Muhammad Ghori had no son and, therefore, he had distributed his vast empire among his nephew and faithful lieutenants Qutbuddin- Aibak as he was his most trusted lieutenant got his Indian possessions by his own choice.
Muhammad’s nephew Ghiyas-ud-din succeed him at Ghur and his other two lieutenants such as Taj-ud-din Yeldoz and Nasir-ud-din Qabacha got the area from Afghanistan to upper Sindh and Uch and Multan respectively. After his death all of them became independent in their respective territories.
Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who was the governor of Ghori’s Indian possessions became independent after his death and began his rule in 1206 A.D. in the title of Delhi Sultan. He has been regarded as the real founder of Turkish rule in India. Of course, Muhammad of Ghur had included the territories of India in his empire but his seat of power was not in India. He was the Sultan of Ghur and after his death, Qutb-ud-din had cut off his connections with Ghazni and Ghur. He was fully independent by the time he become the Sultan of Delhi. He, therefore, is rightly regarded as the first Turkish Sultan of Delhi.
It is said that the early three Sultans of Delhi were slaves in their early life. So they belonged to one dynasty called the slave dynasty. The early three rulers such as Qutbud-din-Aibak, Iltutmish and Balban were all slaves. But in fact neither they belonged to one dynasty nor was any of them a slave when they occupied the throne of Delhi. Qutb-up-din had formed the Qutbi dynasty while Iltutmish and Balban had formed the Shamsi and the Balbani dynasty respectively.
Each of them had ceased to be a slave before they became Sultans and, except Qutb-ud-din all others had obtained their formal manumission (Freedom from Slavery) long before their accession. Therefore, it is correct to call them early Turk Sultans or the Mameluk Sultans of Delhi.
Career of Qutb-ud-din:
Qutb-ud-din Aibak was born of Turkish parents in Turkistan. He was sold as a slave in his childhood and after passing through few hands was purchased by Sultan Muhammad of Ghur. Very soon he drew the attention of his master by his talent and superb swordsmanship. He was offered with several responsible posts gradually. He was very faithful to his master Muhammad Ghori and was with him throughout his Indian campaigns.
Owing to his meritorious services, he was assigned with the charge of his Indian conquests after the second battle of Tarain in 1192 A.D. It was Qutb-ud-din who consolidated and extended his conquests in India. In 1206 A.D., Qutb-ud-din was formally invested with viceregal powers and promoted to the rank of Malik by Sultan Muhammad of Ghur.
After the death of Muhammad, the people of Lahore invited Qutb-ud-din to ascend the throne. The title of Sultan was conferred upon him later on by Ghiyas-ud-din, the Sultan of Ghur. Of course formal letter of manumission was not granted to him. Though he did not struck coins or read the khutba in his name but remained as the defacto Sultan of his master’s territories in India.
Qutb-ud-din as a Sultan:
Qutb-ud-din ascended the throne of Delhi in A.D. 1206 and became the first Turkish Sultan of Delhi. But, the throne of Delhi was not a bed of roses for him. He had to face many challenges from in and outside the country. He could not depend on the loyalty of all his Turkish officers who were jealous of him. The Rajput’s, on the other hand though vanquished in north India were eagerly waiting for a possible opportunity to strike.
Moreover, he had to face strongest opposition from Taj-ud-din Yeldoz and Nasir-ud-din Qubacha, the two more contenders for the throne of Delhi. Yeldoz was the ruler of Ghazni and Qubacha was of Uch and both had matrimonial relations with Qutb-ud-din. Yeldoz was his father-in-law and Qubacha was his brother-in-law as he had married one sister of Qutb-ud-din.
Besides, there were two more contenders also for the throne of Delhi. They were nobles like Baha-ud-din Tughril Khan and Bakhtiyar Khalji but to the good fortune of Qutb-ud-din they were dead by then. According to historians like Professor K.A. Nizami, this was due to the weak position of Qutb-ud-din over the throne of Delhi as Muhammad of Ghur did not decide anything about his succession in India before his death; therefore each of his governors and lieutenants was left free to decide his own course of action.
