A War of succession
After assuming power he had a war of succession with his cousin Moid-ud-din Firuz Khan who was governor of Vadodara. But the Sultan had the upper hand as many nobles backed away and the issue subsided for a while. Moid-ud-din later revolted once again with the help of Masti Khan (son of Surat governor) plus he joined hands with the Rathore Rajputs of Idar (Idar is situated in Gujarat). Despite being defeated once again, Moid-ud-din continued being a thorn in his side garnering as much support against Ahmad Shah-I. Finally Moid-ud-din was slain in another war.
Siege of Junagadh SAURASHTRA
The Chudasama Rajput king named Mokalasimha of Saurashtra (Junagadh) was a vassal of Delhi Sultanate. But his son Meliga regained control of their region. This annoyed the Sultan. So a pitched battle was fought in 1414 in which the Rajputs lost. These territories were then added to the Gujarat Sultanate.
Relentless destruction of Hindu temples
The desecration of Hindu temples continued under the reign of Ahmad Shah-I like the Rudra Mahalaya temple in Siddhpur. So many Hindu kings built an alliance in 1416- Idar, Champaner, Zalod and Nandod, but somehow the rebellion was crushed and Ahmad Shah-I went to occupy many other places in Gujarat.
☀️ Muhammad Shah-II (r. 1442- 1451 CE): the generous hearted
He was called Zarbakshi- the gold giver. He had fewer military campaigns. In 1445 he led a campaign against the state of IDAR and another against Dungarpur. In both cases he was successful as the rulers agreed to pay tribute. He died in Feb 1451 and is buried next to his father and predecessor at Jami masjid, old city Ahmedabad.
☀️ Ahmad Shah-II (r. 1451- 1458 CE)
Muhammad Shah-II died in 1451 and his son and heir apparent Qutb ud-din Ahmad Shah-II became the next Sultan.
Sultan of MALWA V/z Sultan of GUJARAT
The MALWA Sultanate had also been formed out of the diminishing Delhi Sultanate during the Tughlaq dynasty reign. It's Sultan was Mahmud Khilji (r. 1436- 1469 CE). The Malwa Sultanate covered Madhya Pradesh and South eastern Rajasthan. Mahmud Khilji began laying siege on Gujarat territories- Sultanpur, Vadodara and Nadiad. Sultan Ahmad Shah-II (Gujarat Sultanate) met the advancing forces of Malwa Sultanate and defeated Mahmud Khilji in a decisive victory.
By and large India was in the clutches of different Sultanates who had broken loose from Delhi Sultanate, and they were now fighting among themselves for supremacy.
Qutb ud-din Ahmad Shah-II had a short reign. He died in 1458 due to a sword wound from one of his skirmishes. Thereafter his uncle Daud Shah (r. 1458) ascended the throne, but was deposed in less than a month due to improper acts.
☀️ Mahmud Shah I BEGADA, also known as MAHMUD BEGADA (r. 1458- 1511 CE)
MAHMUD BEGADA is the half-brother of Qutb ud-din Ahmad Shah-II. His mother Bibi Mughli was the daughter of Jam Juna from the royal family ie. SAMMA DYNASTY of SINDH. After Ahmad Shah-I, he is next in line of most prominent Sultans of Gujarat Sultanate. He was just 13 when he ascended the throne on 25 May 1458.
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| Rani no haziro- Tomb of Bibi Mughli in red chadar. She was mother of MAHMUD BEGADA. Her sisters are to the right, also other family members such as BEGADA's son Muhammad Kala who died during his lifetime and Md.Kala's mother- Rani Manjhri. Location- near Jami masjid old city Ahmedabad |
The conquest of Junagadh (Girnar)
SAURASHTRA at the time was under control of the CHUDASAMA Rajput king Ra Mandalika III and Junagadh was the capital. Mahmud Shah I had subjugated the CHUDASAMA king twice earlier and compelled him to suzerainty. But Ra Mandalika III continued to conduct himself as a sovereign which enraged the Gujarat Sultan. In 1472 Ra Mandalika III was ordered to convert to ISLAM*. The king finally realised the shocking truth of an Islamic mindset and escaped by night to the hills of Girnar (1472-73 CE). A two year siege of Junagadh fort followed after which Ra Mandalika III's stores were empty and he was finally forced to surrender and accept Mahmud Shah I's conditions and was forced to accept Islam to save his life. Thereafter it is said he moved to Ahmedabad with the Sultan and lies buried at Manek chowk. Saurashtra and Junagadh meanwhile came under the folds of Gujarat Sultanate.
