Medieval Bengal

(1204-1757)
 Mediaeval History of Bengal
❖The Medieval Age in Bengal started in the thirteenth century.
❖The main feature of this age is the end of the Hindu and Buddhist rule and the
establishment of the Muslim rule in Bengal.
❖The Muslim rule in Bengal had its beginning in the opening years of the thirteenth
century (1204 AD).
❖ Long before this, the Arab Muslims had contact with Bengal, which was primarily
commercial and religious in nature and limited to the coastal regions.
❖The Muslim rule of Bengal also witnessed the gradual expansion of Islam in this
region.
❖About 550 years of Muslim rule, Bengal was effectively ruled by Delhi-based all India
empires for only about two hundred years. For about 350 years Bengal remained
virtually independent.
The Muslim rule in Bengal is usually divided into three phases. –
✓The first phase which lasted from 1204 to 1342 witnessed the consolidation
of Muslim rule in Bengal. It was characterized by extreme political
instability.

✓The second phase which extended the period 1342 to 1575 saw the
emergence of independent local dynasties such as the Ilyas Shahi dynasty,
dynasty of King Ganesha and Husain Shahi dynasty.

✓The third phase which lasted from 1575 to 1757 witnessed the emergence
of a centralized administration in Bengal within the framework of the
Mughal empire.
 Mediaeval History of Bengal (At a glance)
Dynasty Foremost Rulers
Initial Period under Delhi Sultanate (1204-1338)
Khilji dynasty: (1204-1227) Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji, Iwaj Khilji
Mamluk Sultanate: (1227–1281)
Under Delhi Sultanate (1281-1338) Balban (Bughra Khan)

Independent Sultans of Bengal (1338-1538)

Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (1338-1352)
Ilyas Shahi dynasty: (1352-1414) Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah
Ganesha dynasty (1414-1433) Raja Ganesh & Jadu (Jalal Uddin)
Later Ilyas Shahi dynasty (1433-1487) Roknuddin Barbak Shah
Hubshi Rule (1487-1493 A.D.)
Hussain Shahi dynasty: (1494-1538) Alauddin Hussain Shah

The Rule of the Afghans (1538-1576 A.D.) Alauddin Hussain Shah

The Mughals in Bengal (1576-1757)
Mughal Subahdars: (1576–1717) Munim Khan, Mir Jumla, Shaista Khan Murshid Quli Khan
Nawabs of Bengal: (1717-1757) Jafar Khan, Nawab Siraj-Ud Daulah, Mansur Ali Khan (1830)
Initial Period under Delhi Sultanate (1204-1338)
• Khilji dynasty: (1204-1227)
• Mamluk Sultanate: (1227–1281)
• Under Delhi Sultanate (1281-1338)
 Khilji dynasty: (1204-1227)
✓In 1203 A.D. the Turkish hero Bakhtiar Khalji conquered Bihar near Bengal. Later he occupied
the Palace of Lakhshmana Sena at Nadia with the first group consisting 17 or 18 soldiers.
✓Bakhtiar Khalji wanted to establish independent rule in Bengal permanently, so he divided
the conquered region into number of provinces or districts called “Ikta”.
✓He established many mosques and madrassas for the development of Muslim society and
culture. Thus began the Muslim rule in Bengal.

• In 1208, Bakhtiar Khalji’s fellow warrior Hushamuddin Iwaj Khalji became the ruler. Later he
voluntarily handed over the rule to Ali Mardan Khalji. Ali Mardan took the name of Alauddin
Ali Mardan Khalji and declared independence in 1210 A.D.
• Iwaj Khalji came to the power (1212-1227 A.D) of Bengal for the second time as an
independent Sultan in the name of Giasuddin Iwaj Khalji. He expanded the Muslim rule in
Bengal, introduced coins bearing his name and built many mosques, madrassas and roads.
The credit of building the first naval force in Bengal goes to him. Iwaj Khalji was killed in
1227 A.D. by the soldiers of Sultan Iltumish.
 Mamluk Sultanate: (1227–1281)
• After his death, the “Slave Rule” started in Bengal (1227-1287). Ten of the fifteen
rulers of that time were “Mamluks” or slaves.

