What steps did Balban take to consolidate the Delhi Sultanate?
What steps did Balban take to consolidate the Delhi Sultanate?
Achievements and monarchical ideals of Ghiyasuddin Balban.
What steps did Balban take to protect the dignity of the monarchy?
Balban's role in consolidating the Delhi Sultanate:-
Problems in front of Balban:-
After ascending the throne, Balban had to face various problems. The problems are -
(1) According to historian Ziauddin Barani, the collapsed and broken law and order was the biggest problem before Balban.
(2) In the areas near Delhi, the harassment of Mewati and other bandits caused a lack of security in public life.
(3) The unlimited arrogance of the forty cycles, the lust for power of the Amir-Umrahs, arrogance and conspiracies created serious problems.
(4) Due to the weakness of the central government, law and order in the country deteriorated drastically, the importance of the princely state decreased, the common people lost confidence in the government, and the royal dignity was deplorably reduced.
(5) The security of the empire was severely disrupted by the continuous attacks of the external Mongols.
Steps taken by Balban to overcome the problems:-
He took special steps to eliminate these problems and re-establish a strong centralized rule and the dignity of the monarchy.
Suppression of Anarchy:-
1. From the beginning of the Sultanate era, the residents of a place called Mewat in Rajputana used to earn their living by banditry in Delhi and its adjacent areas. There was no security for the lives and property of the people. To end this problem, Balban cut and cleared all the forests in the area adjacent to Delhi so that the bandits could not find shelter there. Then, by ambushing him, he killed many Mewatis and burned their villages. In addition, Afghan troops were deployed by setting up police and army posts in those places.
2. The Hindu farmers and landlords of the Ganges and Yamuna Doab region could not accept Turkish rule. All trade routes were closed due to their harassment. In this situation, Balban attacked the rebellious villages. All rebellian were killed, women and children were turned into slaves. The entire region was divided into small Iqtas and their rule was given to Turkish commanders.
3. The Sultanate's trade and commerce was almost stopped due to the harassment of bandits from the Kampil, Patiala, etc. regions under Ayodhya. Balban built forts in those regions and deployed Afghan troops there.
4. Then he went to war against the bandits of the Badaun, Amraho, etc. regions of Katihar. He established peace in those regions through strict repression and brutal killings.
5. In 1268-1269 AD, he conducted a campaign in the Zad or Salt Mountains area and suppressed the rebellious Khokkar tribes.
Establishment of the royal ideals:-
Dr. K. A. Nizami says that Balban was the only one among the Delhi Sultans who expressed his views on monarchy very clearly. He took some measures to establish the dignity of the royal power by reducing the power of the Amir-Umrahs -
1. He declared himself as ''Naybat-i-Khudai'' or the representative of God.
2. He adopted the title of ''Jillilah'' and declared that he was not accountable to anyone other than God for his actions.
3. He did not meet or talk to any common man or lowly officials.
4. He introduced ''Sijda'' and ''Pibas'' in the court, following the Persian tradition.
5. He always entered the royal court surrounded by fearsome bodyguards.
6. All kinds of entertainment, jokes, and drinking were prohibited in the court.
7. No one could talk to him in the court except the "vizier".
By creating an extremely solemn atmosphere, he proved that the Sultan was above everyone.
The overthrow of the Forty Circles: -
Although he ascended to power as one of the Forty Circles and used the Forty Circles as a stepping stone, he realized that the Forty Circles were the main rivals to the Sultan's power and the main controller of state power. Therefore, he took some steps to secure the throne for himself and his successors by overthrowing the Forty Circles. Whenever he received any complaint against them for neglecting their duties or for any other reason, he would take strict action against them. He did not hesitate to publicly flog, fine, execute, and even kill by poisoning. In this way, by using harsh and brutal methods, he destroyed forty circles. However, as a result of the destruction of forty circles, the Turkish ruling class became weak.
Formation of a strong spy department: -
In order to always be aware of all kinds of news in the empire, conspiracies against the Sultan, etc., Balban established a strong spy department. During his reign, spies were called - Barid. Spies were appointed in all parts of the empire. Spies were appointed to keep an eye on high-ranking military officials, provincial governors, Emir-Umrah, royal servants, and even members of the royal family.
Strengthening the administrative system:-
Balban identified all the weak aspects of the administrative system and reformed them. He did not give excessive power to any of the royal servants. The provincial governors were obliged to send regular reports to the Sultan. At that time, there were two important border regions - Multan and Lakhnauti. Balban directly entrusted the responsibility of governing these two regions to his two sons Bughra Khan and Muhammad. A class of employees called 'Khwaja' were appointed to examine the accounts of the rulers.
Reform of the military and establishment of a strong military force:-
In the Middle Ages, the main basis of Sultanate rule was the military force. Therefore, Balban took the initiative to form a strong military force. For this purpose, Balban took several steps. Such as -
1. Only young men were appointed to the army and monthly cash salaries were provided instead of land.
2. The number of army members was increased by a large amount.
3. A large army was deployed under the Sultan himself.
4. Regular exercises were conducted to increase the efficiency of the army.
5. To increase the excellence of the army, he appointed a person named Imad-ul-Mulk as the Minister of War.
Prevention of Mongol invasion:-
1. To secure the border from the Mongols, Balban divided the border region into two parts - Multan and Dipalpur, Samana region. Multan and Dipalpur were in the hands of the eldest son Sultan Muhammad and the responsibility of Samana region was in the hands of the second son Baghra Khan.
2. A large cavalry force was deployed in the border region. Each force had about eighteen thousand cavalry soldiers.
3. He built many forts in the border region and the army was always deployed in them.
4. Balban's son, the fierce general Sher Khan, was given the responsibility of the entire region.
Suppression of rebellion in Bengal: -
Taking advantage of Balban's old age and the Mongol invasion, the ruler of Bengal, Tughril Khan, declared a rebellion against Balban in 1278 AD. When Malik Turmati, the ruler of Ayodhya, was sent to suppress Tughril, he was defeated. Then Balban himself marched against Tughril and Tughril left the capital Laxmanavati and fled to Sonargaon and from there to Orissa. Finally, Tughril's army was scattered in an ambush by Balban. Tughril was killed. Balban brutally killed Tughril's followers and established the rule of the Delhi Sultanate in Bengal.
Judging by his achievements, Balban can be called one of the successful Sultans of Delhi. He reigned for about forty years. During this period, he established a far-reaching and effective system to prevent the Mongol invasions - this was one of the most notable achievements of his reign. In addition, Balban eliminated the chaos that had arisen at that time and established a strong centralized system of government. Along with this, he restored the glory of the throne and dignity of the monarchy.
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