The Slave / Mamluk Dynasty (1206–1290 AD)
Qutbuddin Aibak (1206–1210)
- He came to power following the death of his master, Muhammad Ghori, in 1206, taking control of the Indian territories to become the first independent Muslim ruler and founder of the dynasty.
- He was given the title of "Lakh Bakhsh" (giver of lakhs) because of his extreme generosity.
- He constructed the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Delhi, the Adhai din ka Jhonpra in Ajmer, and began the construction of the Qutub Minar.
- He died in 1210 due to injuries received from falling off his horse while playing Chaugan (Polo).
Shamsuddin Iltutmish (1211–1236)
- He seized power by defeating Aram Shah, who had been raised to the throne by nobles immediately following Qutbuddin Aibak's death.
- He is regarded as the real founder of the Delhi Sultanate and officially shifted the capital from Lahore to Delhi.
- He saved the Sultanate from the Mongol leader Chengiz Khan by tactfully refusing to give shelter to Khwarizm Shah.
- He organized the Iqta System (land assignments) and reformed the army so it was centrally paid and recruited.
- He created the Turkan-i-Chahalgani (Group of Forty), an official elite nobility of Turkish slaves, and introduced two basic coins: the silver tanka and the copper jital.
Ruknuddin (1236)
- He was crowned by his mother, Shah Turkan, immediately after the death of his father Iltutmish, but he was successfully deposed by his sister Razia.
Razia Sultana (1236–1240)
- She came to power by deposing her brother Ruknuddin, fulfilling her father's wishes and becoming the first and only Muslim woman to ever rule India.
- She offended the Turkish nobles by ruling independently and showing a strong preference for an Abyssinian slave named Yakut.
- She was imprisoned by a rebellious governor named Altunia (whom she later married), and both were assassinated in a conspiracy in 1240.
Bahram Shah (1240–1242) & Masud Shah (1242–1246)
- Bahram Shah was placed on the throne by the powerful "Group of Forty" nobles but lost his life trying to assert real authority.
- Masud Shah was then placed on the throne, but was soon deposed after a conspiracy by a noble named Balban and the Queen Mother.
Nasiruddin Mahmud (1246–1266)
- He was placed on the throne by Balban and other conspiring nobles after they deposed Masud Shah; Balban acted as his deputy and held the real power.
Ghiyasuddin Balban (1266–1287)
- He ascended the throne in 1266, allegedly by poisoning his master, Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud.
- He completely broke the power of the "Group of Forty" nobles to restore the absolute power and prestige of the crown.
- He took the title of Zil-i-Ilahi (Shadow of God) and introduced strict Persian court customs like Sijda (prostration) and Paibos (kissing the monarch's feet).
- He established the centralized military department Diwan-i-Arz and ruthlessly destroyed Mewati Rajput strongholds.
Kaiqubad (1287–1290)
- Placed on the throne by the Kotwal of Delhi after Balban's death, Kaiqubad was ultimately killed by the rival Khilji family, marking the end of the Slave dynasty.