Firoz Tughlaq (1351-1388) : Medieval Indian History
Firoz Shah Tuglaq was a Turkish leader who ruled Delhi from 1351 to 1388. He was the son of a Hindu princess from Dipalpur and his father’s name was Rajab. He appointed Khan-i-Jahan Maqbal, a Telugu Brahmin convert as wazir (prime minister).
He is known to have established four new towns- Firozabad, Fatebabad, Jaunpur and Hissar. He imposed Jaziya on the Brahmins for the first time.
He established several hospitals calling them as Darul-Shifa, Bimaristan or Shifa Khana, in Delhi.
Military Campaigns
Firoz Tughlaq’s reign is of special importance in the history of Muslim India, because he tried to safeguard his authority over north India instead of reasserting his authority over the Deccan and south India.
In fact, he had made a serious attempt to get rid of the viceroyalty of the Deccan. In short, he had tried to build a wall between himself and his powerful southern governors.
His successor, Muhammad Tughlaq, on the other hand, threw all caution to the winds and ordered an invasion which proved disastrous for Delhi.
Administrative Reforms
Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq is known for instituting administrative reforms in the empire. He strictly followed the advice of the ulemas in running the administration.
He pleased the nobles and assured hereditary succession to their properties. Thus the iqta system was not only revived but also it was made hereditary.
He also developed royal factories called karkhanas in which thousands of slaves were employed. Famous among them was Firozabad near Red Fort in Delhi, now called Firoz Shah Kotla. Old monuments like Jama Masjid and Qutb-Minar were also repaired.
A new department called Diwan-i-Khairat was created to take care of orphans and widows. Firoz patronized scholars like Barani and Afif. As he was guided by the ulemas, he was intolerant towards Shia Muslims and Sufis.
He treated Hindus as second grade citizens and imposed Jiziya. In this respect he was the precursor of Sikandar Lodi and Aurangazeb. Also he increased the number of slavesSayyids (1414-1451)
Before his departure from India, Timur appointed Khizr Khan as governor of Multan. He captured Delhi and founded the Sayyid dynasty in 1414. 1421 and was succeeded by his son, Mubarak Shah.