Alaudin

Alaudín (Ala-ud-din Khalji, real name Juna Khan) was the second and most prominent ruler of the Khalji dynasty. He reigned between 1296 and 1316 and was the first Muslim to rule the entirety of what we now know as India.

Alaudín was the nephew and son-in-law of Jalal-ud-din. His uncle appointed Alaudín as governor of Kara until 1296 when Alaudín murdered his uncle. Jalal-ud-din's widow designated her youngest son as heir to the throne.

Alaudín left from Kara to Delhi. He entered the city with his uncle's head placed on a pickaxe. After taking over the capital he proclaimed himself & # 34; king of Delhi & # 34; on October 3, 1296. A few months later he defeated the Mongols near Jalandhar to secure the throne for himself.

Although it was the best period of the Khalji dynasty, Alaudín's reign was marked by his cruelty and his delusions of grandeur. Already at the beginning of his rule, he blinded, imprisoned and murdered numerous members of the nobility. After the annexation of Gujarat, the practice of martyring the families of rebels spread.

In 1299, an army of more than 200,000 Mongols entered India with the intention of conquering it. General Zafar Khan, one of the most brilliant of Alaudín's troops, managed to defeat them in the Battle of Kili, although he did not manage to survive.

Alaudín described himself as the Second Alexander. This description partly demonstrates the delusions of grandeur of this ruler who wanted to create a world religion. Another example of his aspirations is the Alai Minar that he built in the Qutb complex with the desire to surpass the Qutab Minar in height and grandeur. Alaudín died in 1316, a victim of edema.