Alp Khan (died December 1315[1]) was a general and brother-in-law of the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji. He served as Alauddin's governor of Gujarat, and held considerable influence at the royal court of Delhi during the last years of Alauddin's life. He was executed on the charges of conspiring to kill Alauddin, possibly because of a conspiracy by Malik Kafur.
Early life
Alp Khan was originally named Junaid,Template:Sfn and was later called Malik Sanjar. He appears to have come from a family of Khalji chiefs.Template:Sfn According to Isami, Alauddin had brought him up as a child.Template:Sfn
Upon becoming the Sultan of Delhi in 1296, Alauddin gave him the title Alp Khan ("Powerful Khan").Template:Sfn Alp Khan's sister (named Mahru, according to the 16th-17th century chronicler Haji-ud-DabirTemplate:Sfn) married Alauddin: Khizr Khan was the issue of this marriage.Template:Sfn
Career
Alauddin appointed Alp Khan as Amir-i-Majlis (chief of protocol), and granted him the iqta' of Multan. In c. 1310, Alauddin granted Alp Khan the iqta' of Gujarat.Template:Sfn The Jain works praise Alp Khan for allowing reconstruction of the shrines destroyed by the Muslim conquerors.Template:Sfn Kakka Suri's Nabhi-nandana-jinoddhara-prabandha records the Shatrunjaya temple renovation permitted by him.Template:Sfn
In 1308, Alauddin ordered Alp Khan to support Malik Kafur during the invasion of Devagiri. Alp Khan's forces invaded Baglana, where the Vaghela king Karna had been given a principality by the Devagiri ruler Ramachandra. Alp Khan's soldiers were unable to apprehend Karna, but managed to capture Karna's daughter Devaladevi. Alp Khan sent her to Delhi, where she was married to his nephew Khizr Khan.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Death
Alp Khan's daughters married Alauddin's sons Khizr Khan and Shadi Khan.Template:Sfn As the maternal uncle and the father-in-law of the heir apparent Khizr Khan, Alp Khan held considerable influence at the Delhi court, especially during the last years of Alauddin's life. In 1315, when Alauddin suffered from a serious illness, Alp allegedly vied with Alauddin's slave-viceroy Malik Kafur for control of power.Template:Sfn Kafur convinced Alauddin to sanction the murder of Alp Khan. It was alleged that Alp Khan, his sister and Khizr Khan had conspired to poison Alauddin in order to make Khizr Khan the new king. However, this might have been Kafur's propaganda.Template:Sfn
References
- ↑ The Rise of Muslim Power in Gujarat, Misra, S. C.. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
Bibliography
- A Comprehensive History of India: The Delhi Sultanat (A.D. 1206-1526){{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. The Indian History Congress / People's Publishing House(1992)
- Historical Dictionary of Medieval India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Scarecrow(2008). ISBN 9780810864016
- Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Oxford University Press(2010). ISBN 978-0-19-045257-5
- History of the Khaljis (1290-1320){{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. The Indian Press(1950)
- The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Cambridge University Press(2003). ISBN 978-0-521-54329-3
- Expanding Frontiers in South Asian and World History{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Cambridge University Press(2013). ISBN 978-1-107-03428-0