Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah
Ghiyasuddin Aazam Shah was the third Sultan of Bengal and the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. He was one of the most prominent medieval Bengali sultans. He established diplomatic relations with the Ming Empire of China, pursued cultural contacts with leading thinkers in Persia and conquered Assam.
Reign
Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah was son of Sikandar Shah and one of his Hindu wives. He had at least seventeen half-brothers. During his father's reign he served as the governor of Alapsing and established a mint town named Ghiyaspur there. A capable prince, he was reportedly the favorite of his father.When his stepmother attempted to persuade Sikandar to name one of her sons as heir and blind and imprison Ghiyasuddin, the prince rebelled and overthrew his father Sultan Sikandar Shah at the Battle of Goalpara in 1390. His army killed the sultan despite Azam Shah ordering them not to kill his father, following which he ascended the throne and blinded all of his half-brothers.
During the early part of his reign, he conquered and occupied Kamarupa in modern-day Assam. The invasion was facilitated by Kamrup's internal instability, as the Kamata ruler Indra Narayan had been overthrown by Arimatta, whose successors were weak, leading to a precarious hold over the region. Numismatic evidence, including coins dated 799 AH found in Koch Bihar and 802 AH found in Guwahati, suggests a second invasion or significant political influence by Giyasuddin Azam Shah in Kamrup.
His interests included establishing an independent judiciary and fostering Persianate and Bengali culture. He also had a profound regard for law. A story about him and a qazi is very famous as a folktale and moral story. Once, the sultan while hunting accidentally killed the son of a poor widow with his arrow. The widow appeared before a qazi and brought a charge of murder against the sultan. Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah was summoned by the Qazi, and appeared before the court like an ordinary accused person. Many people had gathered there to see a case against the sultan of the country. The sultan obeyed the law and gave indemnity to the poor widow for killing her son. When the trial was over the Qazi stood up and praised the sultan for his regard for the law.
Then the sultan said that he would have instantly beheaded the qazi if he faltered in his judgment. The qazi smiled and said that he would have flayed his majesty's back with a whip if he had not obeyed the law. Sultan Ghiyasuddin embraced the brave qazi, and the whole crowd shouted in their honour.