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5 - The Pen, the Sword, and the Vizier

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 April 2021

Blain Auer
Affiliation:
Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
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Summary

Working alongside sultans were great numbers of men who were highly skilled in administrative and military matters who aided the ruler in the imperial project. Running an empire demanded trustworthy individuals who could implement the king’s political agenda. This was made possible by the administrative system with all its various offices and distribution of responsibilities. The highest office belonged to the vizier or chief minister whose portfolio included a vast array of duties. But the vizier was not simply one of the “men of the pen” or an intellectual mouthpiece. The office of vizier existed since Abbasid times and saw various changes over the course of Islamic history. This chapter demonstrates how those individuals had a major impact on the history of Islamicate South Asia.

Type
Chapter
Information
In the Mirror of Persian Kings
The Origins of Perso-Islamic Courts and Empires in India
, pp. 161 - 187
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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