The Great Houses · Delhi and the north, standing up · 79 reigns, 0 dated marriages

The Houses Cube

The same people as the register, on a time axis and on the ground. First flat, flowing right: every reign as a bar with its name on it. Then standing up: each house a column on its own seat, each accession a shape, each marriage an arc at the height of its year — and at every transfer, the reach a seat could claim, drawn as a field that fades and never as a border.

Every reign of the three houses on one time axisA bar per reign, its name written on it, the mode of accession as a glyph at its start; a dashed outline is a contested record, a dotted bar an accession the archive has not read.12001250130013501400145015001550160016501700175018001850Delhi — the Slave KingsQutb-ud-din Aibak · 1205–1210 · foundationQutb-ud-din AibakAram Shah · 1210–1211 · inheritanceAram ShahShams-ud-din Iltutmish · 1211–1236 · usurpationShams-ud-din IltutmishRukn-ud-din Firuz · 1236–1236 · inheritanceRukn-ud-din FiruzRazia Sultana · 1236–1240 · installationRazia SultanaMuizuddin Bahram Shah · 1240–1242 · installationMuizuddin Bahram ShahAlauddin Masud Shah · 1242–1246 · installationAlauddin Masud ShahNasiruddin Mahmud Shah · 1246–1266 · installationNasiruddin Mahmud ShahGhiyas-ud-din Balban · 1266–1287 · installationGhiyas-ud-din BalbanMuizuddin Kaiqubad · 1287–1290 · installationMuizuddin KaiqubadKayumars · 1290–1290 · minority · contestedKayumarsDelhi — the KhaljisJalaluddin Firuz Khalji · 1288–1296 · usurpationJalaluddin Firuz KhaljiAlauddin Khalji · 1296–1316 · usurpationAlauddin KhaljiShihabuddin Umar · 1316–1317 · minorityShihabuddin UmarQutbuddin Mubarak Shah · 1317–1321 · depositionQutbuddin Mubarak ShahKhusrau Khan · 1321–1321 · usurpationKhusrau KhanDelhi — the TughluqsGhiyas-ud-din Tughluq · 1321–1325 · foundationGhiyas-ud-din TughluqMuhammad bin Tughluq · 1325–1351 · inheritanceMuhammad bin TughluqFiruz Shah Tughluq · 1351–1388 · designationFiruz Shah TughluqTughluq Shah II · 1388–1389 · designationTughluq Shah IIAbu Bakr Shah Tughluq · 1389–1390 · installationAbu Bakr Shah TughluqNasir-ud-din Muhammad Tughluq II · 1390–1394 · restorationNasir-ud-din Muhammad Tughluq IISikandar Shah Tughluq · 1394–1394 · inheritanceSikandar Shah TughluqNasir-ud-din Mahmud Tughluq · 1394–1394 · minorityNasir-ud-din Mahmud TughluqNusrat Shah Tughluq · 1394–1412 · installation · contestedNusrat Shah TughluqDaulat Khan Lodi · 1412–1414 · electionDaulat Khan LodiJaunpurMalik Sarwar · 1394–1399 · foundationMalik SarwarMubarak Shah Sharqi · 1399–1401 · inheritanceMubarak Shah SharqiIbrahim Shah Sharqi · 1401–1440 · inheritanceIbrahim Shah SharqiMahmud Shah Sharqi · 1440–1457 · inheritanceMahmud Shah SharqiMuhammad Shah Sharqi · 1457–1458 · inheritanceMuhammad Shah SharqiHusain Shah Sharqi · 1458–1476 · usurpationHusain Shah SharqiDelhi — the SayyidsKhizr Khan · 1414–1421 · foundationKhizr KhanMubarak Shah · 1421–1435 · designationMubarak ShahMuhammad Shah · 1435–1445 · installation · contestedMuhammad ShahAlam Shah · 1445–1450 · inheritanceAlam ShahDelhi — the LodisBahlul Lodi · 1450–1488 · installationBahlul LodiSikandar Lodi · 1488–1517 · designationSikandar LodiIbrahim Lodi · 1517–1526 · inheritanceIbrahim LodiThe MughalsBabur · 1526–1530 · foundationBaburHumayun · 1530–1555 · designationHumayunHumayun · 1555–1556 · restorationHumayunAkbar · 1556–1605 · installationAkbarJahangir · 1605–1627 · inheritance · contestedJahangirDawar Bakhsh · 1627–1628 · inheritance · contestedDawar BakhshShah Jahan I · 1628–1658 · inheritance · contestedShah Jahan IAurangzeb · 1658–1707 · usurpationAurangzebShah 'Alam I Bahadur · 1707–1712 · inheritance · contestedShah 'Alam I BahadurJahandar · 1712–1713 · inheritance · contestedJahandarFarrukh-siyar · 1713–1719 · usurpation · contestedFarrukh-siyarRafi al-Darajat · 1719–1719 · inheritance · contestedRafi al-DarajatShah Jahan II · 1719–1719 · inheritance · contestedShah Jahan IINiku-siyar · 1719–1719 · usurpation · contestedNiku-siyarMuhammad Shah · 1719–1720 · inheritance · contestedMuhammad ShahIbrahim · 1720–1748 · usurpation · contestedIbrahimAhmad Shah Bahadur · 1748–1754 · inheritance · contestedAhmad Shah Bahadur'Alamgir II · 1754–1759 · inheritance · contested'Alamgir IIShah Jahan III · 1759–1759 · usurpation · contestedShah Jahan IIIShah 'Alam II · 1759–1788 · inheritance · contestedShah 'Alam IIBidar Bakht · 1788–1788 · usurpation · contestedBidar BakhtShah 'Alam II · 1788–1806 · restorationShah 'Alam IIAkbar II · 1806–1837 · inheritance · contestedAkbar IIBahadur Shah II · 1837–1858 · inheritance · contestedBahadur Shah IIDelhi — the SursSher Shah Suri · 1540–1545 · foundationSher Shah SuriIslam Shah Suri · 1545–1548 · installationIslam Shah SuriFiruz Shah Suri · 1548–1548 · minority · contestedFiruz Shah SuriMuhammad Adil Shah Suri · 1548–1554 · usurpation · contestedMuhammadSikandar Shah Suri · 1554–1555 · usurpationSikandar Shah SuriAwadhSayyid Muhammad Amin Sa'adat Khan Bahadur, Burhan al-Mulk · 1722–1739 · foundationSayyid Muhammad Amin Sa'adat Khan Bahadur, Burhan al-MulkAbu Mansur Khan, Safdar Jang · 1739–1754 · inheritance · contestedAbu Mansur Khan, Safdar JangHaydar, Shuja al-Dawla Jalal al-Din · 1754–1775 · inheritance · contestedHaydar, Shuja al-Dawla Jalal al-DinAsaf al-Dawla · 1775–1797 · inheritance · contestedAsaf al-DawlaWazir Ali · 1797–1798 · inheritance · contestedWazir AliSa'adat Ali Khan · 1798–1814 · inheritance · contestedSa'adat Ali KhanHaydar I, Ghazi al-Din · 1814–1827 · inheritance · contestedHaydar I, Ghazi al-DinHaydar II, Sulayman Jah · 1827–1837 · inheritance · contestedHaydar II, Sulayman JahMuhammad Ali, Mu'in al-Din · 1837–1842 · inheritance · contestedMuhammad Ali, Mu'in al-DinAmjad Ali, Thurayya Jah · 1842–1847 · inheritance · contestedAmjad Ali, Thurayya JahWajid Ali Shah · 1847–1856 · inheritance · contestedWajid Ali Shah
A bar per reign, the name on the bar, the accession mode as a glyph at its start. Dashed vertical lines are the dated marriages between houses; undated ones are listed beneath the tank. 11901870 shown; a reign that runs past the edge is clipped, not shortened.

