Nomination over her brothers
Minhaj-us-Siraj records that Iltutmish, noticing 'indications of sovereignty and high spirit' in his daughter, had a decree drawn up naming her heir-apparent on his return from taking Gwaliyur. When courtiers objected that he had 'grown-up sons who are eligible for the sovereignty,' the chronicler gives the Sultan's reply: 'My sons are engrossed in the pleasures of youth, and none of them possesses the capability of managing the affairs of the country, and by them the government of the kingdom will not be carried out. After my death it will be seen that not one of them will be found to be more worthy of the heir-apparentship than she, my daughter.' The author adds, 'The case turned out as that august monarch had predicted' (Raverty tr., Tabakat-i-Nasiri, vol. I, pp. 638–639).
Accession and a Wazir who would not acknowledge her
Raziyyat came to the throne as 'Sultan Raziyyat-ud-Dunya wa ud-Din, daughter of Sultan I-yal-timish' — the printed heading of the chronicle's fourth section on the Shamsiah Sultans (p. 637). Her coins reportedly carried the legend 'The illustrious among women, the Queen of the Age, Sultan Raziyyat, daughter of Shams-ud-Din, I-yal-timish,' struck at Dihli in 643 H.. On her accession, 'the Wazir of the kingdom, the Nizam-ul-Mulk, Muhammad, Junaidi, did not acknowledge her,' and a coalition of Maliks 'commenced hostilities against Sultan Raziyyat' outside Dihli, an opposition that 'continued for a considerable time' (p. 639).
Rebellion, seizure and marriage to her captor
In 637 H. her feudatory at Tabarhindah, Malik Ikhtiyar-ud-Din Altuniah, 'broke out into rebellion, and, secretly, some of the Amirs of the Court abetted him.' Raziyyat marched against him in person; at Tabarhindah 'the Turk Amirs rose against her, and put to death Amir Jamal-ud-Din, Ya-kut, the Habashi, seized Sultan Raziyyat and put her in durance, and sent her to the fortress of Tabarhindah' (p. 645). While imprisoned there, 'Malik Ikhtiyar-ud-Din, Altuniah, entered into a matrimonial contract with her, and espoused her, and marched an army towards Dihli, in order to take possession of the kingdom a second time' (p. 647); a footnote records that other sources call the marriage forced on Altuniah's side ('nolens volens') and that he turned her champion only after being 'left out in the cold' by the rebels he had helped (p. 647, note).
Defeat and death
Her half-brother Bahram Shah, installed on the Delhi throne, led an army against her and Altuniah; both sides' troops 'abandoned them' near Kaithal, and 'Sultan Raziyyat and Malik Altuniah fell captive into the hands of Hindus, and attained martyrdom.' The chronicler dates the defeat to 24 Rabi'-ul-Awwal and her death to 'Tuesday, the 25th of Rabi'-ul-Awwal, in the year 638 H.,' closing: 'Her reign extended over a period of three years, six months, and six days' (Raverty tr., vol. I, p. 648).