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Bahlol Lodi (1451 - 1489 A.D.) adopted a tribal theory
towards Kingship for
obvious reasons. They were,
1. The Afghan sentiment was wedded with tribal
organization. They had no nature of submissiveness, no
servant-master relation and no centralized
government at
home.
2. The Afghans were despised by Turks, Mughals and Indian
Muslims. So they could not help them to strengthen their
position. Their position was of certainty and they knew
that Afghans alone could help them.
3. Bahlol in turn faced many difficulties, for example, the
rise of the rule of Sharqui, rulers of Jaunpur and Hindu
chiefs. All of them posed a severe threat to him. He
therefore, had to turn only to Afghans for help.
4. The measure was a compulsion. Bahlol Lodi sent an appeal
to his Afghans in East Rohilkhand for help to which they
agreed. Soon there came to India a stream of Afghans to
help him. This strengthened his position and helped him
consolidate his position.
He did not hesitate to enforce a tribal tradition theory of
Kingship.
Main Features:
1. He treated the nobles as companions and not as subjects
with studiously fixed nobility.
2. He was a very simple and unostentatious ruler. There was
no parade of paraphernalia of nobility.
3. He did not sit on the throne in the Majlis and forbade
Aamirs to stand. He sat on a small carpet in front of them.
4. He did not take decisions in individual capacity. He
always took individual decisions with the General Assembly
in favor of State affairs.
5. He followed a policy of conciliation from Tarikh-I-Dandi
written by Abdullah. If ever he offended anyone he went to
the residence of the Amir and said “If you do not consider
me fit for the office, appoint someone else to my stead and
assign to me any duty you think proper”.
6. He did not maintain any personal doubts.
7. In the Farmans he addressed the Aamirs as Manat-I-Aali.
8. His food was not prepared in the palace but delivered in
rotation by the nobles. We learn from Farishte, that once
while riding he was given a horse.
9. The booty captured during the war was distributed to
soldiers and he took only a proportionate part for himself.
10. The State Government ruled, which, was based in
Biradari. The Aamirs got Jagirs on which they had local
autonomy. The position of the Sultan can be well described
by Primus Interpares (Chief among the equals)
The ruler by this policy prevented, to a large extent, any
serious intrigues among nobles against him. He also earned
the support of Afghan tribal leaders, which helped him to
fight politically hostile elements. In this way, Bahlol
Lodi was capable to consolidate his position politically
and in military conquests.
Disaffects:
The theory had its won weaknesses. There was an increase in
power of nobles at the expense of the Sultan. The Northern
Afghans got no share in the management of State. Thus, he
was the leader of the Afghans and not the masses. This led
to creation of a new privileged class of Afghans who
monopolized the Government office, taking no care of the
common man. The new government developed separatist
tendencies.
Bahlol Lodi was succeeded by Sikander Lodi.