Delhi: sultans and regional government

After 1206, Delhi became a major center for successive dynasties ruling northern South Asia. Early sultans relied on military households and regional support. Iltutmish and others changed armies, currency and administration; Razia also held the throne amid competition among court and military elites. Conquest, cooperation and resistance altered territory, requiring connections between the capital, officials, soldiers and provincial resources.

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Rulers assigned portions of land revenue to military and administrative personnel and organized collection and oversight. Farmers, leaders and officials negotiated fiscal relationships, while markets supplied goods and services. Delhi’s walls, palaces and mosques expanded, with successive rulers creating new urban spaces. Local materials and craftspeople met wider architectural forms, supported by carriers and workers serving court and resident needs.

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Persian documents and literature developed in courts and offices, while scholars and Sufi communities organized learning and local support. Religious groups shared production and commerce under changing policies. Regional governments grew in the Deccan, Bengal and elsewhere during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Babur defeated the Lodi dynasty in 1526, and Mughal rule incorporated some earlier urban resources and administrative experience.

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