• They all were of Turkish origin, so it can be called the Age of Turks. During that
time, there was internal conflict in Delhi; so the Turkish rulers ruled quite
independently.

• The rulers of this period were not fully independent. Some of them who came as
soldiers were Khalji Malliks, while others were rulers of Turkish (1204-1338 A.D.)
blood appointed by the Sultans of Delhi.

• Later many rulers revolted against Delhi and attempted to be independent. But
they all failed in the end.

• The historian from Delhi, Ziauddin Barani named Bengal as “Bulgakpur”, which
means “City of Rebellion”.
 Under Delhi Sultanate (1281-1338)
• Sultan Balban appointed his son Bughra Khan as the Governor of
Bengal. After Balban’s death in 1287 A.D.
• Bughra Khan took up the name of Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah and
became the independent Sultan of Bengal.
• In the 14th century, Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (1320-25 CE) of Tughlaq
dynasty turned his attention towards Bengal.
• After annexing Bengal in 1324 CE, he placed Nasiruddin on the throne of
Bengal.
• He attempted to ensure the loyalty of Bengal by dividing it into three
administrative divisions with capitals at Lakhnauti (North Bengal),
Sonargaon (East Bengal) and Satgaon (SouthBengal); but his measures
failed.
• Bengal remained under control of Delhi upto 1338 A.D.
 Independent Sultans of Bengal (1338-1538)

▪Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah & his son (1338-1352)

▪Ilyas Shahi dynasty: (1352-1414)
▪Ganesha dynasty (1414-1433)
▪Later Ilyas Shahi dynasty (1433-1487)
▪Hubshi Rule (1487-1493)
▪Hussain Shahi dynasty: (1494-1538)
 Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah & his son (1338-1349)
• With the fall of the mamluks, however,
Bengal became more independent,
though split.

• The ruler of Sonargaon, Bahram Khan

died in 1338, Fakhrah, who was a royal
employee, came in power.

• He declared independence of Bengal

and ascended the throne of Sonargaon
with the name Fakhruddin Mubarak
Shah (1338-1349). He issued the coins.
He conquered Chittagong and built a
highway from Chandpur to Chittagong.

