Articles from General Knowledge Today

Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji

2011- 05- 27 06:05:50 GKToday

Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji (1290-1296 AD) T he power t hat swept away t he Slave Dynast y was Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khilji. His original name was Malik Firuz. Malik Firuz was appoint ed in t he army at Baran by Kaikubad. When Kaikubad debauched himself t o paralysis, Firuz marched t o Delhi. Meanwhile, Kaikubad was killed and t he nobles placed t he t hree year old son of Kaikubad on t he t hrone. T he men (Brot hers, sons and nephews) of Firuz dashed in Delhi, capt ured t he 3 year old Sult an of India, def eat ed t he f orces and compelled t he nobles t o surrender, killed t he inf ant king and t hrew his body in Yamuna. On 13 July 1290, t he dynast y at Delhi had changed and now a new Dynast y t hat is Khilji Dynast y was t here t o rule t he count ry and decide it s f at e. T he Khalji clan was f rom t he Af ghan village of Khalj was of most probably Turkish origin but had become Af ghan in charact er. Khalji and t he Turkish slaves were part ners in many successf ul campaigns in India. Under Muhammad Ghori, Bengal was won by Bakht iyar Khalji, who ruled t here. T hey were in many high level post s in t he Ghor army and successive armies in India. When Jalaluddin set at t he t hrone of Delhi, he was an old man of 70 years and he deput ed his brot hers, sons and nephews at various "st rat egic" post s in t he government . T he old man was not ready t o shed more blood, and when Malik Chajju, a nephew of Balban marched wit h an army t o det hrone t he new Sult an of Delhi, he was def eat ed, capt ured but f reed and post ed at Manikpur. Jalauuddin was obsessed wit h mercy. He pardoned all kinds of criminals alike t hugs, t rait ors, conspirat ors et c. et c. In his t ime, Mongols at t acked once more but t his t ime (under Halaku), negot iat ions caused t he "part ial" ret reat of t he Mongols and not t he open war. T he next invasion of Mongols was under Ulugh Khan. He accept ed Islam and t he old Sult an gave his daught er t o him in marriage. He st art ed st aying near Delhi and lat er creat ed sort s of t roubles f or t he kit h and kin of Sult an. T his behavior of t he King, who was probably preparing himself f or t he next world, was incomprehensible and exasperat ing f or t he companions. His wit , learning, way of lif e and way of ruling was not appreciat ed by anybody. T he sedit ion grew quickly and t hen all of a sudden we f ind his nephew Alauddin, who was his son-in-law t oo, plot a conspiracy. He t rapped his uncle

unarmed and unguarded at Kara where he was post ed, and when act ually t he uncle was f ondling t his t rait or nephew, one of t he meanest murder of t he hist ory of India was accomplished. T he old Sult an of India, Jalaluddin Khalji was st abbed, beheaded and t hrown down at t he f eet of his nephew, he had ever t rust ed , perhaps more t han anyone else.