| Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah | |
|---|---|
| As-Sulṭān as-Salāṭīn Shams ad-Dunyā wa ad-Dīn Abu al-Muẓaffar Yūsuf Shāh[1] | |
| 11thSultan of Bengal | |
| Reign | 1474–1481 |
| Coronation | 1474 |
| Predecessor | Rukunuddin Barbak Shah |
| Successor | Nuruddin Sikandar Shah |
| Born | Yusuf bin Barbak Sonargaon,Bengal Sultanate |
| Died | 1481 (1482) Gaur,Bengal Sultanate |
| Burial | 1481 |
| Spouses | Lotan Bibi |
| House | Ilyas Shahi |
| Father | Rukunuddin Barbak Shah |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah (Persian:شمس الدین یوسف شاه,Bengali:শামসউদ্দীন ইউসুফ শাহ) was theSultan of Bengal from 1474 to 1481. He belonged to theIlyas Shahi dynasty and was the successor of his father, SultanRukunuddin Barbak Shah.
Yusuf was born into a ruling classBengali MuslimSunni family known as theIlyas Shahi dynasty, in theBengal Sultanate. His father,Barbak, and his grandfather,Mahmud, were descendants ofShamsuddin Ilyas Shah – the founder of the ruling dynasty as well as the nation. Hailing from what is now easternIran and southernAfghanistan, Yusuf's family was ofSistani ancestral origin but had assimilated in Bengal for over a hundred years.
According to tradition, Yusuf married a Hindu dancer called Mira (or Mirabai) who had embraced Islam and taken the name Lotan Bibi.[2][3] In her name, Yusuf Shah established the LotanTaluq (administrative subdivision) which contains theLattan Mosque and Lotan Dighi, and that taluq existed even until the British period.[4]
After the death of his fatherRukunuddin Barbak Shah in 1474, Yusuf ascended the throne of Bengal stylising himself asShams ad-Dunyā wa ad-Dīn Abu al-Muẓaffar Yūsuf Shāh. He also took other titles such asẒillullāh fī al-ʿĀlamīn,Khalīfatullāh bi al-Ḥujjah wa al-Burhān,As-Sulṭān as-Salāṭīn,As-Sulṭān al-ʿĀdil al-Aʿẓam,Malik ar-Riqāb wa al-Umam andKhalīfatullāh fī al-Arḍīn.[5] He had several ministers under him such asMajlis Alam andMalik Khaqan Pahlavi andMirṣād Khān Atābek, who constructed numerous mosques across his domain. The most notable ones were the Sakomohan Mosque inMaldah, theFaqir Mosque inChittagong,Goyghor Mosque inMoulvibazar, theQadam Rasul Mosque,Lattan Mosque,Tantipara Mosque andDarasbari Mosque inGaur. He put strictSharia law in order and prohibited drinking wine in his ruling kingdom.[5]
According to legend, Yusuf Shah executedShah Jalal Dakhini, a Sufi preacher who had established akhanqah in present-dayMotijheel, Dhaka and gained excessive prominence and pomposity.[6]
Yusuf Shah appreciated poetry in various languages. Upon the construction of a mosque inDhaka District in 1480, its inscription ended with a Persian verse fromSaadi Shirazi'sBustan. During his time as a prince, he was the patron of poetsZainuddin andMaladhar Basu.[5]
He died in 1481 and was succeeded by his paternal uncle,Nuruddin Sikandar Shah.[7]
Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah | ||
| Preceded by | Sultan of Bengal 1474–1481 | Succeeded by |