MEDIEVAL HISTORY
17.Society: composition of rural society, ruling
classes, town dwellers, women, religious classes,
caste and slavery under the Sultanate
Society: composition of rural society, ruling classes, town dwellers,
women, religious classes, caste and slavery under the Sultanate
RURAL SOCIETY
peasant:
1. size of land cultivated by them varied greatly from the large holding of the'khots' or headmen to the
small plots of 'balahars' or village menials below them were landless menial castes (little known about
them).
2. Peasants generally owned a pair of oxen and the plough. Land was abundant. Wells were probably the
major source of artificial irrigation. Muhammad Tughluq advanced loans to peasants for improving
agriculture.
3. There was differentiation among the peasantry. Barani designates men of the highest stratum among
the peasants as khots and muqaddams.
1. Before Alauddin Khalji adopted the measures, the khot are alleged to have been exempted from
three major taxes. Furthermore, they levied a cess of their own on the villagers (qismat-i khoti).
When Alauddin prohitited them from levying the cess, they became quite poor.
2. The khots and muqaddams were peasants but When prosperous, they imitated the ways of-higher
chiefs (rode horse, wore fine cloths etc.). In the reign of Feroz Shah Tughluq, a chronicler
describes the general prosperity of the khots. e.g They had large amount of gold and silver and
countless goods; and none of the women of the peasantry remained without ornaments.
Dwelling of peasants:
1. Home :
2. The ordinary peasants lived in mud huts supported by bamboos or tree trunks with thatched roof. The
floor was plastered with cowdung. Very little furnjture was used : men, women and children lived in
small rooms huddle together. They usually slept on the floor on mats or cotton quilts. ordinary people
used earthern pots.
3. The prosperous peasants had more land around the main structure. They usually had more than one
, room with verandah, a courtyard and chabutara (platform) and even sometimes second story and the
walls were plastered with cowdung and decorated with drawings, Often there was a small vegetable
garden around their dwellings.The prosperous peasants used metal vessels.
4. No sense of privacy existed : There was no separate place for bathing except the wells or ponds.
2. Food:
a. meal twice a day.
b. used to take bread made out of rice; they also use lintel, onion and chillies and as luxury they had some
little ghee.
3. Dresses:
a. Hindu peasants went bareheaded and barefooted. They usually
wore a single dhoti/cloth. In Gujarat and Rajasthan, they wore a red
handkerchief around their head.
b. Women usually wore two kinds of dresses:
1. a sheet of cloth to cover themselves and a blouse.
2. lehanga or long skirt and a blouse and dupatta or a big scarf.
Ruling class
Ideological Composition of the New Ruling Classes:
1. The head of the new ruling class was the Sultan.
2. Turkish Sultans considered themselves to be politically independent but culturally a part of the
Islamic world.
The lifestyle of the new ruling class was comparable to the highest standard of luxurious living in the entire
Islamic world.
Royal Pattern of Consumption:
1. The Sultans of Delhi wanted to own huge palaces.
2. A typical description of the lavish display that took place in the Sultan’s palace has been given by the
, traveller Ibn Battuta during the reign of Muhammad Tughluq.
3. The royal umbrella (chhatra) and the sceptre ('danda') respectively were used by the Hindu rulers and
were continued by the Muslims. No one else was allowed to use such unbrella and sceptre with
similar color as that of ruler. The Hindu rulers added the chowri (fly-whisk) to these symbols
signifying royal authority.
4. During processions and other social functions :Sultan was accompanied by a standard bearer to be
followed by a band of musicians.The hindu kings had tradition of having instrumentalists who carried
trumpet and flutes.Except for the rulers, no one was allowed to be either accompanied by these
musicians nor were they allowed to play in any other part of the city except the royal palace.
5. darbar (i.e. the court) : was the actual space where the authority of the king was manifest through a
number of rituals. Special assemblies were held on several ocasions including religious festivals.
6. The Harem : a special space where women had their quarters. The sultan's mother, his queens and all
female servants and slaves lived here.The household karkhanas catered to their needs.
7. Extravagance of ruling class help domestic manufacturing and created employment.
8. Members of the aristocracy were grouped into two sections : the secular 'omrah' and the religious
'ulema'.
THE ARISTOCRACY
RELIGIOUS :
1. The ulema helped the ruler in theological matters. They had to follow a course of study consisted of
islamic theory and law and religious text tafsir, Radis, Qunr'n,
2. Ulema who were associated with the administration of justice and religious law were known as
'dastarbandan' since they were distinguished by a special cap.
3. These men, along with a few others, formed the intellectual elite group known as ahl qalam.These
men provided moral support to the imperial rule.
POLITICAL:
Titles : 'Khan' (for the highest dignity )> maliks > amirs. Since most of these titles signified a militry rank;
the sipahsalar and sarkhel formed the lowest rank among the nobility. The word amir (means Nobel) applied
to both civil and military persons.
1. Sultanate nobility emulated the lifestyle of the Sultans.Almost every nobleman had huge
palaces,harems, slaves and household karkhanas to cater to their needs.
