Bahmani Sultanate Civil War

Timeline

1. 1443Bidar · Deccan PlateauDuring Ala-ud-Din Ahmad Shah II's reign, Deccan local nobles long stood opposed to foreign nobles from Persia, Turkey, and elsewhere. The sultan had earlier used only foreign nobles in his campaign against Khandesh, which the Deccan faction saw as favoring outsiders. On the eve of the 1443 foreign war, the two factions attacked each other in the Bidar court, entangling domestic turmoil with military decision-making.
2. 1443–1444Mudgal · KarnatakaDeva Raya II led an army to invade Raichur Doab, capturing Mudgal and besieging Raichur and Bankapur. Ala-ud-Din marched out with the Bahmani army; the two sides fought three battles near Mudgal within three months. Vijayanagara won first then lost, and Deva Raya II's eldest son was killed in action. After capturing two senior officers, Deva Raya withdrew to the Mudgal fortress.
3. 1444Mudgal · KarnatakaAla-ud-Din threatened the lives of the captured officers, forcing Deva Raya II to sue for peace, promising to resume tribute payments and guaranteeing the sultan would not cross the border. Although the war ended in a Bahmani military victory, resentment between the Deccan and foreign factions deepened at court; three years later a large-scale massacre of foreign nobles broke out, and the sultanate's internal governance crisis continued to worsen.