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Firuz Shah Tughlaq

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Firuz Shah Tughlaq
Firuz Shah Tughlaq ibn Malik Rajjab
Firoz Shah Tughlaq making Dua
19th Sultan of Delhi
Reign23 March 1351 – 20 September 1388
PredecessorMuhammad bin Tughluq
SuccessorTughluq Khan
Bornc. 1309
Jaunpur, Delhi Sultanate
(modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died20 September 1388 (aged 78–79)
Jaunpur, Delhi Sultanate
(modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Burial20 September 1388
Tughlaq tombs, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
ConsortGurjari Begum
Issue
Names
Firoz Shah Tughlaq
HouseTughlaq
DynastyTughlaq dynasty
FatherMalik Rajab
MotherBibi Naila
ReligionSunni Islam (Hanafi)

Firuz Shah Tughlaq (Persian: فیروز شاه تغلق, romanized: Fīrūz Shāh Tughlaq; 1309 – 20 September 1388) was the 3rd Sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty, ruling from 1351 to 1388 CE.[1] He succeeded his cousin Muhammad bin Tughlaq following the latter's death at Thatta, Sindh. His father was Sipahsalar Rajab, the brother of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, the founder of the dynasty, whilst his mother was a Bhatti taking origins in Abuhar, Dipalpur in the Punjab region.[2] Firuz Shah has been accredited with the construction of numerous cities and irrigation projects and has been regarded as a great builder with the creation of Firozpur, Hisar and Fatehabad in the Punjab and Haryana regions.[3] Firuz Shah's reign was met with numerous conquests such as against the Raja's of Bengal, Sindh and Kangra later in his reign, whilst upon receiving the throne it has been noted he successfully repelled a Mongol attack.[4]

Background

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Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi is one of the main sources of information regarding the Sultan's background, early life and the origins of his parents. It was narrated that Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq longed for his brother, Sipahsalar Rajab, to marry the daughter of one of the Rai's of Dipalpur in Punjab and was later informed of the beauty of one Rana Mall Bhatti's daughter called Bibi Naila.[5] Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq sent a proposal of marriage to the Rai however he declined which led the Sultan to demand the payment of revenue for a year causing hardship to the people for three days until Bibi Naila heard the cries of her mother due to the severity caused by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq and ultimately accepted his proposal.[6] Upon marrying Sipahsalar Rajab her name was changed to Sultan Bibi Kadbanu.[7] When Firuz Shah was seven years old, his father Sipahsalar Rajab had died and was then raised by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq.[8]

Firuz Shah was mentored by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq and Muhammad bin Tughluq in the handling of affairs of the state and the duties and functions held by the royalty. When he was fourteen years of age, Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq succeeded the throne of Delhi and he travelled with the Sultan, learning the arts of public affairs. Upon Muhammad bin Tughluq's succession to the throne, Firuz shah, now eighteen years of age, had assumed the rank of 'deputy of the lord chamberlain' (Naib-i Amir Hajib) with the title of Naib Barbak, commanding twelve thousand horses.[9]

Rule

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Assumed flag of Firuz Shah Tughlaq as depicted in Tārīk͟h-i Fīrūz Shāhī

Upon Muhammad bin Tughluq's death, Firuz Shah succeeded the throne on the 23rd March 1351 CE on the banks of Sindh. According to the Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi a group of Mongols had plundered a baggage train and were advancing to Firuz's camp leading to a battle wherein the latter was victorious and the Mongol captives set free, the Mongols then fled their camps, securing Firuz Shah's first victory as emperor.[10] During this time it was thought by the Khwaja-i-Jahan of the empire through misinformed intelligence that Firuz Shah was missing and presumed dead, causing him to place an imposter son of Muhammad bin Tughluq on the throne however upon finding out that Firuz was alive he gathered an army of twenty thousand at Delhi until peace was made. Firuz upon hearing of this unanimously agreed with his nobles that Muhammad bin Tughluq had only one daughter and thence marched through Multan, Dipalpur and Ajodhan whilst gathering a large army of soldiers, nobles, and commoners from these cities for his march to Delhi, including thirty six Rajas of this neighbourhood, he also completed a pilgramage at the tomb of Baba Farid.[11] According to this same tradition, whilst marching to Delhi, Firuz received a son and founded the town of Fatehabad at the place of his son's birth whilst naming it after his son who was named Fath Khan.[12] The Khawaja-i-Jahan had set to Fatehabad with a chain around his neck and sued for peace and pleaded with Firuz for his error, securing Firuz's rule.[13]

