The main group involved in the overthrow of Razia Begum (r. 1236–1240) was the powerful faction of Turkish nobles, specifically the ‘Chahalgani’ or the Forty. They refused to accept a woman as the sovereign ruler, viewing her ascension and her favoring of non-Turkish officials as a threat to their power. ANSWER: (C) Turks
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The overthrow of Razia Begum was primarily orchestrated by the powerful Turkish nobility, known collectively as the ‘Chahalgani’ (Corps of Forty). These high-ranking Turkish slave-officers, established by her father Iltutmish, were unwilling to submit to a female ruler. Their opposition intensified when Razia began asserting her authority and appointed non-Turkish individuals, such as the Abyssinian slave Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut, to high posts. This combination of patriarchal prejudice and fear of losing control led the Turkish nobles to conspire and depose her in 1240 A.D.