Qutbuddin Aibak
Reign - (A.D. 1206-1210)
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| Qutbuddin Aibak |
Muhammad Ghori had no
male successor to inherit his Empire, hence his nephew Ghiasuddin ascended the
throne of Ghor after his death in A.D. 1206. Ghori loved his slaves very much
and provided all possible opportunities to them to develop their personality.
Therefore, after the death his empire was divided among his ambitious and
powerful governors like Tajuddin Yaldoz, Nasiruddin Qubacha and Qutbuddin
Aibak. Those governors were virtually slaves of Muhammad Ghori who
rose to prominence as military generals due to expert guidance of Aibak and
their own fighting skills and organizational qualities. As Muhammad Ghori loved
his slaves like his sons, they served their master with profound
loyalty. Aibak was one of his faithful and trusted slave officers.
He inherited his Indian empire after the death of Muhammad Ghori.
Early Career if Aibak
Qutbuddin Aibak was
born in a high family of Turkistan. Though he was ugly in appearance, he was
intelligent and impressive in behavior. He was taken as a prisoner and sold to
the Qazi of Nishapur named Fakhruddin as slave in his childhood. He was
provided with proper education and military training by the kind-hearted Qazi
but soon after the death of the Qazi, his sons sold Aibak to Muhammad Ghori. He
was well versed in Islamic theology, horse riding and swordsmanship. Owing to
his skill and qualities, he soon attracted the attention of his master and was
appointed commander of a troop. Shortly after, he was promoted to the post of
Amir-i-Akhur, the master of the royal stable. The title of Aibak was bestowed
upon him by Ghori but some historians are of the opinion that he belonged to
Aibak tribe of Turks which in Turkish language means ‘Lord of the Moon’. Aibak
expressed his ability and valour at the time of Ghori’s invasion on India. When
Ghori invaded India, Aibak came with his master and provided him his active support
during wars.
Achievements of Aibak as a Commander
After second battle of
Tarain, Aibak was appointed Viceroy of the conquered provinces of Ghori in
India. He did yeoman service to the infant Muslim empire. Even during absence
of his master he continued the series of victories and crushed the revolts of
the Rajputs from A.D. 1192 to 1205. He not only organized the provinces
conquered by Ghori but also extended his territory.
First of all Aibak
invaded the fort of Hansi and established his sway over it. Later on, he
defeated the Tomar ruler in A.D. 1193 and occupied Delhi. In the same year he
achieved victory against Meerut and Bulandshahar.
In A.D. 1194, Ghori AGAIN INVADED India in order to
punish Jaichand, king of Kannauj. During this invasion Aibak greatly helped his
master. Ghori after achieving victory against Kannauj handed over the province
o Aibak or its administration.
Among the early
achievements of Aibak the suppression of the revolt of Ajmer is a significant
event in the history of Medieval India. Between A.d. 1192 to 1197, the Rajputs
of Delhi and Ajmer revolted against the supremacy of Ghori from time to time.
Aibak crushed these revolts successfully and saved the infant Muslim empire from
decline. In A.D. 1192 Hari Raj, King of Ajmer, was the first to revolt against
the Muslim rule. Aibak crushed the revolt but in A.D. 1195 Hari Raj again
revolted with the support of the Tomar King of Delhi. The army of Aibak could
not succeed in crushing this revolt, hence Aibak himself went on this campaign
and besieged the fort of Ajmer. After defeat, Hari Raj committed suicide die to
remorse and the reign of Muslims was established over Ajmer. In the same year
Aibak got success against the Jats and conquered the fort of Ranthambhor.
Accession of Qutbuddin Aibak
In A.D. 1206 on his
way to Ghazni Ghori breathed his last. His empire was inherited by his slaves
as he had no son to succeed him. Aibak who was a viceroy of his Indian empire
was invited by the Amirs of Lahore to assume the powers for Ghori wanted it and
already bestowed the title of Malik and Subedar on Aibak. Dr. A. L. Srivastava
supports this on the basis of the writings of Fakhr-i-Mudabbir who refers to
the appointment of Qutbuddin Aibak as Wali Ahd (heir apparent) after the
victory against Khokhars in A.D. 1205. Professor Habibullah also writes that
powers of commanding the vanquished territory were given to Qutbuddin after the
second battle of Tarain but K.A. Nizami does not agree and holds a different
view.
To achieve his mission
he adopted the policy of matrimonial alliances. He gave away his daughter to
Iltutmish and his sister to Nasiruddin Qubacha in marriage. He
himself married the daughter of Yaldoz. Thus he tried to establish sweet
relations with all the powerful persons of his times so that his position could
be strong. He also requested Ghiasuddin, the nephew of Ghori to recognize him
as an independent ruler of India and assured him all help against the ruler of
Khwarizm, Ghiasuddin accepted his request and sent him the royal insignia and
standard and also bestowed on him the title of Sultan. Thus the formal
manumission was granted to Aibak in A.D. 1206.
Achievements of Qutbuddin Aibak
Although Aibak was
confronted with various problems of intensive nature, he faced them all with
courage, bravery and farsightedness. After becoming the ruler of India he
passed his time in crushing the revolts, struggling against the opponents and
in solving the other problems. He ruled only for four years. He did not make
fresh invasions during his reign and tried to establish law and order and to
strengthen his army. He wanted to establish a separate entity of the Turkish
Empire free from the politics of Central Asia. First of all he consolidated his
position in Delhi and Lahore and then persuaded the Turkish nobles to recognize
his sovereignty. His matrimonial policy further strengthened his position.
Death of Aibak
Aibak ruled only for
four years as an independent Sultan. In A.D. 1210 while playing Chaugan (Horse
Polo) he fell down from his horse and received serious head injury that
ultimately resulted in his death. He was buried at Lahore.
An Assessment of Qutbuddin Aibak
In the words of
Stanlely Lanepoole, “Qutbuddin Aibak was the real founder of the Muslim
dominion in India.” Although the credit of the victories in India goes to
Muhammad Ghori, yet Aibak was primarily responsible for the success of Sultan
Ghori. The consolidation of the victories was not done by Ghori for he mostly
remained away from India. It was Aibak who carried out the consolidation on
behalf of Ghori and strengthened the infant Muslim empire.
Aibak was a competent
soldier and a leader of the highest merit. He was a seasoned commander, a
practical ruler and a successful diplomat. Aibak possessed all the good
qualities which were needed in sultan. Qutbuddin was kind and benevolent to the
people. He was very liberal and charitable. Besides this, he was a patron of
Art and literature. He built two great mosques – one at Delhi known as
Qawat-ul-Islam and the other at Ajmer called Adhai-Din-ka-Jhonpara. Qutbuddin
Aibak showered patronage on the literary and learned persons of his times.
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