Sultanate of Bengal (Principia Moderni III Map Game)

The Sultanate of Bengal, sometimes referred to as the Bengali Sultanate or Bengalistan, is a state that borders the Bay of Bengal and controls the majority of Bengal, Orissa and Central India. The Empire, is one of the seven successor states of the traditional Hindustan Empire, the other states being the Jaunpur Sultanate, Deccan Sultanate, Udaipur Rajya, Vijaynagara Rajya, the Gurkha Rajya, and Konbaung Burma. However, it is the Sultanate of Bengal that is generally considered as the defacto successor, given that it was Bengal that formed the heart of the Hindustan Empire.

Following centuries of political, economic and cultural success, Urdustan finally faced a surge in sectarianism during the late 18th Century. When the Vijaynagara Rajya and Deccan Sultanate were proclaimed, the Empire went into decline, interrupted only by occasional periods of resurgence. However, within a few decades, numerous states had revolted against the authority of Pandua and the Empire fell into shambles.

The Battle of Pandua in 1808 led to the capture of Pandua, the capital of the Hindustan Empire by a Jaunpuri prince, Mahmud Shah I. This led to the start of a period where former lands of Hindustan which had revolted were captured one after another. The reconquest was generally limited to Bengal and Orissa but even so, the Empire did not return to its former glory.

This reversed at the turn of the 19th century, when Mahmud Shah I marshaled aid from the Jaunpur Sultanate and was able to crush the Illyas Shahi loyalists in the Battle of Chittagong. In the subsequent exodus, a large number of supporters of the Illyas Shahi Dynasty were exiled from Bengal. Following the battle, no power in Bengal was left that could've possibly challenged the authority of Mahmud Shah and the remaining warlord states submitted to him peacefully. Within a few years, a new capital was constructed known as Kolkata And Sultan Mahmud Ashraf Shah I proclaimed the rebirth of the Sultanate of Bengal.

Early India [1352 - 1453]
Following the collapse of the Delhi Sultanate, many Indian states popped up and with each Indian state keen on looking after it's own interests, the unity in India was seriously damaged. Two states, Pandua and Vijaynagar were exceptions who were keen on bringing back stability and unity to India therefore they worked together to establish a new and stable empire in India. During this time, the Timurid Empire ravaged through Central Asia and turned its monstrous sights upon India. In what seemed like a lightning war, the Timurids conquered one Indian state after another before reaching the gates of Delhi and capturing the city itself which then led to a major genocide of the Hindu population and complete destruction of the infrastructure of Delhi. This led the surviving states to sign the Treaty of Pandua in order to counter the Timurids and although initially considered an effective treaty that was successful in opposing Timurid influence, it eventually fell apart when the Timurids launched an invasion upon Vijaynagar and completely destroyed the state in what was known as the Rape of Vijaynagar. Eventually however, the Timurids suffered internal revolts and crumbled, forcing it to to abandon its previous Indian vassals who were subsequently accepted into the Treaty of Pandua. The successor state of the Timurids, the Persian Empire too sought to advance into India, but however were unable to do so as this time the Indian states acted much more effectively to oppose foreign powers

Rise of the Mughals & Suris [1453 - 1539]
Many attempts by Persians to acquire land in India had largely failed. However the Persians were not the only successors of the Timurids. In 1460s, the Mughal Empire was established. It was yet another Central Asian state that had set its sights upon India and was probably much more efficient in acquiring this goal than the Persians. Within a decade, the Mughals had set a foothold in India and soon the states Jaunpur and Bahamani had fallen into Mughal controls. Delhi had been established as the de facto capital of the Mughal Empire and states such as Gwalior, Marwar, Jaisalmar, Kathiawar were more or less integrated into the Mughal Empire. This eventually led to resistance by the Indian states led by Pandua who called for the respect and upholding of the Treaty of Pandua. In the subsequent Indian - Mughal War, the Mughals were completely defeated and were forced to grant independence to Bahamani and Jaunpur and to abandon Delhi after they signed the Treaty of Delhi although the Mughals never truly abandoned Delhi and it remained a part of the Mughal Empire. It was also agreed that the Indian League would be formed to end the threat that loomed over India, that is of a foreign state invading and exploiting India. 40-50 years later, the Mughals were accepted into the Indian League after the ascension of the Raja of Marwar to the position of Emperor of the Mughals but when the Mughals once again resorted to their imperialist tactics by attempting to vassalise Jaisalmer, Pandua demanded that the Mughals had to be punished. In the aftermath of the Second Indian - Mughal War, the Second Treaty of Delhi was signed in which the Mughal Empire was dissolved and the states of Multan, Sindh, Ladakh and Kangra were granted independence. The Suri Empire succeeded what was left of the Mughals and would establish control over Marwar and Delhi.

