Quick Facts
Biography
Khusro Khan (also spelled Khusrau Khan or Khusru or Khusraw Khan) was a medieval Indian military leader, and ruler of Delhi as Sultan Nasiruddin Khusrau Shah for a short period of time.
Early career
The conquest of the Deccan by the Delhi Sultanate began in 1296 when Alauddin Khilji raided and plundered Devagiri. Later in that year, Alauddin subsequently murdered his uncle, the reigning sultan, Jalaluddin, and took his place as head of the sultanate. Among Alauddin's subsequent actions, in 1309 he forced the Kakatiya dynasty of Telangana and Coastal Andhra to become subordinate to him.
In 1318, Prataparudra II, the Kakatiya ruler, defied his masters in Delhi by refusing to send the annual tribute expected of him. Alauddin responded by sending Khusrau Khan, one of his generals, to the Kakatiya capital at what is now Warangal. Khan's force bristled with technology previously unknown in the area, including trebuchet-like machines, and Prataparudra had to submit once more to the sultanate. The amount of his annual tribute was changed, becoming 100 elephants and 12,000 horses.
Brief rule
After Alauddin's death in 1316, Khusrau Khan managed to kill Alauddin's son and successor as sultan, Qutb ud din Mubarak Shah, ending the Khilji dynasty in 1320. Khusro then assumed the throne. Khusro in turn was captured by the governor of Dipalpur, Ghazi Malik, and beheaded in Sept. 1320.