the disc at each transfer is a field, not a border
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1530

What the floor shows, and what it refuses to

The disc that spreads on the floor at each accession is the reach a seat could claim at that moment — a construction from the seat outward, fading with distance, in the method the flat map already uses. It is not a border. None of the archive’s citations gives a border line for any of these states in any year, and a drawn polygon would be an invented fact. What the floor can show is every place the archive can cite, as a dot: the archipelago of seats, forts and shrines that was the real shape of power here.

Marriages not drawn

Every reign, accession mode and marriage the cube draws
HouseRulerFromToModeConfidence
Delhi — the Slave KingsQutb-ud-din Aibak12051210foundationattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsAram Shah12101211inheritanceattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsShams-ud-din Iltutmish12111236usurpationattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsRukn-ud-din Firuz12361236inheritanceattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsRazia Sultana12361240installationattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsMuizuddin Bahram Shah12401242installationattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsAlauddin Masud Shah12421246installationattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsNasiruddin Mahmud Shah12461266installationattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsGhiyas-ud-din Balban12661287installationattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsMuizuddin Kaiqubad12871290installationattested
Delhi — the Slave KingsKayumars12901290minoritycontested
Delhi — the KhaljisJalaluddin Firuz Khalji12881296usurpationattested
Delhi — the KhaljisAlauddin Khalji12961316usurpationattested
Delhi — the KhaljisShihabuddin Umar13161317minorityattested
Delhi — the KhaljisQutbuddin Mubarak Shah13171321depositionattested
Delhi — the KhaljisKhusrau Khan13211321usurpationattested
Delhi — the TughluqsGhiyas-ud-din Tughluq13211325foundationattested
Delhi — the TughluqsMuhammad bin Tughluq13251351inheritanceattested
Delhi — the TughluqsFiruz Shah Tughluq13511388designationattested
Delhi — the TughluqsTughluq Shah II13881389designationattested
Delhi — the TughluqsAbu Bakr Shah Tughluq13891390installationattested
Delhi — the TughluqsNasir-ud-din Muhammad Tughluq II13901394restorationattested
Delhi — the TughluqsSikandar Shah Tughluq13941394inheritanceattested
Delhi — the TughluqsNasir-ud-din Mahmud Tughluq13941394minorityattested
Delhi — the TughluqsNusrat Shah Tughluq13941412installationcontested
Delhi — the TughluqsDaulat Khan Lodi14121414electionattested
JaunpurMalik Sarwar13941399foundationattested
JaunpurMubarak Shah Sharqi13991401inheritanceattested
JaunpurIbrahim Shah Sharqi14011440inheritanceattested
JaunpurMahmud Shah Sharqi14401457inheritanceattested
JaunpurMuhammad Shah Sharqi14571458inheritanceattested
JaunpurHusain Shah Sharqi14581476usurpationattested
Delhi — the SayyidsKhizr Khan14141421foundationattested
Delhi — the SayyidsMubarak Shah14211435designationattested
Delhi — the SayyidsMuhammad Shah14351445installationcontested
Delhi — the SayyidsAlam Shah14451450inheritanceattested
Delhi — the LodisBahlul Lodi14501488installationattested
Delhi — the LodisSikandar Lodi14881517designationattested
Delhi — the LodisIbrahim Lodi15171526inheritanceattested
The MughalsBabur15261530foundationattested
The MughalsHumayun15301555designationattested
The MughalsHumayun15551556restorationattested
The MughalsAkbar15561605installationattested
The MughalsJahangir16051627inheritancecontested
The MughalsDawar Bakhsh16271628inheritancecontested
The MughalsShah Jahan I16281658inheritancecontested
The MughalsAurangzeb16581707usurpationattested
The MughalsShah 'Alam I Bahadur17071712inheritancecontested
The MughalsJahandar17121713inheritancecontested
The MughalsFarrukh-siyar17131719usurpationcontested
The MughalsRafi al-Darajat17191719inheritancecontested
The MughalsShah Jahan II17191719inheritancecontested
The MughalsNiku-siyar17191719usurpationcontested
The MughalsMuhammad Shah17191720inheritancecontested
The MughalsIbrahim17201748usurpationcontested
The MughalsAhmad Shah Bahadur17481754inheritancecontested
The Mughals'Alamgir II17541759inheritancecontested
The MughalsShah Jahan III17591759usurpationcontested
The MughalsShah 'Alam II17591788inheritancecontested
The MughalsBidar Bakht17881788usurpationcontested
The MughalsShah 'Alam II17881806restorationattested
The MughalsAkbar II18061837inheritancecontested
The MughalsBahadur Shah II18371858inheritancecontested
Delhi — the SursSher Shah Suri15401545foundationattested
Delhi — the SursIslam Shah Suri15451548installationattested
Delhi — the SursFiruz Shah Suri15481548minoritycontested
Delhi — the SursMuhammad Adil Shah Suri15481554usurpationcontested
Delhi — the SursSikandar Shah Suri15541555usurpationattested
AwadhSayyid Muhammad Amin Sa'adat Khan Bahadur, Burhan al-Mulk17221739foundationattested
AwadhAbu Mansur Khan, Safdar Jang17391754inheritancecontested
AwadhHaydar, Shuja al-Dawla Jalal al-Din17541775inheritancecontested
AwadhAsaf al-Dawla17751797inheritancecontested
AwadhWazir Ali17971798inheritancecontested
AwadhSa'adat Ali Khan17981814inheritancecontested
AwadhHaydar I, Ghazi al-Din18141827inheritancecontested
AwadhHaydar II, Sulayman Jah18271837inheritancecontested
AwadhMuhammad Ali, Mu'in al-Din18371842inheritancecontested
AwadhAmjad Ali, Thurayya Jah18421847inheritancecontested
AwadhWajid Ali Shah18471856inheritancecontested

0 accessions are drawn as broken segments because no page read states how they happened.