← Explore on the interactive map

Bahram Shah

Type Figure Region Afghanistan Time c. 1084–1157 Also known as Bahram Shah of Ghazni、بهرام شاه、Bahram-Shah ibn Mas'ud III

Bahram Shah (c. 1084–1157) was a Ghaznavid sultan who reigned from about 1117 until his death in 1157, a forty-year rule making him one of the dynast…

Timeline

  1. c. 1084–1118Ghazna · AfghanistanBahram Shah was a son of the Ghaznavid sultan Mas'ud III. After his brother Arslan Shah succeeded to the throne, a fierce struggle for succession broke out between the brothers. Around 1117, with the military support of the Seljuk sultan Sanjar, Bahram Shah defeated his brother and took the Ghaznavid throne, thereafter ruling as a vassal of the Seljuk dynasty in exchange for external security.
  2. c. 1118–1150Ghazna · AfghanistanIn the early part of his reign Bahram Shah devoted himself to stabilizing his rule and vigorously promoting the flourishing of Persian literature and court culture. The famous Sufi poet Sanai dedicated his epic Hadiqat al-Haqiqa to him. The court gathered many poets and scholars, and Ghazna maintained considerable cultural influence even as its military prestige declined.
  3. c. 1150–1157Ghazna · AfghanistanAround 1150, the Ghurid sultan Ala al-Din Husayn attacked and burned the old city of Ghazna on the pretext of revenge, severely damaging the dynasty's vitality. In his later years Bahram Shah strained to maintain control over frontier regions such as Punjab, and died in 1157. His son succeeded him, but the Ghaznavid dynasty soon headed rapidly toward extinction.

Sources