Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Sultans of Delhi - Ala al-Din Muhammad aka Alauddin Khilji
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="THCoins, post: 4871879, member: 57364"]Thanks for giving some attention to this category of coins and showing this beautifull specimen.</p><p>Historic accounts ofcourse are seldom fully objective. However, from what i read from a variety of sources i have a totally different opinion on Ala al-Din Muhammad as Sultan of Dehli. Yes, he was a great ruler, but i would put him in that category next to Jozef Stalin. I think he was primarily a paranoid dictator. As you say he reformed taxes. This seems to have had two objectives; first, maximize revenue for the Sultan's treasury and army expenditures. Secondly, crushing the powerbase of the (mainly Hindu) land gentry which largely regulated daily affairs in rural areas. The result was that agricultural production collapsed with famine as a consequence. Land laid barren for decades untill later reforms under the Tughluqs. The inflation which Ala al-Din tried to limit was so mainly caused by himself. He defended and expanded the Dehli sultanate. In the process he felt the need to order several documented mass murders of citizens. To guard his position, a secret police was formed which in scale and social effect seems best comparable with the 20th century Stasi in communist eastern Germany. Then lastly, his policy to put people with different backgrounds in key positions likely had nothing to do with open-mindedness. By this "divide and conquer"strategy he prevented that a united powerbase could form which might threaten his position.</p><p><br /></p><p>To get focus back to the coinage i present just a humble copper, but one which does have some explicit linkage with the splendid gold piece if we look at the inscription in arab script:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1176505[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="THCoins, post: 4871879, member: 57364"]Thanks for giving some attention to this category of coins and showing this beautifull specimen. Historic accounts ofcourse are seldom fully objective. However, from what i read from a variety of sources i have a totally different opinion on Ala al-Din Muhammad as Sultan of Dehli. Yes, he was a great ruler, but i would put him in that category next to Jozef Stalin. I think he was primarily a paranoid dictator. As you say he reformed taxes. This seems to have had two objectives; first, maximize revenue for the Sultan's treasury and army expenditures. Secondly, crushing the powerbase of the (mainly Hindu) land gentry which largely regulated daily affairs in rural areas. The result was that agricultural production collapsed with famine as a consequence. Land laid barren for decades untill later reforms under the Tughluqs. The inflation which Ala al-Din tried to limit was so mainly caused by himself. He defended and expanded the Dehli sultanate. In the process he felt the need to order several documented mass murders of citizens. To guard his position, a secret police was formed which in scale and social effect seems best comparable with the 20th century Stasi in communist eastern Germany. Then lastly, his policy to put people with different backgrounds in key positions likely had nothing to do with open-mindedness. By this "divide and conquer"strategy he prevented that a united powerbase could form which might threaten his position. To get focus back to the coinage i present just a humble copper, but one which does have some explicit linkage with the splendid gold piece if we look at the inscription in arab script: [ATTACH=full]1176505[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Sultans of Delhi - Ala al-Din Muhammad aka Alauddin Khilji
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...