Ballban consolidates the Delhi Sultanate

1263

Ghiyas ud din Balban, a former slave-soldier of exceptional ability, seized effective control of the Delhi Sultanate as regent and later sultan. He crushed the Mewati bandits, fortified the northwest frontier against Mongol raids, and imposed a court ceremonial of Persian formality that awed visitors and terrified rivals. His spy network reached into every noble household, and his justice was so severe that even his own relatives trembled.