Medieval History Questions

The correct answer is Birbal.

• The theory of Din-i-Ilahi was introduced by Mughal Emperor Akbar.
  • It is based on Monotheism, which means belief in one God.
  • The first initiated disciples of Din-i-Ilahi during emperor Akbar included Birbal, Prince Salim, and Abul-Fazl ibn Mubarak.

Important Points

• Razmnama is a Persian translation of Mahabharata.
• Razmnama means “book of war.” It was completed by the maktab khana, a translation bureau set up by Akbar to translate important Sanskrit texts into Persian.
• It was Akbar’s intention that the empire be Persian-speaking, and translating the Hindu epics (including the Ramayana, the epic narrating the life of Ram) was a way to encourage a sense of belonging and inclusion amongst Hindu subjects

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• ​Akbar was born as Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar on October 15, 1542.
• Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, in 1556 when he was 13 years old.
• Akbar was given the nickname 'the Great' because of his many accomplishments.
• Akbar had nine ministers in his court, who were called his Navratnas or '9 gems'.
• He died in 1605.

The correct answer is Babur

Key Points

• In 1528, Babur defeated the Rajputs in the Battle of Chanderi.
• The battle of Chanderi was fought between Medini Rai, a key ally of Rana Sanga, and Babur in 1528
• With this battle, the resistance across Rajputana was completely shattered.
• After this battle, Chanderi came under the complete control of Babur, as he won the battle.​

Additional Information

The correct answer is Venice.

Key Points

• Marco Polo, born in 1254, in Venice, Italy.
• He was a Venetian merchant and adventurer who traveled from Europe to Asia in 1271–95.
• During this period, he remained in China for 17 years.
• 'Travels of Marco Polo', is classic travel literature written by Marco Polo itself.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Mahmud Ghajnavi.

• Alberuni was the contemporary of Mahmud Ghajnavi.
• He came in contact with Mahmud when he had invaded Khiva and he was presented before him as a prisoner.
• In his book Tahqiq-i-Hind in which he portrays the social, political, religious, and economic condition of the then India

Key Points

• Abu Rihan Mohammad Bin Ahmad is popularly known as Alberuni who was born in 973 AD in the Khiza region and one of the Jewel of Mahmud’s Courts.
• He was a renowned philosopher, a mathematician, and a historian.
• According to the Alberuni, people of the Indian sub-continent were excellent philosophers, good mathematicians, and astronomers.
• He criticized the hypocrisy of Brahmin Scholars because despite explaining the scientific values of ancient text, they preferred to mislead the masses and to keep them steeped in ignorance and superstitious.

​Additional Information

• Mohammed Ghori
  • Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori, also known as Muhammad of Ghor, was the Sultan of the Ghurid Empire along with his brother Ghiyath ad-Din Muhammad from 1173 to 1202 and as the sole ruler from 1202 to 1206.
  • Full name: Shihab ad-Din 
  • Born: 1149, Ghor, Afghanistan
  • Muhammad Ghori invaded India in 1175 A.D.
  • The brave Rajput chiefs of northern India headed by Prithvi Raj Chauhan defeated him in the First Battle of Terrain in 1191 A.D. 
• Allauddin Khalji​
  • Allauddin Khalji​ followed the Divine Right Theory of Kingship.
  • He introduced four ordinances to prevent repeated revolts.
  • He impounded pious grants and free grants of lands
  • He restructured the spy system.
  • He banned social parties and wine.
  • He introduced a permanent standing army.
  • He started the system of branding of horses and a descriptive roster of individual soldiers to inhibit corruption.
  • He fixed the prices of necessary commodities that were below the normal market rates.
• Mohammad Bin Tughlaq
  • In 1325 A.D. Junakhan, the crown prince sworn the title Muhammad-bin-Tughluq.
  • Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq stood for the administrative and political unity of India.
  • In 1327 A.D., he captured Warangal.

The correct answer is Iltutmish​.

