Question

Who was Razia? Why was she not accepted as Sultan in spite of being talented?

Answer 1

Hint: This exemplary and revolutionary woman, defied all gender norms and patriarchal restrictions to the extent of sporting men’s attire and printing coins in her own name! There are several movies and shows made to pay tribute to this Indian legend.

Complete Step by Step answer:
Razia sultan belonged to the Mamluk dynasty. She was the fifth Mamluk dynasty ruler as she ascended the throne on 10th November 1936, after her father, Iltutmish died a sudden death. Historically, she is the first and the last Muslim ruler of the Delhi sultanate.

She was proud of her kingdom, and worked on conquering new territories and strengthening it. She also made breakthroughs in its administration, and established schools, academies, and public libraries. And with this, we can understand the reason as to why she gained many supporters and admirers through her reign lasting merely four years, i.e. 1236-1240.

The only reason nobels conspired against her and were always on the edge to dethrone her was the fact that they could not stand being under a ‘female’ ruler, that probably hurt their male ego, but they cited Islamic relics as their reason for not accepting her, and eventually spread a lot of rumours about her, she was at last killed at the hands of Jats while being robbed and fleeing from the forces sent by her courtiers.

Note: Remember that Razia refused to accept the title of ‘Sultana’, as that would have defined her identity and gender as the wife or mistress of a sultan and she did not want herself to be identified through a male.