Class 7 History Chapter 3 Question Answers - Delhi: 12th to 15th Century

Q1. Under which dynasty did Delhi become the capital? When did it become an important commercial center?
Ans: 

• Delhi first became the capital of a kingdom under the Tomara Rajputs.
• They were defeated in the middle of the twelfth century by the Chauhans (‘Chahamanas) of Ajmer.
• It was under the Tomaras and Chauhans that Delhi became an important commercial center.
• Many rich Jaina merchants lived in the city and constructed several temples.
• Coins made here, called Dehliuial, had a wide circulation.

Q2. The transformation of Delhi into a capital that controlled vast areas of the subcontinent started with the foundation of the Delhi Sultanate at the beginning of the thirteenth century. Take a look at Table 1 again and identify the five dynasties that together made the Delhi Sultanate.
Ans: 

• Early Turkish Slaves or Ilbari Rulers – 1206-1290
• Khalji Dynasty – 1290-1320
• Tughluq Dynasty – 1320-1414
• Sayyid Dynasty – 1414-1451
• Lodi Dynasty – 1451-1526

Q3. Name the important rulers of other dynasties that ruled over Delhi.
Ans:

• Khalji Dynasty – Jalaluddin and Alauddin Khalji
• Tughluq Dynasty – Ghiyasuddin, Muhammad and Firuz Shah Tughlaq
• Sayyid Dynasty – Khizr Khan
• Lodi Dynasty – Bahlul Lodi.

Q4. Who wrote Tawarikh? What did they write?
Ans: The authors of Tawarikh were learned men.

• They included secretaries, administrators, poets, and courtiers.
• They recounted events and advised rulers on governance.
• They emphasized the importance of just rules.

Major features of writers of history

• The authors of Tawarikh lived in cities (mainly Delhi) and hardly ever in villages.
• They often wrote their histories for Sultans in the hope of rich rewards.
• These authors advised rulers on the need to preserve an “ideal” social order based on birthright and gender distinctions.
• Their ideas were not shared by everybody.

Q5. Did Raziyya share Minhaj-i Siraj's views about women rulers?
Ans:

• Mirihaj expressed that women were subordinate to men. But due to her qualities, she (Rajiyya) gained and rose to the throne of Delhi.
• Minhaj-i Siraj thought that the Queen’s rule went against the ideal social order created by God.
• Raziyya did not share these ideas, and on her inscriptions and coins, Raziyya mentioned that she was the daughter of Sultan Iltutmish.
• It was difficult for women to be rulers because women were considered the weaker gender. This was in contrast to Queen Rudramadzir, who changed her name (from Rudramadevi) and pretended to be a man.

Q6. Why did the Delhi Sultans not expand their frontiers in the earlier phase of their rule?
Ans:

• In the early thirteenth century, the control of the Delhi Sultans did not go beyond heavily fortified towns occupied by garrisons.
• The Sultans seldom controlled the hinterland of the cities.
• They were solely dependent upon tribute or plunder for supplies.
• Controlling garrison towns in distant Bengal and Sind from Delhi was extremely difficult.
• Rebellion, war, and bad weather could snap fragile communication routes.
• The state was also challenged by Mongol invasions from Afghanistan.
• The governors rebelled frequently at any sign of the Sultan’s weakness.
• The Sultanate barely survived these challenges.

Q7. How did the territories of the Delhi Sultanate expand from garrison town to empire? Explain the first phase of expansion.
Ans:
The expansion occurred during the reigns of Ghiyasuddin Balban, Alauddin Khalji, and Muhammad Tughluq.
First Expansion:
The campaigns along the “internal frontier” of the Sultanate aimed at consolidating the hinterlands of the garrison towns. During these campaigns, forests were cleared in the Ganga-Yamuna doab.

• The hunter-gatherers and pastoralists were expelled from their habitat.
• These lands were given to peasants, and agriculture was encouraged.
• New fortresses and towns were set up to protect trade routes and to promote regional trade.

Q8. Explain the second and third phases of expansion.
Ans:
Second Expansion:
The second expansion occurred along the “external frontier” of the Sultanate.

• Military expeditions into southern India started during the reign of Alauddin Khalji.
• It culminated with Muhammad-bin-Tughluq.
• In their campaigns, the Sultanate armies captured elephants, horses, and slaves and carried away precious metals.

Third Expansion:
By the end of Muhammad-bin-Tughluq’s reign, 150 years after humble beginnings, the armies of the Delhi Sultanate had marched across a large part of the subcontinent.

• They had defeated rival armies and seized cities.
• The Sultanate collected taxes from the peasantry and dispensed justice in its realm. 
• However, their control over this vast territory was not complete and effective.

Q9. What is called a masjid? How is it used?
Ans:

• A mosque is called a masjid in Arabic.
• Literally, it is a place where a Muslim prostrate in reverence to Allah.
• In a “congregational mosque” (masjid-i Jami or jama masjid), Muslims read their prayers (namaz) together.
• Members of the congregation choose the most respected, learned male as their leader {imam) for the rituals of prayer.
• He also delivers the sermon {khutba) during the Friday prayer.
• During prayer, Muslims stand facing Mecca. In India, this is to the west. This is called the qibla.
• The Delhi Sultans built several mosques in cities all over the subcontinent.

Q10. How was the administration consolidated under the Delhi Sultanate?
Ans:

• Delhi Sultans required reliable governors and administrators. Rulers, especially Iltutmish, favored special slaves called ‘bandagan’ for this purpose. They did not appoint aristocrats or landed chiefs as governors.
• Bandagans were trained for important political offices. They depended totally on their masters; therefore, the Sultan could trust them.
• The Khaljis and Tughluqs continued this tradition and raised people from humble birth to high positions. They were appointed as generals and governors. All this led to an element of political instability.

