Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk, more often though less correctly referred to in
English
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as Quli Qutb Shah (1485–1543), was the founder of the
Qutb Shahi dynasty
The Qutb Shahi dynasty also called as Golconda Sultanate (Persian: ''Qutb Shāhiyān'' or ''Sultanat-e Golkonde'') was a Persianate Shia Islam dynasty of Turkoman origin that ruled the sultanate of Golkonda in southern India. After the co ...
, which ruled the
Sultanate of Golconda in southern
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
from 1518 to 1687.
Of
Turkmen origin and born in
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, he originally served the
Bahmani sultan, and was awarded the title Qutb-ul-Mulk (Pillar of the Realm) as military chief; he eventually took control of Golconda.
Background
Originally named Sultan Quli, he was a
Shi'i Turkmen from the city of
Hamadan in
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
He was the son of Uways Quli Beg, of the
Qara Qoyunlu
The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu ( az, Qaraqoyunlular , fa, قره قویونلو), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, En ...
dynasty, and Maryam Khanum, a daughter of the Hamadan noble Malik Saleh. Through his father, he was descended from the Turkmen ruler
Qara Yusuf twice over; his grandparents, Pir Quli Beg and Khadija Begum, were grandchildren of Qara Yusuf's sons
Qara Iskander and
Jahan Shah respectively.
Sultan Quli had come to South India for the horse trade, and mentioned in SM Kamal's he is belonging to
Rowther Horse Traders from Persia. He migrated to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
with some of his relatives and friends, including his uncle Allah Quli Beg, in the beginning of the 16th century. Later, he travelled south to
Deccan and served the
Bahmani sultan.
[George Michell, Mark Zebrowski, '']The New Cambridge History of India
''The New Cambridge History of India'' is a major multi-volume work of historical scholarship published by Cambridge University Press. It replaced '' The Cambridge History of India'' published between 1922 and 1937.
The new history is being publi ...
: 1. The Portuguese in India'', (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 17. Due to his successful leadership in military conflicts, he received the title "Qutb-ul-Mulk".
Establishing the Qutb Shahi Sultanate
After the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate into the five
Deccan sultanates
The Deccan sultanates were five Islamic late-medieval Indian kingdoms—on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range—that were ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. ...
, he declared independence and took the title of Qutb Shah, and established the
Qutb Shahi dynasty
The Qutb Shahi dynasty also called as Golconda Sultanate (Persian: ''Qutb Shāhiyān'' or ''Sultanat-e Golkonde'') was a Persianate Shia Islam dynasty of Turkoman origin that ruled the sultanate of Golkonda in southern India. After the co ...
of
Golconda
Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparu ...
.
Even though there is ample evidence that he never proclaimed his kingship. The inscription on his grave itself names him as Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk:
Many historians have misattributed the word 'Sultan' in his name but his whole name just meant 'Servant of the Sultan' just like his Uncle Allah Mulk which meant 'Servant of Allah'.
Extension of the Sultanate
Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was a contemporary of
Krishana Deva Raya and his younger brother
Achyuta Deva Raya of the
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...
. Sultan Quli extended his rule by capturing forts at
Warangal
Warangal () is a city in the Indian state of Telangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 704,570 per 2011 Census of India, and spreading over an .
Warangal ser ...
,
Kondapalli,
Eluru, and
Rajamundry, while Krishnadevaraya was fighting the ruler of
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
. He defeated
Sitapati Raju (known as Shitab Khan), the ruler of
Khammam
Khammam formally (Khammam Mettu) is the city in Khammam district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is the fourth largest city in the state. It is the headquarters of the Khammam district and Khammam Tehsil, mandal also. It is located about ...
, and captured the fort. He forced Jeypore's ruler
Vishwanath Dev Gajapati to surrender all the territories between the mouths of
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
and
Godavari river
The Godavari (IAST: ''Godāvarī'' �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwa ...
s.
He was able to occupy Eluru, Rajamundry and
Machilipatnam extending his rule to
Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra (South costal Andhra) also known as Kostha Andhra is a region in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Vijayawada is the largest city in this region. It was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. ...
. Sultan Quli's campaign against Krishnadevaraya continued until
Timmarusu, the Prime Minister of Krishnadevaraya, defeated the Golconda army.
Death and succession
In 1543, while he was offering his prayers, Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was assassinated by his second son,
Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah
Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah (also transliterated in different ways) was the second ruler of the Sultanate of Golkonda under the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He ruled from 1543 to 1550.
His father, Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk, had established the dynasty and h ...
.
Jamsheed Quli also blinded Sultan Quli's eldest son and heir,
Qutbuddin, and assumed the throne. His sixth son
Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah fled to
Vijayanagara. Jamsheed Quli also killed his brother (the third son of Sultan Quli), Abdul Quadeer, who had revolted after their father's death.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quli Qutb Shah
16th-century Indian monarchs
1543 deaths
Qutb Shahi dynasty
Hyderabad State
People from Hamadan Province
1470 births
Ethnic Turkmen people