ASSIGNMENT

ON

Sultani
Rule in
Medieval
Bangladesh
PREPARED FOR PREPARED BY
Dr. A.K.M. Golam Rabbani Md. Mahfuj Ahmed

Department of History and Student ID: 2212543615

Philosophy Section: 20
Subject: HIS101 Program: BA in English
Semester: Spring 2022 Submission Date: 24.03.22
Introduction
The Bengal Sultanate was an independent medieval Islamic state in the Indian subcontinent that
was founded in 1342 on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It ruled and influenced modern-day
Bangladesh, East India, and West Burma. Numerous dynasties of Turkic, Arab, and Persian
heritage, as well as Bengali and Abyssinian origin, governed the sultanate. It was subsumed by the
pan-South Asian Mughal Empire and the Arakanese Kingdom of Mrauk. At the end of the 16th
century. Long before this, Arab Muslims had contact with Bengal, however it was mostly
commercial and religious in nature, and it was limited to the coastal areas.
The process of Muslim expansion in Bengal began with the military exploits of Bakhtiyar Khalji,
who launched an unexpected invasion on Bengal in 1204-05 AD and seized NADIA, King
Laksmanasena's temporary capital. He subsequently seized GAUR, Bengal's historic capital, made
it his capital, and spent roughly two years there establishing administrative control over his newly
conquered territory.

History of Bengal Sultanate

Throughout the 1200s, Bengal was gradually integrated into the Delhi Sultanate. It all started with
Bakhtiar Khilji's conquest of Gauda between 1202 and 1204, during the reign of Muhammad of
Ghor. After Bakhtiar Khalji was assassinated by his own officer Ali Mardan in 1206, Bengal was
administered by various Maliks of the Khalji tribe (except for a brief interregnum by Ali Mardan
himself) until Delhi Sultan Iltutmish sent forces under his son, Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, to bring
Bengal under the direct control of the Delhi Sultans.
Though Islam arrived in Bengal much earlier, the invasion of Bengal by Muslim kings began with
the Turkish general Ikhtiar-ud-din Muhammad Bin Bakhtiar Khalji, who struck Bengal
unexpectedly in 1204-05 AD and seized Nadia, the capital of the Sena dynasty's last ruler,
Laksmansena. After taking Gauda and designating it his capital, Ikhtiar-ud-din established a feudal
power structure in the captured province. He is credited with Islamizing Bengal by erecting
mosques, madrassahs, and patronizing Sufi gurus who preached Islam to the locals. Islam arrived
in Bengal soon after it arrived in the Arab world, owing to trade between the two countries. Islam
was mostly propagated here through persuasion and proselytisation. There were a few cases where
force was converted. Warrior saints such as Khan Jahan helped to build Islam. Many Buddhists
converted to Islam after the Pala dynasty.
Bengal had what is known as folk religion prior to the Sena dynasty. Even after Islam arrived, folk
religion and its impacts remained strong. Literature, particularly poetry, was written in Bengali
beginning in the 15th and 16th century. Bengali literature arose at a rapid pace after that, and the
people who lived in this country developed a distinct culture of their own. "“Despite the reality
that people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities came and lived here, the fact is that they ate
fish, they had a habit of chewing betel and most importantly they created a civilization together.”
Bengal Sultanate Rulers:
Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah
Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah was the first Sultan of Bengal and founded the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. He
was a renowned Sultan who led military conquests across the Indian subcontinent, defeating the
rulers of Delhi, Sonargaon, Satgaon, Nepal, Orissa, and Assam. He was a Sistani Sunni Muslim
who was involved in extending his kingdom's borders in numerous ways and destroying areas of
the Delhi Empire. Ilyas Shah solidified his dominance over Bengal by establishing an Islamic
monarchy, which became known as Shah-e-Bangalah in history.
Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah's reign is significant for Bengal because it established Bengal as a powerful
state in terms of economic, military, and diplomatic might during his reign. Shamsuddin Ilyas
Shah, the dynasty's founder, is frequently compared to Alexander the Great or Napoleon. He was
essential in building Bengali culture and society as a distinct one.Under the time of Shamsuddin
Ilyas Shah, it is remarkable that Lakhnauti (ancient Gauda), Sonargaon and Satgaon (Chittagong)
arose as city states asserting their own independence from Delhi Sultanate. In 1338, Ilyas declared
himself Sultan of Satgaon under the name 'Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah.' From 1339 until 1352, he
waged war after war against monarchs such as Sultan Alauddin Ali Shah of Lakhnauti and Sultan
Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah of Sonargaon. After conquering Lakhnauti and Sonargaon, Ilyas Shah
emerged triumphant. In 1352, he declared the formation of the Sultanate of Bengal in Lakhnauti.
The Gauda monarchs and the Pal emperors both had their capitals in this area. He established his
capital at nearby Pandua. The region became a unified Bengali kingdom for the first time during
Muslim dominance in Bengal.
Ilyas Shah's reign was crucial in terms of Muslim dominance, Islamic expansion, and the unity of
Bengal as a kingdom.

