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Bahmani Sultanate Fragmentation Crisis (1482)

Type Event Region Asia Time 1482–1490

After Muhammad Shah III died in 1482, the Bahmani Sultanate of the Deccan fell into a severe succession crisis and noble factional strife;…

Timeline

  1. 1482Bidar · KarnatakaAfter Muhammad Shah III's death the Bahmani central court lost its strong monarch. Provincial governors had long maintained their own armies, and the sultan's death completely broke the balance between center and provinces; a succession struggle erupted at once.
  2. 1482–1486Bidar · KarnatakaAfghan and Deccan noble factions at court fought fiercely, successively enthroning child rulers such as Mahmud Shah IV as puppet sultans. Real power fell to the chief minister and the provincial governors, central edicts could not be enforced, and regional separatism became open.
  3. 1483–1490Deccan Plateau · Deccan PlateauThe governors of Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Golconda, Berar, and Bidar successively declared autonomy or crowned themselves kings; the Bahmani Sultanate existed in name only. The five great Deccan sultanates took shape, and the confrontation with the Vijayanagara Empire entered a new phase.

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