Previous blog- The Bahmani Sultanate of Deccan
Capital city- Golconda [1519 to 1591 CE]
Hyderabad [1591 to 1687 CE]
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| Charminar, Hyderabad |
As the Bahmani Sultanate began seeing cracks, Quli Qutb Shah~ a Persian nobleman who had led many successful military campaigns for the Bahmanis, now declared independence and established his own Sultanate. Golconda was the capital city of the new Sultanate. The Golconda Sultanate was one among the 5 independent states that gained independence from the Bahmanis of the Deccan. The other 4 were : Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Bidar and Berar.
List of Golconda dynasty rulers~
đź‘‘Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk (1518 to 1543 CE)
Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk belonged to the same period as the mighty Hindu Vijayanagara kings~ Krishna Deva Raya and Achyutaya Deva Raya. Among his many military campaigns is the capture of the fort of Warangal along with some others in the present day Andhra region (ie. Kondapalli, Eluru and Rajahmundry).
đź’ˇ Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk was a Persian unlike the long line of Golconda Sultans were Shia muslims.
đź‘‘ Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah (r. 1543 to 1550 CE)
Jamsheed is the son who was second-in-line to the throne, but became Sultan by treachery. He murdered his father/ predecessor Quli Qutb Shah and blinded the heir apparent son Qutbuddin. Ibrahim Quli, yet another son of Quli Qutb Shah fled to (strange enough) his adversary the Vijayanagaras. Jamsheed however did not live long and is said to have died of cancer in 1550 CE.
đź‘‘ Subhan Quli Qutb Shah (r. 1550 CE)
Before his death Jamsheed his 7 year old son Subhan Quli Qutb Shah as the next Sultan of Golconda and appointed Ainul Mulk as regent to govern on behalf of the child. The young Subhan lived a short life as he was overthrown and later probably murdered in the same year by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah who was now back in Golconda.
đź‘‘ Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali (r. 1550 to 1580 CE): and the art of deception
Ibrahim's 7 year exile in Vijayanagara where he had been a guest of the Hindu king Rama Raya had a favorable impact on his perception towards Hindus and Telugu culture in particular, that he even adopted a new name 'Malki BhaRama'. Hindu literature and holy scriptures thrived during the period of his reign. He also did not hesitate in employing Hindu administrative, diplomatic and military officials.
The subtle art of deception: as explained by a true Muslim
And if it's any surprise, by 1565 CE Ibrahim got associated with the Muslim Ummah and turns out ~ he's actually a stealth jihadi whose life's mission was in reality the destruction of the mighty Vijayanagara empire. Aliya Rama Raya of Vijayanagara empire had in reality been nurturing a snake all this while. At the infamous Battle of Talikota, thanks to Ibrahim; the Vijayanagara empire was crushed and Aliya Rama Raya died a brutal death at the hands of the muslim confederacy. Ibrahim himself died of illness in 1580.
đź‘‘ Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (r. 1580 to 1612 CE) : a visionary Sultan
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah is the son and successor of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah who ascended the throne as the next Sultan of Golconda.
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah's legacy
A fine administrator and statesman this visionary Sultan is credited for leaving back a rich legacy, such as;
1) The city of Hyderabad - it was Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah who founded and built Hyderabad in 1591.
2) The Charminar, an architectural masterpiece in the old city of Hyderabad was also built around the same.
3) Interestingly Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah was a learned man, poet and author of some renowned works in Persian, Urdu and the local language- Telugu.
đź‘‘ Muhammad Qutb Shah (r. 1612 to 1626 CE)
The name sounds similar as above, but Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah was the nephew and son-in-law of his predecessor. He was married to Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah only daughter Hayat Bakshi Begum. It seems that this Sultan switched to Sunni form of Islam.
đź‘‘ Abdullah Qutb Shah (r. 1626 to 1672 CE): and the Mughal trap
Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah was the son of his predecessor. He had an enormous hunger for literature and maths, however the Mughal wave under Emperor Aurangzeb swept the Deccan during his reign. Sultan Abdullah had to lean towards forming an alliance with his Mughal rivals by marrying his daughter to Aurangzeb's eldest son in the hope that she would be a progency to the Mughal Empire. However his dream was not realised. He died in 1672.
đź‘‘ Abdul Hasan Qutb Shah (r. 1672 to 1686 CE): the last Sultan of Golconda dynasty
Abdullah Qutb Shah had all 3 daughters and was therefore succeeded by his son-in-law Abdul Hasan Qutb Shah aka Tana Shah (the lover of art & pleasure of life).
There is no place for secular ideas in Islam
Tana Shah was known to be a secular ruler who allowed celebration of Hindu festivals and even appointed Hindus ministers in office- these steps however brought the existing muslim elites in confrontation with the Hindu recruits. The muslim elite in turn approached the Golconda Sultanate's arch rival; ie Mughal emperor Aurangzeb who sent an armed faction led by his son. They wasted no time in attacking the Hindus and brutally killing those they felt would hinder the privileges they once enjoyed.
Abdul Hasan Qutb Shah was also arrested and jailed in the Daulatabad fort (near Aurangabad) where he died in 1699 after 12 years in captivity.
THE GOLCONDA DYNASTY COMES TO AN END!
By 1686 the Mughal Empire unsparingly brings much of the Deccan region under its control. That includes the Golconda Sultanate and the Bijapur Sultanate (Adilshahis).
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