Attempted regicide

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A daughter of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, Khudawand-zada, alongside her husband, attemped to kill Firoz when he came to visit her, out of jealousy. It was a custom of Firuz Shah to visit and converse with Khudwand-zada after Friday prayers and upon Firuz seeing signals being made by her on his visit, he left her palace hastily and took the sword from one of his nobles, Rai Chirhu Bhatti, then confronting her party which led to her immediate retirement and the exile of her husband.[14]

Conquests

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First invasion of Bengal

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In 1353 CE Firuz Shah set to invade the region of Bengal ruled by Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, and camped on the banks of the Kosi River with over seventy thousand men. During this time the ruler of Gorakhpur submitted to Firuz and payed a tribute of over twenty thousand Tankas.[15] Firuz Shah's army crossed the Kosi River causing Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah to flee with his army to Ekdala, West Bengal. He soon after besieged the city but faked a retreat leading to Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah to leave the city with his army to harass the Sultan. The sultans army was secretly split into three divisions led by Tatar Khan, Malik Dillan and Malik Hisam Nawa and an assault was led on the Bengal army causing one hundred and eighty thousand casualties to Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah and his eventual retreat. Tatar Khan attempted to persuade Firuz to annex Bengal however he declined, stating that previous Delhi sultans had annexed it however it was not prudent due to the marshy lands of the region.[16] Two years after the invasion of Bengal, Firuz built the city of Hisar and before his second invasion of Bengal, he had constructed the city of Firozabad on the banks of the Yamuna river.[17]

Second invasion of Bengal

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Preceding Firuz's invasion, the king of Sonargaon, was slain by Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah and his son-in-law Zafar Khan had fled to the court of Firuz in Hisar and preprations were soon made in Delhi to avenge Zafar Khan's claims. Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah upon hearing of Firuz Shah's preperations for war, had fled from Ekdala to Sonargaon, deeper in Bengal for a securer position. Like the first invasion Firuz had amassed an army of seventy thousand men and marched towards Bengal in 1358 CE, creating the city of Jaunpur named after the second sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty, Muhammad bin Tughluq along the way. During this time Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah had died and was succeeded by his son Sikandar Shah who was besieged at Ekdala by the Delhi army. The outcome of the war led to the creation of a peace treaty with Sikandar Shah under the condition that Zafar Khan was to regain his dominion in Sonargaon which was accepted, both Firuz Shah and Sikandar Shah would send gifts including elephants and horses to commemorate the treaty.[18]

On the return from Bengal, Firuz Shah was met with conflict from the Rai of Jajpur, modern day Odisha and in 1360 CE, had invaded the region taking prisoners and spoils of war such as horses and cattle whilst also slaying the Rai of Odisha after failing numerous times to capture him alive due to him fleeing to an island.[19]

Conquest of Kangra

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Firuz received reports that the Rai of Kangra had invaded his kingdom and plundered some of his districts casuing him to march to Nagarkot, whilst passing through the city of Sirhind he built a canal connecting the Sarasvati River with the Markanda River and constructed a fort named Firuzpur.[20] The Rai of Kangra secured himself in a fort in Nagarkot and taking advantage, the Sultan's army had plundered the country of Kangra and besieged the fort of the Rai for six months until he surrendered himself and was permitted to retain his kingdom under the Fiefdom of Firuz.[21][22]

The Nurpur kingdom based in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh under Kailas Pal(1353-1397 CE), who ruled alongside Firuz Shah, had been noted as a great ally of the Tughlaq dynasty. It had been written that Tatar Khan, a Khorasanian governor, had been defeated and his face slashed by Kailas Pal and was killed by the Gakhars upon Tatar's invasion of the Punjab, 5000 Mansabdar was gifted to him as a reward for this victory.[23] Firuz Shah had also converted the Chauhan Rajputs from Hinduism to Islam.[24][25]

Death

[edit]