This may be a fact but as the struggle for supremacy was the order of the time, the question of legal sanction behind the throne of Delhi has nothing to do with that. Besides, there was another great danger for him from outside. Khwarizm Shah Ala-ud-din Muhammad, the ruler of persia had desired to capture Ghazni and Delhi.
In the face of these difficulties, Qutb-ud-din stood with determination. After all he himself was a gifted soldier and a great military leader. He decided to keep himself free from the policies of Central Asia. He had to move with caution. He first strengthened his position in Delhi and Lahore. He tried to persuade some Turkish nobles to accept his subordination. He gave his sister in marriage to Qabacha and his daughter to Iltutmish and secured their support. Yeldoz who was his father-in-law did not accept his claim over Delhi. In the meanwhile an interesting situation arose which went in favour of Qutb-ud-din.
Yeldoz who was the ruler of Ghazni, was pressurized by Khwarizm Shah to leave the throne of Ghazni. Yeldoz had no way out. He left Ghazni and proceeded towards Punjab. Qutb-ud-din faced him and forced him to return back. Qutb-ud-din even occupied Ghazni but was forced to leave it after forty days when Yeldoz reached back there. But he did not allow Yeldoz to occupy any Indian territories further.
Qutb-ud-din had to face some internal problems as well. Ali Mardan Khan, the ruler of Bengal and Bihar was dethroned and imprisoned by some Khalji nobles and they had offered the throne to Muhammad Sheran who had promised to rule Bengal independently. However, Ali Mardan escaped from prison, reached Delhi and requested Qutb-ud-din to interfere in the affairs of Bengal.
Qutb-ud-din accepted his prayer and deputed Qaiwaz Rumi Khan, a noble to settle the matter. Rumi Khan used both force and diplomacy to win over the Khalji nobles of Bengal. He convinced them to accept Ali Mardan as the governor of Bengal under the Suzerainty of Delhi. Thus, finally, Ali Mardan became the governor of Bengal and agreed to pay annual tribute to Qutb-ud-din.
However Qutb-ud-din could not pursue the policy of extension of his kingdom. He remained busy in defending his independent position. The affairs in the north-west and Bengal in the east were his primary concerns. That is why mostly he remained at Lahore instead of Delhi. But he could not live long. While playing polo, he fell from his horse and shortly died in 1210 A.D.
Estimate of Qutb-ud-din:
Qutb-ud-din Aibak was the real founder of Turkish rule in India. He was the key man behind Muhammad’s success in India. After the death of Sultan Muhammad, he” consolidated his Indian conquests by adding some more victories to his credit. He established his supremacy over his Turkish nobles by following a policy of war and diplomacy. He succeeded in putting down Yeldoz and Qubacha, the two contenders for the throne of Delhi.
Qutb-ud-din rose to a high position from the life of a slave. He proved to be the most capable slave among the slaves of Sultan Muhammad. He was a self-made man who rose to the status of Sultan by his own merit and services. He possessed the qualities of both head and heart. He had the good qualities of loyality, generosity, courage and sense of justice.
He was a good diplomat and possessed practical wisdom. He saved the infant Turkish kingdom by following a policy of war and diplomacy. He was also a seasoned soldier and a military leader of high ability. As an individual he was both generous and cruel. But he was not a good administrator as he ruled the country as a military jagir which lacked the elements of stability.
He was intolerant in the matters of religion. He had destroyed some Hindu Temples and had constructed mosques out of the materials of the temples. However he had left his tasks unfinished as he died shortly in 1210 and perhaps could not provide stability to his rule. He also could not make Delhi entirely free from the coveted eyes of Yeldoz and other Turkish nobles. These tasks were completed by Iltutmish, his son-in-law and successor. But he had paved the way for the independence of Delhi and had claimed to be the founder of Turkish rule in India.