The Sultan of Delhi was the absolute monarch of the Delhi Sultanate which stretched over large parts of the medieval Indian subcontinent from 1206 to 1526.Delhi Sultanate , Encyclopedia BritannicaA. Schimmel, Islam in the Indian Subcontinent, Leiden, 1980 Following the Ghurid conquest of India, five dynasties ruled over the Sultanate sequentially: the Mamluk dynasty (1206–1290), the Khalji dynasty (1290–1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1414), the Sayyid dynasty (1414–1451), and the Lodi dynasty (1451–1526). It covered large swaths of territory of modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.Chapman, Graham. "Religious vs. regional determinism: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as inheritors of empire." Shared space: Divided space. Essays on conflict and territorial organization (1990): 106-134.

This list contains the rulers of Delhi Sultanate in chronological order.

Mamluk dynasty (1206–1290)

No.CoinNameReignLife details1 Aibak 25 June 1206 – 14 November 1210 1150 – 14 November 1210 Mamluk general of Muhammad of Ghor; governor of his Indian holdings. Declared himself sultan at Lahore after Muhammad's assassination. Died after a fall from his horse during polo.2 Aram Shah December 1210 – June 1211 1176 – June 1211 Possibly son of Aibak; defeated by Iltutmish.3 Iltutmish June 1211 – 30 April 1236 1192 – 30 April 1236 Mamluk general and son-in-law of Aibak; moved the capital to Delhi (1214). Received formal recognition from caliph al-Mustansir (1229). Died of illness.4 Firuz I 30 April 1236 – 19 November 1236 1211 – 19 November 1236 Son of Iltutmish; deposed and killed by nobility.5 Razia Sultana November 1236 – 20 April 1240 1205 – 15 October 1240 Daughter and original heir of Iltutmish. Overthrown and killed by nobility.6 Bahram Shah 20 April 1240 – 15 May 1242 9 July 1212 – 15 May 1242 Son of Iltutmish; installed by nobles as a puppet. Killed by nobility factions.7 Masud I Shah May 1242 – 10 June 1246 1227 or 1232 – 10 June 1246 Son of Firuz I; installed, controlled and eventually killed by nobles.8 Mahmud I Shah 10 June 1246 – 18 February 1266 1229 or 1230 – 18 February 1266 Son or Grandson of Iltutmish; real power held by his father-in-law, Balban. Possibly killed on Balban's orders.9 Balban 18 February 1266 – 13 January 1287 1216 – 13 January 1287 Mamluk of Iltutmish; father-in-law of Mahmud I. Broke the power of nobility; held of Mongol invasions. Died of grief over his son's death.10 Kayqubad 13 January 1287 – 1 February 1290 1269 – 1 February 1290 Grandson of Balban; installed by nobles as a puppet. Murdered by the nobility.11 Kayumars 1 February 1290 – 13 June 1290 1285/1287 – 13 June 1290 Infant son of Kayqubad; installed as a puppet. Killed during Khalji seizure of power.

Khalji dynasty (1290–1320)

No.CoinNameReignLife details12 Firuz II 13 June 1290 – 19 July 1296 1220 – 19 July 1296 Noble of Afghan-Turkic descent; seized power after Kayqubad's murder. Murdered by Muhammad I. – Ibrahim 19 July 1296 – November 1296 d. 1297 Young son of Firuz II Khalji; titular ruler under the regency of his mother.13 Muhammad I 19 July 1296 – 4 January 1316 1266 – 4 January 1316 Nephew and son-in-law of Firuz II; took power after murdering him. Repelled Mongol invasions; conquest of Deccan and Southern India under Malik Kafur. Died of failing health.14 Omar 5 January 1316 – 14 April 1316 1310 or 1311 – 14 April 1316 Son of Muhammad I; installed by Malik Kafur as a child figurehead. Deposed and exiled after Kafur's overthrow.15 Mubarak I Shah 14 April 1316 – 1 May 1320 1299 – 9 July 1320 Son of Muhammad I; imprisoned by Kafur before being released and overthrowing him. Briefly regent for Omar, before deposing him. Assassinated by Khusrau Khan. 16 Khusrau Khan 10 July 1320 – 5 September 1320 d. 1320 Non-dynastic; a court favorite of Mubarak I; murdered him, before being killed himself.

