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Rukn-ud-din Firuz ( fa, رکن‌الدین فیروز), also transliterated as Rukn al-Din Firoz (died 19 November 1236), was a ruler of
Delhi sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).
for less than seven months in 1236. As a prince, he had administered the
Badaun Budaun is commonly pronounced Badayun is a city and a seat of Budaun district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located near the Ganges river in the centre of Western Uttar Pradesh. Budaun was the capital of Delhi Sultanate for four years from 1210 C ...
and
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
provinces of the Sultanate. He ascended the throne after the death of his father
Iltutmish Shams ud-Din Iltutmish ( fa, شمس الدین ایلتتمش; died 30 April 1236, ) was the third of the Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Mamluk kings who ruled the former Ghurid Empire, Ghurid territories in northern India. He was the first Muslim sove ...
, a powerful
Mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
ruler who had established the Sultanate as the most powerful kingdom in northern India. However, Ruknuddin spent his time in pursuing pleasure, and left his mother Shah Turkan in control of the administration. The misadministration led to rebellions against Ruknuddin and his mother, both of whom were arrested and imprisoned. The nobles and the army subsequently appointed his half-sister Razia on the throne.


Early life

Ruknuddin was born to the Delhi Sultan Iltutmish and his wife ''Khudawanda-i-Jahan'' Shah Turkan, who was a hand-maid of Turkic origin. As a prince, he was assigned the
iqta' An iqta ( ar, اقطاع, iqṭāʿ) and occasionally iqtaʿa ( ar, اقطاعة) was an Islamic practice of tax farming that became common in Muslim Asia during the Buyid dynasty. Iqta has been defined in Nizam-al-Mulk's Siyasatnama. Administrat ...
of
Badaun Budaun is commonly pronounced Badayun is a city and a seat of Budaun district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located near the Ganges river in the centre of Western Uttar Pradesh. Budaun was the capital of Delhi Sultanate for four years from 1210 C ...
in 1228. He administered Badaun with the support of Ainul Mulk Husain Ash'ari, a former minister of Iltutmish's rival
Nasir ad-Din Qabacha Nasir-ud-Din Qabacha or Kaba-cha ( fa, ناصرالدین قباچه) was the Muslim Turkic Kipchak governor of Multan, appointed by the Ghurid ruler Muhammad Ghori in 1203. Successors of Ghori Ghori had no offspring, but he treated thous ...
. Iltutmish had groomed his eldest son Nasiruddin Mahmud to be his successor, but this son died unexpectedly in 1229. While leaving for his Gwalior campaign in 1231, Iltutmish left his daughter Razia as the in-charge of Delhi's administration. Razia handled the administration well, and when Iltutmish returned, he ordered preparation of a decree naming Razia as his
heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
, despite opposition from the orthodox nobles. Iltutmish declared that his surviving sons were absorbed in pleasurable activities, and were incapable of managing the state affairs after his death. However, shortly before his death, Iltutmish appears to have agreed to appoint Ruknuddin - a son - as his successor. In 1233, he appointed Ruknuddin as the administrator of Lahore. During his last days, when he had become seriously ill, he recalled Ruknuddin from Lahore to Delhi, and Ruknuddin was unanimously accepted as his successor by the nobles.


Reign

After the death of his father Iltutmish, Ruknuddin ascended the throne in April-May 1236. Saifuddin Hasan Qarlugh, who assumed that the Delhi Sultanate would be weakened after Iltutmish's death, invaded India around this time. However, Saifuddin Aibak - a Turkic slave officer appointed as the governor of
Uch Uch ( pa, ; ur, ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf ( pa, ; ur, ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexan ...
by Iltutmish, defeated him and forced him to retreat. Minhaj praises Ruknuddin for three qualities: handsomeness, gentle temperament, and generous nature. According to Minhaj, Ruknuddin greatly enjoyed riding elephants, and greatly favoured
mahout A mahout is an elephant rider, trainer, or keeper. Mahouts were used since antiquity for both civilian and military use. Traditionally, mahouts came from ethnic groups with generations of elephant keeping experience, with a mahout retaining h ...
s, who became important in his court. Minhaj narrates that Ruknuddin would scatter gold coins in
bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, such as in t ...
s, while riding intoxicated on an elephant. He used to spend a lot of money on musicians, clowns, and eunuchs. While spending his time and the state funds in pursuing pleasure, Ruknuddin left the control of administration to his mother Shah Turkan.