Key Points

• Iltutmish (1211-1236):
  • He succeeded to the throne after Qutub-ud-din-Aibak.
  • He was the third ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, belonging to the Mamluk dynasty.
  • He constituted corp of forty loyal slave Amirs known as Turkan-i-Chihalgani also called Chalisa.
  • He introduced the silver coin (tanka) and cooper coin (jittal).
  • He made Delhi the capital in place of Lahore.

​Additional Information

• Firoz Shah Tughlaq:
  • He was the third ruler of Tughlaq dynasty that ruled over Delhi from 1351 to 1388 AD.
  • He established the Diwan-i-Khairat - office for charity
  • He established the Diwan-i-Bundagan -- department of slave
  • He is known to establish four new towns, Firozabad, Fatehabad, Jaunpur and Hissar.
  • He appointed Khan-i-Jahan Maqbal, a Telugu Brahmin convert as wazir (prime minister). 
    • The wazir helped the Sultan in his administration and maintained the prestige of the Sultanate during this period.
• Mohammad bin Tughlaq (1325-1351):
  • He shifted his capital from Delhi to Deogir and renamed it as Daulatabad.
  • Daulatabad is situated in Maharashtra. 
  • He built a road from Delhi to Deogir and also set up rest houses for the people.
  • He introduced bronze coins of the same value as Silver coins.
  • He established a new department of agriculture known as “Diwan-i-Kohi".
  • He also provided agricultural loan “Takavi” to the farmers.
• Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah (1580-1612):
  • He was the fifth sultan of the Qutub Shahi dynasty of Golkonda
  • He founded the city of Hyderabad, in South-central India and built its architectural centrepiece, the Charminar. 
  • He founded the city of Hyderabad and named it as Bhagyanagar after his Hindu mistress Bhagamati.​

The correct answer is Abul Fazl.

 Key Points

• The Akbarnama is the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar.
• It was written by his court historian and biographer, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak.
• He was one of the "nine jewels in Akbar's court".
• It was written in Persian.

 Important Points

• Amir Khushro was a Sufi mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya.
• His Khaliq-e-bari, which is known as the oldest printed dictionary of the world deals with Hindi and Persian words.
• He is regarded as the “father of qawwali”.

The correct answer is Guru Gobind Singh.

• Guru Gobind Singh founded the 'Khalsa'.

Key Points

• The Khalsa tradition was initiated in 1699 by the Tenth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh. 
• The founding of Khalsa is celebrated by Sikhs during the festival of Vaisakhi.
• Khalsa according to McLeod, is derived from the Arabic or Persian word "Khalisa" which means "to be pure, to be clear, to be free from".
• Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth Gurus of the Sikh religion.

Additional Information

• The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth more commonly called the Guru Granth Sahib. 
• The Guru Granth Sahib was compiled by Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth guru of the Sikhs.
• The second holiest book of the Sikhs is called the Dasam Granth – the book of the tenth guru.

The correct answer is Jaichand.

Key Points

• Jaichand was defeated by Qutubuddin Aibak at the battle of Chandawar in 1194.
• Aibak was a slave of Muhammad Ghori and the founder of the slave dynasty in Delhi.
• Jaichand was Rajput king of The Chandawar dynasty.
• Jaichand ruled over the Kannauj area of Uttar Pradesh.

Important Points

• The major battle fought by Muhammad Ghori include:

Additional Information

• The Slave dynasty was founded by Qutubuddin Aibak.
• The Slave dynasty of Delhi Sultanat ruled from 1206-1290.
• The Slave dynasty is also known as the Mamluk dynasty. 

The correct answer is Ferghana.

Key Points

• Babur was the founder of the Mughal empire in the Indian subcontinent
• He ruled the Mughal dynasty from 1526 to 1530.
• Babur came to India from Ferghana.
• Babur succeeded to the throne of Ferghana in 1494 when he was only 12 years old.
• He was forced to leave his ancestral throne due to the invasion of the Uzbeks(Mongol group).
• He was a descendant of Timur from his father's side and a descendant of Chengiz Khan from his mother's side.
• He defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat and captured Delhi and Agra in 1526.
• He defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar at Khanwa in 1527
• He defeated the Rajputs at Chanderi in 1528.
• Tuzuk-i-Baburi is the autobiography of Babur.
• He died at Agra in 1530.