In 1206, India found a Mohammeden King Qutb-ud-din Aibak ruling not from outside of India but at Delhi itself.
- Qutb-ud-din Aibak was the first of the 34 Muslim Kings who ruled at Delhi from 1206 to 1526 when India was conquered by Babur.
- These 34 Kings belonged to 5 dynasties and are collectively called "Delhi Sultanate".
The five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate are
- Mamluk dynasty (1206–90): also known as Slave Dynasty. Turkish Origin
- Khilji dynasty (1290–1320) : Turkish Origin
- Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1413): Turkish Origin
The continuance of the three Turkish origin dynasties was disturbed by the invasion of Timur in 1398, which put an end to the Tughlaqs and the Kingdom of Delhi was broken up in pieces. It was taken over by the Sayyid Dynasty which were actually nobles and claimed Arabian descent from the dynasty of Hazarat Muhammad.
- Sayyid dynasty (1414–51) : Disputed Origin
- Lodi dynasty (1451–1526) : Afghan Origin
In South India we see the Bahamani Kingdom which was founded by Ala-ud-Din Hassan Bahman Shah in 1347 with a revolt against the Tughlaqs of Delhi and Vijaynagar Empire which was founded in 1336 by Hakka and Bukka, the generals of Veera Ballala III, the great Hoyasala King in Karnataka. The Vijaynagar Empire lasted till 1565 when it was swept away by the confederacy of the Deccan sultanates in the Battle of Talikota.