Mullik Ka conspires The king's and various break out. Philip V. king of France deen Khiljy Alla-ood dies, 1316. succeeds. Kafoor was therefore recalled; and seeing the king's condition, conceived the project of succeeding him. To this end The king it was necessary to alienate his affections from his sons, of recalls whom he was very fond. Khizr Khan, the eldest, though foor, who in some respects a wild and thoughtless youth, was against him. yet much attached to his father, and when he heard of his illness, vowed to walk from his seat of government to the capital as a penance, a feat he actually accomplished. But Mullik Kafoor's plans against him were too deeply laid; and the prince, with his younger brother and their mother, were confined. To add to the king's vexations, Guzerat broke into rebel- sons confined lion, and the troops sent there were defeated. The insurrections Rajpoots of Chittore expelled the Mahomedans, and Hurpal Déo, the son-in-law of Ram Déo, of Déogurh, revolted and defeated many of the Mahomedan garrisons in his territories. On receiving these accounts, writes Ferishta, the king 'bit his own flesh with fury;' but he had been stricken with mortal illness, and died on December 19, A.D. 1316. After the king's death Mullik Kafoor produced a deed, said to have been executed by the king, in which Oomur, his His son fourth son, was nominated successor, under the regency Oomur of Mullik Kafoor; and the boy was placed on the throne. The two eldest princes, then imprisoned, v blinded; and the king's third son, Moobaruk, would have been murdered but for his presence of mind in distributing his jewels to the men sent for the purpose. These ruffians having quarrelled over their booty, the affair became known to the officer who commanded the royal guards, who attacked Mullik Mullik Kafoor Kafoor in his own apartments, and put him to death. put to death. The Prince Moobaruk was then proclaimed king, but pomur dewas not crowned till March 22, 1317. Meanwhile Mbaruk. he had caused his brother Oomur to be blinded and him. confined. His first measures were beneficial and just. Many captives were released, and all restrictions upon trade and agriculture removed; but he gave himself up to licentiousness, and the natural cruelty of his nature was hardly concealed. In 1318 he marched to Déogurh, with the purpose of chastising the rebel Hurpal Déo, who was defeated, taken prisoner, and most inhumanly flayed alive. On his return to the capital the king's excesses increased; he was rarely sober, and perpetrated the most frightful cruelties. To such a length did his disgraceful conduct proceed, that, as Ferishta states of him, he used to dress himself constantly as a common actress, and go, with public women, to dance at the houses of the nobility. The princes were are blinded. posed by who blinds Khiljy king of France. Mullik Khoosroo usurps the throne, and all the late are de stroyed. The chiefs Mullik Khoosroo, originally a Hindoo slave, who had risen to the king's favour, had been sent from Déogurh with an army into the Carnatic, and the spoil he obtained was so great that he conceived the project of declaring independence in the Deccan. Though this became impossible, it did not prevent his conspiring against the king's life, on his return to Dehly; and the plot became so notorious, that the king was warned of it :. but in vain; and on Moobaruk the night of March 9, 1321, he was murdered by the murdered, conspirators, Mullik Khoosroo assisting in the act. Nor 1321. were the conspirators content with the king's death. Charles IV. The royal princes, and the younger children of Alla-ooddeen, perished in the massacre. Thus was the murder of Gheias-ood-deen avenged according to the curse and prophecy. The last days of Alla-ood-deen were terrible to all around him, and the conduct of his son Moobaruk, according to Ferishta, was too shockingly indecent and profligate to be recorded. Next day Mullik Khoosroo ascended the throne, under the title of Nasir-ood-deen, and took Déwul Dévy, the widow of Khizr Khan, to himself; while every one who had a king's family pretension of relationship to the late king was put to death. News of this horrible revolution quickly spread through the provinces, and Ghazy Beg Toghluk, the rebel against brave viceroy of Lahore, and other chiefs, marched upon the capital. Mullik Khoosroo was not without courage and led the royal guards and such troops as he coula collect to oppose them; but before the hardy veterans of the frontier marches these effeminate soldiers had no chance. Mullik Khoosroo was defeated on the field of the