Razia was the first women who ruled medieval India during Muslim empire. Razia Sultan‘s original name was Razia-al-Din. Her throne name was Jalalat-ud-Din Raziya. She preferred to be called as Razia Sultan as sultana was feminist.
Razia succeeded her father Shams-ud-din Iltutmish to the Sultanate of Delhi in 1236. Iltutmish always said, “My Razia is better than my sons”. It was true; while his sons were enjoying youth, Razia was actively participating in the Administrative matters of the kingdom.
Once when Iltutmish was busy with the siege of Gwalior, he had entrusted the government in Delhito Razia. On his return he was very much impressed by the way Razia had run the empire. At that very moment he declared Razia as her heir. It was the will of the king that after his death Razia, his daughter should succeed the throne. But the Muslim people were not happy with this decision.
When Iltutmish died, Rukn-ud-din Firuz, one of his sons, usurped the throne and ruled for about 7 months.
Ruknuddin was all wasted after he got the control and the throne. Muslim nobility with reluctance agreed to allow Razia to rule the empire.
She was an efficient Sultan working for the betterment of the empire but like her father, most of her time was spent infighting rebellions. She had personally led the army to many places like Punjab and Multan.
She is also having many controversies on her name. She was supposed to having feelings for one of her advisers, Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut, an Abyssinian Siddi slave.
In her battle with Altunia in Bhatinda, Yaqut was killed and Razia was taken into prison. There she decided to marry Altunia. In her absence, Razia’s brother Muizuddin Bahram Shah took over the throne. After Razia married Altunia, they had a battle with Bahram to take back the empire. Both Razia and Altunia were defeated in the battle (Oct.1240). Both of them fled to Delhi and on reaching Kaithal, the remaining forces abandoned them. They both fell into the hand of the jatts and were robbed and killed (October 1, 1240).
Controversies did not leave Razia’s side even after her death. There are three claims regarding her grave.
First claim is that her grave is in Old Delhi, in courtyard, Bulbul-i-khana, Shahjahanabad. Haryana also claims to be having tomb of Razia in Kaithal.Third and the most recent claim is that her African slaves Paramour are buried at Tonk in Rajasthan.
Her reign was just for three years yet her bravery, struggle and her undaunted spirit has been preserved in the treasures of history.Among the Muslim rulers of India, in the early period only the males were the legal successor to the throne and the women were not either engaged or allowed to rule the land. Ruling the state was responsibility of the males. This was also true of the Hindu rulers. Razia Sultana became the first woman in Indian History to preside over the Muslim kingdom.
Razia Sultana (1205 - October 13, 1240), the Sultan of Delhi from 10 November 1236 - 14 October 1240 was surprisingly the only Muslim woman ever to rule the Delhi Sultanate dominated only by male royal family members. Her given name was Raziya al-Din (also Jalâlat-ud-Dîn Raziyâ)
Her father Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, was a Turk slave to Qutb ud din Aibak, the first Sultan of Delhi, and ultimately he became the Sultan of Delhi. Since he happened to be a loyal slave, Aibak himself gave his daughter Qutub Begum in marriage to Iltutmish. Razia's brother was Nasiruddin Mahmud. Razia was brought up in the corridors of power and enjoyed special privileges in the royal family and also in the court. On the other hand, her half brothers Rukn ud din Firuz and Muiz ud din Bahram, who were the sons of former slave-girls, were side-tracked and not in the center of power.
Razia's early childhood was mostly spent around her father, particularly after the demise of Qutb ud din Aibak. Along with her father, she used to attend the court and was exposed to the functioning of the state affairs. Being inquisitive and had the ability to learn anything quickly, she became well trained to run the kingdom independently, if required, in the absence of her father or her husband. Her flair for administration, hard work and her mother's royal lineage, stood her in good stead and made her a confirmed favorite with Iltutmish. At the same time, her brother Nasiruddin Mahmud (Razia's brother) was also groomed by Iltutmish to succeed him.
The unexpected sudden death of Nasir ud din Mahmud in 1229 CE, left Iltutmish in the dark as he did not have a right person to succeed him to the throne. The choice fell on Razia, as none of his several surviving sons, born of his other wives, were unfit to succeed the throne. In 1230 - 1231, after his successful war expedition to Gwalior, ltutmish became the first sultan to appoint a woman (his own daughter) as his successor. The sultan took this decision because during his absence, princess Razia governed the state well and won the appreciation of the people Thus Razia became his heir apparent and took the credit of being the first and only female ruler of Delhi Sultanate.
After Iltutmish's death on 30 April 1236, Razia's half-brother Rukn ud din Firuz was elevated to the throne instead. Since he was more after the trappings of the highest position and was in pursuit of personal pleasure and spent his time in the harem, he never paid attention to the state affairs and welfare of his subjects. This resulted in resentment and outrage among the people. Iltutmish's widow Shah Turkaan for all practical purposes ran the show. Six months later on 9 November 1236, both Rukn ud din and his mother Shah Turkaan were assassinated . With no male members to lead the Sultanate, with hesitation, the nobility agreed to allow Razia to reign as Sultan of Delhi.
Razia was endowed with all attributes an effective ruler would require. Being just and sagacious, she patronized the learned. Her husband wasMalik Ikhtiar-ud-din Altunia with whom she had romantic involvement earlier. Before wedding, when Atunia was the Governor of of Bathinda, the Turkic aristocracy, on purpose, spread rumors about Razia's romantic escapades with Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut, an Abyssinian Siddi (Habshi) slave. Infuriated Altunia's became jealous and rebelled against her in order to get her back. In the ensuing battle, Yaqut was killed and Razia was taken as prisoner at Qila Mubarak at Bathinda. A chanced meeting with Altunia while offering Friday prayers in a mosque cleared the mistrust and helped Razia win back her lost-love and she she was released in August 1240 and later she married him.
After Razia became a ruler, the Turkic nobles along with Malik Ikhtiar-ud-din Altunia, Razia's lover, conspired to weaken the administration by setting a rebellion against her. When Razia confronted him at the head of an army. Altunia and his fellow-conspirators lost no time to capture Razia who was entrusted
with the care of Altunia and the rest of the nobles returned to
the capital.
Razia's half-brother Muiz ud din Bahram, took advantage of the chaotic political situation and ascended the throne. Altunia and Razia in October 1240 made a vein attempt to get back the sultanate from Bahram and later they fell into the hands of Hindu Jats who robbed and killed them on 13 October 1240. Bahram 's reign lasted from from 1240 to 1242, and later he was dethroned for incompetence.
Razia died at the age of 35 and the place of Razia's burial is a subject of discussion by historians. Among Delhi, Kaithal and Tonk, Rajasthanm, one place seems to be her place of burial. Some people also say that she was buried where she died in the hands of the Jats. The strong belief is that Razia Sultana was buried in Kaithal, Rajasthan. The grave of Razia Sultana, it is believed is in Bulbul-i-Khan near Turkmen Gate, Delhi.
As for her reign, she got a good name from all sections of the society. She was a good ruler and respected the sentiments of other cultures, including the Hindu community. She established schools, public libraries and encouraged Islamic as well as Hindu philosophers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razia_Sultana
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