Write an essay on the strengths and weaknesses
of Muhammad bin Tughlaq
as a ruler.
Answers
Muhammad bin Tughlaq
Muhammad bin Tughluq was the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas -ud -Din -Tughlaq, the founder of the Tughluq dynasty. His wife was the daughter of the Raja of Dipalpur.
Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq is known as confused genius. He was capable administrator and commander and a good scholar. However he’s a man who thought ‘ahead of the times’. His plans and intentions were good but carried out throughtlessly and in a hurry, which resulted in their failure.
Shifting of the Capital:
In 1327 CE, Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq decided to shift the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad or Devagiri. On paper, it was sensible idea because it was at the centre of the empire. But the project failed, because of 2 reasons. First, he ordered his entire population shift to Daultabad which caused a great hardship to people. Second, he left the north-western frontiers of the empire exposed to the attacks of the mongols.
Taxation in Delhi:
Mohammad bin Tughlaq needed money to carry out his various plans. In order to raise money he increased the land tax near the Ganga-Yamuna region. It was proved to be ill-timed because Doab region was having a great famine. Farmers faced untold misery and riots broke out. The Sultan had to withdraw his order.
Token Currency:
In 1330 CE, The Sultan issued token currency which were of brass and copper. The experiment ended in disaster because people started mining coins at home, which caused chaos in trade and commerce. The Sultan had to withdraw the coins to exchange for silver coins.
Expedition to North-West:
In 1337-38 CE, Mohammad bin Tughlaq took an expedition to China and Qarachil in the Kumaun- Garhwal region of the Himalayas. It was another disaster.
All these schemes were basically sound, but suffered from lack of proper planning. They caused only suffering to his country and his subjects.
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Answer:
Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq was one of the most extraordinary Sultans during the medieval period. Yet few of his demerits led to his downfall.
Strengths
Man of ideas: He is famous as the mn of ideas. Some of his ideas included the central capital and token currency.
Keen interest in science and mathematics: He had set up a separate ministry to look into the ways of maximizing cultivation from land and help the farmers.
Intellectual and highly educated: He was the most educated ruler to have ruled Delhi during the Indian medieval history.
Ambitious: He was very ambitious and innovated various existing polices.
Strict controller: He was the only one taking policy decision during his regime. No one dared to interfere.
Great military ruler: Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq expanded the territories of his empire to lengths that no other ruler of this period could.
Weaknesses
Unnecessary hastening of events: This one demerit of the Sultan was one of the key factors of his downfall. His hastening up of the measures of tax reforms or token currencies emptied the coffers.
Too experimental: His taxation policies and reforms measures completely lacked foresight. Initially, he implemented oppressive taxation policies that drained the farmers.
Unwise: He spent money unwisely and according to his whims and fancies. He spent huge sums of money on poets, foreign visitors, officials and at times needy, without any second thought.
Unkind: Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq carried out massacres of farmers who failed to pay him the requisite taxes.
Horrible planner: His idea of shifting the central capital from Delhi to Dualatabad backfired badly. When he changed the capital from Delhi to Dualatabad, he made the entire population of Delhi to shift to Dualatabad on foot. Many people perished on the way, unable to take the complete journey. Realizing his foolishness, he reversed his decision and made Delhi his capital again. He had to them invite people, from all walks of life to repopulate Delhi. His idea of making the coins in bronze and copper also misfired.