Raziya al-Din, also known as Razia, was the first and only woman to achieve the position of sultana in the Delhi Sultanate, ruling between the years 1236-1240.

Razia was the daughter of the Delhi sultan, Shamsuddin Iltutmish, who had been a Turkish Mamluk slave to his predecessor, Sultan Qutb al-Din Aibak. It so happens that Qutb gave the hand of his daughter Turkan Khatun to his slave, and from that marriage was born Razia, who would later assume her father’s place.

Razia was born around 1205. Her father Iltutmish was one of the greatest rulers in the history of Islamic India, being someone who really solidified the Muslim government there. Furthermore, his rise from slave to sultan was a magnificent propaganda of Islam for the Indians, who were dominated by a rigid caste system, being very oppressive especially for those of the lower caste. Therefore, for members of the lower classes of society, Islam presented itself as an egalitarian religion that had overturned the ancient caste structure imposed on Indian citizens through Hinduism. Not only, but it also offered the opportunity for an individual or even social groups to rise to the highest ranks of society, as long as they had the capacity to do it, as was the case of Iltutmish, who emerged from slavery to the sultanate.

ASCENSION TO THE THRONE

Razia was not his father’s first choice to bequeath the Delhi sultanate, but Iltutmish’s eldest son, Nasiruddin Mahmud, however he died unexpectedly in 1229.

According to some reports by contemporary historians to what happened1, Iltutmish believed that his other children were immersed in worldly pleasures, being unable to properly manage the sultanate when he died. However, when the sultan had to leave for a military campaign at Gwalior in 1231, he left his daughter Razia in charge of the Delhi administration.

After the sultan’s return to Delhi from his expedition, he saw that Razia had done an excellent job in governing the city, which resulted in the appointment of his daughter to succeed him after his death. In this regard, Iltutmish ordered his officer mushrif-i-mamlakat2, Tajul Mulk Mahmud Dabir to prepare a decree saying that Razia was now his heir apparent3. However, the nobles questioned the sultan’s decision, since he had other living children who could succeed him on the throne, but the sultan replied that although he still had other sons, only Razia was competent enough for this position.

In spite of the fact that Iltutmish appointed his daughter to take control of the Delhi sultanate when he passed away, the nobility unanimously appointed another son of the sultan after his death, Rukn al-Din Firuz. There are some historical discussions and even legendary aspects around this story. One of the reasons why some believe that Firuz’s appointment took place is because when the sultan was already ill, he had his son from Lahore to return to Delhi4. Also, the story of the appointment of Razia as a sultana by her father could very well have been an invention on the part of her supporters even after she ascended to power5.

Despite the appointment of Rukn al-Din Firuz to be the new rightful sultan, his mother, Shah Turkan, actually ruled the Delhi sultanate. In fact, Shah Turkan was unpopular with the subjects. Due to the death of another son of Iltutmish, Qutubuddin, much loved by the people, as well as ruling with an iron fist, several rebellions occurred against the government of Shah Turkan, many of them led by the nobility itself and even of the Prime Minister of Delhi, Nizamul Mulk Junaidi, who allied with the rebels.

Regardless of the chaotic situation that had set in, things were going to get worse when officers of Turkish and slave origins close to Rukn al-Din would plan the death of other government officials who were not Turkish (Tazik). This caused the death of several important officials of the sultanate, including the Prime Minister Junaidi’s son, Ziyaul Mulk. Even Tajul Mahmud, who had written the decree naming Razia as Iltutmish’s sucessor had been killed.

Shah Turkan also wanted to kill Razia, who in turn did not run or hide. In fact, she decided to use one of her father’s policies as a strategy to garner popular support and win over the Delhi government:

At that period, commoners used to wear white garments. So, in addition to installing a bell in his palace for those who felt dangered to go for help, Iltutmish also decided that whoever was in trouble should wear dyed clothes, so if the sultan was around and saw someone in garments other than traditional white, he would know that this individual was being oppressed or suffering some injustice, personally going to listen what the citizen would have to say. In this way, Razia dressed in red clothes and walked among the people asking for help against her half brother. Presenting herself as the victim of an injustice, she also accused Rukn al-Din of being responsible for the death of another half brother of theirs, Qutubuddin.

