Not to be confused with the 14th-century Khidr (Khan of Golden Horde).

Khizr Khan Sayyid (reigned 1414-21) was the founder of the Sayyid dynasty

Sayyid dynasty

The Sayyid dynasty ruled Delhi sultanate in India from 1414 to 1451. They succeeded the Tughlaq dynasty and ruled that sultanate until they were displaced by the Lodi dynasty.This family claimed to be Sayyids, or descendants of Prophet Muhammad...

, the ruling dynasty of the Delhi sultanate

Delhi Sultanate

The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...

, an independent kingdom in the late medieval north India soon after the invasion of Timur

Timur

Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...

 and the fall of the Tughlaq dynasty

Tughlaq dynasty

The Tughlaq dynasty of north India started in 1321 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq. The Tughluqs were a Muslim family of Turkic origin...

. He was known to be an able administrator. He did not take up any royal title and contended himself with the title of Rayat-i-Ala (Sublime Banners). During his reign, coins were struck in the name of Timur and after his death in the name of his successor Shah Rukh

Shah Rukh (Timurid dynasty)

Shāhrukh Mīrzā was the ruler of the eastern portion of the empire established by the Central Asian warlord Timur - the founder of the Timurid dynasty - governing most of Persia and Transoxiana between 1405 and 1447...

. After his death on 20 May 1421, he was succeeded by his son Mubarak Khan, who took the title of Muizz-ud-Din Mubarak Shah.

Ancestry and early life

A contemporary writer Yahya Sirhindi mentioned in his Takhrikh-i-Mubarak Shahi that Khizr Khan was a descendant of the Prophet of Islam, but his conclusion was based only on a testimony of the saint Jalal-ud-Din Bukhari. Malik Mardan Daulat, the Governor of Multan

Multan

Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...

 adopted Khizr Khan's father Malik Sulaiman as his son. After the death of Malik Shaikh, son of Malik Mardan, he was succeeded by Malik Sulaiman as the governor of Multan. After the death of Malik Sulaiman the governorship of Multan was conferred on Khizr Khan by Firuz Shah Tughlaq. But in 1395 he was expelled from Multan by Sarang Khan, brother of Mallu Iqbal Khan. He fled to Mewat

Mewat

Mewat is a historical region of Haryana and Rajasthan states in northwestern India. The loose boundaries of Mewat are not precisely determined but generally include Mewat District of Haryana and parts of Alwar, Bharatpur, and Dholpur districts of Rajasthan...

 and later joined Timur. It is believed that before departure, Timur appointed Khizr Khan his viceroy at Delhi but he could only establish his control over Multan, Dipalpur

Dipalpur

Dipalpur is a town in Okara District of the Punjab and headquarters of Depalpur Tehsil, assumed to be largest tehsil of Pakistan. It is situated 25 kilometres from the district capital Okara on a bank of the Beas River in Bari Doab...

 and parts of Sindh

Sindh

Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...

. Soon he started his campaign and defeated Mallu Iqbal Khan. After defeating Daulat Khan Lodi, he entered Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

 victoriously on 6 June 1414.

Reign

After his accession to the throne, Khizr Khan appointed Malik-us-Sharq Malik Tuhfa as his wazir

Wazir

Wazir or Vazir means Minister in Middle Eastern languages. It may refer to:-People:* Wazir Akbar Khan, an Afghan prince, general, wazir, ghazi, tribal leader, victor of first Anglo-Afghan war, hero and an Afghan legend....

 and he was given the title of Taj-ul-Mulk and he remained in office till 1421. The fief of Saharanpur

Saharanpur

Saharanpur is a city and a Municipal Corporation in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur District as well as Saharanpur Division...

 was given to Sayyid Salim. Abdur Rahman received the fiefs of Multan and Fatehpur. In 1414, an army led by Taj-ul-Mulk was sent to suppress the rebellion of Har Singh, the Raja of Katehar. Raja fled to the forests but finally he was compelled to surrender and agree to pay tributes in future. In July, 1416 an army led by Taj-ul-Mulk was sent to Bayana

Bayana

Bayana is a historical town in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan in India. It is a historical city founded by Banasur, who was an Asura. He lived during the time of Krishna...

 and Gwalior. It plundered the peasants in the name of realizing the amount equivalent to the tributes to be paid. In 1417, Khizr Khan obtained permission from Shah Rukh to have his own name also suffixed to that of Shah Rukh. In 1418, Har Singh revolted again but he was defeated completely by Taj-ul-Mulk.

External links

• Saiyid Dynasty [1414-1451]