Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (1320-1325)  founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. The original name of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq was Gazi Malik. His father, Malik Tughlaq was a Turkish slave of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban and his mother was a Jat lady of the Punjab. He started his career as a Warden of the Marches under Alauddin Khalj and played an important part against the Mongol invasions. He dethroned Khasrau, the usurper of the throne of Delhi, and was acclaimed as the sultan by the nobles of the court in September 1320.

Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq reestablished the military might of the Delhi Sultanate and subdued the rebellious rulers. A civil war among the sons of the Bengal Sultan shamsuddin firuz shah led Ghiyasddin Tughlaq to intervene in the affairs of Bengal. He defeated, captured and sent ghiyasuddin bahadur shah, son and successor of Shamsuddin Firuz, to Delhi as a prisoner and placed Nasiruddin Ibrahim, another son of Shamsuddin Firuz on the throne of western Bengal as a vassal.

Ghiyasuddin annexed East Bengal and took Tirhut. On the return journey from Bengal he died from the collapse of a wooden pavilion in the vicinity of Delhi. [M Abu Taher]