Nasir ud din Mahmud Shah (; 1229/1230 – 19 November 1266, reigned: 1246–1265) also known as Mahmud I, was the eighth

Sultan of Delhi The Sultan of Delhi was the absolute monarch of the Delhi Sultanate which stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent during the period of medieval era, for 320 years (1206–1526).Tabaqat-i Nasiri ''Tabaqat-i Nasiri'' (), named for ''Sultan'' Nasir-ud-Din, is an elaborate history of the Islamic world written in Persian by Minhaj-i-Siraj Juzjani and completed in 1260. Consisting of 23 volumes and written in a blunt straightforward style, J ...

, written by the court historian

Minhaj-i-Siraj Minhaj-al-Din Abu Amr Othman ibn Siraj-al-Din Muhammad Juzjani (born 1193), simply known as Minhaj al-Siraj Juzjani, was a 13th-century Persian historian born in the region of Ghur. In 1227, Juzjani immigrated to Ucch and, thereafter, to Delhi. ...

, is dedicated to him. His father-in-law

Ghiyas ud din Balban Al-Sultan al-Azam Ghiyath al-Dunya Wal Din Abu'l Muzaffar Balban al-Sultan (; 1216 – 13 January 1287), more famously known as Ghiyath al-Din Balban or simply Balban, was the ninth Mamluk sultan of Delhi. He had been the regent of the last S ...

handled the state affairs during his reign.

Early life

Tabaqat-i Nasiri ''Tabaqat-i Nasiri'' (), named for ''Sultan'' Nasir-ud-Din, is an elaborate history of the Islamic world written in Persian by Minhaj-i-Siraj Juzjani and completed in 1260. Consisting of 23 volumes and written in a blunt straightforward style, J ...

'', written by the Sultan's court historian

, calls him a son (''ibn'') of Iltutmish. According to Minhaj's account, Nasiruddin was born in the year of 626 Hijri (1229-1230 CE), in Delhi's Kasr-Bagh (the Garden Castle). His mother was a concubine ( who later, during his son's reign, was given the title of Malikah-i-Jahan). He was born sometime after the untimely death of Iltutmish's eldest son and heir apparent Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Shah. Iltutmish named the child after the deceased prince, and sent him and his mother to live in a palace in the Loni (or Luni) village. Isami and

Firishta Firishta or Ferešte (), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi (), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was born in 1570 and died between 1611 and 1623. Life F ...

describe the Sultan as a grandson of Iltutmish instead. Some modern scholars consider Minhaj as more reliable because he was a contemporary of the Sultan, while others believe that he was a son of Iltutmish's eldest son Nasiruddin, and was named after his father. For example, historians K. A. Nizami and J. L. Mehta believe that it is unlikely that Iltutmish sent his own son away from Delhi to the Loni village instead of bringing him up at the royal palace. Mehta states that Minhaj's statement that the child was "brought up and educated ''as a prince''" indirectly implies that the child was not a prince by birth. Plus, Minhaj states that in 1225 CE, Sultan Nasiruddin's mother married an office named Qutlugh Khan. According to Nizami and Mehta, it is unlikely that a widow of Iltutmish married a petty noble: it is more likely that Sultan Nasiruddin's mother was a widow of Iltutmish's son Nasiruddin.

Reign

On May 10,1242, Sultan

Muiz ud din Bahram Muiz ud-Din Bahram (; 9 July 1212 – 15 May 1242) was the sixth sultan of the Mamluk Dynasty. Life He was the son of Shams ud din Iltutmish (1211–36) and the half-brother of Razia Sultan (1236–40). While his sister was imprisoned in ...

was dethroned. Amirs and Maliks took the possession of Delhi from him. Mahmud, along with his brother Jalal-ud-Din Masud Shah and nephew

Ala ud din Masud Alauddin Masood Shah bin Rukhuddin Firuz Shah bin Shamsuddin Iltumish (; died 10 June 1246) was the seventh sultan of the Delhi Sultanate. Life Ala-ud-Din Masud-Shah ruled from 1242 to 1246. He was the grandson of Iltutmish and the son of ...

(son of

Ruknuddin Firuz Rukn-ud-din Firuz (), further transliterated as Rukn al-Din Firoz and also known as Firuz I (1211 – 19 November 1236), was the Sultan of Delhi for less than seven months in 1236. As a prince, he had administered the Badaun and Lahore provin ...

) was brought to Firuzi castle, the royal residence, from the confinement of the white castle by the amirs and Ala ud din Masud was chosen as the Sultan. Both the brothers remained in confinement until September 1243, when Masud ordered them to be released and conferred upon Mahmud the city of Bharaij and its dependencies. Mahmud left Delhi and went to his fief with his mother. He undertook expeditions against the rebels in that territory and the adjacent mountains. He ascended to the throne of Delhi Sultanate in 1246 at the age of 17 or 18 after the chiefs replaced

, when they felt that Masud began to behave as a

tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...

. As a ruler, Mahmud was known to be very religious, spending most of his time in prayer (''

namaz ''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as ''rak'ah'', include a specific se ...

'') and copying the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

. However, it was actually his father-in-law and Naib,

, who primarily dealt with the state affairs. His reign lasted from 1246 to 1265. After Mahmud's death in 1266, Balban (1266–87) rose to power as Mahmud had no surviving children to be his heir.

Personal life

Unlike many of his predecessors and successors, Mahmud strictly followed

monogamy Monogamy ( ) is a social relation, relationship of Dyad (sociology), two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate Significant other, partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or #Serial monogamy ...

. He spent most of his time writing down verses of the

. He sold the handwritten copies and used the money for his personal expenses. Surprising enough, he had no servants to carry out his personal tasks. His wife had to cook the food for the family.

References

Bibliography

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External links