Medieval Indian History

Notes:
In 1347 AD, the Bahmani kingdom came into existence and Hasan Gangu became the first Sultan of the kingdom and took the title “Alauddin Hasan Bahman Shah

Notes:
In 1493 AD, the king of music, Mian Tansen was born at Behat, Gwalior. He was the follower of Muhammad Ghaus and one of  the Navaratnas in the royal court of the Mughal Emperor Jalal ud-din Mohammad Akbar.

Notes:
Shah Jahan recovered Kandhar in 1638 from the Iranians but lost it again in 1649 despite three campaigns. The loss of Kandhar was a big blow as it was a strategic stronghold

Notes:
Other than Inayat Khan, another Shahjahan-Nama was written by Muhammad Sadiq Khan, who was a waqia-navis at the Mughal court. Sadiq was a selfless freelance writer who undertook the work just for the love of it and recorded the events of Shah Jahan’s reign from the death of Jahangir to the accession of Aurangzeb in an intelligent and impartial manner.

Notes:
Muhammad Bin Tughlaq’s rule is significant for the introduction of token currency. He understood the importance of currency as a medium of commercial exchange and that is why he took keen interest to circulate gold and silver coins. He enlarged the gold dinar from 172 grains to 202 grains. He introduced a silver coin, the adlis, which was discontinued after seven years due to lack of popularity and acceptance among his subjects.

Notes:
Bayhaqī or Bayhaqi was a Persian historian and author who served in court of Mahmud. His work Tarikh-i Bayhaqi is seen as a source of information about the Ghaznavid era. Al Biruni was court astrologer of Mahmud. Firdowsi was also a poet who wrote Persian magnum opus Shahnameh on a promise of Mahmud that the later would give him a gold piece for every couplet of the Shahnameh. But Firdausi could never get this promised prize money. Firishta was in 16th century.

Notes:
After the annexation of the Punjab, Muhammad Ghori made Lahore the base of his operations against the Rajputs. He made thorough preparations for three years before challenging Prithvi Raj Chauhan of Delhi and Ajmer. In 1189, he captured Tabarhind (Bhatinda). This led to first battle of Tarain in which Ghurid army was crushed and Mohd. Ghori himself was wounded (but saved by a Khalji soldier in litter) by Gobind Rai (Brother of Prithviraj Chauhan).

Notes:
Marco Polo was a Venetian traveller. His travelogues, gives an illuminating account of contemporary life, on his visit to
South India during the thirteenth century. He travelled through Asia along Silk route.

Notes:
Masud I was the son of Mahmud of Ghazni and ascended the throne in 1031 A.D. He was unable to preserve the power and integrity of the Ghaznavids. In Khurasan and Khwarezm, Ghaznavid power was challenged by the Seljuq Turks.

Notes:
Iltutmish captured Ranthambore in c.1226 CE and by c.1231 CE, he was successful in establishing his authority over Mandor, Jalore, Bayana, and Gwalior.