Editing Ghaznavids (section)

===Twin sons of Mahmud===
[[File:Mahmud coin minted in Ghazni.jpg|thumb|Coin of Mahmud minted in Ghazni. Most coins were minted in [[Parwan Province|Parwan]], they were made of gold, silver, and copper. Mahmud was the first Muslim ruler to commission coinage featuring bilingual inscriptions and dates in both Arabic and Sanskrit/Devanagari.<ref name=coinage>{{Cite journal |last=Raza |first=S. Jabir |date=2014 |title=Coinage and Metallurgy Under the Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44158383 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=75 |pages=224–231 |jstor=44158383 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref>]]
Mahmud left the empire to his son Mohammed, who was mild, affectionate and soft. His brother, [[Mas'ud I of Ghazni|Mas'ud]], asked for three provinces that he had won by his sword, but his brother did not consent. Mas'ud had to fight his brother, and he became king, blinding and imprisoning Mohammed as punishment. Mas'ud was unable to preserve the empire and following a disastrous defeat at the [[Battle of Dandanaqan]] in 1040, he lost all the Ghaznavid lands in [[Persia]] and Central Asia to the Seljuks, plunging the realm into a "time of troubles".{{sfn|Bosworth|2006}}{{sfn|Amirsoleimani|1999|p=243}}{{sfn|Spuler|1991|p=1051}} His last act was to collect all his treasures from his forts in hope of assembling an army and ruling from India, but his own forces plundered the wealth and he proclaimed his blind brother as king again. The two brothers now exchanged positions: Mohammed was elevated from prison to the throne, while Mas'ud was consigned to a dungeon after a reign of ten years and was assassinated in 1040. Mas'ud's son, Madood, was governor of Balkh, and in 1040, after hearing of his father's death, he came to Ghazni to claim his kingdom. He fought with the sons of the blind Mohammed and was victorious. However, the empire soon disintegrated and most kings did not submit to Madood. In a span of nine years, four more kings claimed the throne of Ghazni.