• His son Ikhtiar Gazi Shah ruled three

years
 Ilyas Shahi dynasty: (1352-1414)
• In 1342, Haji Ilias, the ruler of Lakhnauti ascended the throne of Pandua
(Firozabad) becoming the master of North and North-West Bengal. In 1352 A.D.
he defeated Ikhtiaruddin Gazi Shah and established a Dynasty in Bengal.
• Described as “Shah-e-Bangalah” and “Shah-e-Bangalian” by the historian of
Delhi Shams-e-Shiraj Afif. Ilias Shah conquered some parts of Champaran,
Gorakhpur and Kashi outside Bengal.
• The Sultan of Delhi, Firoz Shah Tughlak waged war against Ilias Shah from
November 1353 A.D. to September 1354 A.D.
• Sultan was not successful and had to accept the independence of Bengal. He
made friendship with Ilias Shah and returned to Delhi.
• When Sikander Shah (1358-1393 A.D.) succeeded his father, Firoz Shah Tughlak
again attacked Bengal from 1358 A.D. to 1360 A.D. and failed once again.
• The independent Sultanate in Bengal was strengthened by Sikander Shah.
• His son Giasuddin Azam Shah (1393-1411 A.D.) was the most popular Sultan of
the age. He could keep united the vast kingdom without any warfare as an able
ruler.
 The Rule of Raja Ganesh (1414-1433)
• The independent Sultanate in Bengal did not continue for two hundred years at a stretch.
There was a short interval in the long period.
• After Giasuddin Azam’s death, his son Saifuddin Hamza Shah ascended the throne in 1411
A.D. But he was killed by his slave Shihabuddin in 1412 A.D. as a result of a conspiracy.
• Shihabuddin became the Sultan, and got murdered too in two years. Taking this advantage,
Raja Ganesh, a high official of Azam Shah assumed power of Bengal.
• Ganesh put to death many Muslim Sufis and Saints. Sultan Ibrahim Sharki of Jaunpur came
forward to save the Muslims.
• Ganesh compromised with Dervish leader Noor Kutub; made his son Jadu accept the religion
of Islam, changing Jadu’s name to Jalaluddin Mahmud; and left the throne in his charge in
the middle of 1415 A.D.
• After Sharki’s leave, Ganesh again ascended the throne and brought his son back to the
Hindu faith. But Ganesh died in 1418 A.D. and Jadu succeeded the throne as Jalaluddin
Mahmud Shah again; he was a devoted Muslim.
• Jalaluddin Mahmud ruled till 1432 A.D. He moved the capital to Gaur from Pandua. He was
succeeded by his son Shamsuddin Ahmed Shah, who was killed by his slave Nasir Khan in
1433 A.D. Thus ended the thirty years’ rule of Raja Ganesh and his descendents.
 Later Ilias Shahi Rulers (1433-1487)
• The elite society became agitated because a slave had murdered his master
and ascended the throne. They united attacked and killed Nasir Khan. In 1452
A.D. they placed on the throne of Bengal Nasir Shah, a descendent of Ilias
Shah. He is known as Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah in history.
• Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah (1452-1459 A.D.): The boundaries of Bengal
extended.
• Nasir’s son Rukanuddin Barbak Shah (1459-1474 A.D.) appointed ruler of
Satgaon. He employed about eight thousand slaves in different offices.
• Barbak’s son Shamsuddin Abu Zafar Yusuf Shah (1474-1481 A.D.) was an ideal
and competent ruler.
• After him, his son Sikander Shah ascended the throne. But he was removed
because of his sickness. Jalaluddin Fateh Shah (1481- 1487 A.D.) Younger
brother of Yusuf Shah.
• There was internal chaos in the Royal court. The slaves imported by his
predecessors became very powerful. Fateh Shah lost his life while attempting
to curb their power.
 The Habshi Rule (1487-1493)
• This period was filled with lawlessness, injustice, conspiracy, rebellion and
despair. All the four Habshi Sultans were killed during this period. Barbak
Shahjada: Habshi leader, first to ascend the throne, was killed within a
few months.
• Saifuddin Firoz Shah: Originally slave Commander Malik Andil, killed
Barbak Shahjada. Ruled for three years with glory. Later was killed by the
Palace Guards.
• Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah II: Third Habshi ruler was killed after reigning
for some time.
• Shamsuddin Muzaffar Shah (1491-1493 A.D.): Slave leader, killer of
Nasiruddin II. Tyrant and murderer. Nobles of Gaur revolted against him.
His minister joined hands with the rebels. Ultimately he was killed and it
ended the Habshi rule in Bengal.
 Hussain Shahi Dynasty (1493-1538)
• Alauddin Hussain Shah (1493-1519 A.D.), the founder of Hussain Shahi Dynasty – the most successful
one among the independent Sultans of Bengal. He was the greatest Sultan of this dynasty. He
conquered Kamrupa, Kamta, some parts of Orissa and Tripura, and parts of North and South Bihar. He
drove away the Arakanians from Chittagong, but failed in the expedition of Assam. Sikander Lodi, the
Sultan of Delhi attacked Bengal during this time, but could not succeed.

• His son Nusrat Shah (1519-1531 A.D.). Almost the whole of Bihar came under his sway. It was the time
when Mughal Empire established in India. The first Mughal Emperor Babur sent an expedition to
Bengal. Nusrat Shah first made friendship with him; but when war broke out, he concluded a treaty
with Babur and made the throne of Bengal safe.

