ICSE VII HISTORY Sher Shah Suri

How did Sher Shah come to power?

·        Sher Shah defeated Humayun in the decisive battle of Kanauj in 1540 and drove him out of the country.

·        He ascended the throne of Delhi under the title of Sher Shah

What was his original name? Why was he called Sher Shah?

·        His original name was Farid Khan

·        He was given the title of Sher Khan after he single-handedly killed a tiger.

Give a brief account of Sher Shah’s early life.

·        Sher Shah was the son of Hasan Khan, a jagidar, of Sasaram in Bihar.

·        His original name was Farid Khan.

·        He was given the title of Sher Khan after he single-handedly killed a tiger.

·        He joined the Mughal army when Babur invaded India and learnt the techniques of Mughal warfare.

·        Taking advantage of the political instability following Babur's death Sher Khan established his authority in Bihar and Bengal

How did Sher Shah re-establish the Afghan rule in India?

·        Sher Khan was determined to drive out the Mughals from India and re-establish the Afghan rule.

·        He defeated Humayun in the Battle of Chausa and the Battle of Kanauj and occupied the throne of Delhi in 1540

·         Between 1540 and 1545, Sher Shah conquered Malwa, Rajputana, Multan, Sind and Punjab and re-established the Afghan rule in India

How did Sher Shah die?

Sher Shah died in an accidental explosion of gun powder, during the siege of Kalinjar in 1545.

On which principle was Sher Shah’s administration based?

·        Sher Shah was a brilliant military and civil affairs organizer.

·        He based his administration on the principle of a welfare state and introduced many reforms.

How was Sher Shah’s Central Administration organized?

·        Sher Shah was the supreme head of the central administration.

·        He divided the government into departments.

·        Each department was under the charge of a minister, assisting officials.

·        Sher Shah was always very active

Ø  Conducted regular tours of inspection

Ø  Set up an efficient spy system.

Mention the important features of provincial administration.

1.   Sher Shah divided the empire into forty-seven provinces or sarkars and placed each of them under an Afghan chief

2.   Each province was subdivided into districts or parganas.

·        The working of the pargana was supervised by

Ø  the shiqdar-i- shiqdaran who was responsible for law order and general administration

Ø  the munsifan-i-munsifan  who was responsible for the collection of revenue and civil cases

·        The practice of periodic transfers was introduced to prevent officials from becoming corrupt and powerful.

·        Sher Shah  looked into every detail of administration

3.   Each pargana was made up of a number of villages.

·        The villages were looked after by the panchayats composed of village elders

·        Sher Shah kept in touch with the villages through village officials, patwaris and muqaddams.

What reforms did Sher Shah introduce to make his army efficient?

Sher Shah introduced the following military reforms:

1.   He established a large standing disciplined, efficient and strong army

2.   He took  personal interest in the appointment and  training of soldiers

3.   The salaries of the soldiers and the officers were fixed according to their skill and ability

4.   The system of branding horses called-dagh and maintaining descriptive roll of the soldiers called chehra were revived from Alauddin’s time.

5.   The army was divided into units and each unit placed under a commander

6.   Garrisons were set up in different parts of the empire

7.   The infantry and cavalry were highly trained and equipped with artillery

Why Sher Shah did built an excellent network of roads?

Sher Shah built an excellent network of roads

·        To facilitate the quick movement of officials and troops throughout the empire

·        To promote trade and commerce

·        To make travelling easier and comfortable.

What was the significance of The Grand Trunk Road?

The Grand Trunk Road was the longest and the most important of the four major roads that Sher Shah built.

·        It connected Sonargaon (Bengal) in the east to Peshawar in the north-west

·        Shady trees were planted on both sides of the road

·        Rest houses-(sarais) were also used as dakchaukis and wells were built at regular intervals for travellers and merchants.

What were the sarais?

The sarais were rest houses built on the roads constructed by Sher Shah.

The construction of sarais on trading roads and greatly helped growth of trade and commerce

·        They were built at regular intervals for travellers and merchants

·        They were also used as dakchaukis

·        Two horsemen were kept ready at each post house to carry royal mail to different parts of the country

What were the main features of communication system?

1.   Sher Shah built an excellent network of roads to facilitate the quick movement of officials and troops throughout the empire, to promote trade and commerce and to make travelling easier and comfortable.

2.   The Grand Trunk Road was the longest and the most important of the four major roads that Sher Shah built. It connected Sonargaon (Bengal) in the east to Peshawar in the north-west. Shady trees were planted on both sides of the road. Rest houses-(sarais) were also used as dakchaukis and wells were built at regular intervals for travellers and merchants.

