Mohammed Shah I

For other similarly named persons and places, see Muhammad Shah (disambiguation).

Mohammed Shah I (reigned 1358–1375) was the second ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate, a late medieval kingdom of India. He succeeded his father Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah.^[2] He initiated the Bahmani–Vijayanagar War with two neighboring kingdoms, the Vijayanagara and the Warangal under Kapaya Nayaka, and successfully subjugated them. He was succeeded by his son Alauddin Mujahid Shah.^[3][4]

Mohammed Shah I
Muhammed Shah Bahmani I
A copper coin of Mohammed Shah I
2nd Bahmani Sultan
Monarch	11 February 1358 – 21 April 1375[1]
Predecessor	Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah
Successor	Mujahid Shah
Issue	Ala-ud-Din Mujahid Shah, Ruh Parwar Agha
Father	Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah

Reign

When Mohammad inherited the newly born sultanate from his father Alauddin, the land was still infested with thieves and robbers. As such he spent the entire part of his reign in establishing law in his land. He ordered his governors to never give refuge to anyone who defied his authority. This campaign was successful and at the end of his reign, the land became peaceful and law-abiding. He also sat on the takht-ē-firoza or The Turquoise throne which was gifted to him by Kapaya Nayaka.^[5]

During his time, he built the Jamia mosque of Gulbarga with the help of a Persian architect named Rafi of Qazvin in 1367.^[6]

Like his father, Mohammed was involved in wars with Vijayanagara. However he also became embroiled in wars with Warangal. Mohammed died in 1375 due to alcoholic addiction.^[4]

Genocide of non-believers

During his reign, he perpetrated some of the largest genocides of non-believers. It is estimated that he massacred approximately 500,000 to 1 million infidels.^[7] As a ruthless ruler of the Bahamani Sultanate, he was responsible for the deaths of countless children and women in the Vijayanagara Empire.^[8][9]

References

1. Sherwani 1946, Mohammad Shah Bahamani, pp. 76.
2. Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 106–108. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
3. Majumdar, R.C., ed. (2006). The Delhi Sultanate. The History and Culture of the Indian People. Vol. VI (5th ed.). Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. pp. 251–3.
4. Bhattacharya, Sachchidananda. A Dictionary of Indian History (Westport: Greenwood Press, 1977) p.653
5. Sherwani 1946, Reign of Mohammad, pp. 76-77.
6. Yazdani, G, ed. (20 April 2024), "Jama Masjid of Gulbarga", Report of the Archeological department of H.E.H Nizam's Dominions 1925-1926,1335, pp. 4–5
7. Defence Journal. 1995. p. 47.
8. Satyanarayana, Kambhampati (1983). A Study of the History and Culture of the Andhras. People's Publishing House. p. 160.
9. Kainikara, Dr Sanu (1 August 2020). From Indus to Independence - A Trek Through Indian History: Vol VII Named for Victory : The Vijayanagar Empire. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-93-89620-52-8.

Bibliography

• Sherwani, H K (1946), The Bahmanis of Deccan-An Objective Study