Medieval History MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Medieval History - Download Free PDF

Key Points

• Ramananda was a 14th-century poet-saint and a prominent figure in the Bhakti movement in northern India.
• Also known as Ramanandacharya, he was born into a Brahmin family and spent most of his life in Varanasi, a sacred city for Hindus.
• Exact birth and death dates remain uncertain, but he is believed to have lived during the 14th to 15th centuries, when the Bhakti movement flourished in North India under Islamic rule.
• Philosophical Influences:
  • Ramanuja, a South Indian Vedanta scholar, influenced his devotional themes and philosophy.
  • He was also influenced by Nathpanthi ascetics and the Yoga school of Hindu philosophy.
  • Devotion to Rama: Ramananda was a prominent Rama worshipper and is credited with spreading the Bhakti movement in northern India.
• Social Reformer:
  • Opened the Bhakti movement to all people, regardless of birth, caste, creed, or gender.
  • Made religious teachings more accessible to the public by writing and speaking in Hindi.
• Disciples:
  • Kabir (a Muslim weaver)
  • Ravidas (a cobbler)
  • Sena (a barber)
  • Dhanna (a Jat peasant)
  • Sadhana (a butcher)
  • Narahari (a goldsmith)
  • Pipa (a Rajput prince)
• Legacy:
  • Revered as the bridge between the southern and northern Bhakti movements.
  • Credited with founding the Sant-parampara (tradition of Bhakti saints) in northern India.

The correct answer is Diwan-i-Bandgani - Firoz Tughlaq.

Key Points

• Diwan-i-Bandagani was a department created by Feroz Shah Tughlaq.
  • It was a department made for slaves.

Additional Information

• Diwan-i-Mustakhraj was the department of arrears introduced by Alauddin Khilji. 
  • It was responsible for investigating and realizing the arrears from the revenue collectors.
  • It was created to control the corruption of the revenue employees.
• Diwan-i-Kohi was a department of agriculture by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.
  • The main objective of the department was to increase the land under cultivation.
  • They provided support and loan to farmers.
• Diwan-i-Arz was established by Balban.
  • It was the department of Military managed by Ariz-i-Mamalik.
  • Balban appointed spies in every department and organized a strong centralized army.

The correct answer is Guru Hargobind.Key Points

• Guru Hargobind
  • He became a guru at the age of 11 after the death of his father Guru Arjan Dev
  • Guru Hargobind is credited with developing a strong Sikh army. This brought him into direct conflict with the Mughals.
  • It is believed that Guru Hargobind carried two swords at his succession ceremony.
  • He was an adept swordsman, wrestler and rider as he had been imparted training in military warfare and martial arts.
  • He constructed the Akal Takht, the highest seat temporal seat of the Sikhs. Spiritual and temporal matters related to the Sikh community are resolved at Akal Takht.
  • Besides building an army, he founded congregational prayers to promote Sikhism.
  • He sent his followers to various places across India to spread the word of Guru Nanak, the first Guru of Sikhs.

Additional Information

1. Guru Nanak- He was the founder of Sikhism as well as the first Sikh Guru.  He started the practice of "Langer".
2. Guru Angad- He also developed the Gurumukhi script.
3. Guru Amar Das- Composed the Anand Sahib, introduced the simple Anand Karaj marriage and abolished Sati among the Sikhs.
4. Guru Ram Das- He laid the foundation of the holy city of Amritsar and initiated the construction of the Golden Temple.
5. Guru Arjan Dev- Compiled the Adi Granth and constructed the Golden Temple.
6. Guru Hargobind- Created the Sikh martial art called Gatka. Built the Akal Takhat.
7. Guru Har Rai- He was known as the "tender-Hearted Guru".
8. Guru Har Kishan- Youngest Sikh Guru, installed at the age of 5.
9. Guru Teg Bahadur- Refused to convert to Islam and was beheaded by Aurangzeb.
10. Guru Gobind Singh- He was the last Sikh Guru. He established the military force of "Khalsa".

The correct answer is Iqtadari.Key PointsIqtadari System:

• The Iqtadari system was a significant administrative and revenue collection system employed by the Delhi Sultanate.
• Under this system, territories were divided into administrative units known as Iqta'at, and these units were granted to officials called Iqtadars.
• The Iqtadars were responsible for collecting taxes and revenue from their assigned territories and forwarding a portion of the collected revenue to the central authority.
• The Iqtadars held both administrative and fiscal authority in their assigned regions.

