Shamsuddin Iltutmish
| Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish | |
|---|---|
| Sultan of Delhi Governor of Badayun Nasir Amir-ul-mominin |
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Iltutmish's mausoleum
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| Reign | 1211–28 April 1236 |
| Predecessor | Aram Shah |
| Successor | Rukn ud din Firuz |
| Died | 28 April 1236 |
| Burial | Qutb Complex, Mehrauli, Delhi |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| Religion | Islam |
Shams ud-Din Iltutmish (r. 1211–1236) was the third ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, belonging to the Mamluk dynasty. Iltutmish consolidated the position of the sultanate in the Indian subcontinent.
He conquered Multan and Bengal from contesting rulers, and Ranathambhore and Siwalik from their rulers.
He expanded his domain by defeating the Muslim rulers of Ghazni, Multan and Bengal, which had previously annexed some of his territories and threatened his domain. He conquered the latter two territories and made further conquests in the Hindu lands, conquering the fort of Ranathambhore and the lands of Gwalior and the fort of Mandur.
He instituted many changes to the Sultanate, re-organising the monetary system and the nobility as well as the distribution of grounds and fiefs, and erected many buildings, including Mosques, Khanqas (Monasteries), Dargahs (Graves) and a Hauz (reservoir) for pilgrims.
Shams ud-din Iltutmish founded the Delhi Sultanate and much strengthened the power of the slave dynasty and of Islam in the India, although his kindred and heirs were not as politically gifted, with no ruler comparable to him in the area until the time of Ghiasuddin Balban.
The name Iltutmish is a Turkic name, meaning "he has held/owned land" (İltutmuş, in modern Turkish). Another theory concerning the meaning of the name suggests a connection with an eclipse that supposedly occurred at his birth (an event of some importance in the view of the people of the time). The other etymologies for his name include Altamash, which denotes the number sixty, or the guard of the army, which is the ancient Turkic Khanates numbered at sixty; but this theory falsely draws its source from that he is often referred to as "Al-Tamash", which is most likely an Arabic variation of his Turkic name.
The title "Shams ad-Dunya Wa'd-Din" is a royal Laqab (regal title) of the time, translated as "Sun of the world and [of the] Faith" which Iltutmish used once he was established as the sultan of Delhi. Subsequent to the investiture by the Caliph, he was also addressed by the title "Yamin Amir al-Mu'minin" - the right-hand man of the Commander of the Faithful, or as "Naib" (lieutenant) of the Commander of the Faithful, which is the Caliph.
Shams ud-Din Iltutmish belonged to the Ilbari tribe in the Eurasian steppes of Turkestan. While his association (by his biographers) with the Turkic nobility of that tribe can be seen as dubious and anachronistic, it is possible that he was indeed high-born.
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