Medieval Indian History MCQs

Notes:
Iltutmish issued purely Arabic coinage of silver called tanka. He was the first to do so. The Tanka which weighted 175 grams, remains the basis of the modern rupee. He also issued copper Jital.

Notes:
Ghiyas-ud-din Balban, the Sultan of Delhi, appointed spies to monitor the activities of the nobles. Balban created a powerful spy network to keep an eye on the nobles and the common people. He appointed spies, called “Barids”, to watch the activities of his governors, military and civil officers, and even his own sons. The spies were well-paid and reported suspicious activities to Balban.
Balban was determined to break the power of the Turkish nobles. He spared only the most obedient nobles and eliminated all others by fair or foul means. For example, he publicly flogged Malik Baqbaq, the governor of Badaun, for his cruelty towards his servants.
Balban’s strong army helped him to quell rebellions and invasions from neighboring kingdoms.

Notes:
Alauddin Khalji was the first Sultan of Delhi who ordered for the measurement of land. During his time even the big landlords could not escape land tax. The land revenue was collected in cash which in turn was used by the Sultan to pay the soldiers in cash.

Notes:
Alauddin Alam Shah who ruled the Sayyid dynasty from 1443 CE to 1451 CE was the last ruler of the Sayyid dynasty. It is believed that Alam Shah’s Wazir, Hamid Khan, invited Bahlol Lodhi to take charge of the army which later founded the Lodhi dynasty.

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After Sher Shah Suri conquered malwa from Qadir shah, he appointed Shujaat Khan as the governor. His son, Baz Bahadur, declared himself independent in 1555 CE. Baz Bahadur was the last sultan of Malwa.

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In the Delhi Sultanate the post of Naib was the most powerful one. The Naib in the Sultanate period practically enjoyed all the powers of the Sultan. He exercised general control over all the departments.

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During the Delhi Sultanate period ‘Diwan-i-Rasalat’ was the department of religious affairs. It dealt with pious foundations and gave stipends to deserving scholars and man of piety.

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The land under the Delhi Sultans was classified into three categories which are: 1. Iqta, 2. Khalisa and 3. Inam. The Delhi Sultans introduced reforms in the land revenue administration.

Notes:
During the rule of Delhi Sultans the Hindus were considered zimmis or protected people, for which they were also forced to pay a tax called jaziya. Jaziya was collected as part of land tax however Firoz Tughlaq separated it from the land revenue and collected jiziya as a separate tax. He levied it on Brahmans also.

Notes:
Muhammad bin Tughlaq of the Tughlaq dynasty built the tomb of Ghyasuddin on a high platform whereas the Kotla fort at Delhi was the creation of Firozshah Tughlaq. The Lodhi garden of Delhi is an example of the architecture of the Lodhis.