Shihab-ud-din Omar (1316) was the third Sultan of the

Khalji dynasty The Khalji or Khilji dynasty was a Turco-Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate for three decades between 1290 and 1320. It was the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate which covered large swaths of the Indian subcontinent.

and fourteenth Sultan of

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 India. After the death of his father

Alauddin Khalji Alauddin Khalji (; ), born Ali Gurshasp, was a ruler from the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative changes in the Delhi Sultanate, related to revenue ...

in 1316, he ascended the throne as a toddler, with the support of Alauddin's slave-general

Malik Kafur Malik Kafur (died February 1316), also known as Taj al-Din Izz al-Dawla, was a prominent general of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He was captured by Alauddin's general Nusrat Khan Jalesari, Nusrat Khan during the Alauddin Khalji's co ...

. His brother Qutb-ud-din Mubarak became the regent after the assassination of Kafur and subsequently dethroned him to become the Sultan.

Early life

According to the 14th century chronicler Isami, Shihab-ud-Din was Alauddin's son from Jhatyapali, the daughter of Alauddin's

Yadava The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu (legendary king), Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the #T ...

feudatory Ramachandra.

Ascension to the throne

Alauddin fell seriously ill during his last years, and the administration was controlled by his slave-general

. After Alauddin's original heir apparent Khizr Khan was imprisoned at

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 ...

for allegedly conspiring to kill him, Malik Kafur convened a meeting of important officers at Alauddin's bedside. It was decided at this meeting that Shihabuddin would succeed Alauddin, with Malik Kafur as the regent. According to Isami, Alauddin was too weak to say anything during the meeting, but all the attendees agreed that his silence should be interpreted as his consent. At this time, Shihabuddin was a little over six years of age. The day after Alauddin's death on the night of 3–4 January 1316, Kafur convened a meeting of important officers (''maliks'' and '' amirs''), and appointed Shihabuddin as the new Sultan. He read Alauddin's order according to which the deceased Sultan had disinherited his eldest son Khizr Khan and appointed Shihabuddin as his successor. The other sons of Alauddin - Mubarak Khan, Shadi Khan, Farid Khan, Osman Khan, Mustafa Khan, Muhammad Khan and Abu Bakr Khan - were ordered to kiss Shihabuddin's feet.

Reign

Shibabuddin's complete title was "''al-sultan al-azam shihab al-dunya wa'l din abu'l muzaffar umar shah al-sultan".'' During Kafur's short regency, Shihabuddin's participation in governance was limited to his appearance in a short court ceremony that was held daily by Kafur. After the ceremony, Kafur would send Shihabuddin to his mother and hold separate meetings to issue orders to the various officers. To maintain his control over the throne, Kafur had Alauddin's sons Khizr Khan and Shadi Khan blinded. He also imprisoned Alauddin's senior queen ''Malika-i Jahan'' and Mubarak Shah, another adult son of Alauddin. According to the 16th century historian Firishta, Kafur married Alauddin's widow Jhatyapalli, the mother of Shihabuddin. Becoming the new Sultan's step-father was probably Kafur's way of legitimizing his power. The former bodyguards (''paiks'') of Alauddin disapproved of Kafur's actions against the family of their deceased master, and murdered Kafur. Kafur's killers freed Mubarak Shah, who was appointed first as the regent. In April 1316, Mubarak Shah detained Shibabuddin, and became the Sultan. Shibabuddin was moved to

, where he died the same year.

References

Bibliography

* * {{refend Sultans of Delhi 1310s births 1316 deaths 14th-century Indian Muslims 14th-century Indian monarchs Khalji dynasty