| Alauddin Firuz Shah | |
|---|---|
| al-Malik al-ʿĀdil ʿAlā ad-Dunyā wa ad-Dīn Abū al-Muẓaffar Fīrūz Shāh (The Just King, Nobility of the World andthe Religion, Patriarch of Triumph, King Firuz) | |
| 20thSultan of Bengal | |
| Reign | 1533 |
| Predecessor | Nasrat Shah |
| Successor | Mahmud Shah III |
| Born | Fīrūz bin Naṣrat |
| Died | 1533 Sultanate of Bengal |
| Burial | 1533 |
| House | Hussain Shahi |
| Father | Nasrat Shah |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Governor ofChittagong | |
| In office Until 1533 | |
| Monarch | Nasrat Shah |
| Preceded by | Chhuti Khan |
ʿAlā ad-Dīn Fīrūz Shāh (Bengali:আলাউদ্দীন ফিরোজ শাহ,Persian:علاء الدین فیروز شاه) was the son and successor of SultanNasiruddin Nasrat Shah ofBengal. He served as a governor ofChittagong during his father's reign, and was a patron ofBengali literature.[1][2] Firuz Shah ascended the throne in 1533, though it was not unanimously recognised by all the nobles of Bengal. The conflict with theAhom kingdom continued during his reign and the Bengali army led byTurbak Khan had reached as far asKaliabor. Within three months as Sultan, Firuz Shah was assassinated by his uncle, who succeeded him as SultanGhiyasuddin Mahmud Shah.[3]
Firuz was born in theSultanate of Bengal to an aristocraticBengaliSunni Muslim family known as theHussain Shahi dynasty.[4] His father,Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah, was a son of SultanAlauddin Husain Shah of Bengal and a son-in-law of SultanIbrahim Lodi ofDelhi. From an early age, Firuz was an admirer ofBengali literature.[5] As a royal prince and governor ofChittagong,[6] Firuz requested a writer known asDvija Sridhara to compose theVidya-Sundar love story in Bengali poetry form.[7][8][9] which was completed later during his reign. Sridhara continuously praised Firuz in the poem for his good manners and wisdom.[1]
Sultan Nusrat Shah was assassinated by aeunuch when returning from a visit to the tomb of his father,Alauddin Husain Shah.[10] Following his death, the throne was contested between his son, Firuz, and his brother,Mahmud. Mahmud had served as anameer during his brother's reign and the 20th-century historianJadunath Sarkar suggests that Mahmud was theheir apparent due to his early usage of royal insignia. Nevertheless, the nobles of the Sultanate including Mahmud's brother-in-lawMakhdum Alam, the Governor ofNorth Bihar, installed Firuz Shah to the throne.[11]
On the first day ofRamadan 939AH (27 March 1533), acongregational mosque was built inKalna, Burdwan byUlugh Masnad Khan, who was Firuz Shah's governor, commander and minister.[12] Within the space of three months, Firuz Shah was assassinated by his uncle, Mahmud, who succeeded him as the Sultan of Bengal.[13][14]
TheRiyaz-us-Salatin, written byGhulam Husain Salim in 1787, was the first history of Bengal which mentioned Firuz Shah, with his name being absent from the earlier chronicles, such as those written byFirishta andNizamuddin Ahmad. Though Salim's source is unknown, a century later,Heinrich Blochmann publicised the inscription adjacent to theKalna Shahi Mosque which commemorated the mosque's construction byUlugh Masnad Khan. During this time, the mosque was still in use and its guardians were known to have held largebighas of land. Coins from Firuz Shah's reign were also found which are now kept in theBritish Museum.[15]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Preceded by | Sultanate of Bengal Hussain Shahi dynasty 1533 | Succeeded by |