Soorsutty, and fled; but on August 22, 1321, was captured in a tomb, where he had concealed himself, and forthwith put to death, executed for his crimes. Ghazy Beg Toghluk received next day the congratulations of the nobles of the city, who presented him with the keys, and he accompanied them thither. On arriving at the Palace of the Thousand Minarets, he, as Ferishta writes, wept bitterly,' declared that he had been induced to draw his sword only to rid the world of a monster, and if none of the royal race survived, he would serve whoever among the nobility might be chosen king. The multitude, with a shout, cried that he only was fit to reign; that he who had often delivered them from the Moghuls, had now freed them from a horrible tyranny; and thereupon, taking him up, they carried him into the great hall of audience, and seating him on the throne, hailed him as Shah Jehan,' king of the world. It is difficult to imagine any scene of history more impressive and exciting than this. The dynasty of the Khiljies had him and march on Debly. The king is defeated. Mullik Khoosroo 1321. Ghazy Beg Toghluk elected king. passed away in a storm of revolution and murder, attended with horrible excesses, and that of Toghluk took its place, amidst the enthusiastic acclamations of a people who, as will have been observed, had suffered so deeply and so long. The Khiljy dynasty had continued from A.D. 1288 to 1321, or for thirty-three years. CHAPTER IX. OF THE DYNASTY OF TOGHLUK, A.D. 1321 To 1351. Previous career of His active and measures, against Deogarh and GHAZY BEG TOG HLUK, on ascending the throne, did not adopt the proud title with which he had been hailed by the populace of Dehly, but chose the more unassuming one of Gheiasood-deen. He was a man of mature age and great experience, as well as personal courage. For many years he had acted as viceroy of Lahore, and had charge of that important frontier from the Himalayas to the borders of Sinde; and his able services in repelling the frequent incursions of the Moghuls have been already noticed. His first measures at once restored confidence, and regularity in the public administration of affairs was established. beneficent Codes of law were compiled and put in practice in the civil and criminal courts; and under his care even the city itself, under all the repairs made by him, wore a new aspect. The western frontier was strengthened by forts and garrisons, and the incursions of the Moghuls for the present effectually Operations prevented. Déogurh and Wurungul had, however, revolted: and the king dispatched his eldest son, the Wurungul. Prince Aluf Khan, to the Deccan with a large army to restore order. Déogurh submitted; but Luddur Déo, rajah of Wurungul, made a stout resistance in the field, and when obliged to retire into Wurungul, defended it desperately. During the siege, a malignant epidemic-probably cholera-swept off hundreds of the troops every day, which not only terrified the rest, but prevented the siege operations; and a fresh panic was siege of caused by reports from Dehly that there had been a Wurungul, revolution, and the king was dead. Several of the officers actually fled with their troops, and the prince was left in a which is sore strait. He retired from Wurungul, and of the abandoned. whole army only about 3,000 reached Dehly. In two months, however, he had organised a new force, and with it proceeded against Wurungul to redeem his honour, and with Operations more care and circumspection than on the first occa- against the sion. Beeder, afterwards to be the seat of a great newed. Mortality during the Deccan re taken by Khan. monarchy, with Kowlas, and other strong places, were taken and Wurungul garrisoned as the main army advanced; and Wurungul Prince Aluf finally fell in the siege which ensued. Luddur Déo and his family were sent to Dehly, and Mahomedan officers were appointed to govern the country. The complete success which had attended this expedition was the subject of great public rejoicing in Dehly, where, on his return, the Prince Aluf Khan was welcomed with enthusiasm. accidentally killed, 1325. Edward II. king of England. In 1325 the king visited his eastern frontier, and met there Kurra Khan, son of Gheias-ood-deen Bulbun, who had retained his position as virtual king through all the revolutions. He was now confirmed in his government, and allowed to assume the ensigns of royalty. The king returned to Dehly in the month of February, where his son had prepared a pavilion for his reception, on the plain beyond the city. On the conclusion of the entertainments, Ghelas-ood- the prince and the