Explanations:The Delhi Sultanate was a significant political entity in medieval India, established in 1206 by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who was the first sultan of the Slave Dynasty. The Slave Dynasty, also known as the Mamluk Dynasty, was the first of the five dynasties that ruled the Delhi Sultanate. The dynasty was founded by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who was a slave of Muhammad Ghori and was appointed as the governor of Delhi and Lahore after Ghori's death.
Qutb-ud-din Aibak established the foundation of the Delhi Sultanate, but he did not shift the capital from Lahore to Delhi. The capital was initially in Lahore, which was the center of power during the Ghurid Empire. However, after Qutb-ud-din Aibak's death in 1210, his successor, Shams-ud-Iltutmish, made a significant change by shifting the capital from Lahore to Delhi. This move was crucial in establishing Delhi as the political center of the Sultanate and laid the foundation for the subsequent development of Delhi as a major urban center in India.
Shams-ud-Iltutmish ruled from 1211 to 1236 and was a capable and effective ruler. He expanded the territory of the Sultanate and consolidated its power. The shift of the capital to Delhi was a strategic move that helped to centralize the administration and strengthen the Sultanate's control over the region. This decision had long-lasting effects on the political and cultural landscape of medieval India.
It is important to note that other rulers of the Slave Dynasty, such as Raziya Sultan and Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, were significant in their own right but did not make the capital shift from Lahore to Delhi. Raziya Sultan, for instance, was the first and only female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, but she ruled after the capital had already been moved to Delhi. Nasir-ud-din Mahmud was a later ruler who did not make this specific change.
Understanding the historical context and the sequence of events in the early Delhi Sultanate is crucial for comprehending the development of medieval Indian history. The shift of the capital by Shams-ud-Iltutmish was a pivotal moment that marked the beginning of Delhi's rise as a major political and cultural center in the region.