Ghiyat al din Balban

Ghiyas ud din Balban (reigned 1266–1287 AD) was the ninth and most prominent Sultan of the Mamluk (Slave) Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. Born as Bahauddin into a Turkic family, he was captured by Mongols, sold into slavery, and brought to Delhi, where he rose through the ranks under Sultan Iltutmish. Balban was a key member of the Chahalgani (the group of forty powerful Turkic nobles) and served as regent for Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud for two decades before ascending the throne himself at age 50. He became Sultan after the death of Nasiruddin Mahmud, who left no male heir.