In the reference of the Delhi Sultanate, what was the ‘Group of Forty’?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 1 i.e. They were mostly powerful Turkish slaves of Iltutmish, who took power in the interregnum following Sultana Raziyya’s killing.
- In the context of the Delhi Sultanate, the 'Group of Forty' were mostly powerful Turkish slaves of Iltutmish, who assumed power in the interregnum following the assassination of Sultana Razia.
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Iltutmish formed a council of his most trusted Turkish nobles, known as the Turkan-i-Chahalgani or the "Group of Forty."
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Turkan-i-Chahalgani was a council of forty Turkic and non-Turkic slaves who administered the Delhi Sultanate according to the wishes of Iltutmish. It was the first regular ministerial body in the history of the Indian subcontinent.