Tughlaq's death led to a war of succession coupled with nobles rebelling to set up independent states. His lenient attitude had strengthened the nobles, thus weakening his position. His successor Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlaq II could not control the slaves or the nobles. The army had become weak and the empire had shrunk in size. Ten years after his death, Timur's invasion devastated Delhi. His tomb is located in Hauz Khas (New Delhi), close to the tank built by Alauddin Khalji. Attached to the tomb is a madrasa built by Firuz Shah in 1352–53. His eldest son, Fateh Khan, died in 1376. He then abdicated in August 1387 and made his other son, Prince Muhammad, king. A slave rebellion forced him to confer the royal title to his grandson, Tughluq Khan.[26]

Love Story of Firuz Shah Tughlaq

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The Gujari Mahal situated in Hisar, Haryana (built in 1354) still hums the immortal love story of Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq and his lover a native lady of the Gurjar tribe.[27][28][29]

According to the story, when one day Emperor Firoz Shah Tughlaq went out for hunting he felt thirsty in the dense forest, but there was a great shortage of water there as the land there was sandy and uneven. Firoz Shah Tughlaq was so thirsty that he fell down from the horse and fainted.[30] During this time, a girl of the Gurjar tribe was passing from there who used to work as a milkmaid. When she saw Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq lying unconscious, she fed some milk to Sultan. Due to which Tughlaq regained consciousness.[31][32]

After this, Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq started visiting this place often. Whenever Sultan went for hunting, he would definitely visit the Gurjar colony. Soon, Emperor Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Gujari became good friends.[33] Later when Firoz Shah Tughlaq ascended the throne, he went to her village and proposed marriage to Gujari and asked her to accompany him to the throne of Delhi but Gujari refused to leave Hisar as she thought she would not be treated rightly by the other queens of Sultan.[34] It is said that Emperor shifted his court from Delhi to Hisar to marry Gujari and there he built this special palace for his lover Gujari after their marriage. She became the most favourite wife of Firuz Shah Tughlaq.[35][36][37]

Religious and administrative policies

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Tughlaq was a Sufi Muslim who tried to uphold the laws of Islam and adopted Sharia policies. He made a number of important concessions to theologians.[citation needed] He tried to ban practices that the orthodox theologians considered un-Islamic, an example being his prohibition of the practice of Muslim women going out to worship at the graves of saints. He persecuted a number of sects that were considered heretical by the Muslim theologians. Tughlaq took to heart the mistakes made during his cousin Muhammad's rule. He decided not to reconquer areas that had broken away, nor to keep further areas from taking their independence. He was indiscriminately benevolent and lenient as a sultan.[38] He decided to keep nobles and the Ulema happy so that they would allow him to rule his kingdom peacefully.

Palace of Feroz Shah Kotla, topped by the Ashokan Delhi-Topra pillar (left) and Jamia Masjid (right).

Rather than awarding position based on merit, Tughlaq allowed a noble's son to succeed to his father's position and jagir after his death.[39] The same was done in the army, where an old soldier could send his son, son-in-law or even his slave in his place. He increased the salary of the nobles. He stopped all kinds of harsh punishments such as cutting off hands. He also lowered the land taxes that Muhammad had raised. Tughlaq's reign has been described as the greatest age of corruption in medieval India: He once gave a golden tanka to a distraught soldier so that he could bribe the clerk to pass his sub-standard horse.[40]

Firoz Shah Tughlaq's reign was marked by both administrative reforms and aggressive religious policies aimed at consolidating Islamic rule in India. A devout Muslim, he is known for his efforts to enforce Sharia law, which included widespread persecution of Hindus and destruction of their religious institutions. According to his own memoir, Futuhat-i-Firoz Shahi, he took pride in forcing conversions and punishing those who resisted Islam.[41]

But Firuz Shah Tughlaq renovated Surya kund in the Dakshinaarka sun temple of Gaya and acknowledged its greatness. It has an inscription mentioning his name twice.[42]

Infrastructure and education

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Tughlaq instituted economic policies to increase the material welfare of his people. Many rest houses (sarai), gardens and tombs (Tughluq tombs) were built. A number of madrasas (Islamic religious schools) were opened to encourage the religious education of Muslims. He set up hospitals for the free treatment of the poor and encouraged physicians in the development of Unani medicine.[43] He provided money for the marriage of girls belonging to poor families under the department of Diwan-i-khairat. He commissioned many public buildings in Delhi. He built Firoz Shah Palace Complex at Hisar in 1354 CE, over 300 villages and dug five major canals, including the renovation of Prithviraj Chauhan era Western Yamuna Canal, for irrigation bringing more land under cultivation for growing grain and fruit. Firoz Shah founded several cities around Delhi, including Jaunpur, Firozpur, Hissar, Firozabad, Fatehabad.[26] Most of Firozabad was destroyed as subsequent rulers dismantled its buildings and reused the spolia as building materials,[44] and the rest was subsumed as New Delhi grew.

