Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah


Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah was a ruler of Bengal and member of the Ganesha dynasty. He was the son and successor of Sultan Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah. After his father's death, he ascended the throne at the age of 14.

Biography

The Muazzampur Shahi Mosque, adjoining the dargah of Shah Alam Shah Langar, in Muazzampur, Sonargaon was built during the reign of Ahmad Shah. The Persian inscription mentions officers by the name of Firuz Khan and Ali Musa Sultan.
According to Firishta, he followed the liberal policy of his father and was known for justice and charity. His father had good ties with Barsbay, a Mamluk sultan who had gifted Jalaluddin with investiture, a robe of honour and a letter of recognition. Jalaluddin had died before his own gifts could be dispatched to Barsbay, and so the job was left for Ahmad Shah to complete. Ahmad Shah had slightly delayed the dispatching but nevertheless sent the initial gifts of his father off whilst also adding more gifts of his own. In total, the package was worth over 12,000 red tankas and included clothes, cotton, ginger, myrobalan and other spices. The envoy, travelling from Bengal to Cairo via the Indian Ocean, sank whilst at Jeddah's coast. In 1436, the Governor of Jeddah sent some men to search the Red Sea for the gifts and they came back with the textiles although the spices were damaged by the water. After Barsbay was informed of this by the Governor, he ordered for the arrest of all members of the Bengali embassy, the confiscation of their envoy's merchandise, and banned them from ever travelling to Cairo again.
Ahmad Shah ruled for only 3 years. His reign was marked with chaos and anarchy including an invasion led by Ibrahim Shah Sharqi. Later Ahmad Shah was killed by two of his powerful and influential servants, Sadi Khan and Nasir Khan in 1436 AD. He was buried in the Eklakhi Mausoleum with his mother and father. After his assassination, Sadi Khan and Nasir Khan fell out and were eventually overthrown. Bengal became under the Ilyas Shahi dynasty again after the ascension of Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah in 1437.