Jaunpur Sultanate: Map & History
The Jaunpur Sultanate was a late medieval Indian Muslim state which ruled over much of what is now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and southern Nepal between 1394 and 1494.
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The Jaunpur Sultanate was a late medieval Indian Muslim state which ruled over much of what is now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and southern Nepal between 1394 and 1494. It was founded in 1394 by Khwajah-i-Jahan Malik Sarwar, a eunuch slave and former wazir of Sultan Nasiruddin Muhammad Shah, amidst the disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate under ruling Tughlaq dynasty. Centred in Jaunpur, the sultanate extended authority over a large part of the Ganges-Yamuna Doab. It reached its greatest height under the rule of Sultan Ibrahim Shah, who also vastly contributed to the development of Islamic education in the Sultanate. In 1494, Sultan Hussain Shah Sharqi was defeated by the forces of the Afghan ruler Bahlul Lodi, sultan of the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate at Benares after which Hussain fled to Kahalgaon in modern-day Bihar where the Sultan of Bengal assigned him a pargana. Here he was allowed to mint his own coins and was promised help from Bengal in recovering his kingdom. He died in 1505.
Modern Countries Once Part of Jaunpur Sultanate
At its mapped extent, Jaunpur Sultanate covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Jaunpur Sultanate's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Jaunpur Sultanate in Depth
History
In 1389, Malik Sarwar received the title of Khwajah-i-Jahan. In 1394, he was appointed as the governor of Jaunpur and received his title of Malik-us-Sharq from Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq (1394–1413). Soon, he established himself as an independent ruler and took the title of Atabak-i-Azam. He then suppressed the rebellions in Etawah, Koil and Kanauj. He was also able to bring under his control Kara, Awadh, Dalmau, Bahraich and South Bihar. The Rai of Jajnagar and the ruler of Lakhnauti acknowledged his authority and sent him several elephants.
During the reign of Malik Sarwar, Jaunpur became embroiled in a 100-year war with the neighbouring Ujjainiyas of Bhojpur in modern-day Bihar.
Military
Over the course of the fourteenth century, the Jaunpur Sultanate appeared to have been numerically superior to its neighbours when it came number of troops. It has been posited that this was because Jaunpur had many Rajput vassals under the sultans who paid tribute with levies of peasant war-bands. Among the contemporary Rajput clans who were situated in the territory or the peripheries of the Jaunpur Sultans, were the Baghelas of Rewa, the Bachgotis of Sultanpur in Uttar Pardesh, Ujjainiyas of Bhojpur as well as the Tomars of Gwalior.
The support of these Rajput levies were what allowed the last sultan, Hussain Shah, to continue to challenge the sultans of Delhi.
Background
The Sharqi dynasty was founded by Malik Sarwar, a eunuch slave of probably African origin. He was succeeded by his adopted son, Malik Qaranfal, who was previously a Hindu slave-boy and a water-bearer of Firoz Shah Tughlaq. However, according to a contemporary writer, Yahya Sirhindi, Malik Qaranfal was a member of the Sayyid dynasty. Malik Qaranfal became the next sultan with the title of Mubarak Shah. He was succeeded by his brother, Ibrahim Shah.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Jaunpur Sultanate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Jaunpur Sultanate: Key Facts
| Capital | Jaunpur |
|---|---|
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 1399 |
| Dissolved | 1479 |
Facts from Wikidata Q167134 (CC0).
Jaunpur Sultanate Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Jaunpur Sultanate appears, with the other states of the time.
Jaunpur Sultanate Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 159,344 km² in 1478 CE.
Jaunpur Sultanate: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Jaunpur Sultanate exist?
The Jaunpur Sultanate is dated to 1395 CE – 1481 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of the Jaunpur Sultanate?
The capital of the Jaunpur Sultanate was Jaunpur (1394–1493), Kahalgaon (capital-in-exile) (1494–1505).
How large was the Jaunpur Sultanate at its peak?
At its peak in 1478 AD the Jaunpur Sultanate covered about 159,344 km².
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