Ghiyas-ud-din Balban was once a slave of Iltutmish who later became a minister because of his hard work and intelligence. Balban later took over the throne in 1266 to became the tenth sultan from the Slave dynasty. Though he defended his territory from the Mongols, he had to put down many rebellions to retain power.
Balban tried to tighten the grip of his authority: his nobles had to wear special dress into the court, and bow down before him. He had a powerful army that silenced any voices of dissent by killing all males of a particular area!
However, he ruled his empire ably with the help of a balanced administrative system. He reorganized the army, built new forts, cleared dense forests and made the roads safe for travel. Unlike Balban, his successors were weak and the Slave Dynasty eventually declined with the rise of the Khaljis.
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