Question

What is meant by ‘The Forty’?
A. The cream of Afghan nobles.
B.The pick of the intellectuals among the Khaljis
C.The select body of the Turkish aristocracy.
D.The Ulema or the Muslim divines.

Answer 1

Hint: Iltutmish was the third king from the Mamluk dynasty. He is often considered as the founder of the Delhi Sultanate. He was a slave under Qutub-ud-din Aibak. He rose to prominence during Aibak’s reign and was granted the ‘iqta’ of Badaun.

Complete answer: After Iltutmish came to power, he did not trust the Turkish nobles. He was suspicious that they could conspire and overthrow him. He, therefore, appointed a group of faithful slaves to protect him. This group was known as Amir-i- Chahalgani or ‘The Forty’.The select body of the Turkish aristocracy was therefore called ‘The Forty’.
The members of “The Forty” were assigned important positions and they became very powerful and influential. As long as Iltutmish lived, they served him most faithful. After his death, they became rebellious against all his successors. They wanted to keep all of Iltutmish’s successors under them and enjoy the power.
With time ‘The Forty’ became greedy for power and wealth. This led to complete chaos within the country. No ruler could defy “The Forty”
Therefore, Option C is the correct answer.

Note: If any of the rulers failed to satisfy “The Forty”, they overthrew him and placed one of their own members to the throne. The members also competed against themselves in order to gain control over the army and wealth.