Tughluq dynasty (1320–1414)

No.CoinNameReignLife details17 Tughluq I 8 September 1320 – 1 February 1325 d. 1 February 1325 Frontier Governor under Mubarak I; took power after defeating the usurper Khusrau Khan. Died in a accident, with suspicions of foul play by his son.18 Muhammad II 1 February 1325 – 20 March 1351 c. 1290 – 20 March 1351 Son of Tughluq I; succeeded him after his death. Forced and failed relocation of capital to Daulatabad (1327); failed attempt at creating a token currency. Died of fever while chasing rebels in Sindh.19 Firuz III 23 March 1351 – 20 September 1388 1309 – 20 September 1388 Son-in-law of Tughluq I; installed by nobility after Muhammad II died without an heir. Died of old age.20 Tughluq II 20 September 1388 – 14 March 1389 d. 14 March 1389 Great-grandson of Firuz III; assassinated in a palace coup.21 Abu Bakr Shah 15 March 1389 – 31 August 1390 d. after 1390 Grandson of Firuz III; installed by nobility. Deposed by his uncle Muhammad III Shah22 Muhammad III Shah 31 August 1390 – 20 January 1394 17 June 1352 – 20 January 1394 Son of Firuz III; took power from Abu Bakr Shah. Died of natural causes.23 Sikandar I Shah 22 January 1394 – 8 March 1394 d. 8 March 1394 Son of Muhammad III; died of natural causes.24 Mahmud II Shah 8 March 1394 – February 1413 d. February 1413 Brother of Sikandar I; rule heavily contested by rival Nusrat Shah. Timurid invasion of India; Sack of Delhi (1398). Died of natural causes.

Sayyid dynasty (1414–1451)

No.CoinNameReignLife details25 Khizr Khan 28 May 1414 – 20 May 1421 d. 20 May 1421 Governor of Multan; Took power by overthrowing Sayyid loyalists in Delhi. Ruled as a deputy of Timur; died of illness.26 Mubarak II Shah 21 May 1421 – 19 February 1434 d. 19 February 1434 Son of Khizr; first Sultan of the dynasty. Assassinated. 27 Muhammad IV Shah February 1434 – 1 January 1445 d. 1 January 1445 Grandson of Khizr; installed by nobility as a puppet. Rise of Bahlul Lodi; died of natural causes.28 Alam Shah 1 January 1445 – 19 April 1451 d. July 1478 Son of Muhammad IV; actual rule by his ministers. Ceded Delhi to Bahlul Lodi, ending the dynasty.

Lodi dynasty (1451–1526)

No.CoinNameReignLife details29 Bahlul Lodi 19 April 1451 – 12 July 1489 1420 – 12 July 1489 Afghan governor of Punjab; took power from Alam Shah. Died of natural causes.30 Sikandar II Lodi 17 July 1489 – 21 November 1517 17 July 1458 – 21 November 1517 Son of Bahlul Lodi; founded Agra as the new capital. Died of illness.31 Ibrahim Lodi November 1517 – 21 April 1526 1480 – 21 April 1526 Son of Sikandar Lodi; mistreated and alienated his nobles, who invited Babur to take the throne. Defeated and killed at the First Battle of Panipat (1526). End of Delhi Sultanate; Mughal rule begins.

Family trees Mamluk dynasty (1206-1290)

Khalji/Khilji dynasty (1290-1320)

Tughluq dynasty (1320-1414)

Sayyid dynasty (1414-1451)

Lodi dynasty (1451-1526)

Sources Dynastic Chart, The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 2, p. 368.

Lodī dynasty - Encyclopædia Britannica City List – Delhi Sultanate Rulers, First to Last The Delhi Sultanate : How Many Lists of Dynasties and Rulers Delhi Sultanate? References

Other literature Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.