Medieval Indian History: A Study Guide to the Sultanate, Vijayanagara and the Mughals
A structured primer on medieval India: the Delhi Sultanate dynasties, the southern kingdoms, the Mughal emperors in order, the Marathas, and the battles, travellers and movements that questions return to.
By DesiQuiz Editorial Team· Updated 6 Oct 2026· 5 min readMedieval Indian History quiz
Medieval India runs from roughly the eighth century to the early eighteenth. The period is dense, but it is manageable if you hold three storylines at once: the north (Rajputs, then the Delhi Sultanate, then the Mughals), the south (Cholas, then Vijayanagara and the Bahmanis), and the ideas (Bhakti, Sufism and new art and architecture).
Before the Sultanate: the early medieval north
The north was ruled by competing Rajput kingdoms — Chauhans, Paramaras, Chandelas, Solankis — and the three-way struggle over Kannauj among the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas. Mahmud of Ghazni raided repeatedly between 1000 and 1027 CE, famously sacking the temple at Somnath (1025). The decisive change came with Muhammad Ghori, who defeated Prithviraj Chauhan at the Second Battle of Tarain (1192).
The Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526)
Five dynasties ruled in turn. Remember them in order.
| Dynasty | Dates (approx.) | Key rulers and ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Mamluk (Slave) | 1206–1290 | Qutb-ud-din Aibak (founder), Iltutmish, Razia Sultana (first woman to rule Delhi), Balban |
| Khalji | 1290–1320 | Alauddin Khalji: market-price controls, a large standing army, expansion into the south under Malik Kafur |
| Tughlaq | 1320–1414 | Muhammad bin Tughlaq (shifted the capital to Daulatabad; token currency), Firoz Shah Tughlaq (canals, new towns) |
| Sayyid | 1414–1451 | A weak dynasty after Timur's invasion (1398) |
| Lodi | 1451–1526 | Ibrahim Lodi, defeated at Panipat in 1526 |
Administration to know: the iqta system of revenue assignments to nobles, and the distinctive architecture that introduced the true arch and dome — for instance the Qutb complex and the Alai Darwaza.
The south: Vijayanagara and the Bahmani sultanate
Vijayanagara was founded in 1336 by the brothers Harihara and Bukka, with its capital at Hampi. Its zenith came under Krishnadevaraya of the Tuluva dynasty, a patron of Telugu literature. The empire fell after the Battle of Talikota (1565) to a coalition of the Deccan sultanates, which had splintered from the Bahmani Sultanate. Foreign visitors such as Abdur Razzaq and Domingo Paes described Vijayanagara's wealth.
The Mughals (1526–1707 and after)
| Emperor | Defining facts |
|---|---|
| Babur (1526–30) | Founded the empire at the First Battle of Panipat (1526); defeated Rana Sanga at Khanwa (1527); wrote the Baburnama |
| Humayun (1530–40, 1555–56) | Lost the throne to Sher Shah, regained it in 1555 |
| Sher Shah Suri (1540–45) | Land survey and revenue reform, the silver rupiya, and the Grand Trunk Road |
| Akbar (1556–1605) | Second Battle of Panipat (1556); the mansabdari system; sulh-i-kul (universal peace); Fatehpur Sikri; Haldighati (1576) against Maharana Pratap |
| Jahangir (1605–27) | Painting and gardens; Nur Jahan's influence |
| Shah Jahan (1628–58) | The Taj Mahal, Red Fort and Jama Masjid; peak of Mughal architecture |
| Aurangzeb (1658–1707) | Largest territorial extent but prolonged Deccan wars; reimposed jizya in 1679; the empire began to weaken after his death |
Later Mughals lost control to regional powers; Nadir Shah's invasion of 1739 exposed the empire's weakness.
The Marathas and the Sikhs
Shivaji established the Maratha kingdom and was crowned at Raigad in 1674, creating an administration with Ashtapradhan (eight ministers). Under the Peshwas the Marathas dominated much of India, until their defeat by Ahmad Shah Abdali at the Third Battle of Panipat (1761). In the Punjab, the Sikh Gurus — from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, who founded the Khalsa in 1699 — shaped a new faith and later a state under Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Battles to place on one line
| Year | Battle | Who vs whom |
|---|---|---|
| 1192 | Second Tarain | Muhammad Ghori vs Prithviraj Chauhan |
| 1526 | First Panipat | Babur vs Ibrahim Lodi |
| 1527 | Khanwa | Babur vs Rana Sanga |
| 1556 | Second Panipat | Akbar's forces vs Hemu |
| 1565 | Talikota | Deccan sultanates vs Vijayanagara |
| 1576 | Haldighati | Akbar's forces vs Maharana Pratap |
| 1761 | Third Panipat | Marathas vs Ahmad Shah Abdali |
Religion, art and travellers
- Bhakti poets: Kabir, Guru Nanak, Mirabai, Tulsidas, Chaitanya; Sufi saints of the Chishti and Suhrawardi orders, such as Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer.
- Architecture: Indo-Islamic style, from the Qutb complex through Mughal garden tombs.
- Travellers: Al-Biruni (early period), Ibn Battuta (Tughlaq period), Abdur Razzaq and Paes (Vijayanagara), and Bernier and Tavernier (Mughal era). The Portuguese arrived at Calicut with Vasco da Gama in 1498.
Mix-ups to avoid
- Three Battles of Panipat — 1526, 1556, 1761 — each fought on the same plain with different outcomes.
- Sher Shah vs Akbar on roads and revenue: Sher Shah laid the Grand Trunk Road and revenue foundations that Akbar's ministers refined.
- Delhi Sultanate vs Mughal buildings — the Qutb complex versus the Taj Mahal and Red Fort.
- Vijayanagara vs Bahmani — Hindu empire in the south versus the Muslim sultanate that preceded the Deccan sultanates.
- Mansabdari vs iqta — Mughal rank-based system versus the Sultanate's land assignments.
How to prepare
- Keep three parallel timelines (north, south, ideas) on one page.
- For every emperor or sultan, learn one battle, one monument and one reform.
- Memorise the five sultanate dynasties in order and the Mughal line from Babur to Aurangzeb; the rest is detail on top.
- Revisit the battles table before playing — it is the most dependable block of marks.
Put it into practice
Try the Medieval Indian History quiz and next read about modern India.