What changes were introduced by Alauddin Khalji after bringing the hinterland of the cities under their control?
Answers
Answer:
Write briefly about the attack by Mongols.
Answer: The north-eastern part of Iran, Transoxiana was invaded by the Mongols in the year 1219. Soon after, they attacked the Delhi Sultanate. During the reign of Alauddin Khalji and the early reigning period of Muhammad Tughluq, there was an increase in the attack on the Delhi Sultanate. Consequently, they had to mobilize a large standing army in Delhi which posed a huge administrative challenge.
Write in brief about the accountants under the reign of Khaljis and Tughluqs.
Answer: They were appointed by the state to check the amount of revenue collected by the muqtis. There was proper control regarding the muqti collecting only the taxes prescribed by the state and that he kept the required number of soldiers.
Write a note on the campaigns along the internal frontier.
Answer: These were aimed at consolidating the garrison towns of hinterlands. These included clearing of forests in the Ganga-Yamuna doab and expulsion of hunter-gatherers and pastoralists from their habitats. These lands were given to peasants, to encourage agriculture. The trade routes were protected and regional trade was promoted by establishing new fortresses and towns.
Who were the authors of tawarikh?
Answer: They were learned men- secretaries, administrators, poets and courtiers. They recounted events and advised rulers on governance, emphasizing the significance of just rule. They lived in cities (mainly in Delhi) and hardly lived in villages, wrote histories for the Sultans expecting rich rewards in return and advised rulers on the need to preserve an ‘ideal’ social order based on birthright and gender distinctions.
Long Answer Type Questions
How did Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Tughluq deal with the Mongol attacks?
Answer:
ParticularsAlauddin KhaljiMuhammad TughluqPeriod of attackTwice in 1299/1300 and 1302-1303. He raised a long standing armyIn the early years of his reign. He defeated the Mongols. He raised a long standing army. He was confident about the strength of his army and his resources to plan an attack on Transoxiana.How they dealt with itHe constructed a new garrison town named Siri for his soldiers.Soldiers garrisoned in the oldest of the four cities of Delhi named Dehli-I Kuhna after emptying it of its residents. The residents were sent to the new capital of Daulatabad in the south.FoodSoldiers were fed using the produce collected as tax from lands between the Ganga and Yamuna. Tax was fixed at 50 per cent of the peasant’s yield.Produce from the same area was collected as tax for feeding the army. Additional taxes were also levied to meet the expenses of maintaining such a large number of soldiers. This coincided with famine in the area.MoneyHe paid the soldiers in cash rather than iqtas. He controlled the prices of goods in Delhi to prevent the merchants from inflating them due to the dependence of the soldiers on them for supplies.He also paid the soldiers in cash. He used a ‘token’ currency made out of cheap metals. But these coins were not trusted by the people of the fourteenth century. It could be counterfeited easily and also people saved their gold and silver coins and paid their taxes using token currency.AdministrationHe had a successful administration and gained praise from chroniclers for cheap prices and efficient supplies of goods in the market. He withstood the threat of Mongol invasions.His administrative methods were a failure. His campaign into Kashmir was a disaster after which he decided not to invade Transoxiana and disbanded his large army.
Answer:
having strengthened his control over delhi, the Sultan started eliminating the officers that were not his own appointees