Muhammad bin Tughlaq

Muhammad bin Tughlaq (r. 1325–51) was the second sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty (r. 1320–1413), under whom the Delhi Sultanate reached its territorial peak, extending as far south as Madurai. As a prince, he led the conquest of Warangal in the Deccan, defeating the last Kakatiya king, Prataparudra. Tughlaq was a polyglot interested in law and religion, and viewed himself as a reformer. He employed the Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta as a judge in his court. Tughlaq’s reign was characterised by severe political upheavals, with many provincial rebellions — most notably the founding of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336 and the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347, which marked the loss of major Deccan territories. His regime also suffered due to his high taxation on farmers; his minting of copper coins of the same value as silver; forced migrations of people from Delhi to his Deccan capital Daulatabad; and his failed attempts at conquests in Central Asia.