AN EMPIRE BUILT BY SLAVES The first Sultans had been slaves, but built an empire through military prowess and sheer brutality that would be later rivaled by the Mongols. Succession was technically inherited, but often the next Sultan was the person who overthrew the last. One Sultan neither rose to power through force, nor ruled with an iron hand. Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, however, was a noted scholar of the Qoran and ruled with gentleness and understanding.