3.   The sarais were rest houses built on the roads constructed by Sher Shah. The construction of sarais on trading roads and greatly helped growth of trade and commerce. They were also used as dakchaukis. Two horsemen were kept ready at each post house to carry royal mail to different parts of the country for efficient communication.

Why did Sher Shah abolish all duties on trade?

Which two duties were not abolished?

Sher Shah abolished all duties to boost the trade and commerce.

The duties which were not abolished were:

1.   The first duty was levied when goods were brought into the country

2.   The second was levied when the goods were sold

Describe the steps taken by Sher Shah to boost the growth of trade and commerce.

1.   Sher Shah developed an efficient transport and communication network with excellent roads and sarais.

2.   He abolished all duties except two

3.   He instructed his officials to treat the merchants well and look after their interests. The zamindars and the village headmen were made responsible for the safety of the merchants’ the life and property in their respective regions'.

4.   New weights and measures were introduced

5.   Coins of gold, silver and copper of uniform standard were introduced

What were the currency reforms introduced by Sher Shah?

Sher Shah introduced coins of gold, silver and copper of uniform standard

·        Silver coin called rupia 178 grams-precursor of the modern rupee

·        Gold coins called mohurs weighing 169grarns

·        Copper coins called dams

Sher Shah’s greatest achievement was his land revenue system. In this context explain:-

1. Land Assessments 4. Reforms

2. Taxation 5. Results

3. Relief Measures

Sher Shah's greatest achievement was his revenue system

He introduced several reforms to improve the existing system

Land Assessments

·        The land was carefully surveyed and measured every year and the average

·        The land was divided into three types-good, bad and middling on the basis of fertility.

Taxation

·        On the basis of the fertility of land the average produce was calculated and one third of this produce was paid in cash or kind

·         Sher Shah insisted on lenient assessment but strict collection of taxes

Relief Measures

·        If the crop failed due to drought or failed due to natural calamities the taxes were  reduced and loans granted

Reforms

The mutual rights and duties of the peasants and the government were clearly defined

·        The jagir system was discouraged

·        The system patta-title deed and qubuliat-agreement was introduced

Results

·        Conditions of the peasants improved

·        Cultivation increased and the royal treasury was assured of a steady and regular flow of funds.

 

How do we know that Sher Shah followed a policy of religious tolerance?

Sher Shah followed a policy of religious tolerance

·        He appointed Hindus to high posts of trust and responsibility

Ø  One of his ablest generals Brahmajit Gaur and  Raja Todar Mal one of the nine gems in Akbar's court began his career under Sher Shah

Ø  Charities were given to both  Hindus and Muslims

How do we know that Sher Shah Suri was a patron of art?

Sher Shah pursued learning by patronizing a number of scholars in his court.

Sher Shah was a great builder. Give three examples to support this statement.

·        Sher Shah built a magnificent fort at Rohtasgarh

·        He built a beautiful mosque depicting Indo Islamic architecture and many other buildings inside the old fort Delhi.

·        He built his own tomb at Sasaram Bihar on a raised platform in the middle of a lake.

Give a brief estimate of life and reign of Sher Shah Suri.

Sher Shah’s reign lasted 5-years.

·        His North Indian empire extended from Bengal in the east to Indus in the west and whole of Rajasthan.

·        He consolidated the vast empire by powerful central government, a sound administration and a disciplined well organized standing army.

·        Currency reforms and Rupia were measures ahead of time

·        The revenue system was efficient and concern for peasants genuine.

·        He introduced transport and communication system with elaborate arrangements for the convenience and safety of travellers.

·        Sher Shah's Policy of religious neutrality helped to broaden his support base.

Important terms

Sarkars were the provinces in Sher Shah’s empire which was divided into forty-seven sarkars and each sarkars was divided into Parganas.

Shiqdars were the officers responsible for law and order and the general administration of the Parganas

Munsifs were the officers who looked after the collection of revenue and civil cases.

Patwaris were responsible for the collection of land revenue in the villages.

Muqaddams were responsible for maintaining peace in the village.

Dagh was the system of branding horses.

Chehra was the system of descriptive rolls of the soldiers.

Grand Trunk Road was the longest and most important road built by Sher Shah. It connected Sonargaon in Bengal to Peshawar in the North-West.

Sarais were the rest houses built by Sher Shah.

Dak chaukis were mail posts where two horsemen were ready to carry mail to the next post. The rest houses or sarais were used as dak chaukis.

Rupia was the standard silver coin introduced by Sher Shah

Patta meant the title deed of land

Qubuliat was the agreement of the land