Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah

Ghiyasuddin Aazam Shah (, ) was the third Sultan of Bengal and the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. He was one of the most prominent medieval Bengali sultans. He established diplomatic relations with the Ming Empire of China, pursued cultural contacts with leading thinkers in Persia and conquered Assam.

Reign

Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah was son of Sikandar Shah and one of his Hindu wives. He had at least seventeen half-brothers. During his father's reign he served as the governor of Alapsing (modern Mymensingh) and established a mint town named Ghiyaspur there. A capable prince, he was reportedly the favorite of his father. When his stepmother attempted to persuade Sikandar to name one of her sons as heir and blind and imprison Ghiyasuddin, the prince rebelled and overthrew his father Sultan Sikandar Shah at the Battle of Goalpara in 1390. His army killed the sultan despite Azam Shah ordering them not to kill his father, following which he ascended the throne and blinded all of his half-brothers.

During the early part of his reign, he conquered and occupied Kamarupa in modern-day Assam. The invasion was facilitated by Kamrup's internal instability, leading to a precarious hold over the region. A stone inscription issued by Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah was found at Boko, Kamrup dated to 1389-90 AD indicating that he conquered Kamrup region by then. Numismatic evidence, including coins dated 799 AH (1396–97 CE) found in Koch Bihar and 802 AH (1399–1400 CE) found in Guwahati, suggests significant political influence by Giyasuddin Azam Shah in Kamrup. A copperplate inscription about a land grant made in the year 1399 AD at Hajo region mentions a Kamrupa king defeating the Gauda king Ghiyasuddin. The name of the Kamrupa king isn't clear from the inscription.

His interests included establishing an independent judiciary and fostering Persianate and Bengali culture. He also had a profound regard for law. A story about him and a qazi is very famous as a folktale and moral story. The sultan obeyed the law and gave indemnity to the poor widow for killing her son. When the trial was over the Qazi stood up and praised the sultan for his regard for the law.

Literary patron Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah was a patron of scholars and poets. Among others, the Persian poet Hafez kept correspondences with him. One of the earliest Muslim Bengali poet, Shah Muhammad Sagir, who was a poet-laureate of Ghiyasuddin, wrote his famous work, Yusuf-Zulekha at the request of the Sultan. The Hindu poet, Krittibas Ojha, also translated the Ramayana in Bengali as Krittivasi Ramayan during his reign.