Hindu religious works were translated from Sanskrit to Persian and Arabic.[45] He had a large personal library of manuscripts in Persian, Arabic and other languages. He brought two Ashokan Pillars from Meerut, and a Topra near Radaur in Yamunanagar district of Haryana, carefully cut and wrapped in silk, to Delhi in bullock cart trains. He re-erected one of them on the roof of his palace at Firuz Shah Kotla.[45]

Remains of buildings at Firoz Shah Kotla, Delhi, 1795.

When the Qutb Minar was struck by lightning in 1368 AD, knocking off its top storey, he replaced them with the existing two floors, faced with red sandstone and white marble. One of his hunting lodges, Shikargah, also known as Kushak Mahal, is situated within the Teen Murti Bhavan complex, Delhi. The nearby Kushak Road is named after it, as is the Tughlaq Road further on.[46][47]

[edit]
  • Gold tanka of Firuz Shah
    Gold tanka of Firuz Shah
  • Jital of 40 Rati
    Jital of 40 Rati
  • Billon Tanka of Hazrat Dehli Dated AH 771
    Billon Tanka of Hazrat Dehli Dated AH 771
  • Coin of 32 Rati
    Coin of 32 Rati
  • Jital of 40 Rati
    Jital of 40 Rati
  • Jital of 40 Rati
    Jital of 40 Rati
  • Jital of Firoz Shah
    Jital of Firoz Shah