• His son Alauddin Firoz Shah (1531-1533 A.D.) ruled for about one year. The conflicts with Ahom
continued. Decline of the independent Sultanate began during his reign. He was killed in 1533.

• Giasuddin Mahmud Shah (1533-1538 A.D.): Brother of Nusrat Shah, killed Firoz Shah and ascended the
throne. Could not bring peace in the kingdom. He kept indulging in fights with the Afghan leader Sher
Shah Shuri, until Sher Shah captured Gaur in 1538. With Giasuddin’s death, the 200 years of the
independent rule of Bengal ended. The foreign powers began to grab Bengal one after another.
 The Rule of the Afghans (1538-1576 A.D.)
➢The Mughal Emperor Humayun occupied the capital of Bengal for a short
period. He had to accept defeat at the hands of Sher Shah. Bengal and
Bihar directly came in the hands of the Afghans.
➢But long before, the Afghans had entered the services of the Bengal
sultans. The sultans of Bengal too used to recruit Afghans in their
services.
➢The Afghans were no strangers but found their own man on the throne.
➢The two sections of the Afghans, Shur Afghans and Karrani Afghans ruled
Bengal for quite some time.

• Bengal under the Sur governors (1539-53 AD)

• Islam Shah (1545-53 AD), son and successor of Sher Shah,
• Karrani dynasty (1563-76 AD) The third quarter of the 16th century
The Mughals in Bengal (1576-1757)

Mughal Subahdars (1576–1717)

Nawabs of Bengal (1717-1757)
 Mughal and Barabhuyians
• At last, the Mughal Emperor Akbar snatched the power of Bengal from the
Afghans. But the Mughals could not establish authority over the whole of
Bengal.
• The big Zamindars of Bengal did not accept the subordination of the Mughals
but fought united against the Mughal to protect their land. They were known as
Barabhuyinas. Issa Khan was the Zamindar of Sonargaon and the leader of
Barabhuyinas.
• After the death of Akbar, Jahangir became the Mughal Emperor. During his
reign Barabhuyinas were subdued completely.
• The claimant of the success was Subadar Islam Khan (1608-1613 A.D.) He shifted
the capital of Bengal from Rajmahal to Dhaka (1610) with the intention of
suppressing the Barabhuyinas. The Mughal soldiers finally occupied Sonargaon.
• Thereafter the Zamindars were forced to surrender. Subadar Islam Khan
behaved very courteously with Issa Khan. He appointed Issa Khan in his own
Zamindari as a representative of the Mughals.
• Many Zamindars were disappointed at the surrender of Issa Khan. After that all
other Zamindars pledged allegiance to the Mughals one after another. This
ended the rule of the Barabhuyinas.
 Mughal Subahdars (1576–1717)
The rule of the Mughals in Bengal was divided into two periods.
• Rule of the Subadars: The Mughal provinces were known as ‘Subas’. Bengal
became a Suba after the defeat of the Barabhuyinas. Its golden phase was from
early seventeenth to early eighteenth century.. Taking advantage of this, the
Subadars of Bengal were rulinAfter Aurangzeb, the Mughal rule in Bengal
became weak in the hands of his weak successorsg independently.
• As a last subadar, Murshid Kuli Khan was not any difference. He pledged
loyalty to the Emperor only by name and used to send him an amount of one
crore three lakhs rupees annually as taxes. From his time Bengal was almost
independent the rule of the Nawabs started.

