Hussain Shahi dynasty

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Ḥussain Shāhī
  • حسين شاهی
  • হুসেন শাহী
Royal house
CountryBengal Sultanate
Current regionBengal, Bihar
EtymologyName of Alauddin Husain Shah
Founded1494 (1494)
FounderAlauddin Husain Shah
Final rulerGhiyasuddin Mahmud Shah
TitlesSultan
MembersNasiruddin Nasrat Shah
Alauddin Firuz Shah II
Syeda Momena Khatun
Connected membersIbrahim Danishmand, Khidr Khan Surak, Isa Khan
TraditionsSunni Islam
Estate(s)Gaur
Deposition1538 (1538)

The Hussain Shahi dynasty (Bengali: হোসেন শাহী খান্দান, Persian: حسين شاهی خاندان) was a family which ruled the late medieval Sunni Muslim Sultanate of Bengal from 1494 to 1538.[1]

History[]

The dynasty's founder, Alauddin Husain Shah, who had Arab ancestry, is considered as the greatest of all the sultans of Bengal for bringing a cultural renaissance during his reign. He conquered Kamrup-Kamata and Orissa and extended the Sultanate all the way to the port of Chittagong, which witnessed the arrival of the first Portuguese merchants. His supposed heir, Sayyid Danyal, who he had appointed as the governor of Kamata, was executed by rebellious chieftains in Assam.

Husain Shah's son and successor, Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah, gave refuge to the Afghans during the invasion of Babur though he remained neutral. Known as the Akbar of Bengal, Nasrat was known by the Hindus of Bengal as Nripati Tilak and Jagatbhusan. He encouraged the translation of Sanskrit literature into the Bengali language and built the Chota Sona Masjid. Nasrat Shah's treaty with Babur saved Bengal from a Mughal invasion.

The last Sultan of the dynasty, Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah, who continued to rule from Sonargaon, had to contend with rising Afghan activity on his northwestern border. Eventually, the Afghans under the Sur Empire broke through and sacked the capital in 1538 where they remained for several decades, successively establishing two independent dynasties ( and Karrani).[2] However, the Bengal Sultanate collapsed not long after, transforming Bengal into a confederacy of chieftains known as the Baro-Bhuiyans. This loose confederacy of Bengal was ruled by Isa Khan, one of Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah's grandsons through his daughter Syeda Momena Khatun. Khan was subsequently succeeded by his son, Musa Khan, though his grandson, Masum Khan, was a mere zamindar.[3]

Rulers[]

Titular Name(s) Personal Name Reign
Sultan `Ala ad-Din
سلطان علاء الدين
Bengali: সুলতান আলাউদ্দীন
Husayn Shah
حسين شاه
Bengali: হুসেন শাহ
1494–1519
Sultan Nasir ad-Din
سلطان ناصر الدين
Bengali: সুলতান নাসিরউদ্দীন
Nasrat Shah
نصرت شاه
Bengali: নসরত শাহ
1519–1533
Sultan `Ala ad-Din
سلطان علاء الدين
Bengali: সুলতান আলাউদ্দীন
Firuz Shah
فيروز شاه
Bengali: ফিরোজ শাহ
1533
Sultan Ghiyath ad-Din
سلطان غياث الدين
Bengali: সুলতান গিয়াসউদ্দীন
Mahmud Shah
محمود شاه
Bengali: মাহমূদ শাহ
1533–1538
Suri rule takes over Bengal under Sher Shah Suri in 1538 C.E.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ For a map of their territory see: Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 147, map XIV.4 (f). ISBN 0226742210.
  2. ^ "The Hussain-Shahi Dynasty".
  3. ^ Abdul Kader, Mohammad (1988). Historical Fallacies Unveiled. Islamic Foundation Bangladesh.
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