Razia now appealed to the people to defend her against Rukn al-Din, who now threatened her life. As a result, she continued her plan for Friday’s prayer, when a large number of Muslims gather in the mosque or other public places, thus maximizing the scope of her request for help. Behold, Razia’s plan had worked. Many received her message, including members of the army went to support her.

A mob attacked the royal palace and arrested Shah Turkan. Several nobles offered an alliance to Razia, eventually placing her on the throne, being the first woman to rule the Delhi sultanate. However, the opposition had not yet ceased, because now Rukn al-Din was marching towards her, but Razia sent troops to arrest her half brother, who was imprisoned and most likely executed on 19 November 1236, having his government lasted less than 7 months only.

Razia’s rise to power was unique in the history of the Delhi sultanate, not only because she was the first woman to hold such a position, but also because her ascension would not have been possible without popular support. According to some later sources, she would have asked the people to depose her if she was a bad ruler and did not meet the expectations of the population6.

HER FALL

After ruling the Delhi sultanate for four years, several members of the army rebelled against Razia and deposed her, replacing her other half brother, Bahram Shah. There are theories as to why the military revolt against the sultana, however MERNISSI (1997) argues that Razia was deposed from the throne because of her love affair with an Ethiopian slave that she had promoted to a high office very quickly.

As a result, Razia fled Delhi with the troops that still supported her, but was chased by rebel forces under the leadership of Emir Ikhtiyar al-Din Altuniya, who managed to reach Razia, thus generating a battle between the two sides. It so happens that Razia’s forces were overcame in battle, and she was imprisoned. However, Altuniya fell in love with his prisoner, offering her help and freeing her from the prison. Later the two would marry, uniting their troops and marching towards Delhi together. However, the army sent from Delhi towards the couple’s troops ended up winning this time, which was the end of Razia, remaning only her legacy.

NOTES

[1] For instance, Minhaj al-Siraj Juzjani;

[2] A mushrifi-mamlakat appears to have been the Inspector-General of the Empire’s incomes, the controller of finances;

[3] A “heir apparent” is the first person in the order of succession, not being displaced from inheriting the throne by another person;

[4] See NIZAMI (1992, p. 231);

[5] The only contemporary source to narrate this “legend” is Minhaj, but he did not witness the events narrated;

[6] NIZAMI (1992, p. 237).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jackson-Laufer, Guida Myrl. Women Rulers Throughout the Ages: An Illustrated Guide. ABC-CLIO. p. 341. 1999;

ASIF, Salman & MONTGOMERY, Kate. Razia: Warrior Queen of India. London: Hood Hood Books, 1998;

DASGUPTA, Shahana. Razia: The People’s Queen. New Delhi: Rupa & Co, 2001;

MERNISSI, Fatima. The Forgotten Queens of Islam. University of Minnesota Pres. 1997;

ALI, Adam. Sultana Raziya of Delhi: Pillar of Women and Queen of the Eras. Medievalists Net;

NIZANI, Khaliq Ahmed. “The Early Turkish Sultans of Delhi”. In Mohammad Habib; Khaliq Ahmad Nizami (eds.). A Comprehensive History of India: The Delhi Sultanat (A.D. 1206-1526). 5 (Second ed.). The Indian History Congress / People’s Publishing House. 1992;

GARG, Sanjay. Studies in Indo-Muslim History by S.H. Hodivala. Volume I. A Critical Commentary on Elliot and Dowson’s History of India as Told by its own Historians (Vols I-IV) & Yule and Burnell’s Hobson-Jobson. Routledge. 2019;