2. Apart from attending the darbar and going to war, a.) the nobles hunted, attended and hosted feasts,
spent their time in being entertained by musician and dancing girls. b.) They also maintained large
libraries.
, 3. Balban and Alauddin Khalji sternly repressed the nobles.
4. In the reign of Muhammad Tughluq, his wazir enjoyed an income as large as that derived from the
province of Iraq.
5. mostly the nobles were allowed to leave their property barring the iqta to their sons. Bashir, who was
ariz-i mumalik under Feroz Tughluq, left 13 crores at his death, which Feroz confiscated on the
ground that Bashir was his slave.
6. Nobels live in big house (havelis).
TOWN DEWELERS
1. Broach, Cambay, Lakhnauti, Sonargaon and Multan flourished as trading centres.
2. Ibn Battuta gives a detailed description of Delhi. It was one of the largest cities in the Islamic world
with a mixed population of merchants from India as well as Iran, Afghanistan etc.
3. overland trade with West Asia was in the hands of Multanis ( mostly Hindus). he Gujarati and
Marwari merchants were extremely wealthy.
4. Cambay was a fine pdrt-city where there was an agglomeration of wealthy merchants.
5. The towns of Bengal and Gujarat were famous for the production of fine clothes. Cambay was also
famous for gold and silver works.
6. Another mercantile group was that of the brokers (dallals) who first make their appearance in the
commercial history of the Delhi Sultanate. Alauddin Khalji was specially harsh to them but since they
were needed in any large market, they could never be dispensed with entirety.
7. As for Money lender, Ziauddin Barani mentions the Multanis and Sahas of Delhi. they acquired great
deal of wealth from the resources of maliks and amirs who repaid there loan.
8. Sarrafs or money changers was another prosperous mercantile group.
9. smaller artisans, shopkeepers and vendors also lived in the cities.
POSITION OF WOMEN
1. Women were subordinate to men in every walk of life - as daughter, wife and even after a husband's
death (under her eldest son's care).
2. Birth of a daughter was looked down upon, since they were considered as symbol of dishonour for the
father.
3. Their duty was to produce progeny, especially the male child.
4. They were strictly confined in the 'antahpura' (inner sanctum).
5. early marriages for girls and the wife's duties to her husband and his kula (lineage) were continued.
Annulment of marriages took place in special circumstances such as desertion, disease or mental
disorder.
6. Position of Muslim Women was also very much similar to their Hindu counterpart.
7. As for female education, the women of poor classes did not have a chance for education, but the
higher strata women seem to have received education and
17.Society: composition of rural society, ruling
classes, town dwellers, women, religious classes,
caste and slavery under the Sultanate
Society: composition of rural society, ruling classes, town dwellers,
women, religious classes, caste and slavery under the Sultanate
RURAL SOCIETY
peasant:
1. size of land cultivated by them varied greatly from the large holding of the'khots' or headmen to the
small plots of 'balahars' or village menials below them were landless menial castes (little known about
them).
2. Peasants generally owned a pair of oxen and the plough. Land was abundant. Wells were probably the
major source of artificial irrigation. Muhammad Tughluq advanced loans to peasants for improving
agriculture.
3. There was differentiation among the peasantry. Barani designates men of the highest stratum among
the peasants as khots and muqaddams.
1. Before Alauddin Khalji adopted the measures, the khot are alleged to have been exempted from
three major taxes. Furthermore, they levied a cess of their own on the villagers (qismat-i khoti).
When Alauddin prohitited them from levying the cess, they became quite poor.
2. The khots and muqaddams were peasants but When prosperous, they imitated the ways of-higher
chiefs (rode horse, wore fine cloths etc.). In the reign of Feroz Shah Tughluq, a chronicler
describes the general prosperity of the khots. e.g They had large amount of gold and silver and
countless goods; and none of the women of the peasantry remained without ornaments.
Dwelling of peasants:
1. Home :
2. The ordinary peasants lived in mud huts supported by bamboos or tree trunks with thatched roof. The
floor was plastered with cowdung. Very little furnjture was used : men, women and children lived in
small rooms huddle together. They usually slept on the floor on mats or cotton quilts. ordinary people
used earthern pots.
3. The prosperous peasants had more land around the main structure. They usually had more than one
, room with verandah, a courtyard and chabutara (platform) and even sometimes second story and the
walls were plastered with cowdung and decorated with drawings, Often there was a small vegetable
garden around their dwellings.The prosperous peasants used metal vessels.
4. No sense of privacy existed : There was no separate place for bathing except the wells or ponds.
2. Food:
a. meal twice a day.
b. used to take bread made out of rice; they also use lintel, onion and chillies and as luxury they had some
little ghee.
3. Dresses:
a. Hindu peasants went bareheaded and barefooted. They usually
wore a single dhoti/cloth. In Gujarat and Rajasthan, they wore a red
handkerchief around their head.
b. Women usually wore two kinds of dresses:
1. a sheet of cloth to cover themselves and a blouse.
2. lehanga or long skirt and a blouse and dupatta or a big scarf.
