26 THE AGRARIAN SYSTEM OF MOSLEM INDIA 
revenue, the case was one for military force; and if rebellion 
in this sense was widespread or serious, the King might lead, 
or send, a punitive expedition! to put matters right. It is 
reasonable to infer that rebellion was conditioned largely 
by distance or accessibility, that it was comparatively rare 
near the provincial capital, and comparatively common near 
the boundaries; and that there might be areas where the 
Chiefs were practically independent, because the Governor 
was not in a position to reduce them to submission. In 
any case, the relations between a Chief and his peasants 
would not be affected by the establishment of Moslem rule, 
except in so far as more money might have to be raised in 
order to pay the revenue; inside the villages the established 
agrarian svstem would continue to function. 
2. THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY 
There is no record of any large change in the agrarian 
system of the Delhi kingdom earlier than that which was 
effected by Alauddin Khalji about the year 1300, and the 
question arises whether any inference can be drawn from 
the silence of the chroniclers regarding the thirteenth 
century. So far as the first half of the century is concerned, 
I do not consider silence as necessarily significant. Minhaj- 
ul Sirdj, the chronicler of this period, was an ecclesiastical 
jurist, who for long periods was at the head of the qazis of 
the kingdom; his chronicle shows no trace of interest in 
economic or social matters; and I think it is quite possible 
that he might have ignored changes of importance in the 
agrarian system. He might indeed have noticed discussions 
as to the legality of the system, if they had occurred in his 
time, for in that case he would necessarily have taken part 
in them; but he was courtier as well as qazi,? and it is easy 
! For examples, see Barn, 57 ff. Balban did not dare to go on distant 
wars of conquest owing toc the threat from the Mongols on the frontier, 
but he spent much of his time in these punitive expeditions, to Mewit, 
or Kanauj, or Badiiin, as necessity arose. 
.* His praise of King Balban is extravagant, but he does not mention 
the fact, recorded by Barni (p. 47), that this King paid no attention to 
Islamic law in matters of government. The topic was certainry important 
to a man in his position, but it was obvicusly an inconvenient one at a 
time when Balban ruled the kingdom.