Originally named Firuz, Jalal-ud-din Khalji started his career as an officer of the Mamluk dynasty, and rose to an important position under Sultan Muizzuddin Qaiqabad.
68 Facts About Jalal-ud-din Khalji
2.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji captured Mandawar and Jhain from the Chahamana king Hammira, although he was unable to capture the Chahamana capital Ranthambore.
3.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji, who was around 70 years old at the time of his ascension, was known as a mild-mannered, humble and kind monarch to the general public.
4.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji meted out lenient punishments to the rebels, except in case of a dervish Sidi Maula, who was executed for allegedly conspiring to dethrone him.
5.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji was a member of the Khalaj tribe, a tribe of Turkic origin that after migration from Turkistan had settled in Afghanistan for over 200 years.
6.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji rose to the position of sar-i-jandar, and was later appointed as the governor of the frontier province of Samana.
7.
The other faction, led by Jalal-ud-din Khalji, supported the rise of the new nobility.
8.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji then moved his quarters to Ghiyaspur, and summoned his relatives from Baran on the pretext of preparing for an impending Mongol invasion.
9.
Shortly after, Jalal-ud-din Khalji received an order summoning him to the royal court in Delhi, and realized that this was part of a plot to kill him.
10.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji excused himself on the pretext of conducting an inspection of the army at Kannauj.
11.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji pretended not knowing anything about the conspiracy, and requested Kachhan to rest in a tent, while he finished the inspection.
12.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji's men abducted some sons of Malik al-Umara Fakhruddin, the kotwal of Delhi, and therefore, Fakhruddin dissuaded the people of Delhi from trying to retrieve Kayumars.
13.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji became the governor of Bhatinda, Dipalpur and Multan provinces.
14.
At the time of his ascension, Jalal-ud-din Khalji was very unpopular.
15.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji had little support among the old Turkic nobles, who viewed him as an Afghan, wrongly believing him to be of non-Turkic ancestry.
16.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji finished the palace, and turned Kilokhri into an important town.
17.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji avoided making any radical changes to the administrative set-up, and retained the old Turkic nobles in the offices that they held during Balban's reign.
18.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji appointed his brother Yaghrash Khan as the head of the army ministry, and his nephew Ahmad Chap as.
19.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji gave his eldest son Mahmud the title Khan-i-Khan; the next two sons were given the titles Arkali Khan and Qadr Khan.
20.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji appointed his nephews Ali Gurshasp and Almas Beg as Amir-i-Tuzuk and Akhur-beg respectively.
21.
Gradually, Jalal-ud-din Khalji overcame the initial hostility that he had faced from the citizens of Delhi.
22.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji gained reputation as a humble and kind-hearted monarch, as opposed to the preceding despots like Balban.
23.
Chajju was confident that he enjoyed more support than Jalal-ud-din Khalji, who was yet to find favour among the old nobles of Delhi and its neighbouring areas.
24.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji probably planned to enter Delhi from Amroha area.
25.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji set out to crush the revolt after appointing his eldest son, who held the title Khan-i Khanan, in-charge of Delhi.
26.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji led his army towards Badaun via Koil.
27.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji came across Chajju's army at a Ramganga river crossing, and fought an indecisive battle.
28.
Meanwhile, Jalal-ud-din Khalji's army crossed the Ganges river at Bhojpur, and engaged Chajju's supporters in another battle.
29.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji treated the Turkic Muslim rebels kindly, despite objections by his nephew Ahmad Chhap.
30.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji ordered them to be released, dressed well and entertained.
31.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji invited the high-ranking rebel nobles, such as Amir Ali Sarjandar, to a feast.
32.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji openly praised the rebels for their loyalty to their deceased master Balban.
33.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji provided the new settlers with accommodation, allowances and social ranks.
34.
Hammira's expansionist policy had threatened the Ajmer and Haryana frontiers of the Delhi Sultanate, which prompted Jalal-ud-din Khalji to invade his kingdom.
35.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji first besieged fortress of Mandawar.