Sikandar Shah
Sikandar Shah, also known as Abul Mujahid Sikandar Shah, was the second Sultan of Bengal and
the founder of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. He was Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah's son. Sikandar Shah
continued to project the imperial ambitions of his father. In 1359, he conquered the Sultan of Delhi.
His reign is also remembered for its spectacular building endeavors. Sikandar Shah built the Adina
Mosque in Pandua, which was once the largest mosque in South Asia.
Following his father's death, Sikandar Shah ascended to the throne. He continued to maintain and
expand the Bengal Sultanate's territory, which had emerged as one of the foremost powers in the
Indian subcontinent. The second invasion of Bengal by the Sultan of Delhi, Firuz Shah Tughluq,
in 1359, was the most momentous event of his reign. [4] The Tughlaqs proclaimed Zafar Khan
Fars, a Persian prince and Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah's son-in-law, as the lawful ruler of Bengal.
Firuz Shah Tughluq led an army to Bengal that included 80,000 cavalry, a considerable infantry,
and 470 elephants. Sikandar Shah, like his father before him, sought safety in the citadel of Ekdala.
The fort was besieged by Delhi soldiers. The Bengal troops resolutely defended their fortress till
the monsoon arrived.Sikandar Shah's rule lasted three decades.
Sikandar Shah, known for his sobriety and gentleness, enjoyed the company of scholarly people
and held high regard for the clergy and Sufis. He carried on his father's liberal and tolerant ways.
Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah

Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah is the third sultan of Bengal from the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, also one of
Bengal's most important monarchs. He continued to expand the Ilyas Shah dynasty's territory by
capturing Assam and increasing Bengal's diplomatic status by establishing relations with China's
Ming Empire. Azam Shah rose to the throne as his men killed his father Sultan Sikandar Shah at
the Battle of Goalpara in 1390, though Azam Shah ordered his forces not to kill his father.
Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah attempted to create an independent judiciary. There is a tale here. Once,
an arrow thrown by him harmed the son of a widow, who sought justice from a qadi (judge). Qadi
Sirajuddin pleaded with the Sultan to come in his court and make amends. Obeying the instruction,
Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah stated that if the judge had not ruled honestly, his head would have been
severed. Qadi Sirajuddin drew the cane from under his seat and stated that if Sultan had not obeyed
the law, he would have been flogged on the back. Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah was a generous
supporter of artists and academics. He was also a supporter of Persianate and Bengali culture.
There was correspondence between Azam Shah and the great Persian poet Hafez. During his reign,
Krittibas Ojha published Krittivasi Ramayan, a Bengali translation of the Ramayana.

Economy of Bengal Sultanate

The Bengal Sultanate's economy inherited characteristics of the Delhi Sultanate's economy, such
as mint towns, a salaried bureaucracy, and the jagirdar system of land ownership. The
manufacture of silver coins with the name of the Sultan of Bengal engraved on them was a
symbol of Bengali sovereignty. [55] Bengal was more successful than Delhi and other
contemporary Asian and European countries in maintaining entirely silver money. There were
three silver sources. The initial source was previous kingdoms' leftover silver reserves. The
second source was tribute payments made by subservient kingdoms in silver bullion. The third
source came from military campaigns in which Bengali soldiers sacked neighboring states.

Culture and Society

Bengali was the most widely spoken language, but Persian served as an official and commercial
language. Men wore white shirts, various colored cotton textiles, turbans, sarongs, lungis, dhutis,
leather shoes, and belts to wrap their robes around their waist. Cotton saris were worn by women.
Gold jewelry was worn by upper-class women. There were several types of craftspeople, as well
as physicians and fortune tellers. There was a class of musicians who would congregate around
the wealthy's homes at dawn to play music, and they were paid with wine, food, and money during
breakfast hours. Some men would put on shows with a chained tiger. Beef was not eaten by the
Hindu minority. Bathing spots, eating and drinking establishments, and dessert stores may all be
found on the streets and markets.

Conclusion
The Bengal Sultanate was a regional power and a melting pot of diverse Muslims, Hindus, and
Buddhists located at the crossroads of contemporary South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Bengal
Sultanate managed its domains through a network of administrative centers that acted as provincial
capitals and minted currency. These cities served as district headquarters and contributed to
urbanization. They received immigration from other parts of the Muslim world, notably North
India and the Middle East.