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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

Critically examine the “blood and iron” policy of Balban

  • UPSC 2017
  • The Thirteenth Century

The phrase "blood and iron," coined by later historians rather than by any contemporary chronicler, describes the systematic, often violent methods Balban used to restore royal authority after decades of noble indiscipline and administrative collapse following Iltutmish's death. It is best understood as an internal disciplinary programme distinct from his frontier strategy against the Mongols…

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What the full answer covers

  • Suppression of the Chahalgani
  • Repression of Rural Banditry: Mewat and the Doab
  • Crushing Provincial Rebellion: Tughril Beg in Bengal
  • Critical Assessment: Order Purchased, Not Institutionalised

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