Alauddin Khilji
Ala-ud-din Khilji (Arabic: علاء الدین الخلجی; died 1316), born as Juna Muhammad Khilji, was the second ruler of the Khilji dynasty reigning from 1296 to 1316. Of Khilgi/Ghilzai ethnicity, he is considered the most powerful ruler of the dynasty, He also had his Eunuch consort Malik Kafur hold the reigns of the empire in his last few years.
His attack on Chittor in 1303 CE to capture the queen of Chittor, Rani Padmini, the wife of Rawal Ratan Singh and the subsequent story have been immortalised in the epic poem Padmavat, written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in the Awadhi language in the year 1540.
He was a strategist and military commander who commanded forces across the Indian subcontinent. Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji is also noted in history for being one of the few rulers in the world to have repeatedly defended his empire against Mongol invasions. He defeated large Mongol armies and then launched punitive expeditions against them in Central Asia, around modern-day Afghanistan.
