Sayyid dynasty

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The Sayyid dynasty ruled Delhi sultanate in India from 1414 to 1451. They succeeded the Tughlaq dynasty and ruled that sultanate until they were displaced by the Afghan Lodhi dynasty.

This family claimed to be Sayyids, or descendants of Prophet Muhammad. The central authority of the Delhi Sultanate had been fatally weakened by the invasion of Timur (Tamerlane) and his sack of Delhi in 1398. After a period of chaos, when no central authority prevailed, the Sayyids gained power at Delhi. Their 37-year period of dominance witnessed the rule of four different members of the dynasty.

The dynasty was established by Khizr-Khan, deputised by Tamerlane to be the governor of Punjab. Khizr-Khan took Delhi in 1414, thus launching the dynasty. Nominally, Khizr-Khan continued to be a vassal of the Timurids, at the time Shah Rukh, grandson of Tamerlane.