Alauddin Khalji famously believed that a king must place the state above all personal or familial ties. He killed close relatives to secure his throne and curtailed the nobility’s power. Chronicler Ziauddin Barani explicitly notes this principle, reflecting Alauddin’s doctrine of absolute, centralized despotism, where the king’s authority and state interests override all kinship considerations. ANSWER: (B) Alauddin Khalji