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'''Jamal ud-Din Yaqut''' (also '''Yakut'''; died 1240) was an [[Africa]]n [[Siddi]] [[slave]]-turned-[[nobleman]] who was a close confidant of [[Razia Sultana]], the first and only female monarch of the [[Delhi Sultanate]] in [[India]]. Yakut was the puppet of Razia Sultan's stepmother but after sometime he became a trustworthy soldier of the Delhi Sultanate. Razia Sultana's patronage made him an influential member of the court, provoking racial antagonism amongst the nobles and clergy, who were both primarily [[Turkic people|Turkic]] and already resentful of the rule of a female monarchy.

==Ethnic background==
Jamal ud-Din Yaqut lived during the time of the Sultan [[Iltutmish]] and then Razia Sultana, sometime from 1200 to 1240 [[Common Era|CE]], when he was slain in a revolt against Razia Sultana.<ref name="FD">{{cite book| last=Mernessi| first=Fatima | title=The Forgotten Queens of Islam | pages=97 | year=1997 | publisher=University of Minnesota Press | isbn=0-8166-2439-9 }}</ref> Yaqut was a [[Siddi|habshi]] - habshis were enslaved [[Ethnic groups of Africa|Africans]] of [[East Africa]]n descent frequently employed by Muslim [[monarch]]s in India for their reputed physical prowess and loyalty and as such were an important part of the armies and administration of the [[Delhi Sultanate]].<ref name="C">[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9038707/Habshi Encyclopædia Britannica]</ref>

==Biography==
Yaqut rose in the ranks of the Delhi court, and found favour with the first female monarch of the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Delhi)|Mamluk dynasty]], Razia Sultana. Yaqut soon became a close advisor and was widely rumoured in the court and amongst the nobles to be the queen's lover. Contemporary historians were also conflicted in their assessment &mdash; many including [[Ibn Battuta]] record that their relationship was illicit and too intimate in public, but others assert that Yaqut was just a close advisor and friend.<ref name="IAF">{{cite book| last=Mahajan| first=V. D. | title=History of Medieval India | pages=102 | year=2001 | publisher=S. Chand | isbn=81-219-0364-5 }}</ref> A particular incident that provoked the rumors was when Yaqut was observed sliding his arms under the queen's armpits to hoist her onto a horse, which was seen as a flagrant act of intimacy.<ref name="FD"/> This charge too was proven to be false<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1330155|title=Yaqut the habshi slave of Lahore and Razia Sultana|last=Sheikh|first=Majid|date=2017-04-30|work=DAWN.COM|access-date=2018-04-17|language=en-US}}</ref> later as historians argued that Razia always rode an elephant in public and not a horse. His power and influence grew through his close relationship with Razia Sultana, who appointed him to the important post of superintendent of the royal stables, giving a loyalist an important post and challenging the power of the Muslim nobles and orthodox leaders.<ref name="IAF"/> She awarded him the honorific title ''Amir-al-Khayl'' (''[[Amir]] of Horses'') and later the much higher ''[[Amir al-Umara]]'' (''Amir of Amirs''), much to the consternation and outrage of the Turkish nobility.<ref name="FD"/> Already resented for being a woman ruler by the Muslim nobles and clerics, Razia's proximity to an Abyssinian slave (considered racially inferior to the Turkish nobles who ruled the Sultanate) alienated the nobility and clerics and soon provoked open rebellion and conspiracy.<ref name="IAF"/> It is argued that the rumors spread by the nobles about her affair with Yaqut were false and was done so to bring about her downfall .

A rebellion led by [[Malik Ikhtiar-ud-din Altunia]], the governor of [[Bhatinda]] ([[Punjab, India|Punjab]]) broke out against Razia and Yaqut; fearing a [[siege]], Razia and Yaqut chose to go out of Delhi to engage the rebels. Forces loyal to Razia and Yaqut were routed by Altunia; Yaqut was killed and Razia was captured and imprisoned at Batinda by Altunia and later married . However, Razia and Altunia was subsequently killed in battle against her step brother [[Muiz ud din Bahram]], who had usurped the throne of [[Delhi]] in Razia's absence.

==See also==
* [[History of slavery under Muslim rule|Slavery in the Muslim world]]
* [[Ziauddin Barani]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yaqut, Jamal-ud-Din}}
[[Category:1240 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian people of Ethiopian descent]]
[[Category:Mamluk dynasty (Delhi)]]
[[Category:Siddhi people]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Male lovers of royalty]]
[[Category:Indian slaves]]
[[Category:Medieval slaves]]