Nuruddin Sikandar Shah

As-Sulṭān Nūr ad-Dunyā wa ad-Dīn Sikandar Shāh
Part of a series on the
Bengal Sultanate
Ruling dynasties
  • Ilyas Shahi dynasty (1342–1414)
    • Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah 1342-1358
    • Sikandar Shah 1358-1390
    • Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah 1390-1411
    • Saifuddin Hamza Shah 1411-1413
    • Muhammad bin Hamza Shah 1413
    • Shihabuddin Bayazid Shah 1413-1414
    • Alauddin Firuz Shah I 1414
  • House of Ganesha (1414–35)
    • Raja Ganesha 1414-1415
    • Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah 1415-1416
    • Raja Ganesha 1416-1418
    • Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah 1418-1433
    • Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah 1433-1435
  • Restored Ilyas Shahi dynasty (1435–87)
    • Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah 1435-1459
    • Ruknuddin Barbak Shah 1459-1474
    • Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah 1474-1481
    • Nuruddin Sikandar Shah 1481
    • Jalaluddin Fateh Shah 1481-1487
  • v
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Nuruddin Sikandar Shah (Bengali: নূরউদ্দীন সিকান্দর শাহ, Persian: نور الدین سکندر شاه) was the Sultan of Bengal in 1481 CE for a brief number of days.[1]

Early life and background

Sikandar was born in the 15th-century into a ruling class Bengali Muslim Sunni family known as the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, in the Bengal Sultanate. His father, Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah,[2] was a descendant of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah - the founder of the ruling dynasty as well as the nation. Hailing from what is now eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan, Sikandar's family was of Sistani ancestral origin.

Reign

Following the death of his nephew,[3] Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah, Sikander rose to the throne though he did not retain this position for long. Historians Abdul Karim, Nizamuddin Ahmad and Ghulam Husain Salim indicate that Sikandar held the title for only a day or two, being removed almost immediately after his ascension because of his "lack of mental equilibrium". Banglapedia considers that Sikandar lost the confidence of the court nobles. Others suggest that his time as Sultan may have lasted for as long as two months.[1]

Legacy

Not much was known about Sikandar Shah for centuries other than a brief mentions of him in texts such as the Riyaz-us-Salatin where he is incorrectly referred to as the son of his predecessor.[4] Recently, coins of Sikandar Shah minted from Dār ad-Darb (Treasury) were discovered in Mathanguri, Baksa, Assam. One coin is preserved in Münzkabinett, Dresden Castle, Germany while three can be found in Bangladesh National Museum, Dhaka.[5]

Nuruddin Sikandar Shah
Preceded by Sultan of Bengal
1481 		Succeeded by

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin (2012). "Sikandar Shah II". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  2. ^ Rezaul Karim, Muhammad (2012). "Coins". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  3. ^ Abdul Karim (August 1999). বাংলার ইতিহাস: মুসলিম বিজয় থেকে সিপাহী বিপ্লব পর্যন্ত [১২০০-১৮৫৭ খ্রিঃ] (in Bengali). Dhaka: বড়াল প্রকাশনী. p. 90.
  4. ^ Ghulam Husain Salim (1904). "REIGN OF FATH SHAH, SON OF YUSUF SHAH". Riyazu-s-salatin; a history of Bengal. Translated from the original Persian by Maulavi Abdus Salam. Calcutta Asiatic Society. p. 121.
  5. ^ Sinha, Sutapa (2012). "Coin Hoard and Small Finds of the Sultans of Bengal in theCollection of Assam State Museum, Guwahati, Assam". Numismatic Digest. 36–37. Numismatic Society of Bombay: 103–107.