Q11. How did the accession of a new monarch see conflicts between old and new nobility?
Ans:

• Slaves and clients were loyal to their masters and patrons.
• They were not so to their heirs.
• New Sultans had their own servants.
• The result was that the accession of a new monarch often saw conflict between the old and the new nobility.
• The patronage of these slaves by the Delhi Sultans also shocked many elites.
• The authors of Persian tawarikh criticized the Delhi Sultans for appointing the “Low and base-born” to high offices.

Q12. Give an account of iqtadars or muqtis.
Ans:
The Khalji and Tughluq monarchs appointed military commanders as governors of territories of varying sizes.
These lands were called iqta and their holder was called iqtadar or muqti.

• Muqtis led military campaigns and maintained law and order in their iqtas.
• In exchange for their military services, the muqtis collected the revenues of their assignments as salary.
• They also paid their soldiers from these revenues.

Control over muqtis was most effective if their office was not inheritable and if they were assigned iqtas for a short period of time before being shifted.

• These harsh conditions of service were rigorously imposed during the reigns of Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad-bin-Tughluq.
• Accountants were appointed by the state to check the amount of revenue collected by the muqtis.
• Care was taken that the muqti collected only the taxes prescribed by the state.
• They could not keep soldiers beyond the required number.

Q13. How were the authorities of muqtis eroded?
Ans:

• Delhi Sultans brought the hinterland of the cities under their control.
• They forced the landed chieftains, the Samantas, and rich landlords to accept their authority.

Under Alauddin Khalji, the state brought the assessment and collection of land revenue under its own control.

• The rights of the local chieftains to levy taxes were canceled.
• They were also forced to pay taxes.
• The Sultan’s administrators measured the land and kept careful accounts.
• Some of the old chieftains and landlords served the Sultanate as revenue collectors and assessors.

Q14. How did large parts of the subcontinent remain outside the control of the Delhi Sultanate?
Ans:

• Large parts of the subcontinent remained outside the control of the Delhi Sultans.
• It was difficult to control distant provinces like Bengal from Delhi.
• Soon after annexing southern India, the entire region became independent.
• Gangetic Plains had forested areas.
• Sultanate forces could not penetrate them.
• Local chieftains established their rule in these regions.
• Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad-bin-Tughluq could force their control in these areas, but only for a short time.

Q15. Describe how the chieftains arranged for their defense.
Ans:

• In Battuta, a fourteenth-century traveler from Morocco, Africa, explained that chieftains sometimes.
• Fortified themselves in mountains, in rocky, uneven, and rugged places, as well as in bamboo groves.
• In India, the bamboo was not hollow; it was big. Its several parts were so intertwined that even fire could not affect them, and they were, on the whole, very strong.
• The chieftains lived in these forests, which served them as ramparts.
• Inside them were their cattle and their crops.
• There was also water for them within, except rain water which collected there. Hence, they could not be subdued except by powerful armies.

Q16. What was the impact of the Mongol invasions on the Delhi Sultanate?
Ans:
Mongol invasions during Alauddin Khalji and Md. Tughluq’s forced the two rulers to mobilize a large standing army. This posed a great administrative challenge.
Delhi was attacked twice during Alauddin Khalji’s rule.

• He raised a large standing army and a new garrison town named Siri.
• To feed the soldiers, produce was collected as tax from lands between the Ganga and Yamuna. The tax was fixed at 50% of the yield.
• Soldiers were paid in cash. They further purchased their supplies from merchants.
• Prices were controlled. To do this, the market was surveyed. Merchants who did not sell at the prescribed price were punished.

The Sultanate under Muhammad Tughluq was in its early years. Mongol army was defeated, and Md. Tughluq was confident of his armed strength and resources and planned to attack Transoxiana.

• He raised a large army and emptied Delhi-i-Kuhna, the oldest of four cities of Delhi, for soldiers. ,
• Residents were sent to Daulatabad. „
• Produce was collected as tax to feed the soldiers. This coincided with famine.
• Additional taxes were levied to maintain the army.
• Soldiers were paid in cash. He used ‘token’ currency made of cheap metal, not gold or silver.
• People saved their gold and silver and paid taxes with this ‘token’ currency. This could be counterfeited (fake copies) easily.

Q17. Who was more successful than the two rulers?
Ans:
Alauddin’s measures were successful. His reign was known for cheap prices and a good supply of goods. He successfully withstood Mongol invasions.
Md. Tughluq’s measures were a failure.

• His Kashmir campaign was a disaster. He disbanded his troops and gave up the idea of invading Transoxiana.
• People resented shifting to Daulatabad.
• Increased taxes and famine in the Ganga-Yamuna belt led to rebellion.
• Token currency was called off.
• The important thing to remember is that Md. Tughluq was the first ruler to plan to capture Mongol territory. His measures were offensive, unlike Alauddin’s defensive measures.

Q18. Describe the Delhi Sultanate in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Ans:
The Delhi Sultanate in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries:

• After the Tughluqs, the Sayyid and Lodi dynasties ruled from Delhi and Agra until 1526.
• By then, Jaunpur, Bengal, Malwa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and the entire south India had independent rulers. They had established flourishing states and prosperous capitals.
• This was also the period which saw the emergence of new ruling groups like the Afghans and the Rajputs.
• Some of the states established in this period were small but powerful and extremely well administered.