Rebellions

Shah Turkan was originally reputed for charitable and religious donations, but her nature changed after she gained control of the administration. She mistreated ladies in Iltutmish's harem, and according to Minhaj, "destroyed" several of them. She and Ruknuddin ordered the blinding and killing of Qutubuddin, a young and popular son of Iltutmish, which triggered several rebellions: * In the
Awadh Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...
region, Malik Ghiyasuddin Muhammad Shah - a son of Iltutmish - rebelled against Ruknuddin. He sacked several towns, and plundered the treasure of Lakhnauti, which was being transferred to Delhi. * Malik Izzuddin Muhammad Salari, who now held the
iqta' An iqta ( ar, اقطاع, iqṭāʿ) and occasionally iqtaʿa ( ar, اقطاعة) was an Islamic practice of tax farming that became common in Muslim Asia during the Buyid dynasty. Iqta has been defined in Nizam-al-Mulk's Siyasatnama. Administrat ...
of Badaun, also rebelled. * Three other iqta-holding nobles collectively rebelled against Ruknuddin: Malik Izzuddin Kabir Khan Ayaz (
Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the ol ...
), Malik Saifuddin Kuchi (
Hansi Hansi, is a city and municipal council in Hisar district in the Indian state of Haryana. It appears that at one time Hansi was larger, more prosperous and more important than Hisar. The town has several important buildings of archeological impor ...
), Malik Alauddin Jani (
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
). Ruknuddin sent an army against the rebels, but his wazir (prime minister) ''Nizamul Mulk'' Junaidi deserted the army at Kailugarhi, and fled to
Koil ''Koil'' or ''Koyil'' or ''Kovil'', (meaning: residence of GodThe modern Tamil word for Hindu temple is ''kōvil'' ( ta, கோவில்) meaning "the residence of God". In ancient Tamil Nadu, the king (, ''Kō'') was considered to be a � ...
(modern Aligarh), later joining Salari. The forces of Junaidi and Salari subsequently joined the forces of Kuchi and Jani.


Massacre of Tazik officers

The officers of Ruknuddin's father Iltutmish belonged to two major categories: the Turkic-origin slaves and the ''Tazik''-origin non-slaves. The Tazik officers included the prime minister Junaidi. After the rebellions against Ruknuddin, the Turkic officers, who formed the core of Ruknuddin's army, planned murders of many Tazik officers in the Mansurpur- Tarain region. Several important Tazik officers were killed as a result: * Tajul Mulk Mahmud, '' dabir'' * the son of ''mushrif-i mamalik'' * Bahauddin Hasan Ash'ari * Karimuddin Zahid * Ziyal Mulk, the son of Junaidi * Nizamuddin Shafurqani * Khwaja Rashiduddin Malikani * Amir Fakhruddin, '' dabir'' * Bahram Shah, ''
dizdar {{for, people with the surname, Dizdar (surname) Dizdar ( fa, دزدار, translit=dizdār; tr, dizdar, kale muhafızı) was the title given in the Ottoman Empire to a castle warden or fortress commander, appointed to manage troops and keep the f ...
''


Imprisonment and death

Ruknuddin marched towards Kuhram to fight the rebels. Meanwhile, in Delhi, his half-sister Razia - whom his mother Shah Turkan had planned to execute - instigated the general public against Shah Turkan at a congregational prayer. A mob then attacked the royal palace and detained Shah Turkan. Several nobles and the army pledged allegiance to Razia, and placed her on the throne. Ruknuddin marched back to Delhi, but Razia sent a force to arrest him: he was imprisoned and probably executed on 19 November 1236, having ruled for 6 months and 28 days.


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruknuddin Firuz Sultans of the Mamluk dynasty (Delhi) 13th-century murdered monarchs Indian Sunni Muslims 13th-century Indian monarchs Year of birth unknown 1236 deaths Turkic rulers 13th-century Turkic people