi to Devagiri, which was renamed as Daulatabad. When they resisted the Sultan enforced his orders ruthlessly and caused great hardship of the population of Delhi. The distance between these two places was more than 1500 kilometres. Many people died during the rigorous journey in the summer. The Sultan realised the folly of his experiment and ordered a return march of the people abandoning Daulatabad . The net result of this experiment was that Delhi lost its former prosperity and grandeur.

The Currency Experiment (1329-30)

• Muhammad bin Tughlaq introduced a token currency. There was a shortage of silver through out the world in the fourteenth century. Kublai Khan issued paper money in China. In the same manner, Muhammad bin Tughlaq issued copper coins at par with the value of the silver tanka coins. But he was not able to prevent forging the new coins. The goldsmiths began to forge the token coins on a large scale. Soon the new coins were not accepted in the markets. Finally, Muhammad bin Tughlaq stopped the circulation of token currency and promised to exchange silver coins for the copper coins. Many people exchanged the new coins but the treasury became empty. According the Barani, the heap of copper coins remained lying on roadside in Tughlaqabad.

Decline and Disintegration

• The latter part of Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign witnessed a spate of rebellions by the nobles and provincial governors. The rebellion of Hasan Shah resulted in the establishment of the Madurai Sultanate. In 1336 the Vijayanagar kingdom was founded. In 1347 Bhamini kingdom was established. The governors of Oudh, Multan and Sind revolted against the authority of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
• Muhammad Tughlaq’s policies had created deep discontent among the nobles as well as in the army. He had also clashed with Muslim theologians and the sufi saints who were very influential. Even when he was away from the capital for long periods, the administration in Delhi, the Punjab and other parts of the empire in north India continued to function normally. In Gujarat Taghi rose in revolt against the Sultan who spent nearly three years in chasing him. Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s health became worse and he died in 1351. Thus he was succeeded by his cousin, Firuz Tughlaq.

Firoz Tughlaq (1351-1388)

• After his accession, Firuz Tughlaq was faced with the problem of preventing the imminent break-up of the Delhi Sultanat. He adopted a policy of trying to appease the nobles, the army and the theologians, and of asserting his authority over only such areas which could be easily administrated from the centre. He appointed Khan-i-Jahan Maqbal, a Telugu Brahmin convert as wazir (prime minister). The wazir helped the Sultan in his administration and maintained the prestige of the Sultanate during this period.

Military Expeditions

• After his accession Firoz had to face the problem of preventing the disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate. He tried to safeguard his authority over north India instead of reasserting his authority over the Deccan and south India.
• He led two expeditions into Bengal in 1353-1354 and 1359-1360, but was unsuccessful in both. However he won victories in the campaign against the ruler of Jajnagar (Orissa) on his return from Bengal. Firoz desecrated the famous Jagannadha temple and gathered a rich plunder, but no attempt to annex Orissa. Firoz Shah Tughlaq led an expedition against Nagarkot in 1360. After a prolonged siege of six months the fort surrendered and the Raja submitted to the Sultan. He was received honorably by the Sultan. The Sultan acquired a great booty which included 1,300 Sanskrit manuscripts, some of which were got translated by the Sultan into Persian. His longest campaigns were to deal with rebellions in Gujarat and Sindh (1362-1363). Although the rebellions were crushed, the army suffered great hardship. Thus the military campaigns of Firoz were to a large extent a failure and his costly wars did not benefit the empire in any way.

Revenue Reforms

• When Firuz Tughluq came to the throne, there was complete chaos in revenue administration.
• He not only cancelled all the Taqavi loans which had been advanced in the reign of Muhammad Tughluq but also ordered that the peasants should not be harassed by the officers of the state. He increased the salaries of the officers of the revenue administration. The Sultan abolished 24 taxatious and unjust cesses which had been levied during the previous reigns. The share of the state land revenue was lessened. He abolished the custom of imposing benevolences on the Governors at the time of their appointment and also the annual money paid by them these amounts were actually charged by the Governors from the people. The new system of taxation was according to the Quran. Four kinds of taxes sanctioned by the Quran were imposed.
• Kharaj was the land tax which was equal to 110th of the produce of the land.
• Zakat was 2.5 % tax on property realised from the Muslims and spent on certain specific religious purpose only.
• Jizya or poll-tax was levied on the non-Muslims and other heretics. However, the scope of Jizya was extended by Firuz by charging the same from the Brahmans also who had formerly been exempted from the tax.
• Khams was one-fifth of the booty captured during war. Ala-ud-Din and Muhammad Tughluq used to get four-fifth of the booty and left only one-fifth to the army. Firuz followed the Islamic law according to which the state was entitled to take only one-fifth and four-fifths had to be left to the soldiers.
• In addition, Sultan levied and irrigation tax at the rate of 10% of the produce of the fields.
• The result of the reforms of Firuz was that he was able to put a lot of money into his coffers. His increased revenues were due to the cultivation of superior crops, water tax and revenue from gardens. The gardens yielded an annual income of 1,80,000 Tankas. The revenue policy of the Sultan also added to the general prosperity of the people.

