Deccan sultanates

Quick Facts: Who was Deccan sultanates?

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Deccan sultanates

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Five medieval Muslim kingdoms on the Deccan Plateau, successors to the Bahmani Sultanate.

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Origins & Early Life

The Deccan sultanates is a historiographical term referring to five medieval Persianate Muslim kingdoms based in the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range. They emerged after the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate and were ruled by various dynasties: Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. Ahmadnagar was the first to declare independence, in 1490; followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year. Bidar became independent in c. 1492, and Golconda in 1512 CE. Although the five sultanates were all ruled by Muslims, their founders were of diverse origins: the Nizam Shahi dynasty, the ruling family of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, was founded by Malik Hasan Bahri, a Marathi Muslim of Brahmin origin; the Berar Sultanate by a Kannadiga Muslim of Brahmin origin; the Bidar Sultanate by a Georgian slave; the Bijapur Sultanate by a foreigner who may have been a Georgian slave purchased by Mahmud Gawan; and the Golconda Sultanate by a slave of Iranian Turkmen origin.

Career & Major Achievements

All the Deccan sultanates based their legitimacy on being the successor states of the Bahmani Sultanate, and continued to use Bahmanid coins instead of issuing their own coins. Although generally rivals, the sultanates did ally with each other against the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565, permanently weakening Vijayanagara in the Battle of Talikota. Notably, the alliance destroyed the entire city of Vijayanagara, with important temples being razed to the ground. In 1574, after a coup in Berar, Ahmadnagar invaded and conquered it. In 1619, Bidar was annexed by Bijapur.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The sultanates were later conquered by the Mughal Empire: Berar was stripped from Ahmadnagar in 1596; Ahmadnagar was completely taken between 1616 and 1636; and Golconda and Bijapur were conquered during Aurangzeb's 1686–87 campaign. The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was founded by Ahmad Nizam Shah, who was the son of Nizam ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri, prominent in Bahmanid politics as the leader of the Deccani Muslim party at the court. Nizam-ul-Mulk Bahri was a military slave, formerly a Hindu Brahmin from Vijayanagar originally named Timapa who converted to Islam, although the Brahmin lineage might have been a genealogical topos rather than fact, which, along with military training, Persian education and conversion by patronage, was meant to share with the origin of the Bahmanid dynasty. He became the regent of Muhammad Shah Bahmani after the former had devised the execution of Mahmud Gawan. As the head of the Sunni Deccani party, Nizam-ul-Mulk led the wholesale massacre of the Shi'a foreigners, especially the Turks and Georgian population in Bidar, by the orders of the Bahmani Sultan.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1490: 1490 Milestone — Ahmadnagar was the first to declare independence, in 1490; followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year.
2. 1565: 1565 Milestone — Although generally rivals, the sultanates did ally with each other against the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565, permanently weakening Vijayanagara in the Battle of Talikota.
3. 1574: 1574 Milestone — In 1574, after a coup in Berar, Ahmadnagar invaded and conquered it.
4. 1596: 1596 Milestone — The sultanates were later conquered by the Mughal Empire: Berar was stripped from Ahmadnagar in 1596; Ahmadnagar was completely taken between 1616 and 1636; and Golconda and Bijapur were conquered during Aurangzeb's 1686–87 campaign.
5. 1619: 1619 Milestone — In 1619, Bidar was annexed by Bijapur.

Notable Quotes by Deccan sultanates

“There were massacres (qatl-e 'ām) twice in the city, in the course of which not a single person from abroad was left alive. The killing spree lasted for three days.”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Deccan sultanates

True or False: “The Deccan Sultanates remained unified and militarily strong throughout their existence until they were finally conquered by the Mughals.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While they allied against Vijayanagara in 1565, internal conflicts led to them being successively annexed by neighboring powers before the Mughal conquest.

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