TheIlyas Shahi dynasty (Bengali:ইলিয়াস শাহী খান্দান,Persian:دودمان الیاس‌شاهی) was the first independent dynasty to set the foundations of the late medievalSunni MuslimSultanate of Bengal. Their rule extended from 1342 to 1487, though interrupted withinterregna by their slaves as well as theHouse of Ganesha.^[1]

The ancestors of Ilyas Shah originated fromSistan, and according to Syed A M R Haque, arrived inthe subcontinent as Muslim missionaries and the family were grantedjagirs in Bengal in the year 1227. Bengal was under theDelhi Sultanate at the time.

During the governorship ofIzz al-Din Yahya inSatgaon,Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah took service under him. Following Yahya's death in 1338, Ilyas Shah took control of Satgaon and declared himself as a Sultan, independent of Delhi. He then waged a campaign, defeating both the SultansAlauddin Ali Shah andIkhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah ofLakhnauti andSonargaon respectively by 1342. This led to the foundation of Bengal as a single political entity and the start of theBengal Sultanate and its first dynasty, the Ilyas Shahi.

After Shamsuddin's death, his sonSikandar Shah ascended the throne. Sikandar ruled for the next 30 years and built theAdina Masjid in Pandua in 1368 and Kotwali Darwaza inGauḍa.Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah, son of Sikandar Shah succeeded the throne and established friendly relationships with theMing Empire of China and encouraged trade. During his reign,Ma Huan, a Chinese traveller visited Bengal.

In 1415, political confusion and weakness of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty led toSaifuddin Hamza Shah's rule being overthrown by slaveShihabuddin Bayazid Shah's family and theHouse of Ganesha shortly after.^[2] Ganesha's son Jadu embraced Islam and assumed the title ofJalal ad-Din Muhammad Shah. He was succeeded by his son,Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah. Ahmad was killed by his nobles in 1436 in an attempt to restore the Ilyas Shahi dynasty.

After the death of Shamsuddin Ahmad, Two ephemeral rulers: Qutbuddin Azam Shah and Ghiyasuddin Nusrat Shah ruled Eastern Bengal for a brief period and struck coins in AH 837 (1434 CE). Another ruler, Siraj-al Din Sikandar Shah is only known from his undated coins. It is not known if any of them were related to Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah.^[3] In any case, the rule of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty was restored byMahmud Shah, a descendant of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, who ascended the throne in 1436 as Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. In 1487, the last ruler of this dynastyJalal ad-Din Fatih Shah was killed by hisHabshi commander of the palace guards,Shahzada Barbak, who ascended the throne under the title, Sultan Barbak Shah. With this, the Ilyas Shahi dynasty's rule over Bengal came to an end.^[4]

• Silver shaded row signifies the start of the Restored Ilyas Shahi dynasty.

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• Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin (2012)."Iliyas Shah". InIslam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.).Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.).Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
• The Iliyas Shahi Dynasty

• Ilyas Shahi dynasty
• Dynasties of Bengal
• Medieval Indian monarchies
• Dynasties of India
• States and territories established in the 14th century
• Sunni dynasties
• 1342 establishments in Asia
• 14th-century establishments in India

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