Khizr Khan
| Khizr Khan | |
|---|---|
| Supreme Sultan The loyal Governor of Mongol | |
.jpg) Silver Tanka of Khizr Khan INO Muhammad Bin Firoz | |
| 25th Sultan of Delhi | |
| Reign | 28 May 1414 – 20 May 1421 |
| Coronation | 28 May 1414 |
| Predecessor | Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq |
| Successor | Mubarak Shah |
| Servicing Ruler | Shah Rukh |
| Timurid - Governor of Multan | |
| Reign | ? - 31 December 1398 |
| Timurid - Governor of Delhi | |
| Reign | 31 December 1398 - 18 February 1405 |
| Coronation | Timur Invasion of Delhi Sultanate |
| Servicing Ruler | Timur |
| Born | unknown |
| Died | 20 May 1421 |
| Burial | Delhi, India |
| House | Sayyid dynasty |
Sayyid Khizr Khan (reigned 28 May 1414 – 20 May 1421) was the founder of the Sayyid dynasty, the ruling dynasty of the Delhi sultanate, in northern India soon after the invasion of Timur and the fall of the Tughlaq dynasty.[1]
Khan was Governor of Multan under the Tughlaq ruler, Firuz Shah Tughlaq, and was known to be an able administrator. He did not take up any royal title due to fear of Amir Timur (better known historically as Tamerlane) and contended himself with the titles of Rayat-i-Ala (Sublime Banners) and Masnad-i-Aali or (Most High Post). During his reign, coins were continued to be struck in the name of previous Tughlaq rulers.[2] After his death on 20 May 1421, he was succeeded by his son Mubarak Khan,[3] who took the title of Muizz-ud-Din Mubarak Shah.
Ancestry and early life[edit]
A contemporary writer Yahya Sirhindi mentions in his Tarikh-i-Mubarakshahi that Khizr Khan belonged to an Arab[4][5] family and was a descendant of prophet Muhammad. However, Yahya Sirhindi based his conclusions on unsubstantial evidence, the first being a casual recognition by the famous saint Sayyid Jalaluddin Bukhari of Uch Sharif of his Sayyid heritage,[6] and secondly the noble character of the Sultan which distinguished him as a Prophet's descendant.[7] According to Richard Eaton, Khizr Khan belonged to a Punjabi chieftain of Multan.[8] Malik Mardan Daulat, the Governor of Multan, adopted Khizr Khan's father, Malik Sulaiman, as his son. Sulaiman succeeded Malik Shaikh, another son of Malik Mardan, to the governorship. After his death, Firuz Shah Tughlaq appointed Khizr Khan as governor. But in 1395, he was expelled from Multan by Sarang Khan, brother of Mallu Iqbal Khan. He fled to Mewat and later joined Timur. It is believed that before his departure, Timur appointed Khizr Khan his viceroy at Delhi although he could only establish his control over Multan, Dipalpur and parts of Sindh.[9] He defeated Mallu Iqbal Khan Lodi in 1405. In 1412 Daulat Khan Lodi won the support of most of the nobles and managed to occupy the Delhi throne. He sent several expeditions to establish the imperial hold over Punjab but in vain. He had defeated Bairam Khan, naib (second in command) of Khizr Khan on 22 December 1406, and then established himself at Samana. But on the approach of Khizr Khan's army, majority of his soldiers deserted and went to the enemy camp. With the passage of time his own people, for instance Ikhtiyar Khan also joined the army of Khizr Khan. At last in March 1414, Daulat Khan Lodi was besieged at Siri by 60,000 strong army of Khizr Khan. The unrelenting process of desertion gravely weakened his position and at the eleventh hour too some of his officers treacherously deserted and went to the side of Khizr Khan. In this way he was forced by circumstances to surrender. On May 28 1414, Khizr Khan Captured Delhi and imprisoned Daulat Khan Lodi.[10]
Reign[edit]
After his accession to the throne, Khizr Khan appointed Malik-us-Sharq Tuhfa as his wazir and he was given the title of Taj-ul-Mulk and he remained in office until 1421. The fief of Saharanpur was given to Sayyid Salim. Abdur Rahman received the fiefs of Multan and Fatehpur. In 1414, an army led by Taj-ul-Mulk was sent to suppress the rebellion of Har Singh, the Raja of Katehar. Raja fled to the forests but finally was compelled to surrender and agree to pay tributes in future. In July, 1416 an army led by Taj-ul-Mulk was sent to Bayana and Gwalior where it plundered the peasants in the name of realizing the amount equivalent to the tributes to be paid.[3] In 1417, Khizr Khan obtained permission from Shah Rukh to have his own name also suffixed to that of Shah Rukh.[9] In 1418, Har Singh revolted again but was defeated completely by Taj-ul-Mulk.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
- ^ Nelson, Wright [1974], The Coinage & Metrology of the Sultans of Dehli, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., pp. 239.
- ^ a b c Mahajan, V. D. (2007) [1991], History of Medieval India, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN 81-219-0364-5, pp. 237–9.
- ^ Porter, Yves; Degeorge, Gérard (2009). The Glory of the Sultans: Islamic Architecture in India. Though Timur had since withdrawn his forces , the Sayyid Khizr Khān , the scion of a venerable Arab family who had settled in Multān , continued to pay him tribute: Flammarion. ISBN 978-2-08-030110-9.
- ^ The Cambridge History of India. The claim of Khizr Khān , who founded the dynasty known as the Sayyids , to descent from the prophet of Arabia was dubious , and rested chiefly on its causal recognition by the famous saint Sayyid Jalāl - ud - dīn of Bukhārā .: S. Chand. 1958.
- ^ The Cambridge History of India. The claim of Khizr Khān , who founded the dynasty known as the Sayyids , to descent from the prophet of Arabia was dubious , and rested chiefly on its causal recognition by the famous saint Sayyid Jalāl - ud - dīn of Bukhārā .: S. Chand. 1958.
- ^ Ramesh Chandra Majumdar. The History and Culture of the Indian People: The Delhi sultanate.
- ^ Richard M. Eaton. India in the Persianate Age: 1000–1765. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-520-32512-8.
- ^ a b Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). The Delhi Sultanate, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp. 125–8
- ^ Joshi, Rita (1985). The Afghan nobility and the Mughals : 1526-1707. New Delhi: Vikas Pub. House. ISBN 0-7069-2752-4. OCLC 13330657.
Further reading[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Khizr Khan. |
- Muntakhab-ul Lubab, Muḥammad Hāshim Khāfī Khān, Sir Henry Miers Elliot, John Dowson, 2006.