References

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  1. ^ "Tarikh-I-Mubarakshahi" (PDF). p. 121. On the 23rd Muharram of the above year (752 H. Tuesday 22nd March, 1351 AD) he (Firoz Shah) ascended the throne on the bank of the Sindh.
  2. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. p. 1-4. Little is known of Shams-i Siraj beyond what is gleaned from his own work. He was descended from a family which dwelt at Abuhar, the country of Firoz Shah's Bhatti mother...It is recorded that his father was named Sipah-salar Rajab, and was the brother of Sultan Ghiyas ud din Tughlik Ghazi.
  3. ^ Tracy, James D. (25 September 2000). City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press. pp. 270–271. ISBN 978-0-521-65221-6.
  4. ^ "Tarikh-i-Mubarakshahi" (PDF). p. 176-181.
  5. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. p. 4-5.
  6. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. p. 5.
  7. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. p. 5. Before her marriage she was called Bibi Naila, but on entering the house of Sipah-salar Rajab, she was styled Sultan Bibi Kadbanu.
  8. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. When Firoz Shah was seven years old his father, Sipah-salar Rajab, died, and Tughluk Shah made great mourning for him. The widowed mother was in great distress as to the education and. training of her son, but Tughluk Shah consoled her, and told her that he would look upon the child as his own, and treat him with every kindness so long as he lived.
  9. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. p. 6.
  10. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. pp. 8–11.
  11. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. pp. 12–16.
  12. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. p. 17. Another pleasure which the Sultan received on the same day at this place was the birth of a son, who was named Fath Khan. The Sultan founded a town there, to which he gave the name of Fath-abad (Futtehabad).
  13. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. pp. 17–20.
  14. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. pp. 24–26.
  15. ^ "Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi" (PDF). p. 128.
  16. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. pp. 27–33.
  17. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. pp. 33 and 38. After returning victorious from Bengal, Sultan Firoz passed several successive years riding about Dehli. The author was told by his father that, in the second year after the Bengal campaign, the Sultan was in the neighborhood of Hisar Firozah, and exerted himself actively and liberally in endeavoring to provide for the needs, of the country. It was at this time that Hisar Firozah was founded
  18. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. pp. 41–49.
  19. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. pp. 49–50.
  20. ^ Haig, Wolseley (1925). Cambridge History Of India Vol. 2. p. 179. ...but his progress was arrested by reports that the raja of Kangra had ventured to invade his kingdom and plunder some of the districts lying at the foot of the mountains, and he marched to Sirhind with the object of attacking Kangra. On his way to Sirhind he observed that a canal might be cut to connect tlie waters of the Saraswatl with those of another river, probably the Markanda, which rises near Nahan and flows past Shahabad, to the south of Ambala
  21. ^ Elliot H. M. (1953). Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif. p. 55-56.
  22. ^ Haig, Wolseley (1925). Cambridge History Of India Vol. 2. p. 180. The raja of Kangra surrendered after standing a very short siege, and I was courteously received and permitted to retain his territory as a fief of Delhi.
  23. ^ Hutchison, John (1994). History of the Panjab Hill States. Asian Educational Services. p. 221. ISBN 978-81-206-0942-6.
  24. ^ Chandra, Satish (2005). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part - II. Vol. 2. Har-Anand Publications. p. 112. ISBN 978-81-241-1066-9.
  25. ^ Stern, Robert W. (1988). The Cat and the Lion: Jaipur State in the British Raj. BRILL. p. 265. ISBN 978-90-04-08283-0.
  26. ^ a b Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 97–100. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  27. ^ Purābhāratī: Studies in Early Historical Archaeology and Buddhism : Commemoration Volume in Respect of Prof. B.P. Sinha. Sharada Publishing House. 2006. ISBN 978-81-88934-39-3.
  28. ^ Shastri, Ajay Mitra; Sharma, R. K.; Handa, Devendra (2005). Revealing India's Past: Recent Trends in Art and Archaeology : Prof. Ajay Mitra Shastri Commemoration Volume. Aryan Books International. ISBN 978-81-7305-288-0.
  29. ^ Khattar, Sohan Singh; Kar, Reena (26 July 2021). Know Your State Haryana. Arihant Publications India limited. ISBN 978-93-257-9038-4.
  30. ^ Khattar, Sohan Singh; Kar, Reena (26 July 2021). Know Your State Haryana. Arihant Publications India limited. ISBN 978-93-257-9038-4.
  31. ^ Haryana State Gazetteer: Agriculture & irrigation. Haryana Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department. 2005.
  32. ^ "The Tribune - Windows - Slice of history". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  33. ^ Publication, Mocktime. Haryana General Knowledge - A Comprehensive Coverage. by Mocktime Publication.
  34. ^ "Gujari Mahal Hisar, History, Timings, Information & Facts". Gosahin - Explore Unexplored Destinations. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  35. ^ Symist (30 December 2018). INDIA: Brief History Volume 1. Symist.
  36. ^ "Rediscovering the Legend of Gujari Mahal at Hisar". www.notesonindianhistory.com. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  37. ^ "Firuz Shah Tughlaq's affair with Milkmaid". Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  38. ^ Chaurasia, Radhey Shyam (2002). History of Medieval India: From 1000 A.D. to 1707 A.D. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers. pp. 67–76. ISBN 978-81-269-0123-4.
  39. ^ Jackson, Peter (1999). The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-521-40477-8.
  40. ^ Chaurasia, Radhey Shyam (2002). History of Medieval India: From 1000 A.D. to 1707 A.D. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers. p. 75. ISBN 978-81-269-0123-4.
  41. ^ Tughlaq, Firoz Shah. Futuhat-i-Firoz Shahi. Translated by Elliot, H. M., and John Dowson, in The History of India as Told by Its Own Historians: The Muhammadan Period, Vol. 3, Trübner & Co., 1871, pp. 380–394.
  42. ^ कुमार, राजीव (29 October 2022). "विष्णुपद मंदिर: फिरोज शाह तुगलक ने मानी थी गया के सूर्य मंदिर व सूर्य कुंड की महिमा, की थी आशीर्वाद की कामना". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  43. ^ Tibb Firoz Shahi (1990) by Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman, Department of History of Medicine and Science, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, 79pp
  44. ^ "West Gate of Firoz Shah Kotla". British Library. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  45. ^ a b Thapar, Romilla (1967). Medieval India. NCERT. p. 38. ISBN 81-7450-359-5.
  46. ^ "Indian cavalry's victorious trysts with India's history". Asian Age. 6 December 2011. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012.
  47. ^ "King's resort in the wild". Hindustan Times. 4 August 2012. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013.
[edit]
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Preceded by Sultan of Delhi
1351–1388 		Succeeded by
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