Corps of Forty: Difference between revisions

The '''Corps of Forty''' ({{lang-fa|{{Nastaliq|گروه چهارده}}}}, [[Urdu language|Urdu]]: {{nq|گروہِ چالیس}}), also known as '''Dal Chalisa''' or  '''Turkan-e-Chahalgani''' was the council of 40 mostly [[Turkic people|Turkic]] slave [[Emir|emirs]] who administered the [[Delhi Sultanate]] as per the wishes of the [[List of rulers of the Delhi Sultanate|sultan]]. It was the first regular ministerial body in the [[history of Indian subcontinent]]. Although all power was vested in the sultan, as the [[head of state]], [[head of government]], commander of the sultanate's armies and the final decision-maker in the judicial system, he needed help ruling his kingdom effectively.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Raj|first=Ravish|title=Crown vs Nobility: Delhi Sultanate (1236-66) BACKGROUND|url=https://www.academia.edu/34215182|language=en}}</ref>

It was initially formed by [[Qutb al-Din Aibak]] and later modified by [[Iltutmish]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7iEDwAAQBAJ&dq=chalisa+in+delhi+sultanate&pg=PA36|title=History Guide: General Knowledge for All competitive Exams|publisher=by DIGITAL PRESS|language=en}}</ref> After Iltutmish's death, the balance of power shifted and the sultan became a puppet of these emirs. They would enthrone and depose Iltutmish's children and grandchildren, often murdering them when they proved troublesome.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.historydiscussion.net/history-of-india/the-role-of-nobility-in-the-politics-of-delhi-sultanate/2704|title=The Role of Nobility in the Politics of Delhi Sultanate|date=2014-11-29|website=History Discussion - Discuss Anything About History|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-20}}</ref> It would take a brutal man like Sultan [[Ghiyas ud din Balban|Balban]], one of Iltutmish's slaves and former member of the Corps, to break the power of the emirs and restore the power & stature of the sultan. This destruction of the Corps would prove to be a double-edged sword. Without the Chahalgani around to maintain a Turkic monopoly on power, the Afghans started climbing the ladders of power and ultimately overthrew the Turks in the [[Khalji dynasty|Khilji Revolution]].