Saifuddin Hamza Shah

Hamza was born in the 14th-century into a ruling class Bengali Muslim Sunni family known as the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, in the Bengal Sultanate. His father, Sultan Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah, was the grandson of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah – the founder of the ruling dynasty as well as the nation. Hailing from what is now eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan, Hamza's family was of Sistani ancestral origin.

The reasoning behind the death of Hamza's father, Sultan Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah, is contested between a natural death or an assassination plotted by Raja Ganesha, the Hindu zamindarofBhaturia who gained prominence in the Sultanate court.^[2]

Following the death, Hamza assumed the throne with the grand title of "Sultan-us-Salatin", meaning Sultan of Sultans, in 1420 CE with the support of the court nobles. He began minting coins in his name from cities such as Satgaon, Muazzamabad and Firuzabad. Hamza also maintained a good relationship with the Yongle EmperorofMing China, and had an heir named Muhammad bin Hamzah.^[1]

Hamza's reign was interrupted by a nationwide civil war instigated by Raja Ganesha. According to the Egyptian scholars Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and Al-Sakhawi who were alive at the time of receiving the news, Sultan Hamza Shah was murdered by his slave Mamluk Shihab in 1412.^[1][3][4]

The 20th-century Indian historian R. C. Majumdar however, believes that Shihab was Hamza's son and did not kill Hamza but rather succeeded him after his death.^[5]

• List of rulers of Bengal
• History of Bengal
• History of Bangladesh