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{{Short description|Sultan of the Bahmani Sultanate from 1436 to 1458}}
{{Infobox monarch
| image = Bahmanis of the Deccan. Ala al-Din Ahmad Shah II. 1435-1457.jpg
| succession = 10th [[Bahmani Sultanate|Bahmani Sultan]]
| reign = 17 April 1436 – 6 May 1458 <ref name=Dhir>Krishna Swaroop Dhir, ''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Wonder_That_Is_Urdu/jVx6EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Bahmani+1458&pg=PA508&printsec=frontcover The Wonder that is Urdu: A Multidisciplinary Analysis]'' (Motilal Banarsidass, 2022) p.508</ref>
| predecessor = [[Ahmad Shah I Wali]]
| successor = [[Humayun Shah]]
| birth_name = ‘Alau’d-din Zafar Khan
| burial_place = [[Bahmani tombs]]
| issue = Humayun Shah<br>Hasan Khan<br>Yahya Khan
| father = [[Ahmad Shah I Wali]]
| religion = [[Islam]]
}}
'''Alau’d-din Ahmad Shah''' was the tenth sultan of the [[Bahmani Sultanate]]. He was considered a benevolent ruler, albeit weak in administration.{{Sfn|Sherwani|1946|p=223}}{{Sfn|Yazdani|1947|p=130}} His reign is marked by rebellions.

The rift between the Dakhanis, or old-comers, and Afaqis, or new-comers<ref group="note">The Afaqis are referred to as new-comers rather than foreigners by Sherwani, as the Dakhnis were also of foreign origin.

The Dakhni camp also included the [[Habesha peoples|Habashis]]</ref> worsened during his reign.

== Early life ==
Alauddin was the eldest son of [[Ahmad Shah I Wali]].

During his father's reign, Alauddin participated in military campaigns.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

== Reign ==
Upon his coronation, he assumed the title of Alauddin Ahmad [[Shah]].

=== Vijayanagara campaign and the rebellion of Muhammad Khan ===
The first major military campaign during Alauddin's reign began against [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara]], over the non-payment of tribute by [[Deva Raya II]]. Alauddin deputed his brother Muhammad Khan to demand tribute by force. This venture was successful and Deva Raya sent "eight lacs of huns, twenty elephants and two hundred girls adept in the arts of dance and song".

During his return from Vijayanagara, Muhammad Khan launched a rebellion against the sultan on the premise that according to the will of Ahmad Shah, Alauddin and Muhammad were designated to rule the kingdom jointly. Muhammad Khan captured several forts including [[Raichur Fort|Raichur]], [[Mudgal]] and Solapur.

He fled to the jungle and was pursued by Alauddin's soldiers, who had express orders not to harm the prince. Muhammad was pardoned and awarded the jagir of Rajachal.[[File:Daultabad_Fort.jpg|thumb|[[Chand Minar]] built to commemorate the victory at [[Daulatabad Fort|Daulatabad]]]]

=== Khandesh campaign ===

=== Second Vijayanagara campaign ===
Alauddin himself commanded the army at Mudgal. A peace treaty was signed and the arrears of tribute were paid in full.

=== Chakan massacre ===
Mushir ul Mulk besieged the [[Khoja (Turkestan)|Afaqis]] in the [[Chakan fort|fort of Chakan]]. He informed the sultan that they had insulted the king. Alauddin ordered the execution of all of them.

They lured the Afaqis into the camp, and massacred practically all of them, including many [[Sayyid|Sayyids]].{{Sfn|Haig|1925|p=405}}

The king removed Dakhnis from office, including Prime Minister Mian Minallah.

The [[massacre]] further strained Dakhni-Afaqi relations.
=== Rebellion of Jalal Khan ===
In 1455, Jalal Khan, a brother-in-law of Alauddin and the jagirdar of Nalgonda, declared himself king. This was due to a rumour of Alauddin's death as he had been suffering from a wound on his shin.{{Sfn|Sherwani|1946|p=243-244}} Alauddin marched on Nalgonda, and Jalal's son Sikandar enlisted [[Mahmud Khalji]] to join their rebellion. In 1456, Mahmud invaded [[Berar Province|Berar]].{{Sfn|Haig|1925|p=409}}

At [[Mahur, Maharashtra|Mahur]], Alauddin commanded a force of 180,000 men. He divided his army into three contingents. Faced with an army thrice the size of his own, [[Mahmud Khalji]] withdrew leaving behind a token force of 1000 men.

[[Mahmud Gawan]] was put in charge of suppressing the revolt. Jalal was pardoned by the sultan and allowed to retain [[Nalgonda]].{{Sfn|Sherwani|1946|p=245}}

=== Public works and social welfare ===
Alauddin is credited with building a large hospital at Bidar. He endowed several villages, the revenue from which would fund the hospital.{{Sfn|Sherwani|1946|p=227-228}}{{sfn|Haig|1925|p=407}}

== Death and succession ==
Alauddin died on 6 May 1458,<ref name=Dhir/> from the malignant wound on his shin. He was succeeded by his son, [[Humayun Shah]] Zalim Bahmani.

== Personality ==
[[File:Tomb_of_Ala-ud-din_Ahmad_Shah_among_the_Bahmani_tombs,_Bidar.jpg|thumb|The tomb of Ala-ud-din is embellished with encaustic tiles]]Alauddin was described as a benevolent ruler, but weak in administration.

== Family ==

=== Wives ===

* Agha Zainab, daughter of Nasir Khan of [[Khandesh]]
* Ziba Chihra, daughter of the Raja of Sangameshwar

=== Issue ===

* Humayun Shah, eleventh Bahmani Sultan
* Hasan Khan{{Sfn|Sherwani|1946|p=257, 262-263}}
* Yahya Khan{{Sfn|Sherwani|1946|p=257}}

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{reflist|group=note}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Alauddin Ahmad}}

=== Sources ===
* {{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.46989/page/n5/mode/2up |title=The Cambridge History of India Vol. II: Turks and Afghans |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=1925 |editor-last1=Haig |editor-first=Wolseley |editor-link=Wolseley Haig}}
* {{cite book |last=Yazdani |first=Ghulam |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279710/page/n1 |title=Bidar, Its History and Monuments |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1947 |location=London |author-link=Ghulam Yazdani}}
* {{cite book |last=Sherwani |first=Haroon Khan |date=1946 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.68551 |title=The Bahmanis of the Deccan |publisher= |location=Hyderabad |author-link=Haroon Khan Sherwani}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[Bahmani Sultan]]|before=[[Ahmad Shah I Wali]]|after=Humayun Shah|years=1436–1458}}
{{s-end}}
{{Bahmani Sultanate}}
[[Category:Bahmani sultans]]

Alau'd-din Ahmad Shah - Revision history

Onliporno at 12:58, 19 March 2026