The Delhi Sultanate - Government

The new entrants brought to India a completely new form of governance. The Sultanate rulers were far more autocratic then any previous Indian ruler. They had an immense amount of freedom and their word was law, though technically they were bound to follow the law of the Quaran (the Islamic holy book). The Sultan was able to maintain control of his empire largely through military strength. The Sultan was the commander of the armed forces, the chief law maker and the final court of appeal. These powers essentially meant that he was the supreme controller of the state. Another striking difference between the new kings and previous ones, was that the concept of hereditary monarchy did not exist, a power struggle inevitably broke out. Whoever succeeded would have to have the backing of the nobles, a class of people who were important king makers. Another unique trend in the Sultanate period, which led to so many dynasties and so many kings in a relatively short period, was that if a dynasty was weak, the nobles or generals of the army would overthrow it and set up a new one. Before the Sultanate era, the king was always a member of the royal family, although weak kings were mere puppets in the hands of their nobles. In the Sultanate period however, the nobles would overthrow the ruler and the most powerful amongst

them would declare himself Sultan.

Although the Sultan ruled autocratically, it would be impossible for a single man to manage so much. The Sultans of Delhi, right from the beginning of their rule instated a vast administrative machinery to handle the various tasks. None of the departments had much authority and mainly assisted in carrying out the Sultan's orders. The highest officer in the government after the Sultan was the Wazir (chief minister) who looked after the various departments like appeals, military, correspondence, slaves, justice, intelligence, agriculture and pensions amongst others. Each department had a head officer with several subordinate officers. The State also had several officers like an auditor general who looked after the expenditure, an accountant, a treasurer etc. There was also a Chancellor who was responsible for state correspondence and the relation between the court and provincial officials. To achieve this purpose he had agents posted in all corners of the kingdom to keep him informed on any matters of interest to the state. The Sultan also had a council of friends known as the Majlis-i-Khalwat who were consulted on important matters regarding the state. The Sultans direct influence was only over a certain radius around the capital. Beyond that the kingdom was divided into several provinces, each with a Viceroy in charge. Each province was essentially a replica of the kingdom, and the Viceroy was a despot who had complete control over his province. He was under the control of the central authority, but such control varied from ruler to ruler and a weak ruler usually led to many provinces declaring themselves independent. In theory, however, the Viceroy was an officer of the king whose job was to administer a province, and the king was free to transfer him to any province he wanted to. The Viceroy was responsible for expenditure of his province, out of which he was paid. The surplus after meeting the costs of his administration was sent to the central exchequer. Often the Viceroy would pocket a part of this surplus, but strong Sultan kings took measures to ensure that such things did not happen. The Viceroy was also required to maintain a militia, which he would have to provide to the Sultan should he require it. The provincial system however never really worked because it was weakened by the general air of intrigue and distrust. Also during certain periods of the Sultanate, the Viceroys had hereditary rights, which further weakened the Sultans influence over the area. The system was much like the feudal system of Medieval Europe. Meanwhile village communities remained largely unchanged with the advent of the new system, with the assemblies continuing in most villages. The Sultanate system could however never achieve the great empires of the past or of the future Mughals, because it failed to win the goodwill of the people and the allies. The Sultanate, however , was able to run a fairly efficient system inspite of the various difficulties because of a well developed postal and transport system. The roads were paved with stone and cut across the country, with facilities like rest houses, shops, porter hiring stations etc. for travellers. The post was delivered either on horse or foot, and one could reach almost any village in the empire, though it was not affordable for everyone.

Justice was looked after a Quazi-ul-Quazat (Lord chief justice) along with several other judges. Laws were extremely severe during the time, with torture and force widely used to extort confessions. Creditors could take royal assistance in recovering their debts from their debtors. There was also municipal law and economic law (to ensure a fair market). The main source of tax remained revenue from land. There were various other taxes like house tax, grazing tax, water tax etc. Trade duties also were an important source of income. Tax could be paid in either cash or kind. The revenue system varied during the Sultanate, as it depended largely on the personality of the ruler. At one point land revenue touched an unreasonable 50 percent of the produce. Since it was a largely autocratic system of government there was very little that the people could do. One cannot however blame the Sultans for being autocrats, for the times were very unstable and violent. They were aliens to the country and to be able to establish and control their empires they needed to rule with a strong hand. This is evident from the fact that whenever there was a weak ruler, he was overthrown and a new king would take charge. The Sultanate period laid the groundwork for the Mughal empire.

rked because it was weakened by the general air of intrigue and distrust. Also during certain periods of the Sultanate, the Viceroys had hereditary rights, which further weakened the Sultans influence over the area. The system was much like the feudal system of Medieval Europe. Meanwhile village communities remained largely unchanged with the advent of the new system, with the assemblies continuing in most villages. The Sultanate system could however never achieve the great empires of the past or of the future Mughals, because it failed to win the goodwill of the people and the allies. The Sultanate, however , was able to run a fairly efficient system inspite of the various difficulties because of a well developed postal and transport system. The roads were paved with stone and cut across the country, with facilities like rest houses, shops, porter hiring stations etc. for travellers. The post was delivered either on horse or foot, and one could reach almost any village in the empire, though it was not affordable for everyone.

Justice was looked after a Quazi-ul-Quazat (Lord chief justice) along with several other judges. Laws were extremely severe during the time, with torture and force widely used to extort confessions. Creditors could take royal assistance in recovering their debts from their debtors. There was also municipal law and economic law (to ensure a fair market). The main source of tax remained revenue from land. There were various other taxes like house tax, grazing tax, water tax etc. Trade duties also were an important source of income. Tax could be paid in either cash or kind. The revenue system varied during the Sultanate, as it depended largely on the personality of the ruler. At one point land revenue touched an unreasonable 50 percent of the produce. Since it was a largely autocratic system of government there was very little that the people could do. One cannot however blame the Sultans for being autocrats, for the times were very unstable and violent. They were aliens to the country and to be able to establish and control their empires they needed to rule with a strong hand. This is evident from the fact that whenever there was a weak ruler, he was overthrown and a new king would take charge. The Sultanate period laid the groundwork for the Mughal empire.