Shah Turkhan

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Shah Turkan
Shah Turkan was one of the wives of Shamsuddin Iltutmish, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate. She was actually a maid servant in the royal house and later raised to the status of a queen. Ruknuddin Firoze was her son. Iltutmish wished to appoint his son Nasiruddin Mahmud as his successor, but he died a premature death. He was capable of succeeding him. Anyhow, Iltutmish then nominated Razia, his daughter from his wife Turkman Khatun which is authoritatively known through Minhajus Siraj, the author of Tabaqat i Nasiri. However, on the death of Iltutmish, the Chalgani Shamshi nobles and Shah Turkan conspired and raised Ruknuddin Firoze on the throne in April 1236. From then onwards, it is alleged, Shah Turkan secretly murdered many ladies in the harem. The privy purses of many other ladies had been stopped. Even an attempt was made to administer poison to Razia. Within next seven months, Ruknuddin Firoze and Shah Turkan became very unpopular whereas Razia was highly popular many nobles and especially among the citizens of Delhi. On November 19, 1236, Ruknuddin Firoze was put to death on the orders of Razia. Shah Turkhan was also killed probably at the behest of the Sultan Razia bint Sultan

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