Influence on Bahmani Sultanate:

• The Bahmani Sultanate was established in the Deccan region as an independent kingdom after the disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate.
• The Iqtadari system's influence extended to the Bahmani Sultanate, as it adopted similar administrative practices to manage its territories.
• While not an exact replication, the Bahmani rulers implemented a system of revenue collection and administration that was reminiscent of the Iqtadari system.
• This helped them organize and manage their vast and diverse territories efficiently.

Influence on Vijayanagara Empire:

• The Vijayanagara Empire was another significant medieval South Indian kingdom that coexisted with the Bahmani Sultanate.
• While geographically separated from the Delhi Sultanate, the Iqtadari system indirectly influenced the Vijayanagara Empire's administrative and revenue collection practices.
• The Vijayanagara rulers, like their counterparts in the Deccan, implemented an administrative structure that involved the collection of revenue from various regions under their control.
• Although not a direct adoption, the idea of revenue collection and administrative divisions in the Iqtadari system influenced the governance model of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Additional Information

Important Points

The correct answer is ​Abul Fazl.

Key Points

• Abul Fazl 
  • He was the author of Akbarnama, the official history of Akbar’s reign in 3 volumes. Hence, Option 4 is correct.
  • The third volume of the above work is known as Ain-i-Akbari, which is the administrative report of Akbar’s reign.
  • Another important work of Abul Fazl was Ruqaat, which is a collection of letters to the princes of Akbar and other contemporaries.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Akbar.

Key Points

• Fatehpur Sikri town was built by the Mughal Emperor, Akbar.
• He had planned this city as his capital but the shortage of water compelled him to abandon the city.
• After this within 20 years, the capital of Mughals was shifted to Lahore.
• Fatehpur Sikri was built between 1571 and 1585. 

Additional Information

• The Mughal Dynasty was founded by Babur in 1526.
• The First Battle of Panipat was fought between Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi in 1526.
• Battle of Khanwa between Babur and Rana Sanga in 1527.
• Battle of Chanderi between Babur and Medni Rai in 1528.
• Battle of Ghaggara between Babur and Mehmood Lodhi in 1529.

The correct answer is Iltutmish​.

Key Points

• Iltutmish (1211-1236):
  • He succeeded to the throne after Qutub-ud-din-Aibak.
  • He was the third ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, belonging to the Mamluk dynasty.
  • He constituted corp of forty loyal slave Amirs known as Turkan-i-Chihalgani also called Chalisa.
  • He introduced the silver coin (tanka) and cooper coin (jittal).
  • He made Delhi the capital in place of Lahore.​

Additional Information

• Firoz Shah Tughlaq:
  • He was the third ruler of Tughlaq dynasty that ruled over Delhi from 1351 to 1388 AD.
  • He established the Diwan-i-Khairat - office for charity
  • He established the Diwan-i-Bundagan -- department of slave
  • He is known to establish four new towns, Firozabad, Fatehabad, Jaunpur and Hissar.
  • He appointed Khan-i-Jahan Maqbal, a Telugu Brahmin convert as wazir (prime minister). 
    • The wazir helped the Sultan in his administration and maintained the prestige of the Sultanate during this period.
• Mohammad bin Tughlaq (1325-1351):
  • He shifted his capital from Delhi to Deogir and renamed it as Daulatabad.
  • Daulatabad is situated in Maharashtra. 
  • He built a road from Delhi to Deogir and also set up rest houses for the people.
  • He introduced bronze coins of the same value as Silver coins.
  • He established a new department of agriculture known as “Diwan-i-Kohi".
  • He also provided agricultural loan “Takavi” to the farmers.
• Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah (1580-1612):
  • He was the fifth sultan of the Qutub Shahi dynasty of Golkonda
  • He founded the city of Hyderabad, in South-central India and built its architectural centrepiece, the Charminar. 
  • He founded the city of Hyderabad and named it as Bhagyanagar after his Hindu mistress Bhagamati.​

The correct answer is Khilji.

Important Points

•  Hence the Khilji Dynasty ruled for the shortest.

Additional Information

• Lodhi dynasty from 1451 to 1526 AD (75 Year).
• Longest duration-Tughlaq Dynasty.
• Shortest duration-Khilji Dynasty.

The correct option is Humayun and Sher Shah Suri.

Key Points:

• The Battle of Chausa was fought between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri.
• Sher Shah defeated Humayun in the battle of Chausa in 1539.
• The tomb of Sher Shah Suri is located in Sasaram, Bihar.

Important battles in history:

The correct answer is Francois Bernier.

Key Points

• Francois Bernier (1656-1668)
  • He was a French physician and traveller.
  • He was in India from 1656-1668
  • He visited India during the reign of Shah Jahan.
  • He was physician to Prince Dara Shikoh and later was attached to the court of Aurangzeb
  • ‘Travels in the Mughal Empire’ was written by Francois Bernier.
  • The book mainly talks about the rules of Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb.

