Lost and Lost: Tales of Failed Conquests

Desperate times require desperate measures. A Sultan’s quest of reclaiming their lost territory, failing twice, and ultimately granting it independence.

Firuz Shah Tughlaq - Source: British Library, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A Sultan known for building new towns during his reign, was paradoxically the same Sultan ruling a shrinking empire. The ruler withstanding these times of irony was Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309-1388), one of the last major rulers of the Tughlaq Dynasty. He ascended the throne on 23rd of March, 1351; a time of crisis for the Delhi Sultanate.

Bengal and Deccan had already broken away, while other provinces like Gujarat were soon to gain independence from the Sultanate. This undoing had many reasons, from the inability to build the empire’s military strength to appeasing the nobility, giving them too much autonomy.

His situation was dire. The nobles were not too keen on following the ruler’s commands. And the territories were slowly slipping away from the empire’s dominion. Something had to be done. Thus began Firuz Shah Tughlaq’s first march towards Bengal in the year 1353, two years after he had taken the royal seat.

Bengal had declared independence from the Delhi Sultanate in 1338. By the year 1352, Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, founder of the Bengal Sultanate, had taken full control over the province. And they were further expanding in the west, from Tirhut to Champaran and Gorakhpur to Banaras. For Tughlaq, this had set the alarm bells ringing.

When Firuz Shah Tughlaq’s army launched the attack and occupied the then Bengali capital, Pandua, Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah took cover in the impenetrable island fort of Ekdala. Tughlaq was unable to capture it and soon pulled back his forces. Although some accounts of erstwhile Delhi say that they did win the battle but did not annex the territory due to the Sultan’s wish. Nevertheless, a treaty of friendship was signed between the two kingdoms, setting river Kosi in Bihar as the demarcation line. And to further reflect each other’s sovereignty, gifts were exchanged between the two sides.

Later in the year 1358, Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah died. The seat of the state was taken by his son, Sikander Shah. Firuz Shah saw this as a chance to set things straight and finally recapture Bengal. He also felt the new ruler, by taking the throne, had violated the terms of the treaty.

So, in 1359, he marched eastwards, towards Bengal for the second time. But little did he know, history was on the verge of repeating itself. Like his father, Sikander used the same tactics and sought shelter in the vital Ekdala Fort. Firuz Shah Tughlaq failed, once again. After months of the siege, the climate of Bengal forced  Delhi’s ruler to retreat. A new treaty was signed acknowledging Sikander as an independent ruler. And Bengal was left alone for the next 200 years or so.

On his way back, Firuz Shah attacked Jajnagar (now Jajpur) in Orissa and plundered the Jagannath Temple in Puri. Later in 1360, he invaded Nagarkot and besieged the Kangra Fort. After a reign of over three decades, Firuz Shah died in the year 1388. Soon after his demise, the Tughlaq dynasty didn’t survive much and saw its own demise in the year 1413.