Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah

Taj ud-Din Firoz Shah (died 1 October 1422), also known as Firoz Shah Bahmani, was the ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan Plateau of India from 16 November 1397 to 22 September 1422. Firuz Shah is considered an important ruler of the Bahamani Sultanate. He expanded his kingdom and even succeeded in conquering the Raichur Doab from Vijaynagara kingdoms.

Firuz Shah fought against the Vijayanagara Empire on many occasions and the rivalry between the two dynasties continued unabated throughout his reign, with victories in 1398 and 1406, but a defeat in 1419.

Early life and background He was a son of Daud Shah, the fourth sultan, and a grandson of Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, the first sultan.

In 1406, he defeated the Vijayanagara Empire. A peace treaty was signed and the daughter of Deva Raya was married off to him.

Defeat at Pangal and later rule

In 1420, an attack on Pangal, which had been taken by Vijayanagar, proved disastrous. Firuz was trounced by Vijayanagar and he retreated, surrendering the southern and eastern districts of his kingdom. This defeat had a deep impact on his morale and he was henceforth a broken man. He spend his final two years in asceticism and piety. The administration of the kingdom was delegated to two manumitted slaves, Hushyar and Bidar, who were given the titles of 'Ain-ul-mulk and Nizam-ul-mulk.

Succession In 1422, Firuz, on the advice of Hushyar and Bidar, ordered Ahmad to be blinded, in order to secure the succession for his eldest son Hasan Khan. Ahmad, along with his son Alauddin and his supporters, fled the capital and was pursued by a force of three or four thousand horse, led by Hushyar and Bidar. In the ensuing battle, Ahmad's army defeated the army of Hushyar and Bidar, as they fell back to Gulbarga with Ahmad in pursuit.

As Ahmad laid siege to Gulbarga, Firuz, now extremely ill, was carried to the battlefield. Rumours of his death caused many in his army to defect to Ahmad's camp. The citadel was surrendered and Firuz abdicated in favour of Ahmad.

Death and burial Firuz Shah died on 1 October 1422 in Gulbarga. He was buried in a large tomb in the Haft Gumbaz, that was constructed during his lifetime.

Family Wives Firuz Shah had married the daughter of his patron, Muhammad Shah II Bahmani. He had taken a daughter of Narsingh Rai of Kherla in his harem after an expedition against Kherla. After the War of the Goldsmith's Daughter, he also married a daughter of Deva Raya I of Vijaynagar.

Alongside his wives, Firuz is known to have many concubines from different races all over the world, and had built a large city on the hanks of the Bhima river for housing his vast harem, which had "very wide and straight roads and fine shops and bazars, and brought the waters of the river right inside the palace." Firuz reportedly also read Old and New Testament for satisfying his Christian and Jewish concubines. However, his chief wife was Muhammad Shah II's daughter, who was designated as Queen of the Deccan and presided over the harem.

Issue Firuz Shah is known to have at least two sons and one daughter: Hasan Khan, his oldest son, whom he originally had appointed heir apparent. After Ahmad Shah's ascension, Hasan Khan was spared by his uncle, and was allowed to live in luxury in his jagir in Firozabad throughout his reign. However, upon the ascension of his cousin Alauddin Ahmad Shah, Hasan Khan was blinded. Mubarak Khan. His daughter, Nargis Begum married Humayun Shah Bahmani, the grandson of Ahmad Shah I Wali, and all following sultans of the Bahmani dynasty were maternal descendants of Firuz Shah through this marriage. A daughter, married Shamsuddin Muhammad Inju.

Personality Firuz Shah was particularly an intellectual king. He was compared to Muhammad Tughluk in this aspect. He was well versed in Quran and Islamic jurisprudence, took philosophical leanings in Sufism and proficient in several languages and took three days off in a week to give lectures on subjects like mathematics and Euclidean geometry. He was also a master of several languages like Persian, Arabic, Canarese, Telugu, Marathi and many other languages. He also was poet and wrote under the name of Firozi. His interest in astronomy is quite evident when he instructs to build an observatory in Daulatabad which would get completed after his death. He was also respectful of other faiths, and read the Christian and Jewish scriptures. He also maintained a vast harem consisting of inmates from different parts of the world. He would also contract temporary marriages known in the Shi'ah doctrine as mutāh so as to not conflict with his strict Islamic observerence.