The Delhi Sultanate

The Delhi sultanate emerged in the fourteenth century after a period of political instability in India during the previous hundred years, caused by internal rivalry for power and frequent Mongol invasions. The sultanate reached its zenith both geographically and politically in the first half of the century under Muhammad b. Tughluq, who died in 1351. There were however on-going social tensions, not least between the Muslim and Hindu elements of Indian society, which continued to run high until the disintegration of the sultanate in the sixteenth century.