ASKiIMAN™ MEDIEVAL / HISTORY
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Muhammad bin Tughlaq

Realm 33: The Mad Genius, Disastrous Schemes, and the Fractured Realm

WORLD E — DELHI SULTANATE

MICRO-REALM 01

The Prince Ulugh Khan

  • Fakhruddin Muhammad Jauna Khan.
  • Commanded his father's southern campaigns.
  • Defeated the Kakatiyas of Warangal (1323).
  • Renamed Warangal to Sultanpur.
MICRO-REALM 02

The Accidental Accession

  • Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq died at Afghanpur (1325).
  • A wooden reception pavilion collapsed on him.
  • Ibn Battuta suspected Jauna Khan orchestrated it.
  • Ascended the throne as Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
MICRO-REALM 03

The Visionary Scholar

  • Most highly educated of all Delhi Sultans.
  • Master of logic, philosophy, astronomy, and math.
  • Excellent calligrapher and eloquent orator.
  • Held open debates with Jain scholars and Hindu Yogis.
MICRO-REALM 04

Transfer of Capital

  • Moved capital from Delhi to Devagiri (1327).
  • Renamed it Daulatabad. Goal: Centralized administration.
  • Ordered entire elite population of Delhi to march 1500 km.
  • Massive suffering; plan eventually reversed, leaving Delhi ruined.
MICRO-REALM 05

Token Currency

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  • Issued copper/brass coins with the same value as silver Tankas.
  • Brilliant economic concept, but lacking execution.
  • Failed to establish a state monopoly on minting.
  • "Every Hindu house became a mint." Forced to recall all tokens.
MICRO-REALM 06

Khurasan Expedition

  • Dreamt of conquering Persia and Transoxiana.
  • Raised a massive army of 370,000 men.
  • Paid them a full year's salary in advance.
  • Alliances shifted; the army was disbanded, draining the treasury.
MICRO-REALM 07

Qarachil Expedition

  • Sent an army into the Himalayas (Kangra/Kumaon region).
  • Intended to secure the northern frontier.
  • Initial success turned into disaster due to monsoon and winter.
  • Only 10 survivors returned to tell the tale.
MICRO-REALM 08

Diwan-i-Amir Kohi

  • Increased taxation in the Doab region during a severe famine.
  • Sparked massive peasant rebellions.
  • Belatedly created the Department of Agriculture.
  • Provided *Takkavi* (loans) for seeds/wells, but execution was corrupt.
MICRO-REALM 09

Ibn Battuta's Account

  • Moroccan traveler appointed as Qazi of Delhi.
  • Recorded his experiences in the *Rihla*.
  • Described the Sultan's paradoxical nature:
  • "Of all men he most loves to dispense gifts, and to shed blood."
MICRO-REALM 10

An Empire Fractured

  • Last decade spent chasing endless rebellions across the empire.
  • Led to the independent Bahmani and Vijayanagara empires.
  • Died in 1351 near Thatta (Sindh) chasing a rebel.
  • Badauni wrote: "The King was freed from his people, and they from their King."