Name Aram Shah Accede date 1210 Parents Qutb al-Din Aibak | Died 1211 | |
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Aram Shah was the second sultan of the Mamluk dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. He reigned from 1210 to 1211.
Contents
Origins
The relationship of Aram Shah with Qutb al-Din Aibak (the first sultan of Delhi, who ruled from 1206 to 1210) is a subject of controversy. According to some, he was Aibak's son, but Minhaj-i-Siraj distinctly writes that Qutb al-Din only had three daughters. Abul Fazl has made the "astonishing statement" that Aram Shah was Qutb al-Din's brother. A modern writer has hazarded the opinion that "he was no relation of Qutb al-Din" but was selected as his successor as he was available on the spot.
Succession
There were no fixed rules governing the succession in the Sultanate, with Aram being selected by Turkic amirs (nobles) at Lahore. However, Aram was ill-qualified to govern a kingdom. An elite group of forty nobles known as "Chihalgani" soon conspired against him and invited ud-Din Iltutmish, then Governor of Badaun, to replace Aram. Both Aram Shah and Iltutmish marched towards Delhi from Lahore and Badaun respectively. They met on the plain of Bagh-i-Jud near Delhi in 1211, where Iltutmish defeated Aram.
It is unclear whether Aram was martyred, killed in battle or executed in prison.