Ilyas Shah

Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah
Shah of Bengal. Shah of the Bengalis. The just Sultan. The second Alexander, the right hand of the caliphate, the defender of the Commander of the Faithful.
1st Sultan of Bengal
Reign	1352–1358
Successor	Sikandar Shah
Issue	Sikandar Shah
House	Ilyas Shahi dynasty
Religion	Islam

Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah (Bengali: শামসুদ্দীন ইলিয়াস শাহ) was the first Sultan of Bengal and founder of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, which lasted for nearly one hundred and fifty years. A Sunni Muslim of Sistani Afghan origin, he unified the Bengal region into an Islamic kingdom during the 14th century. Popularly known as Ilyas Shah, he waged military campaigns across the eastern Indian subcontinent and defeated the rulers of Delhi, Sonargaon, Satgaon, Nepal, Orissa and Assam. Based in Pandua, his campaigns reached as far as the Kathmandu Valley, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Champaran and Cuttack. His campaigns were considered "world-conquering" in the context of medieval India. Ilyas Shah has been described as the Bengali equivalent of Alexander or Napoleon.

The Bengal Sultanate established by Ilyas Shah emerged as one of the leading diplomatic, economic and military powers in the subcontinent. The dynasty founded by him ruled Bengal for 125 years. Ilyas Shah and his successors embraced Indo-Aryanization and adapted themselves to Bengali culture and society. Their kingdom was a melting pot for migrants from across the Muslim world. It played a key role in the development of Bengali Muslim society. He formed an inclusive and pluralistic administration. His most important legacy is that of the first independent unified Bengali kingdom under Muslim rule.

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