GK Test - 14

Key Points

• Radhiyah bint Itutmish or popularly known as Razia Sultana was the ruler of Delhi from 1236 to 1240.
• She was the first Muslim female ruler and succeeded her father Itutmish and became the Sultanate of Delhi in 1236.
• She refused to be addressed as a Sultana but claimed herself the title "Sultan".
• Born to - Sultan Iltutmish and Qutub Begum.
• Dynasty - Slave dynasty.
• Kingdom - Delhi Sultanate.

Additional Information

• There were 5 dynasties in the Delhi Sultanate.
• The Mamluk dynasty was the first dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.
  • It reigned from 1206-1290.
• The Khilji dynasty was the second dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.
  • It reigned from 1290-1320.
• The Tughlaq dynasty was the third dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.
  • It reigned from 1320-1414.
• The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.
  • It reigned from 1414-1451.
• The Lodhi dynasty was the fifth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.
  • It reigned from 1451-1526.

• Ghazi Malik was the governor of Dipalpur and he killed the last Khilji Sultan, Khusrau Khan in the year 1320 AD.
• This marked the beginning of the Tughlaq Dynasty.
• Ghazi Malik ascended the throne assuming the title of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.
• Ghiyasuddin Tughlq ruled till 1325 AD.

Key Points

• Domingo Paes:
  • He was a Portuguese traveller. 
  • He visited Vijayanagara Empire around the year 1520, during the Krishnadevaraya rule.
  • The physical description of Krishnadevaraya was made by him.
  • He describes Krishna Deva Raya as not too tall, quite stout, round-faced, and of cheerful temperament mostly. 
• Nuniz:
  • He was a Portuguese traveller.
  • He visited the Vijayanagar Empire during the reign of Achyuta Raya.
• Abdur Razzaq:
  • He was a Persian scholar and traveller.
  • He visited the Vijaynagar Kingdom during the rule of Deva Raya II as an ambassador of Shah Rukh, the Timurid dynasty ruler of Persia.
• Nicolo de Conti:
  • He was an Italian scholar and traveller.
  • He visited the Vijayanagar kingdom during the reign of Deva Raya-I.

Key Points

• Amir Khusru, who lived between 1253 and 1325, was a renowned poet, musician, and scholar during the Delhi Sultanate period, and was bestowed with the title 'Tuti-e-Hind', which translates to 'The Parrot of Hindustan'.
• He is often regarded as the "father of Urdu literature," and his poetry is still well respected and widely studied today.
• Khusru was fluent in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Sanskrit, in addition to his mother tongue Hindavi (an early form of Hindi/Urdu).
• His works in literature, history, and music significantly influenced the culture of the Indian subcontinent.

Key Points

• First Battle of Panipat (1526): This battle marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire in India. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi.
• Battle of Khanwa (1527): Fought between Babur and Rana Sanga of Mewar, this battle consolidated Babur’s power in India.
• Battle of Ghaghra (1529): This battle was fought between Babur and the combined forces of the Afghans and the Sultan of Bengal, further strengthening Babur’s control.
• Battle of Chausa (1539): This battle was fought between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri, where Humayun was defeated.

Key Points

• First Battle of Panipat (1526): This battle marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire in India. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi.
• Battle of Khanwa (1527): Fought between Babur and Rana Sanga of Mewar, this battle consolidated Babur’s power in India.
• Battle of Ghaghra (1529): This battle was fought between Babur and the combined forces of the Afghans and the Sultan of Bengal, further strengthening Babur’s control.
• Battle of Chausa (1539): This battle was fought between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri, where Humayun was defeated.

Important Points

​The correct answer is 1739.

• In 1739 Nadir Shah invaded India and sacked Delhi.
  • The Battle of Karnal, was a decisive victory for Nader Shah, the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran, during his invasion of India.
  • Nadir Shah advanced towards India in 1738. He captured the western frontiers of the Mughal Empire such as Kabul, Ghazni, Lahore in 1739.
  • The two forces of Nadir Shah and Muhammad Shah met at Karnal. At the battle of Karnal on 13 February 1739, Nadir Shah easily outnumbered the Mughal forces.
  • The battle lasted for less than three hours and the Mughal emperor, Muhammad Shah surrendered. Both the rulers now entered Delhi on 12 March 1739 and Delhi was handed over to Nadir Shah, along with all its treasures.
  • In 1739, Nadir Shah, the emperor of Iran, conquered and enslaved the city of Delhi and took away immense quantities of money.
  • Shah's army had easily defeated the Mughals in the battle of Karnal and in the aftermath of the battle, would eventually capture the Mughal Capital.

Key Points

• The whole city of Delhi was destroyed, looted, plundered, and ruined by the army of Nadir Shah.
• Nadir Shah took with him the Peacock throne built by Shah Jahan. He also took the legendary Koh-i-Noor diamond.
• Besides this, he plundered gold worth 10 million rupees, 600 million rupees worth of jewellery, and coins worth 6 million rupees.
• Historians said that his overall collection after invading India, was 700 million rupees worth, including 7000 craftsmen, 200 carpenters, 100 stone-cutters, and thousands of elephants, horses, and camels, which he took with him to Persia.

Additional Information

• Nader Shah Afshar was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful Iranian rulers in Iranian history.
• He was born on  22 November 1688 in Dargaz, Safavid Iran.
• In the spring of 1730, Nader attacked Iran's archrival the Ottomans and regained most of the territory lost during the recent chaos. At the same time, the Abdali Afghans rebelled and besieged Mashhad, forcing Nader to suspend his campaign and save his brother, Ebrahim.

Key Points

• Aurangzeb issued a Farman to grant a right for duty-free trade to the company in Bengal.
  • East India Company was founded in 1600 and came to India as a trader.
  • Gradually, the company acquired many parts in India and started to rule over India.

Additional Information

• Akbar was the son of Humayun.
  • He became emperor when was 13 years old.
• Humayun was the son of Babur.
  • Humayun fought two battles with Sher Shah Suri.
• Shah Jahan constructed the Taj Mahal and Moti Masjid in Agra.
  • He also built Red Fort in Delhi.

The Dahsala system was introduced by Akbar. Under this, the average produce of different crops, as well as the average prices prevailing over the last ten years, was calculated and one-third of the average produce was taken as tax.

Key Points

• Navroz was a nine-days festival.
• The Sultan of the Slave dynasty, Balban had introduced this festival in India.
• Mughal emperor Aurangzeb abolished the festival of Navroz during his reign.
• This was because those nine days of the festival were utilized by the Mughal nobility to prey upon the females of the lower classes with impunity.

Hence, the correct answer is Aurangzeb.

Additional Information

Let's have a look at other options:

• Babar
  • He ​was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent.
  • Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, Sultan of Delhi, at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 CE and founded the Mughal Empire. 
  • Babur died in 1530.
• Jahangir
  • He ​was the fourth Mughal Emperor.
  • He ruled from 1605 until his death in 1627. 
  • He succeeded Akbar.
• Humayun
  • He was the second Mughal ruler of India.
  • He was the son and successor of Babur.
  • ​Humayun ruled from 1530 to 1540 and again from 1555 to 1556.

Key Points

• The last Peshwa of the Maratha Empire was Baji Rao II.
• Baji Rao II, the son of the former Peshwa Raghunathrao, was the last Peshwa of the Maratha Empire and ruled from 1795 to 1818.
• Nana Sahib, also known as Dhondup Pant, was the adopted son of the last Peshwa Baji Rao II.
• Indian Peshwa of the Maratha empire, Nana Sahib led the rebellion in Kanpur by motivating the rebels against British rule.