Irrigation Reforms

• In order to encourage agriculture, the Sultan paid a lot of attention to irrigation. two canals were excavated under the orders of the Sultan. One of them was excavated from the Sutlej and the other from the Jamuna. The remains of some of these canals can be seen even today. Skilful engineers were appointed to superintend the canals and to make their reports about the same. 150 wells were dug during his reign for irrigation purposes and also their use by travellers. As a result of the irrigation facilities provided by the Sultan, as many as 52 colonies sprang up the Doab alone. Superior crops such as wheat, sugarcane etc., were cultivated. Fruits were also grown in large quantities.

Public Works Reforms

• The important towns of Firuzabad (the present Kolta Firuz Shah in Delhi), Fatehabad, Hissar, Jaunpur and Firuzpur (near Badaun) were founded by him. During his Bengal campaigns, he renamed Ikdala as Azadpur and Pandua as Firuzabad. The Sultan built mosques, palaces, caravan Sarais, reservoirs, hospitals, a hundred tombs, monumental pillars and a hundered bridges. He constructed various wells for the use of travellers. He dug five cannals for irrigation. He laid out numerous gardens in the neighbourhood of Delhi.
• The Sultan established at Delhi a hospital described variously as Dar-ul-Shifa, Bimaristan and Shifakhana. Very competent physicians were appointed to took after the patients. Its Darukhana or dispensary contained numerous medicines and preparations which were supplied free. Orders were given to the staff of the hospital to be very polite of the people. The revenues of certain villages were appropriated for the maintenance of this hospital.

Judicial Reforms

• The result of the reforms of Firuz was that the judicial system became more humane than before. Not only the practice of torture was abolished as a means of ascertaining truth, very mild punishments were imposed on criminals. In some cases, culprits got no punishment at all. The penal reforms applied not only to the Muslims but to all sections of the population. A new department of Diwani-i-Khairat was set up to make provision for the marriages of poor girls. Any one who had a daughter of marriageable age and lacked the required money for her wedding, could apply to the Diwan-i-Khairat. Another Department known as Diwan-i-Istihqaq gave financial help to the deserving people.

Learning and Employment

• The Sultan was interested in the promotion of learning. He patronised the Shaikhs and learned men. He gave them pensions and gratuties. The Sultan was fond of history. Zia-ud-Din Barani and Shams-i-Shiraj Afif wrote their work under his patronage. Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi was also written during his reign. The autobiography of the Sultan is known as Fatuhat-i-Firuz Shahi. Many Sanskrit books were translated into Persian by Aazz-ud-Din Khalid Khani under the title of Dalail-i-Firuz Shahi. A large number of colleges and monasteries were established where men devoted themselves to prayers and meditation. A mosque was attached to each college for worship.
• The Sultan also set up an employment bureau. This was concerned chiefly with those who desired clerical and administrative employment. It was the duty of the Kotwal of Delhi to seek those who were without employment and to produce them in the court. The Sultan personally made inquiries into thier cirumstances and qualifications. After consulting their inclination, they were provided with employment.
• His regime the number of slaves had increased to one lakh eighty thousand. When Firoz died in 1388 the struggle for power between the Sultan and the nobles started once again. His successors had to face the rebellion of the slaves created by Firoz.

Decline of Tughlaq’s dynasty

• In his regime the number of slaves had increased to one lakh eighty thousand. When Firoz died in 1388 the struggle for power between the Sultan and the nobles started once again. His successors had to face the rebellion of the slaves created by Firoz.
• Firoz Tughlaq was succeeded by his grandson Tughlaq Shah, who assumed the title of Ghiasuddin Tughlaq II. Within a year of accession the ruler fell a victim to the intrigues and was beheaded . During the next five years – three Sultans – Abu Bakr, Muhammad Shah and Alauddin Sikander Shah ascended the throne. The last Sultan was Nasiruddin Muhammad.

Timur Invasion

• Timur, who was a Turk, had started his career of conquests in 1370 and gradually brought under his rule the entire track from Syria to Trans-Oxiana and from southern Russia to Indus. He was the second most barbaric, blood thirsty and awe inspiring warrior after Chengiz Khan, who sat on the throne of Samarkhand.
• The weakness of the Delhi Sultanate was made even worse by Timur invasion. Amir Timur thought of invading India in 1397 with the two fold object of waging a holy war against the ‘in fidels’ and laying his hands upon the fabulous wealth of the country. The political anarchy that prevailed in India facilitated his task.
• Timur reached Delhi in December 1398 and ordered general massacre. When Timur entered Delhi there was no opposition and he sacked the city for 3 days, killing thousands of people and looting enormous wealth. It resulted in the drain of large amount of wealth, gold, silver, jewellery etc. from India. Timur inflicted more misery in India than any other conqueror, in single invasion. Timur left India in early 1399. The invasion of Timur may however, be regarded as marking the end of the face strong rule by the Delhi Sultans, although the Tughlaq dynasty itself lingered on till 1414. Thus in the midst of centrifugal forces the Tughlaq dynasty disappeared unceremoniously in the history of the Delhi Sultanate. On its ruins Khizr Khan Sayyid, the viceroy of Punjab, founded the Sayyid dynasty in 1414.