*ISLAMIC MINDSET
There are some historians who project Muslim rulers in a manner that they were simply ambitious kings longing to expand their territories as their Hindu counterparts. But the truth is. Muslim rulers invaded India with a single-minded focus and primarily strived towards the advancement of ISLAM in a bid to claim a place in the Islamic paradise. Their reign is recorded with sufficient proof ~
> Desecration of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist places of worship and pluder of temples wealth.
> Conversion of Hindus into Islam.
> Streamlining new converts of Islam, for fear of them slipping into the religion of their ancestors was another concern for the autocratic muslim rulers.
> Lastly jiziya was exacted from Hindu principalities who did not convert to Islam.
The siege on Champaner [Pavagadh]
During the time, Champaner was being ruled by RAVALS, namely the Khichi Chauhan Rajputs. Learning that Mahmud Shah I was marching with a big army to Champaner, the Raval fled to the nearby hill of Pavagadh. The Sultan vowed not to rest till he had taken the hill fort of Pavagadh, and built the Jama masjid to show his resolve. The siege lasted 20 months i e. April 1483 till Dec 1484.
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| Jama masjid Champaner, Gujarat |
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| Jama masjid Champaner, Gujarat |
Then one day during the early hours of the morning when the Raval's soldiers were busy with bathing and morning chores, the Muslim army found a route to the fort. A fierce battle followed nevertheless, but failed to resist the Muslim. Raval and his minister was seriously wounded, but refused to convert to Islam- so they were put to death. Raval's son was held captive and converted to Islam. Pavagadh fell into the hands of muslims on 21 Nov 1484. The Sultan Mahmud thereafter began to be called Mahmud 'BEGADA' as he had conquered the two hill forts of Junagadh and Pavagadh.
Suggested read- Pavagadh - Champaner day trip from Vadodara
Mahmud BEGADA died on 23 Nov 1511 at the age 66 and was buried at Sarkhej Roza Ahmedabad.
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| Tomb of Mahmud BEGADA, his son Muzaffar Shah II & great grandson at Sarkhej Roza Ahmedabad |
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| Board states - Tomb of Mahmud BEGADA, his son & great grandson at Sarkhej Roza Ahmedabad |
☀️ SULTAN MUZAFFAR SHAH II (r. 1511- 1526 CE)
After Mahmud BEGADA's death, his eldest son Muzaffar Shah II from Begada's Rajput wife Rani Hirabai became the next regent of Gujarat Sultanate. Muzaffar's reign brought him in close confrontations with the Rana of Mewar; namely Rana Sanga.
The strifes for IDAR
The princely state of IDAR was ruled by the Rathore Rajputs. At the time, there were two claimants to the throne of IDAR~ Bhar Mal, son of Rao Bhim of IDAR and Rai Mal, nephew of Rao.
The Sultan who supported Bhar Mal, directed his governor Nizam Khan from the nearby town of Ahmednagar (present-day Himmatnagar) to reinstate Bharmal, who had been overthrown by Raimal. But Rai Mal had the support of his father-in-law RANA SANGA as well as Sanga's other Rajput allies on his side. Nizam's army pursued Raimal into the hills and in the bargain lost many of his soldiers while engaging the Sanga's army. Sanga further weakened the Sultanate by plundering their Himmatnagar and Visanagar towns. Nizam was chased right till Ahmedabad and thereby leading the valiant Rana Sanga to lay siege over Northern Gujarat.