Ruling class
Ideological Composition of the New Ruling Classes:
1. The head of the new ruling class was the Sultan.
2. Turkish Sultans considered themselves to be politically independent but culturally a part of the
Islamic world.
The lifestyle of the new ruling class was comparable to the highest standard of luxurious living in the entire
Islamic world.
Royal Pattern of Consumption:
1. The Sultans of Delhi wanted to own huge palaces.
2. A typical description of the lavish display that took place in the Sultan’s palace has been given by the
, traveller Ibn Battuta during the reign of Muhammad Tughluq.
3. The royal umbrella (chhatra) and the sceptre ('danda') respectively were used by the Hindu rulers and
were continued by the Muslims. No one else was allowed to use such unbrella and sceptre with
similar color as that of ruler. The Hindu rulers added the chowri (fly-whisk) to these symbols
signifying royal authority.
4. During processions and other social functions :Sultan was accompanied by a standard bearer to be
followed by a band of musicians.The hindu kings had tradition of having instrumentalists who carried
trumpet and flutes.Except for the rulers, no one was allowed to be either accompanied by these
musicians nor were they allowed to play in any other part of the city except the royal palace.
5. darbar (i.e. the court) : was the actual space where the authority of the king was manifest through a
number of rituals. Special assemblies were held on several ocasions including religious festivals.
6. The Harem : a special space where women had their quarters. The sultan's mother, his queens and all
female servants and slaves lived here.The household karkhanas catered to their needs.
7. Extravagance of ruling class help domestic manufacturing and created employment.
8. Members of the aristocracy were grouped into two sections : the secular 'omrah' and the religious
'ulema'.
THE ARISTOCRACY
RELIGIOUS :
1. The ulema helped the ruler in theological matters. They had to follow a course of study consisted of
islamic theory and law and religious text tafsir, Radis, Qunr'n,
2. Ulema who were associated with the administration of justice and religious law were known as
'dastarbandan' since they were distinguished by a special cap.
3. These men, along with a few others, formed the intellectual elite group known as ahl qalam.These
men provided moral support to the imperial rule.
POLITICAL:
Titles : 'Khan' (for the highest dignity )> maliks > amirs. Since most of these titles signified a militry rank;
the sipahsalar and sarkhel formed the lowest rank among the nobility. The word amir (means Nobel) applied
to both civil and military persons.
1. Sultanate nobility emulated the lifestyle of the Sultans.Almost every nobleman had huge
palaces,harems, slaves and household karkhanas to cater to their needs.
2. Apart from attending the darbar and going to war, a.) the nobles hunted, attended and hosted feasts,
spent their time in being entertained by musician and dancing girls. b.) They also maintained large
libraries.
, 3. Balban and Alauddin Khalji sternly repressed the nobles.
4. In the reign of Muhammad Tughluq, his wazir enjoyed an income as large as that derived from the
province of Iraq.
5. mostly the nobles were allowed to leave their property barring the iqta to their sons. Bashir, who was
ariz-i mumalik under Feroz Tughluq, left 13 crores at his death, which Feroz confiscated on the
ground that Bashir was his slave.
6. Nobels live in big house (havelis).
TOWN DEWELERS
1. Broach, Cambay, Lakhnauti, Sonargaon and Multan flourished as trading centres.
2. Ibn Battuta gives a detailed description of Delhi. It was one of the largest cities in the Islamic world
with a mixed population of merchants from India as well as Iran, Afghanistan etc.
3. overland trade with West Asia was in the hands of Multanis ( mostly Hindus). he Gujarati and
Marwari merchants were extremely wealthy.
4. Cambay was a fine pdrt-city where there was an agglomeration of wealthy merchants.
5. The towns of Bengal and Gujarat were famous for the production of fine clothes. Cambay was also
famous for gold and silver works.
6. Another mercantile group was that of the brokers (dallals) who first make their appearance in the
commercial history of the Delhi Sultanate. Alauddin Khalji was specially harsh to them but since they
were needed in any large market, they could never be dispensed with entirety.
7. As for Money lender, Ziauddin Barani mentions the Multanis and Sahas of Delhi. they acquired great
deal of wealth from the resources of maliks and amirs who repaid there loan.
8. Sarrafs or money changers was another prosperous mercantile group.
9. smaller artisans, shopkeepers and vendors also lived in the cities.
POSITION OF WOMEN
1. Women were subordinate to men in every walk of life - as daughter, wife and even after a husband's
death (under her eldest son's care).
2. Birth of a daughter was looked down upon, since they were considered as symbol of dishonour for the
father.
3. Their duty was to produce progeny, especially the male child.
4. They were strictly confined in the 'antahpura' (inner sanctum).
5. early marriages for girls and the wife's duties to her husband and his kula (lineage) were continued.
Annulment of marriages took place in special circumstances such as desertion, disease or mental
disorder.
6. Position of Muslim Women was also very much similar to their Hindu counterpart.
7. As for female education, the women of poor classes did not have a chance for education, but the
higher strata women seem to have received education and
