Bahadur Shah of Gujarat

Qutb-ud-Din Bahadur Shah (born Bahadur Khan; died 13 February 1537) was a sultan of the Muzaffarid dynasty who reigned over the Gujarat Sultanate, a late medieval kingdom in India from 1526 to 1535 and again from 1536 to 1537. He also ruled over the Malwa Sultanate after conquering it in 1531. He ascended to the throne after competing with his brothers. He expanded his kingdom and made expeditions to help neighbouring kingdoms. In 1532, Gujarat came under attack of the Mughal Emperor Humayun and fell. Bahadur Shah regained the kingdom in 1536 but he was killed by the Portuguese on board a ship when making a deal with them.

The army of Bahadur Shah included the Koli tribe and Abyssinians. The Kolis of Gujarat attacked Humayun in the help of Bahadur Shah at the Gulf of Khambhat.

Early years and origin Bahadur Shah was born in the Muzaffarid dynasty, which ruled over Gujarat. The origins of the dynasty lied in south Punjab.

Bahadur Shah's father was prince Khalil Khan, who later ascended to the throne of the Gujarat Sultanate in 1511 as Muzaffar Shah II. He was present at the Battle of Panipat, though he did not take part in fighting.

After death of Muzaffar Shah II in 1526, Sikandar Sháh succeeded. After few weeks in power, he was murdered on the instructions of his slave Imád-ul-Mulk Khush Kadam, who seated an infant brother of Sikandar's, named Násir Khán, on the throne with the title of Mahmud Shah II and governed on his behalf. Three other princes were poisoned. The only event of Sikandar's reign was the destruction of an army sent against his brother Latíf Khán who was helped by Rána Bhím of Munga (now Chhota Udaipur). When Bahadur Khan received the news of the death of his father, he returned to Gujarat. The nobles deserted Imád-ul-Mulk's cause, and prince Báhádur Khán, was joined by many supporters prominent among whom was Táj Khán, proprietor of Dhandhuka. Bahádur marched at once on Chámpáner, captured and executed Imád-ul-Mulk and poisoning Násir Khán ascended the throne in 1527 with the title of Bahádur Sháh.

His brother Latíf Khán, aided by Rája Bhím of the Kohistan or hill land of Pál (Pal-Dadhvav, near Bhuloda, Gujarat), now asserted his claim to the throne. He was defeated, and fell wounded into the hands of the Gujarát army and died of his wounds and was buried at Halol. Rája Bhím was slain. As Bhím's successor Ráisingh plundered Dahod, a large force was sent against him, commanded by Táj Khán, who laid waste Ráisingh's country and dismantled his forts.

In 1530 the king marched to Nágor, and gave an audience both to Prithviraj of Dungarpur and to the ambassadors from Rána Ratansi of Chittor. The Rána's ambassadors complained of encroachments on Chittor by Mahmúd Shah II of Malwa Sultanate. Mahmúd promised to appear before Bahádur to explain the alleged encroachments. Bahádur waited. At last, as Mahmúd failed to attend, Bahádur said he would go and meet Mahmúd. He invested Mándu and received with favour certain deserters from Mahmúd's army. The fortress at Mandu fell and Sultán Mahmúd and his seven sons were captured without any resistance on 28 March 1531. Malwa was annexed into Bahadur's kingdom. He was then thirty-one years old and in the eleventh year of his reign. According to the author of the Mirăt-i-Sikandari the reason for Bahádur's murder was that a message from him to the Deccan sultans, inviting them to join him in an alliance against the Portuguese, had fallen into the hands of the viceroy. Whatever may have been the provocation or the intention, both sides had treacherous designs; neither party was able to carry out its original plan. The end was unpremeditated, hurried on by mutual suspicions.

Muhammad Zaman Mirza, the fugitive Mughal prince made his claim on the ground that Bahadur's mother adopted him as her son. The nobles thus invited Miran Muhammad Shah to come to Gujarat as quickly as possible, but he died on his way to Gujarat. Finally, the nobles selected Mahmud Khan, the son of Bahadur's brother Latif Khan as his successor and he ascended to the throne as Mahmud Shah III on 10 May 1538.