PAKISTAN'S HISTORY AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Slave Dynasty
The concept of equality in Islam and Muslim traditions reached its climax in the history of South Asia when slaves were raised to the status of Sultan. The Slave Dynasty ruled the subcontinent for about 84 years. Qutb-ud-Din Aibak, Shams-ud-Din Iltutmush and Ghiyas-ud-Din Balban, the three great Sultans of the era, were themselves sold and purchased during their early lives. The Slave Dynasty was the first Muslim dynasty that ruled India.
Muhammad Ghauri had no son so he raised thousands of slaves like his sons. Ghauri had the habit to buy every talented slave he came across. He would then train them in the way royal children were trained. During Ghauri's regime, slaves occupied all key positions in the government machinery. Three favourite slaves of the Sultan were Qutb-ud-Din Aibak, Taj-ud-Din Ildiz and Nasir-ud-Din Qubachah. He appointed them governors of Delhi, Ghazni and Lahore, respectively. Ghauri never nominated his successor but it was obvious that the successor was to be one of his slaves.
When Ghori died in 1206, the amirs elected Aibak as the new Sultan. Aibak first shifted his capital from Ghazni to Lahore and then from Lahore to Delhi. Thus, he was the first Muslim ruler who ruled South Asia and had his headquarters in the region as well. Aibak could only rule for four years and died in 1210. He was succeeded by
his son Aram Shah, who proved to be too incompetent to hold such an important position. The Turk nobles invited Iltumish, one of the laves and son-in-law of Aibak, to assume charge of the state affair Iltumish ruled for around 26 years from 1211 to 1236 and responsible for setting the Sultanate of Delhi on strong footings.

Iltumish was a good soldier and an outstanding statesman as well. When Chenghiz Khan descended upon Central Asia (1219), he kept him out of India through consummate diplomacy and determined military posture. Delhi and Lahore were saved from the ravages of the Mongols. On the death of Iltumish, a war of succession started between his children. His daughter Razia Sultana ascended the throne in 1236 as the first-ever empress of the Muslim rule in South Asia. The Turkish nobles resented having a woman as their ruler, especially when she started challenging their power. They began conspiring against her. In 1239, they made her brother Bahram the Sultan.
She died in 1340.

Finally the youngest son of Iltutmush, Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud became Sultan in 1245.26 Though Mahmud ruled India for around 20 years, during his entire tenure, the main power remained in the hands of Balban. On death of Mahmud, his Prime Minister Ghyasuddin Balban directly took over the throne and ruled Delhi from 1266 to 1287. Balban consolidated the administrative set-up of the empire and completed the work started by Iltutmush. Balban's successors could not handle the affairs of the state, and the throne was captured by the Ariz-i-Mumalik who declared his independence with the title of Jalal-ud-Din Khilji in 1290.
The most important institution that developed under the Slave Dynasty was the institution of Chalgan or the Forty. Chalgan were a corps of highly placed and powerful officers, whom Iltutmush had organized as his personal supporters. They were like the cabinet for the Sultan. However, during the days of civil war between the successors of Iltutmush, the Chalgan started looking for their personal gains and played one prince against the other.
During this era the Chalgan became very strong. Each one of them started considering himself as the deputy of the Sultan. When Balban assumed charge as Sultan, he murdered some of them while others were banished from the kingdom. There is no doubt that by crushing their power, Balban strengthened his rule, but actually he destroyed the real power of the Slave Dynasty. With this the rule of the Slave Dynasty came to an end.