Ismail Khan (Bengali: ইসমাঈল খাঁ) was a nobleman of the Sultanate of Bengal. He was the brother of Isa Khan, the leader of the Baro-Bhuiyan confederacy.[1]

Ismail Khan
BornSarail, Sultanate of Bengal
DiedSultanate of Bengal
FatherSulaiman Khan
MotherSyeda Momena Khatun
ReligionSunni Islam

Biography edit

Khan was born in the 16th-century into an aristocratic Bengali Sunni Muslim zamindar family known as the Dewans of Sarail in the Sultanate of Bengal. His grandfather, Dewan Bhagirath, belonged to a Bais Rajput clan from Ayodhya and settled in Sarail after being appointed as the Dewan of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah of Bengal. His father, Dewan Sulaiman Khan (formerly Kalidas Gazdani), inherited this position and converted to Sunni Islam. Ismail Khan's mother, Syeda Momena Khatun, was the daughter of Sultan Mahmud Shah.[2] His maternal aunt was married to Khidr Khan Surak.[3] Ismail had one brother, Masnad-i-Ali Isa Khan, who would later rule Bengal and one sister, Shahinsha Bibi.[4]

Khan's maternal grandfather, Sultan Mahmud Shah of Bengal, was defeated by the Afghan sultan Sher Shah in 1538, leading to Bengal becoming a province of the Sur Empire. During the reign of Islam Shah Suri in 1545, Muhammad Khan Sur was appointed as the Governor of Bengal and responsible for warding off rebellious chieftains in the region. The Dewans of Sarail were one of the most notable resistances to Sur authority, and Ismail's father was given the death penalty.[5] A force led by Taj Khan and Dariya Khan were dispatched against them, and despite a strong resistance from the Dewans, Ismail's father Sulaiman was eventually killed in the conflict. Ismail, and his elder brother Isa Khan, were subsequently taken as captives and later sold as slaves to Iranian traders in Turan.[6]

In 1563, the Karrani dynasty took control of Bengal and Bihar. Ismail's uncle, Dewan Qutbuddin Khan, was employed in the court of Sultan Taj Khan Karrani and successfully traced his nephews.[6] Qutbuddin Khan managed to free Ismail and his brother by exchanging currency with their owners.[7][8]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Bhattasali, Nalini Kanta (1929). "Bengal Chiefs' Struggle for independence in the reign of Akbar & Jahangir". Bengal, Past & Present. 39. Calcutta Historical Society: 33–34.
  2. ^ Abdur Rahim, Mohammad, ed. (1995). Islam in Bangladesh Through Ages. Islamic Foundation Bangladesh. p. 30. Isamil and Isa were his sons by this wife
  3. ^ Chowdhury, Kamal (2005). Banglar Baro Bhuiyan and Maharaj Pratapaditya. p. 164.
  4. ^ Abdul Karim (1991). Akanda, Safar A. (ed.). "Masnad-I-Ali Isa Khan". Journal of the Institute of Bangladesh Studies. 14. Rajshahi University: Institute of Bangladesh Studies.
  5. ^ Ibrahim, Muhammad (2012). "Rule of Afghans". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b Rashid, Haroon (2008). History of the Pathans: The Ghurghushti, Beitani and Matti tribes of Pathans. p. 342.
  7. ^ Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin (2012). "Isa Khan". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  8. ^ Islam, Zahurul (1952). Haq, S. Moinul (ed.). "A note on Isa Khan and his family". The Proceedings of the Pakistan History Conference. Karachi: 331.