Delhi Sultanate

Sultanate Level 2 ★ Major power

1206 – 1526

Five successive dynasties ruling from Delhi for over three centuries.

🗺 See on map in 1331

Capital: Delhi
Region: North
Duration: 320 years
Main period: Delhi Sultanate & Regional Kingdoms

Changing extent

1206 — ~450 km radius: Mamluk consolidation
1236 — ~550 km radius
1300 — ~900 km radius: Khalji conquests
1330 — ~1150 km radius: Muhammad bin Tughlaq's peak
1345 — ~800 km radius: Rebellions in the Deccan and south
1398 — ~250 km radius: After Timur
1451 — ~380 km radius: Lodi recovery
1500 — ~500 km radius

Approximate extent over time (solid = latest, dashed = earlier).

Dynasties

Dynasty	Period	Notes
Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty	1206 – 1290	Qutbuddin Aibak, Iltutmish, Razia and Balban.
Khalji Dynasty	1290 – 1320	Alauddin Khalji's market reforms and southern campaigns.
Tughlaq Dynasty	1320 – 1414	Largest extent of the Sultanate; Muhammad bin Tughlaq's experiments.
Sayyid Dynasty	1414 – 1451	A reduced sultanate after Timur's invasion.
Lodi Dynasty	1451 – 1526	Afghan dynasty ended by Babur at Panipat.

Rulers

Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty 1206 – 1290

Qutbuddin Aibak Sultan
Began the Qutb Minar.
1206 – 1210
Aram Shah Sultan
1210 – 1211
Iltutmish Sultan
Consolidated the Sultanate; silver tanka.
1211 – 1236
Razia Sultana Sultan
The only woman to rule the Delhi Sultanate.
1236 – 1240
Nasiruddin Mahmud Sultan
1246 – 1266
Ghiyasuddin Balban Sultan
Theory of kingship; broke the 'Forty'.
1266 – 1287

Khalji Dynasty 1290 – 1320

Jalaluddin Khalji Sultan
1290 – 1296
Alauddin Khalji Sultan
Market reforms; repelled the Mongols; southern campaigns of Malik Kafur.
1296 – 1316

Tughlaq Dynasty 1320 – 1414

Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq Sultan
Built Tughlaqabad.
1320 – 1325
Muhammad bin Tughlaq Sultan
Moved the capital to Daulatabad; token currency.
1325 – 1351
Firuz Shah Tughlaq Sultan
Canals and new towns.
1351 – 1388
Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah Sultan
Reigned during Timur's sack of Delhi.
1394 – 1412

Sayyid Dynasty 1414 – 1451

Khizr Khan Sultan
Founder, Timurid vassal.
1414 – 1421
Alauddin Alam Shah Sultan
1445 – 1451

Lodi Dynasty 1451 – 1526

Bahlul Lodi Sultan
1451 – 1489
Sikandar Lodi Sultan
Founded Agra (1504).
1489 – 1517
Ibrahim Lodi Sultan
Killed at the First Battle of Panipat.
1517 – 1526

Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.

Key events

Year	Event	Place
1206	Delhi Sultanate founded Qutbuddin Aibak becomes independent after Muhammad of Ghor's death.	Delhi / Lahore
1211	Iltutmish becomes sultan	Delhi
1229	Iltutmish receives caliphal investiture	Delhi
1236	Razia Sultana ascends the throne	Delhi
1240	Razia Sultana deposed and killed Power passed to the Turkish nobles known as the 'Forty'.	Kaithal
1266	Balban becomes sultan	Delhi
1290	Khalji revolution	Delhi
1296	Alauddin Khalji becomes sultan He had his uncle Jalaluddin murdered.	Delhi
1296	Alauddin Khalji raids Devagiri	Devagiri
1299	Mongols defeated at Kili Alauddin Khalji's army repelled Qutlugh Khwaja's Mongol invasion.	Kili, near Delhi
1301	Alauddin Khalji takes Ranthambore Hammiradeva Chauhan was killed.	Ranthambore
1303	Siege of Chittorgarh Alauddin Khalji takes Chittor. Chittor fell to Alauddin Khalji after a long siege.	Chittorgarh
1310	Malik Kafur takes Warangal The Kakatiya ruler Prataparudra became a tributary of Delhi.	Warangal
1311	Malik Kafur's southern campaign reaches Madurai The Pandya capital was plundered and its treasure carried to Delhi.	Madurai
1316	Death of Alauddin Khalji Malik Kafur briefly seized power; the Khaljis fell four years later.	Delhi
1320	Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq founds the Tughlaq dynasty	Delhi
1323	Fall of the Kakatiyas Warangal was annexed and the Kakatiya dynasty ended.	Warangal
1327	Capital shifted to Daulatabad Muhammad bin Tughlaq's transfer of capital. The move caused great hardship and was reversed within a few years.	Daulatabad
c. 1329	Muhammad bin Tughlaq issues token currency Brass and copper coins were to pass at the value of silver. Widespread forgery forced the coins to be withdrawn.	Delhi
1334	Ibn Battuta arrives in Delhi	Delhi
1351	Firuz Shah Tughlaq becomes sultan	Delhi
1398	Timur sacks Delhi Delhi was devastated and the Tughlaq sultanate never recovered.	Delhi
1414	Khizr Khan founds the Sayyid dynasty	Delhi
1451	Bahlul Lodi founds the Lodi dynasty The first Afghan dynasty of Delhi.	Delhi
1504	Sikandar Lodi founds Agra Agra became the Lodi and later Mughal capital.	Agra