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Iltutmish also called Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, Iltutmish also spelled Altamsh d. April 29, 1236 third Delhi sultan of the Slave dynasty. Iltutmish was sold into slavery but married the daughter of his master Qutb-ud-Din Aybak, whom he succeeded in 1211. He strengthened and expanded the Muslim rule in northern India and moved the capital to Delhi, where he completed the tower, the Qutb Minar, whose construction was started by his predecessor Qutb-ud-din Aybak. A wise and patient statesman who had been trained as a trusted administrator under his predecessors Muhammad of Ghur and Qutb-ud-Din, Iltutmish was faced upon his accession not only with the deterioration of Muslim rule but also with the claim of Taj-ud-Din Yildiz, the Ghazni ruler, to succession to all of Muhammad's conquests and with the attempts by the Hindus to recover portions of their lost territory. In 1215 he captured Yildiz, who died in prison. In 1225 he forced the unruly Bengali governor to acknowledge the authority of Delhi, and shortly thereafter he consolidated again the Muslim holdings. Iltutmish was able to preserve his kingdom against the ravages of the Mongol invasions that coincided with his reign, and he succeeded in building an administrative machinery for the empire. He sought out 11th-century Islamic classics on the art of government; and the Adab-ul-Muluk, the first Indo-Muslim classic on the art of government and warfare, was written for him. He was tolerant towards the Hindus despite the urgings of his fundamentalist Muslim ministers. Throughout his carrier he was harried and pursued by the resurgent Rajputs who tried to gain control over their lost territory. Iltutmish's eldest son had died before him, and his other sons were incompetent. He gave an excellent education to his daughter Raziyya (Raziyyat-ud-Din) and desired that she should succeed him. His wishes were offensive to the administrative Council of Forty, Iltutmish's personal slaves who had served as his advisers. Raziyya did succeed briefly to the throne, but her appointment of an African to an important position was considered insulting to the council, which shortly brought about her downfall. This marked the beginning of the decline of the line of Iltutmish. |
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