The strifes for MALWA
After the crushing defeats at Idar, the Gujarat Sultanate formed an alliance along with Malwa Sultanate and Delhi against RANGA SANGA of Mewar. Apparently Medini Rao Parihar, the minister of Malwa was an ally of Rana Sanga and had taken control of Dhar (a town in M.P.). So in 1518 Muzaffar Shah II sent his army to Malwa via the Godhra route. On learning that Muzaffar's army had reached Dhar, Medini Rao evacuated the place and sought help from Rana Sanga. This time however, Muzaffar's army pushed back Rana Sanga and captured the Malwa territory of Mandu, thereby restoring Malwa back to Sultan Mahmud Khilji of Malwa Sultanate.
☀️ BAHADUR SHAH (r. 1526- 1535 CE): and the struggle for succession
Muzaffar Shah II died on 5 April 1526 at the age 51 and was buried next to his father at Sarkhej Roza Ahmedabad. He appointed Sikandar Shah (r. 1526) as the next heir to the throne. Meanwhile, Bahadur Shah (also Muzaffar Shah II's son) got tense and fell out with his brother as a result. Fearing for his life he fled Gujarat.
However, in a string of events that followed, Sikandar Shah was murdered within weeks by Imad ul-Mulk, a close friend of Sikandar. Imad himself wished to be regent so he appointed another 6 year old son of MUZAFFAR named Nasir Khan to the throne while he retained complete control. When Bahadur Shah learnt of the incident, he gained support from other nobles and returned to Gujarat. On reaching Champaner, he first executed Imad ul-Mulk and then poisoned Nasir Khan, and ascended the throne in 1527 as Bahadur Shah.
Some time later, Bahadur Shah was confronted by another brother named Latif Khan who now asserted claim to the throne. Bahadur defeated Latif who later died of battle wounds.
Gujarat Sultanate v/z Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was gaining a stronghold in India and around 1532 CE Bahadur Shah found himself in close confrontation with Emperor Humayun. Unable to judge Humayun's military power, Bahadur Shah made several mistakes which led to his defeat in 1535 CE. This defeat crushed his morale and he escaped to Mandu and then to Champaner. The Mughals had now brought most of Gujarat under their fold except Saurashtra, so the Sultan of Gujarat finally found some refuge in Diu Saurashtra.
No sooner had the Mughals departed for Delhi, a major uprising broke out in retaliation for the Mughal attack. Taking advantage of the support received on account of this revolt, Bahadur Shah managed to drive out the Mughals from Gujarat.
Bahadur Shah v/z the Portuguese
The Portuguese captured Diu at the Battle of Diu 3 Feb 1509. Despite that, they did not take control of the port since they found it would be expensive to maintain. Now in 1531 during Bahadur Shah's reign, the Portuguese were making efforts to once again take control over Diu (Saurashtra).
Sultan Bahadur Shah was caught up between the Mughals on one side and the Portuguese on the other. As the Mughals gained control over Gujarat, he was forced to court the Portuguese in an attempt to use them against the Mughals. This was indeed a bad move, as despite having forfeited a great deal of his kingdom to the Portuguese as appeasement during the Treaty of Bassein (23 Dec 1534), he was killed by them on Feb 1537 and his body dumped into the Arabian sea.
☀️ Mahmud Shah III (r. 1537- 1554 CE)~ a lifetime of disputes and strife
Bahadur Shah had no son, so the nobles appointed Latif Khan's 11 year old son (Bahadur's nephew) as the next Sultan while two ambitious nobles namely; Darya Khan and Imad-ul-mulk ran the government. The manipulative Darya Khan made several attempts to usurp Imad so as to gain complete powers, and ultimately succeeded in doing so. However he was unable to perform his duties in a satisfactory manner, causing displeasure to the Sultan. In days to follow some more dramatic events took place, whereby Darya Khan attempted to install an individual during Mahmud Shah III's absence, claiming him to be a descendant of Ahmed Shah Badshah.
The citizens and Darya Khan's own men however were displeased at being placed opposite their Sultan. In a battle that followed, Mahmud Shah III managed to drive out Darya Khan and gained control of his kingdom once again. But that was not all, much rebellion and strife continued amongst the nobles, until one day the Sultan was stabbed to death by his own servant.
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