36.
Mandawar was once a part of the Delhi Sultanate, but had been lost to the Chahamanas in the preceding years; Jalal-ud-din Khalji recaptured it in 1292.
37.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji then sent a larger detachment to besiege the Jhain fort.
38.
Barani states that Jalal-ud-din Khalji declared he would not risk the hair of a single Muslim for "ten such forts".
39.
Several of Jalal-ud-din Khalji's courtiers believed that he was a weak king, who could not inspire the necessary fear among his subjects and the enemies of the Sultanate.
40.
When Jalal-ud-din Khalji became aware of this, he summoned the erring courtiers to a private conference.
41.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji was lenient towards his detractors, and even the most persistent detractors were only banished to their for one year.
42.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji owned a huge khanqah, and had been reputed for his vast charities since the reign of Qaiqabad.
43.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji's institution attracted most of the dispossessed Balban-era amirs and officers.
44.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji's followers included Jalal-ud-din's nobles, including Qazi Jalal Kashani and the now-deceased crown prince Khan-i Khanan.
45.
Sidi Maula allegedly planned to kill Jalal-ud-din Khalji to become khalifa, although these allegations were never proven.
46.
Malik Ulghu, the Mongol commander who had entered Jalal-ud-din Khalji's service, reported the allegations to Arkali Khan, while Jalal-ud-din Khalji was busy besieging Mandawar.
47.
When Jalal-ud-din Khalji returned to Delhi, the alleged conspirators were brought before him, and pleaded not guilty.
48.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji then banished Qazi Jalal Kashani and the Balban-era officers who followed Sidi Maula.
49.
An annoyed Jalal-ud-din Khalji asked a group of qalandars to knife Sidi Maula.
50.
Ali's father had died when he was young, and Jalal-ud-din Khalji had brought him and his brother Almas Beg up.
51.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji shrewdly surrendered the loot from Bhilsa to Jalal-ud-din to win the Sultan's confidence, but withheld the information on the Yadava kingdom.
52.
Pleased with the loot, Jalal-ud-din Khalji gave Ali the office of Ariz-i Mamalik, which was once held by Ali's father.
53.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji granted Ali the governorship of Awadh in addition to that of Kara-Manikpur.
54.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji granted Ali's request to use the surplus revenue for enlisting additional troops to raid the other wealthy but weakly-defended territories beyond Chanderi.
55.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji left the administration of Kara to Alaul Mulk, who misled Jalal-ud-din's administration in Delhi about Ali's real destination.
56.
When Jalal-ud-din Khalji heard about Ali's success at Devagiri, he was pleased at the prospect of a vast treasure coming to him.
57.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji moved to Gwalior, hoping that Ali would come there to meet him en route to Kara.
58.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji asked for a signed letter of pardon, which Jalal-ud-din dispatched immediately.
59.
At Kara, Jalal-ud-din Khalji's messengers were astonished when they learned about Ali's military strength and his plans to dethrone Jalal-ud-din Khalji.
60.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji directed his commander Ahmad Chap to take the major part of the army to Kara by land, while he himself journeyed down the Ganges River with 1,000 soldiers.
61.
When Jalal-ud-din Khalji's entourage came close to Kara, Ali sent Almas Beg to meet him.
62.
Almas Beg convinced Jalal-ud-din Khalji to leave behind his soldiers, saying that their presence would frighten Ali into committing suicide.
63.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji boarded a boat with a few of his companions, who were made to unbuckle their weapons.
64.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji complained about Ali's lack of courtesy in not coming to greet him at this point.
65.
Satisfied by this explanation, Jalal-ud-din Khalji continued his journey to Kara, reciting Quran on the boat.
66.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji lovingly raised Ali, gave him a kiss on cheek, and chided him for doubting his uncle's affection.
67.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji survived the first blow, and ran towards his boat, but the second blow killed him.
68.
Jalal-ud-din Khalji's head was put on a spear and paraded across Ali's provinces of Kara-Manikpur and Awadh.