Habshi Sultanate
1487-1494
Map of Bengal during the Sultanate period
Map of Bengal during the Sultanate period
StatusSultanate
CapitalGaur
Common languagesPersian
Bengali
Arabic
Religion
State Religion: Sunni Islam (Hanafi)
Others: Hinduism
Buddhism
GovernmentMonarchy
Sultan 
 1487
Shahzada Barbak
 1487-89
Saifuddin Firuz Shah
 1489-90
Mahmud Shah II
 1490-94
Shamsuddin Muzaffar Shah
History 
 Established
1487
 Fall
1494
CurrencyTaka
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Ilyas Shahi dynasty
Hussain Shahi dynasty
Today part of Bangladesh
 India
 Myanmar
   Nepal

Habshi dynasty refers to the era of Siddi rulers in Bengal that lasted from 1487 to 1493 or 1494 during the Bengal Sultanate. Four Habshi rulers ruled Bengal during this period. This rule began with the rebellion against and assassination of Jalaluddin Fateh Shah of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty.

Background

Before the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, it was customary for Muslim rulers to purchase slaves and appoint them to royal palaces or important positions in the kingdom. Even during the reign of Jalaluddin Fateh Shah, some slaves were appointed as palace guards, who gradually increased their power among themselves. Jalaluddin tried to rein them in. But the Habshis rebelled under the leadership of Shahzada Barbak and killed the Sultan and seized the throne.

Reign

Shahzada Barbak

Shahzada Barbak killed Jalaluddin Fateh Shah in 1487 and assumed the rule.[1] He took the royal name Ghiyasuddin Shahzada Barbak. As his reign was short-lived, he was able to start few coins.[1] A few months after his accession to the throne, Ilyas Shahi's loyal Malik Andil Khan killed him and took the throne.

Saifuddin Feroz Shah

Andil Habshi or Saifuddin Firuz Shah ruled Bengal for two years. He killed Barbak and took the throne. He is credited by many as the main founder of Habshi rule. Because Barbak ruled for a short time. He was reportedly impotent. He was generous and kind. He ruled from 1487 to 1489. According to most historians, he died a natural death. However, according to some historians like Ghulam Husain Salim and Jadunath, he was also killed by one of the palace guards.

Mahmud Shah II

Mahmud Shah II was the adopted son of Saifuddin Firuz Shah. He took over as an infant. His royal regent was Habash Khan. After a year in 1490, Sidi Badr killed him and Habash Khan and took over the rule.[2]

Shamsuddin Mozaffar Shah

Shamsuddin Muzaffar Shah or Sidi Badr was the Habshi ruler who ruled Bengal for the longest time. Intent on capturing Bengal, he first killed Habash Khan, the royal regent of Sultan Mahmud Shah II, before proceeding to assassinate the Sultan. Badr Shams-ud-Din ascended the throne assuming the title of Muzaffar Shah.

He raised an army of thirty thousand soldiers; Among them were thousands of Afghans and five thousand Habshi.[1] He defeated the Kamata kingdom in battle and conquered their territory in 1492/92.[1] In 1494 his wazir (chief minister) Sayyed Hussain led a revolt in which he was killed.[1]

Fall and Legacy

Due to political instability and a lack of capacity to deal with injustices, Siddi rule eventually fell. Although Saifuddin Firuz Shah was compassionate, but he could not spread that much power. On the contrary, Shamsuddin Mozaffar Shah, who was focused on expanding his power, was also focused on empowering the Habshi in Bengal. Described by Indo-Persian historians as a tyrant, his cruelty was said to have alienated the nobility as well as his common subjects.[3] In 1494, a rebellion led by Syed Hussain led to the death of Shamsuddin Mozaffar Shah. Syed Hossain ascended the throne with the name Alauddin Husain Shah. He expelled all the Habshi from power and banished them from the area. Eventually they were forced to move to different areas of the Deccan and Gujarat.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Helal Uddin Ahmed (2012). "History". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  2. Rajadhyaksha, P. L. Kessler and Abhijit. "Kingdoms of South Asia - Indian Kingdom of Bengal". The History Files. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  3. Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). The Delhi Sultanate, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, p.215
  4. "The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World". London School of Economics.

Further Read

  • Memorials
  • Sarkar, Jadunath. History of Bengal, Volume II, Muslim Era, 1200–1757.
  • Sinha, Sutpa. Gaur Rediscovered: The Medieval Capital of Bengal.
  • Ferista, Mohammad Qasim. Tarikh-i-Ferista: A History of the Rise of Muslim Power in India, to 1612 AD, Volume IV.
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