Additional Information

• Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 – 1689) was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveller. He visited India during the reign of Shahjahan. Travels in India by Jean Baptiste Tavernier, clearly states that Tavernier identified the diamond mining sites in India very clearly.
• Nicolo Conti was an Italian merchant. He visited India during the reign of Deva Raya I of Vijayanagar.
• Marco Polo was a European traveller. He visited Southern India during the reign of Rudramma Devi of the Kakatiyas.

The correct answer is Rupiya.

Important Points

• Sher Shah Suri was the founder of the Suri dynasty.
• The silver coin introduced by Sher Shah Suri was called Rupiya.
• Sher Shah Suri issued the Rupiya coin and fixed standard weights and measures all over the empire.
• This coin introduced by Sher Shah Suri weighed 178 grains and was the precursor of the modern rupee.
• Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun in the battle of Chausa and assumed the title of Farid al-Din Sher Shah as emperor in 1539.
• He again defeated the Humayun in the battle of Kannauj and annexed Kannauj in 1540.
• The grand trunk road that turns from Calcutta to Peshawar was built by Sher Shah Suri.

Additional Information

• The silver Tankah coin was introduced by Iltutmish.
• The mohur coin was introduced by Sher Shah Suri.
• Gold coins called Dinar was introduced by Muhammad bin Tughluq.

The correct answer is Guru Gobind Singh.Key Points

• Khalsa tradition was initiated in 1699 by the Tenth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh.
• Its formation was a key event in the history of Sikhism.
• The founding of Khalsa is celebrated by Sikhs during the festival of Vaisakhi.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Babur.

• The First Battle of Panipat was fought in the year 1526 between the forces of Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi in which Lodhi was defeated and Mughal rule was established in India.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Humayun.

About Humayun:

• There is a Small Mosque built by him known as the Humayun mosque in the city of Fatehabad. The reason behind the Mosque was built by the 2nd Mughal Emperor Humayun, who in his fight after his defeat at the hands of Sher Shah Suri happened to pass through the city of Fatehabad.
• Humayun was born on 6th March 1508 in Kabul (Afghanistan). His real name was Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad popularly known as Humayun.
• He was the second (2) Emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Pakistan, Northern India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh from 1530–1540, and again he ruled in the 2nd term from 1555–1556.
• In the year 1530, He succeeded his father Babur founder of the Mughal Empire to the throne of Delhi as second (2nd) ruler of the Mughal territories in the Indian subcontinent.
• Humayun lost the Mughal territories to Sher Shah Suri but regained them after 15 years 1555-56 with the help of the Safavid dynasty of Persia.
• On 24 January 1556, Humayun, who died in the Library with his arms full of books, was descending the staircase from his library and he lost the balance fallen down from the staircase, and died.
• In his memoir, his (sister Gulbadan begum) wrote his autobiography named "Humayunama" which was written in the Persian language.

Notes:

• The founder of the Mughal Empire was Babur, who defeated the Lodhi dynasty's last ruler Ibrahim Lodhi at the Batlle of Panipat in 1526 to establish the Mughal rule.

​

Mughals:

• The Mughals were descendants of two great lineages of rulers.
• From their mother’s side, they were descendants of Genghis Khan (died 1227), the Mongol ruler who ruled over parts of China and Central Asia.
• From their father’s side, they were the successors of Timur (died 1404), the ruler of Iran, Iraq and modern-day Turkey.
• However, the Mughals did not like to be called Mughal or Mongol. This was because Genghis Khan’s memory was associated with the massacre of innumerable people.
• It was also linked with the Uzbeks, their Mongol competitors.
• On the other hand, the Mughals were proud of their Timurid ancestry, not least of all because their great ancestor had captured Delhi in 1398. 

The correct answer is 1526.

Key Points

• Babur(1526-1530):
  • He declared himself as Badshah.
  • He was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India in 1526.
  • He defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in 1526 at the first battle of Panipat, and thereby established the Mughal empire.
  • Baburnama, also known as Tuzk-e Babri is the autobiography of Babur.
  • Babur assumed the title of Ghazi after the victory in the battle of Khanwa.

Additional Information

• Babur was the first mughal emeror in India.
• Babur was born in 1483 in Fargana (Uzbekistan).
• The first battle of Panipat was fought between the forces of Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi.
• The Battle was fought on April 21, 1526.
• He wrote Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Autobiography of Babur) in the Turkish language.
• According to Tuzuki-i-Baburi, Babur Died in 1530 and was buried at Aram Bagh (Agra). Later his body was taken to Afghanistan (Kabul).