Medieval India around the mid-14th century (c. 1360) was characterized by political fragmentation, regional consolidation, and intense interaction between Islamic sultanates and long-established Indic polities. Following the weakening of the Delhi Sultanate after the death of Muhammad bin Tughluq (reign 1325-1351), imperial authority over the subcontinent fractured, giving rise to a mosaic of successor states. While Delhi remained a major political and symbolic center, its effective control was increasingly challenged by provincial governors, military elites, and emerging regional dynasties who asserted autonomy in response to fiscal strain, rebellion, and demographic disruption.
This period saw the parallel consolidation of powerful regional kingdoms, including the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan (founded 1347), the Vijayanagara Empire in the south (founded 1336), and a range of Rajput, eastern Gangetic, and Himalayan polities. These states competed and cooperated through warfare, diplomacy, trade, and cultural exchange, shaping a plural political landscape rather than a unified imperial system. Long-distance commerce across the Indian Ocean and overland routes continued to bind India to the wider Islamic world and East Asia, while religious institutions, both Islamic and Hindu, played central roles in governance, patronage, and social organization.
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APA Style
Netchev, S. (2026, February 13). Map of Medieval India, c. 1360. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21584/map-of-medieval-india-c-1360/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of Medieval India, c. 1360." World History Encyclopedia, February 13, 2026. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21584/map-of-medieval-india-c-1360/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of Medieval India, c. 1360." World History Encyclopedia, 13 Feb 2026, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21584/map-of-medieval-india-c-1360/.
