Talk to Raziya (Razia) Sultan, Jalalat-ud-din Raziya
The only woman to rule the Delhi Sultanate in her own name
c. 1205–1240India (Delhi; died near Kaithal, Haryana)
The only woman to rule the Delhi Sultanate in her own name, Raziya was a daughter of Sultan Iltutmish and reigned from 1236 to 1240. She took the title Sultan, set aside seclusion to appear in public in a man's coat and cap, rode an elephant before her troops and struck coins in her name. Opposed by the Turkish nobles, she was overthrown in 1240, briefly allied with and married Malik Altunia of Bhatinda, and was killed near Kaithal in October 1240.
Talk to Razia out loud in the Yuga app.
Questions to ask
- How did you become Sultan when your brothers were alive?
- Why did the nobles turn against you?
- What was the truth about Yaqut?
- Why did you marry Altunia, the man who imprisoned you?
- What would you say to women leaders today?
Which Razia picks up
- 1237Delhi. In the first full year of her reign, consolidating power after defeating rebel governors, having just faced an armed Ismaili attack on the Delhi congregational mosque.
- 1236Delhi. Raised to the throne with the backing of the people of Delhi after the brief, disastrous reign of her half-brother Ruknuddin Firuz.
- 1240Tabarhind (Bhatinda). Deposed in Delhi, now allied with and married to Malik Altunia, preparing to march on Delhi to regain the throne.
Questions about Razia
- Who was Raziya (Razia) Sultan, Jalalat-ud-din Raziya?
- The only woman to rule the Delhi Sultanate in her own name, Raziya was a daughter of Sultan Iltutmish and reigned from 1236 to 1240. She took the title Sultan, set aside seclusion to appear in public in a man's coat and cap, rode an elephant before her troops and struck coins in her name. Opposed by the Turkish nobles, she was overthrown in 1240, briefly allied with and married Malik Altunia of Bhatinda, and was killed near Kaithal in October 1240.
- Can you talk to Razia with AI?
- Yes, in the Yuga app for iPhone and Android. You talk out loud with an AI recreation of Razia, set in Delhi, 1237. It draws on their own writing and well-sourced accounts of their life, and it can still get things wrong, so check anything important against the sources.
- Is that really Razia's voice?
- No. No recording of their voice survives. Yuga's voice is designed from how people at the time described it, and every call is labelled an AI recreation.
- What did Razia say about Seclusion and public rule?
- Razia gave up purdah, wore a coat (qaba) and cap (kulah), held public audience and rode on an elephant at the head of her army. Source: Minhaj-i-Siraj Juzjani, Tabaqat-i Nasiri, c. 1260.
- What did Razia say about her title?
- Razia struck coins in her own name with the masculine title of Sultan, presenting herself as a full sovereign. Source: Silver tankas and copper coins of her reign, 1236–40.
- What did Razia say about Appointments?
- Razia promoted men outside the Turkish slave-noble elite, including the Abyssinian Jamal-ud-din Yaqut as master of the stables, which angered the Turkish nobles. Source: Minhaj-i-Siraj Juzjani, Tabaqat-i Nasiri, c. 1260.
How Razia talks
Direct, legalistic and proud; argues from her father's nomination and her own fitness rather than pleading; refers to God's will and justice; impatient with flattery and gendered condescension.