Contents

Malik Sarwar

Sultan-ush-Sharq Atabak-i-Azam Malik Sarwar was the first sultan of the Jaunpur Sultanate and the founder of the Sharqi dynasty.

Part of a series on the
Jaunpur Sultanate سلطنت جونپور
Rulers Malik Sarwar 1394-1399 Mubarak Shah 1399-1402 Ibrahim Shah 1402-1440 Mahmud Shah 1440-1457 Muhammad Shah 1457-1458 Husayn Shah 1458-1479
Architecture Atala Mosque Jama Mosque, Jaunpur Jhanjhari Masjid Lal Darwaza Mosque
Warfare Bhojpur (1389-1489) Bengal (1415-1420)
Historiography Tarikh-i-Dawudi
v t e

Early life[edit]

Malik Sarwar was an eunuch of common birth, possibly a slave of African descent, in the Delhi Sultanate.^[1] The first mention of him in contemporary records describes him as the custodian of royal jewelry during the reign of Firuz Shah Tughlaq. He was later appointed Shahnah-i-Shahr (governor of the city) of Delhi.

He played an important role in the accession of Muhammad Shah to the throne of Delhi, and was appointed the wazir and awarded the title of Khwaja-i-Jahan. He later made Malik Sarwar the governor of the eastern provinces, awarding him the title of Sultan-ush-Sharq (sultan of the east).

Malik Sarwar continued to play an important role in the politics surrounding the throne, and in the accession of Mahmud Shah.

Reign[edit]

In 1394, when the news of a rebellion in Jaunpur arrived. Mahmud appointed Malik Sarwar to his earlier position of the governor of the eastern provinces, and dispatched with him a large army, with twenty elephants. Malik Sarwar defeated the rebels and returned to Jaunpur.^[2]

At this point, he was practically independent as the Delhi Sultanate was in decline. He issued coins in his name, and had the Friday sermon read in his name, and gave himself the title of Atabak-i-Azam (the great lord).^[3]

Issue[edit]

As Malik Sarwar was a eunuch, he had to adopt an heir. He adopted Malik Mubarak Qaranfal and his brothers, and Malik Mubarak would later succeed him as Mubarak Shah. Mubarak Shah would be succeeded by his younger brother Ibrahim Shah, and thus, the Sharqi dynasty was established, taking its name from Malik Sarwar's title.

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Saeed, Mian Muhammad (1972). The Sharqi of Jaunpur: A Political & Cultural History. University of Karachi.
• Haig, Wolseley (1928). The Cambridge History of India. Vol. III. Cambridge University Press.