Aram Shah

Aram Shah
Sultan of Delhi
Reign	1210-1211
Predecessor	Qutb al-Din Aibak
Successor	Iltutmish
Father	Qutb al-Din Aibak
Mother	Shamshad Begum (Valide Sultan)
Religion	Islam

Aram Shah was the second sultan of the Mamluk dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. He reigned from 1210 to 1211.

The relationship of Aram Shah with Qutb al-Din Aibak (the first sultan of Delhi, who ruled from 1206 to 1210) is a subject of controversy. According to some, he was Aibak's son, but Minhaj-i-Siraj distinctly writes that Qutb al-Din only had three daughters. Abul Fazl has made the "astonishing statement" that Aram Shah was Qutb al-Din's brother. A modern writer has hazarded the opinion that "he was no relation of Qutb al-Din" but was selected as his successor as he was available on the spot.

There were no fixed rules governing the succession in the Sultanate, with Aram being selected by Turkic amirs (nobles) at Lahore. However, Aram was ill-qualified to govern a kingdom. An elite group of forty nobles known as "Chihalgani" soon conspired against him and invited Shams ud-Din Iltutmish, then Governor of Badaun, to replace Aram. Both Aram Shah and Iltutmish marched towards Delhi from Lahore and Badaun respectively. They met on the plain of Bagh-i-Jud near Delhi in 1211, where Iltutmish defeated Aram.

It is unclear whether Aram was martyred, killed in battle or executed in prison.

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