After the death of Sultan
Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad, two factions arose in the Ghurid Empire; a faction of
Turkic ghulams, who supported Mu'izz's nephew
Ghiyath al-Din Mahmud, while the other faction consisted of native
Iranian soldiers, who supported the Ghurid ruler of Bamiyan,
Baha al-Din Sam II. But Baha al-Din Sam II died after a few days, which made the Iranian soldiers support his two sons
Jalal al-Din Ali and
Ala al-Din Muhammad. Ghiyath, however, managed to emerge victorious during the struggle, and became the ruler of
Firuzkuh. Meanwhile, Yildiz seized
Ghazni from the Ghurid rulers of
Bamiyan, but shortly recognized the authority of Ghiyath. Ghiyath, not glad about Tajuddin controlling Ghazni, and not daring to leave
Ghur unprotected, requested help from the
Khwarazmian Muhammad II. Muhammad, however, instead invaded the domains of Ghiyath, capturing
Balkh and
Termez. In 1208, the semi-independent Ghurid governor of India,
Qutb-ud-din Aibak, attacked and occupied Ghazni, but was defeated by Yildiz forty days later. In 1214, Yildiz killed
Ala al-Din Atsiz, and put the latter's cousin
Ala al-Din Ali on the Ghurid throne as his puppet. However, one year later, Muhammad II conquered Firuzkuh and captured Ala al-Din Ali; he shortly marched to Ghazni, where he decisively defeated Yildiz, who fled to
Punjab and captured
Lahore from
Nasir ad-Din Qabacha. Yildiz later fought the
Delhi Sultan Iltutmish, and laid claim to the throne of
Delhi as the heir to
Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad. Iltutmish refused, stating The two armies met at
Tarain in January 1216. Yildiz was defeated and taken prisoner by Iltutmish, and after being led through the streets of
Delhi was sent to
Budaun, where he was put to death in the same year. After the fall of Yildiz,
Qabacha again occupied
Lahore. ==References==