History of Uttar Pradesh State

Age of Instability

During the first quarter of 8th century AD, Yashovarman established away over Kannauj. He overran almost the whole of India and once again made Kannauj a city of splendour. In alliance with Lalitaditya Muktapid of Kashmir, he also sent his army into Tibet and attained substantial success also but later on Lalitadity dethroned and killed him in 740AD. During the reign of later Ayudh rules, Kannauj became a bone of contention betwen Palas of Bengal, Rashtrakuts of south and Gurjar Pratihars of western India but ultimately the Gurjar Pratihars were successful. The empire that they established was in no way inferior to the empires of any Gupta in its extend and fame. The Gurjar Pratihars held sway over north India during the whole of the 9th and 10th centuries. They were vanquished by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018-19 AD. The Chandel rulers of Jejak-Bhukti of present bundelkhand successfully met the onslaught of Mahmud of Ghazni, thanks to their fortress at Kalinjar. Two Chandel rulers, Dhang and Vidyadhar played a glorious role in the wars with invaders.

After the decline of Pratihars, anarchy once again gripped madhya Desh but rise of Gaharwars at the time helped in restoration of peace and order and a new era a prosperity began in theregion.  The two prominent Gaharwar Rulers were Govind Chandra (1104-1154 AD) and Jaichandra (1170 -1193 AD). Due to short-singhtedness of Jaichandra, Chauhan king Prithvaraj III had to face defeat at the hands of Mahammad Ghori at the Battle of Taran in 1192 AD and he himself was defeated and slain at Chhandwar in Etawah next year. Soon, Meerut, Koil (Aligarh), Asani, Kannauj and Varanasi also fell victims to invaders. Though the Chandel ruler Parmardidew (Veer Parmal of folk-lore) was defeated in a battle with Qutub-ud-din Aibak in 1203 AD, the Chandels later retrieved the situtaion and continued to rule Jeijak-Bhukti, albeit with reduced territory for over about two centuries. Similarly, the distant north hill region also remained safe from the invaders.

Muslim Rulers of Delhi

Qutub-ud-din Aibak ascended the throne of Delhi in 1206 AD and founded the Slave dynasty. The Slaves and after them, the Khilijis and Tughlaqs gradually extended the frontiers of Delhi Sultanate. The present Uttar Pradesh formed part of their empires. Although Sambhal, Kara and Budaun were given to important feudal lords but by and large the entire State continued to oppose the Sultans of Delhi. The names of Katehar, Kampil, Bhojpur and Patiali stand out prominently in this context. The history of Madhya Desh in 13th and 14th centuries is a saga of brave resistance and barbaric repression stray glimpses of which are found in the works of contemporary historians. Even before the beginning of the end of this period, the empire of Tughlaqs of Delhi had started to disintegrate and in 1394 AD. an independent State was established in the eastern part of this region. It was the Sharqi empire which was foundedin Jaunpur by Malik Sarvar Khwajajahan, a rebel Governor of the Tughlaq ruler. The Sharqi rulers constantly contended with the Sultans of Delhi for 84 long years and did not accept Delhi's suzerainty over Kannauj and border districts.

Four years after the secession of Jaunpur i.e., in 1398 AD, a Chughtai Turk of Samarkand known as Timur of Taimur Lang or Tamerlane, invaded India. Though the brunt of Taimur's barbarism was mainly borne by Delhi and Punjab, the Doab region also did not escape it. For instance, meerut, Harwar and Katehar had to go through a bitter experience of the invasion.  Taimur's invasion brought the Tughlaq rule to an end. The     last Tughlaq ruler, Mohamamed Tughlq died in 1412 AD heralding the end of the Tughlaq dynasty in Delhi. The Syeds and the Lodies ruled over the remnants of the Delhi empire from 1414 AD to 1526 AD, but most of the Doab continued to be under several Hindu and Muslim chieftains. An important event of the contemporay history was that Sikandar Lodi made Agra his sub-capital.