Bengal Sultanate

Bengal Sultanate was a state in Bengal, Odisha and the northeast (South Asia) that lasted from 1352 to 1576 CE, about 224 years. Its people spoke Iranian languages (Median, Persian, Parthian, Scythian, Sogdian, Pashto, Kurdish).

Founded when Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah united Bengal's provinces. Its sultans profited from rice, cotton cloth and sea trade, raised brick mosques at Gaur and Pandua and patronized Bengali poetry; the Mughals took it from the Karrani Afghans in 1576.

See Bengal Sultanate on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

1352 to 1576 CE

Duration

224 years

Type

State

Region

Bengal, Odisha and the northeast, South Asia

Language family

Iranian

Capital

Pandua, Gaur, Tanda

Came from

• Sena dynasty c. 1070 to 1230 CE

Became

• Mughal Empire 1526 to 1857 CE

Events in South Asia during its time

• 1398 Timur sacks Delhi
• 1498 Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut
• 1526 First Battle of Panipat
• 1565 Battle of Talikota

Neighbours in South Asia

• Mughal Empire 1526 to 1857 CE
• Ahom Kingdom 1228 to 1826 CE
• Kingdom of Mysore c. 1399 to 1950 CE
• Kingdom of Kandy 1469 to 1815 CE
• Delhi Sultanate 1206 to 1526 CE
• Vijayanagara Empire 1336 to 1646 CE
• Bahmani Sultanate 1347 to 1527 CE
• Timurid Empire 1370 to 1507 CE
• Sur Empire 1540 to 1556 CE
• Kingdom of Mewar c. 728 to 1949 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Republic of Venice c. 697 to 1797 CE, Europe
• Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE, Europe
• Byzantine Empire 395 to 1453 CE, Middle East
• Swahili city-states c. 800 to 1700 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Holy Roman Empire 962 to 1806 CE, Europe
• Srivijaya c. 650 to 1377 CE, Southeast Asia
• Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
• Khmer Empire 802 to 1431 CE, Southeast Asia
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Europe
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Middle East

Questions