• Rule of the Nawabs (1727-1757 A.D.): The independent rule of the Subadars is
known as the rule of the Nawabs. This continued upto 1757 A.D. for almost half
a century. This period is known as the “Nawabat of Bengal”. Suba was then
called ‘Nizamat’ and the post of the Subadar was called ‘Nazim’. It became
hereditary. The Nazims only received a letter of authority from the Mughal
Emperor on ascending the throne. Murshid Kuli Khan was the first Nazim of
Bengal.
 The Rule of the Nawabs (1717-1757)
• Sujauddin Khan (1727-1739 A.D.): He was the son-in-law of Murshid Kuli. He was the first
independent Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Appointed his relatives and trustworthy people in
high officers; had good relations with the Zamindars. But in his later life he faced many conspiracies
of his courtiers, though he faced them boldly.
• Sarfaraz Khan (1739-1740 A.D.): Son of Sujauddin, an inefficient ruler. The whole country was in
disorder. Was succeeded by Alivardi Khan.
• Alivardi Khan (1740-1756 A.D.): Took the power of Bengal not by the authority of the Mughal
Emperor, but by sheer power of arms. He established peace in Bengal. From 1742 A.D. to 1751 A.D.
he fought for ten years and finally made the Marathi bandits ‘Bargis’ leave the country. He
suppressed the revolting Afghan soldiers with a strong hand. He also checked the activities of
many European merchants who began to gather military power.
• Siraj-ud-Doula (1756-1757 A.D.): Son of the youngest daughter of Alivardi Khan, Amena Begum. Was
nominated by Alivardi Khan. The first daughter of Alivardi, Ghasheti Begum started conspiracy to
see Shaukat Jang, the son of her second sister, as the Nawab. She gained the support from some
nobles. Roy Durlav, Jagat Seth, Mir Zafar, Umi Chand, Raj Ballav, etc. were among them. The
English merchants manipulated the court politics. They joined hands with the conspirators.
 The Battle of Plassey
The Conspiracy Against Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daula:
✓Tri-parties conspiracy: Relatives, High officials of Nawab’s, East India company.
✓23rd April’ 1757 Calcatta Parishad decided to throw out Nawab.
The Battle:
✓June 5, 1757: An agreement between Watts and Mir Jafar.
✓On 22 June the British army under Lord Clive set out for Palashi. In the meantime the nawab had
started from Murshidabad and encamped at Palashi to oppose the enemy.
✓ The war started at about 8 in the morning on 23 June 1757.
✓Nawab's army under Mir Mardan, Mohanlal, Khwaja Abdul Hadi gave a brave fight while Mir
Jafar (the Commander-in-Chief), Yar Latif and Ray Durlabh merely stood by.
✓After Mir Mardan's death, Sirajuddaula called Mir Jafar and implored him to save his life. Mir
Jafar advised the nawab to suspend action for the day.
✓With the nawab's commanders turning back, the British made a onslaught and The battle was
over by 5 in the afternoon and victorious Clive immediately proceeded towards Murshidabad.
Finally The English won the victory at Palashi.
✓Nawab’s, vs British army solders: 50,000 solders (500 died): 3,000 (23 died & 49 injured).
✓Sirajuddaula fled, captured & killed (by Muhammadi Beg)
 Battle of Plassey and British Colonial Rule (1757-1947)
• From June 23, 1757 the East India Company of England became the virtual ruler of Bengal and they
installed their own Nawab.
• Bengal became the first kingdom to be occupied by the British in India.
• The East India Company carried on profitable trade with this province. The enormous resources of
Bengal came in handy for financing the British expansion.
• Nearly 60% of the British imports from Asia consisted of goods from Bengal.
• The Company paid a sum of Rs 3,000 (£350) per annum to the Mughal emperor who allowed them to
trade freely in Bengal.
• In contrast, the Company’s exports from Bengal were worth more than £50,000 per annum.
• The Indian Rebellion of 1857 replaced rule by the Company with the direct control of Bengal by the
British Crown.
• The Battle is regarding a historic turning point for British in India; it established political and military
supremacy of the British in Bengal.
• Robert Clive became the first governor General of Bengal.
• The British managed to control Bengal for nearly 200 years.
• From 1763 to 1856 there were more than 40 major rebellions apart from hundreds of minor ones.
Thank you