RAS question
Who founded the Slave Dynasty (Mamluk Dynasty) of the Delhi Sultanate in 1206?
Correct answer: (B) Qutb-ud-din Aibak.
Qutb-ud-din Aibak founded the Slave, or Mamluk, dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate in 1206 after Muhammad of Ghur's death.
Explanation
Qutb-ud-din Aibak is the founder because the political break came in 1206, when Muhammad of Ghur died and Aibak, his former slave and trusted subordinate, declared himself Sultan of Delhi. Encyclopedia of World Biography via Encyclopedia.com records that Aibak's reign marked the beginning of the Delhi Sultanate under the Slave dynasty, named because many rulers of this phase had been former slaves. Aibak had served Muhammad of Ghor, took power after his death, and is also credited with beginning the construction of the Qutub Minar. The key exam cue is the year 1206, which points to Aibak rather than later Slave-dynasty rulers.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Balban was a later Slave-dynasty ruler, remembered by Encyclopedia of World Biography via Encyclopedia.com as one of Razia's successors, so he cannot be the founder in 1206.
- (C) Razia Sultan ruled much later, from 1236 to 1240, and Encyclopedia of World Biography via Encyclopedia.com identifies her as a Delhi Sultanate ruler, not as the dynasty's founder.
- (D) Iltutmish came to power after Qutb-ud-din Aibak's death and succession dispute, so he was an early successor, not the founder.
Concept
This tests early Delhi Sultanate chronology, especially the founder-successor sequence within the Slave dynasty. It recurs in RAS-style history because a single date, 1206, separates Aibak from later names such as Iltutmish, Razia Sultan, and Balban.