nobles, preceding the king, had just deen Toghluk left the building, when the roof fell in and the king and some of his attendants were killed. It is quite possible that the occurrence was purely accidental; but there were many suspicions at the time that it was not so. Ferishta, however, after a careful review of the historians of the period, acquits the prince of design in the catastrophe. Gheiasood-deen Toghluk had reigned four years and some months. The new king was one of the most accomplished men of his age. He was eloquent in speech, and his writings, especially Mahomed his letters, were models of style and composition. His memory was very retentive, and he had studied all the sciences of the period, especially mathematics and medicine, with much exactness; and in remarkable cases had used to attend patients himself, and note down the progress of their complaints. He had studied also the philosophy of the Greeks, and was fond of metaphysical discussions with learned men. His own religious conduct was very strict; he omitted no prayers or ceremonials, and did not tolerate their omission by others. But, as Ferishta observes, 'with all these admirable qualities, he was totally devoid of mercy, or of consideration for his people; and Mr. Elphinstone speculates as to whether his nature bad not a strong tincture of insanity. On his accession, when he assumed the designation of Mahomed Toghluk, the king distributed immense largesses to his nobles and courtiers, and on one day expended more than 500,000l. sterling. Aluf Khan, or Toghluk, succeeds him. His character. Almost the first great event of his reign was a vast irruption of Irruption of Moghuls, who could not be repressed, and who overran the Moghuls. the country up to Dehly without a check. In this instance the king displayed an unaccountable and mischievous of ransom. weakness, foreign to his character, in ransoming his dominions by the payment of a vast sum of money, which, as They retire was proved in the sequel, only stimulated the Moghuls on payment to renewed invasions. This danger overcome, however, the king marched to the Deccan, of which he was very fond, and not only completely subjugated it, but returning, annexed Lukhnow and Chittagong. These successes were, however, more nominal than real; for the internal administration of affairs was deeply neglected; the currency had become General so debased, that copper, instead of silver, became the neglect and circulating medium, and the king endeavoured to introduce a paper currency, which added to the confusion. Agriculture was impossible under the exactions imposed on the land and its produce, and whole tracts began to be deserted, the people becoming plunderers, and devastating the country. The king further impoverished his resources by raising 370,000 horse for the conquest of Persia; but the pay of the troops fell into arrears, they dispersed, and pillaged the districts they passed through on return to their homes. its effects. to China, Edward III. England. Its failure Affairs continued in this unsettled state till 1337, when the king dispatched 100,000 horse under Khoosroo Mullik, his Expedition sister's son, to invade China by the Himalaya passes. 1937. The expedition reached the Chinese frontier, after incredible toil in the mountains, only to meet a Chinese king of force which forbade further progress; and in the retreat to India nearly the whole perished miserably, the few and destrucsurvivors being put to death by the king on their arrival tion. at Dehly. Meanwhile the viceroy of the Deccan, Baha-ood-deen, the king's nephew, had rebelled. Khwaja Jehan, the governor of Guzerat, was ordered against him, and a battle was fought near Déogurh, in which the rebel was defeated, and fled to Kumpila, in the Carnatic, near which the Hindoo monarchy of Beejanugger was founded about this time. The rebels' position was so formidable, that the king himself returned to the Deccan; and after several contests, Baha-ood-deen, who had taken refuge with the Bellál rajah-who had removed his capital from Dwára Sumoodra to Tonoor, in Mysore--was given up to the king, and inhumanly flayed alive. capital from The king now determined on making Déogurh his capital. He changed its name from Déogurh to Dowlatabad, which The king it has since retained, and fortified the city with three changes the lines of walls and ditches, erecting also mosques and Dehly to palaces. The people of Dehly were now ordered to Dowlatabad evacuate that city, and proceed to the Deccan by a road lined with full-grown trees, transplanted for the purpose; but thousands Déogurh, or |