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Khizr Khan (reigned 28 May 1414 – 20 May 1421) was the founder of the
Sayyid dynasty The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, with four rulers ruling from 1414 to 1451 for 37 years.See: * M. Reza Pirbha, Reconsidering Islam in a South Asian Context, , Brill * The Islamic frontier in the east: Expansion ...
, the fourth ruling dynasty of the
Delhi sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.
, in northern India soon after the invasion of
Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...
and the fall of the
Tughlaq dynasty The Tughlaq dynasty (also known as the Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty; ) was the third dynasty to rule over the Delhi Sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath ...
. Khizr Khan was Governor of
Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...
under the Tughlaq ruler,
Firuz Shah Tughlaq Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388), also known as Firuz III, was Sultan of Delhi from 1351 until his death in 1388. He succeeded his cousin Muhammad bin Tughlaq following the latter's death at Thatta, Sindh. His father was ...
, and was known to be an able administrator. He did not take up any royal title due to fear of invasion by Amir Timur (better known historically as
Tamerlane Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol tradition, Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timuri ...
) and contended himself with the titles of ''Rayat-i-Ala'' (Sublime Banners) and ''Masnad-i-Aali'' or (Most High Post). During his reign, coins were continued to be struck in the name of previous Tughlaq rulers.Nelson, Wright 974 ''The Coinage & Metrology of the Sultans of Dehli'', New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., pp. 239. After his death on 20 May 1421, he was succeeded by his son Mubarak Khan,Mahajan, V. D. (2007)
991 Year 991 (Roman numerals, CMXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events * March 1: In Rouen, Pope John XV ratifies the first Peace and Truce of God, Truce of God, between Æthelred the Unready and Richard I o ...
''History of Medieval India'', New Delhi: S. Chand, , pp. 237–9.
who took the title of ''Muizz-ud-Din Mubarak Shah''.


Ancestry and early life

A contemporary writer Yahya Sirhindi says in his ''Takhrikh-i-Mubarak Shahi'' that Khizr Khan was a descendant of
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
. Members of the dynasty derived their title,
Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...
(a title of descendants of Muhammad), based on the claim that they belonged to his lineage through his daughter
Fatima Fatima bint Muhammad (; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs and the first Shia imam. ...
. However, Yahya Sirhindi based his conclusions on unsubstantial evidence, the first being a casual recognition by Sayyid Jalaluddin Bukhari of Uch Sharif of his Sayyid heritage, and the second being the Sultan's character whose moral qualities were those of a descendant of Muhammad. Abraham Eraly is of the opinion that Khizr Khan's ancestors were likely descendants of an Arab family who had long ago settled in region of Multan during the early Tughluq period, but he doubts his Sayyid lineage. According to Richard M. Eaton and oriental scholar Simon Digby, Khizr Khan was a Punjabi chieftain belonging to the Khokhar clan, who was sent to Timur as an ambassador and negotiator from the most adjacent area, the Punjab, ultimately became the power holder in Delhi, thanks to the contacts he had acquired. Francesca Orsini and Samira Sheikh have presented a similar view in their work.


Reign

After his accession to the throne, Khizr Khan appointed Malik-us-Sharq Tuhfa as his wazir and he was given the title of ''Taj-ul-Mulk'' and he remained in office until 1421. The fiefs of Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur were given to Sayyid Salim. Abdur Rahman received the fiefs of Multan and Fatehpur. In 1414, an army led by Taj-ul-Mulk was sent to suppress the rebellion of Har Singh, the Raja of Katehar. Raja fled to the forests but finally was compelled to surrender and agree to pay tributes in future. In July 1416 an army led by Taj-ul-Mulk was sent to Bayana and
Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...
where it plundered the peasants in the name of realising the amount equivalent to the tributes to be paid and also annexed both the regions. In 1417, Khizr Khan obtained permission from Shah Rukh to have his own name also suffixed to that of Shah Rukh.Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). ''The Delhi Sultanate'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp. 125–8 In 1418, Har Singh revolted again but was defeated completely by Taj-ul-Mulk. On 28 May 1414, Khizr Khan captured Delhi and imprisoned Daulat Khan Lodi.


References


Further reading

*''Muntakhab-ul Lubab'', Muḥammad Hāshim Khāfī Khān, Sir Henry Miers Elliot, John Dowson, 2006. {{S-end Sayyid dynasty Sultans of Delhi 15th-century Indian Muslims 15th-century Indian monarchs