Razia Sultan: The Only Woman Ruler of Delhi
This is the fourth in a 5-part weekly essay series – Veiled Valour: The Forgotten Women of Warfare. As the first woman to sit on the throne of the Delhi Sultanate, Razia Sultan had to claw her way through deeply ingrained misogyny. She was constantly under siege, not from foreign invaders, but from within, by those who couldn’t handle the idea of a woman as a Sultan. The glorious story of a women ruler who challenged norms and misogynistic culture remains quietly buried while grand monuments and roads are proudly named after invaders and corrupt statesmen. It speaks volumes about the India we live in, run by patriarchy, which immortalizes the actions of a king but questions the attire of a queen creating a revolution.
The story of Razia Sultan – the only woman ruler of Delhi – is as gripping as a Shakespearean play, filled with intense, unexpected twists and turns. Born into royalty and surrounded by entitled, power-hungry, scheming half-brothers, Razia was anything but ordinary. Her father, recognizing her intelligence and strength, deemed her far more capable of ruling the Delhi Sultanate than her pampered, dim-witted sons. As the first woman to sit on the throne of the Delhi Sultanate, Razia had to claw her way through deeply ingrained misogyny. She earned the trust of her people not with empty titles but through sheer competence. But her reign was never peaceful. She was constantly under siege, not from foreign invaders, but from within, by those who couldn’t handle the idea of a woman as a Sultan.
In 13th-century medieval India, the Slave Dynasty ruled over Delhi. Despite the name, these “slaves” held high-ranking political and military positions, having fought and served loyally under their masters. Known as Mamluks, they came from various ethnic backgrounds, including Turks, Africans, and Egyptians. The dynasty was founded in India by Qutb ud-Din Aibak.
Shams ud-Din Iltutmish was sold into slavery as a young boy in Turkic lands and was later purchased by Qutb ud-Din Aibak in India. Under Aibak’s command, Iltutmish rose to prominence, eventually marrying Aibak’s daughter. With no biological son to inherit the throne, a succession struggle followed Aibak’s death, and Iltutmish won the battle. Iltutmish didn’t have an easy empire to rule. His reign was anything but smooth. He had to fend off Mongol incursions on one side and resist the Rajput uprising on the other. Determined to tighten his grip on power, Iltutmish changed the form of governance, changing the commanding class of the slaves who would stay loyal to him; among them were the Chahalgani and the Shamsis, who were of Turk origin.
During this time, Iltutmish was blessed with a daughter, Razia and a son, Nasiruddin, who died prematurely. Razia was the favorite child of Iltutmish; he held her in great regard since from a very young age she showed administrative prowess. She was educated in the skills of war and administration, sciences and the Quran.
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While Razia also had half-brothers, Ruknuddin Firuz and Muizuddin Bahran, Iltutmish didn’t see them ruling over the empire ‘ My sons are devoted to the pleasures of youth, and no one qualifies to be king; they are unfit to rule the country,’ he said. He appointed Razia as his heir to the throne, saying, ‘There is no one more competent to guide the state than my daughter’. The nobles who were loyal to Iltutmish until then were horrified by the idea of a woman ruling an empire, something which was unheard of by the Turks before.
Iltutmish died in 1236. In blatant defiance of his wishes, the nobles — unwilling to accept a woman on the throne — crowned Ruknuddin Firuz as Sultan. Iltutmish’s words were proven right. Ruknuddin turned out to be every bit the disaster his father had predicted, wasting away the kingdom’s resources on indulgence and debauchery while showing no interest in governance. Worse still was his mother, Shah Turkan, whose cruelty knew no bounds. Vindictive and power-hungry, she unleashed a reign of terror, ordering the execution of innocent people. She devised a plan to kill Razia’s brother, the young prince. A rebellion broke out against the mother and son.
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Razia, after her brothers’ assassination, climbed the terrace of the Old Palace and addressed the people, saying, ‘My brother has killed his brother, and he also wishes to kill me.’ The crowd which stood in front of the palace rose in revolt against Ruknuddin and slayed him.
Razia was made the queen of the Delhi Sultanate. She refused the title “Sultana”, which meant the ‘wife of a sultan’, and declared herself as Sultan Jalalat-ud-din Raziya. During most of her rule, she had to fight against the nobles who couldn’t accept a woman as their ruler. The people of Delhi, excluding the nobles, wholeheartedly supported her for her efficient and just rule as a Sultan. She fought battles, led forces outside Delhi to fight wars against the rebel forces. She also managed to turn some of the rebels to her side. Her wit and talent as an administrator gained the confidence of princes and nobles of other neighbouring territories.
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Peace was short-lived. The Turkic nobles who had hoped Razia would be nothing more than a figurehead were unsettled by her growing influence. Her decision to appoint individuals from non-Turkic backgrounds, including Ethiopians, in her command only deepened their resentment. She was breaking not only political norms but cultural ones, too. The traditional attire of a woman in the Sultanate was not followed by Razia Sultan. She dressed masculinely with a coat and a cap to wars and showed her face when she rode on an elephant.
Her growing popularity was met with a conspiracy to dethrone her by Malik Altuniya, the ruler of Bhatinda and a few nobles of Chahalgani. There exists a lore of Razia and Altuniya being childhood friends, and him being interested in her, Altuniya was jealous of the relationship she shared with one of her superintendent of the stables.
Razia, with her army, fought against Altuniya and his allies who conspired against her. Altuniya captured her and made her a hostage. Her half-brother, Muinuddin Bahram, took the throne.
The story takes a wild turn. Altuniya, who expected some benefits from the Turkic nobles in return of capturing the Sultan, was not granted any favours. So, they devised a plan: Razia married Altuniya so that they can unite forces to reclaim Delhi along with army personnels consisting of Rajputs, Jats and other tribes. They fought a battle against her brother’s army in Kaithal, and they were defeated.
The forgotten history of Delhi’s only woman ruler lies tucked away in a neglected grave, hidden deep within the narrow alleys of the city Delhi she once ruled. Razia Sultan, whose legendary life is reduced to a fleeting mention in history textbooks, deserves far more than just a footnote. The glorious story of a women ruler who challenged norms and misogynistic culture is quietly buried while grand monuments and roads are proudly named after invaders and corrupt statesmen. It speaks volumes about the India we live in, run by patriarchy, which immortalizes the actions of a king but questions the attire of a queen creating a revolution.
This is the fourth in a 5-part weekly essay series – Veiled Valour: The Forgotten Women of Warfare.
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About the author
Dhanya D is a Research Scholar at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, University of Madras. Her research focuses on contemporary Maritime Security.
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