The Secessionist League [1539 - 1550]
By 1540s, India had been struck with a sudden increase of communalism. Many Hindu states demanded the expulsion of Muslims from the India subcontinent. It was certainly a demand that could not be accepted because the Muslim states played a very important part in the Indian League. The Hindu state of Vijaynagar too considered the expulsion of Muslims as a decision that could not be made but the Hindus would not be deterred. On 1542, the Hindu states of Gwalior, Gondwana, Bastar, Khandesh, Mewar, Malwa and Gujarat announced their decision to secede from the Indian League which led to fears of a return of instability. Negotiations started to come to a settled, but the Hindus would settle to nothing less than expulsion of Muslims. Eventually, both sides prepared for an inevitable war but unlike the Hindu League, the India League, however, also had the support of European states as well as the Suri Empire. In the war that lasted from 1544 - 1550, India was ravaged but the Hindus were finally defeated. In the Third Treaty of Delhi, it was agreed that the Hindu states would have their lands divided amongst Indian League members and the European states that participated in the war would be granted enclaves in India. It is also important to note that during the war, the Suri Empire captured both Delhi and Marwar but due to the weak position of the Indian League and need to acquire help from the Suri, these annexations were not opposed.

Period of Stability [1550 - 1575]
The Period after the war against the Secessionist League was generally regarded as a Period of Stability. India flourished during this period with many European merchants arriving to purchase Indian cotton, spices, opium which was beneficial for the local Indians.

War Era [1575 - 1745]
The stability and peace came to a subsequent end after Vijaynagar nationalists dissolved the union that existed between it and Pandua (Which was generally referred to as Urdustan at this point). This led to the removal of Vijaynagar from the Indian League and an invasion by Urdustan and Bahamani who then conquered and divided the state after the Indian - Vijaynagar War. This followed a period where Urdustan participated in almost every single war in which it was called upon, from aiding the Damascan Sultanate against Turks to helping Romans against Egypt. The war-mongering policy badly damaged the reputation and economy of Urdustan and this policy was eventually put to an end when Urdustan faced a financial crisis. Peace lasted only for a few decades or so until another Indian state, Raigam attempted to subjugate the Tamil Kingdoms under its rule. In their attempt to do so, they received aid from Urdustan who by now no longer felt any threat from any neighbour. It was not until the mid 1630s that Tibet launched an invasion upon Punjab, Ladakh and Kangra that the Indian League saw action again. The Tibetan forces were completely defeated and Southern Tibet was occupied in the subsequent Invasion of Tibet. Following this war, major changes were brought forth by Urdustan in an attempt to completely secure India. In doing so, Urdustan vassalized Bahmani and Jaunpur. It also aided allies such as Raigam in establishing the Kingdom of Lanka and Punjab in its conquest of Ladakh. However, on 1651, Urdustan and the Suri Empire reached a compromise for general partition of India signed the Treaty of Peshawar, which was to result in Dhundara and Lanka falling into the Urdustani sphere whilst Punjab and Ladakh fell into the Suri sphere. The rest of India was to be jointly influenced. Finally, orders were given to the military and Urdustan launched an invasion upon the Sultanate of Punjab on 1657, jointly with Suri forces and imposed a decisive victory over Punjab in the famous Battle of Lahore. As per the agreement, the Suri Empire occupied a Punjab and Ladakh but was to advance no further. Soon after, Urdustan generally avoided warfare and occasionally aided the Empire of Lanka in wars.

The Golden Age [1745 - 1780]
The Golden Age dawned upon the Empire of Urdustan after it had virtually united India, a dream that the people of Urdustan had been keen to accomplish since the advent of their Empire. After years of peace and prosperity, the Empire of Urdustan finally attacked the Sultanate of Dhundara on 1718 in an act of unprovoked aggression, generally considered by many as under orders from Spain. By then, Urdustan had indeed become a puppet of Hispania as the Spanish control over India grew stronger day by day. Regardless of that, Urdustan continued to become stronger and on 1740; the Empire of Hindustan was proclaimed to commemorate Urdustani conquest of Hindustan. It was indeed a new age for the people of Hindustan, and surely; it was bound to be one never seen before. For on 1748, in one of the least expected turn of events; the nation of Hindustan declared war upon Hispania along with many other European nations and within a span of a single year; the Spanish colonies of Burma, Dhundara and the Spanish enclaves such as Madras had fallen. Following the defeat of Spain, Hindustan was generally considered as a superpower state by much of the world and what would Hindustan do next would be the question of interest for everyone. For up until 1780, Hindustan dominated world politics but not even the most astute of world leaders could have predicted the demise of the crown jewel of the earth.

Fall of the Empire [1780 - 1808]
By 1780, Hindu sectarianism in Vijaynagar was on the rise. It was generally considered to be a prime threat to the Empire for if Vijaynagar seceded, and a large number of troops were ordered to attack the Hindu revolters in Vijaynagar. What followed next was a scene that drew parallels to the Timurid Rape of Vijaynagar for within a span of two years, Vijaynagar had been layed to dust by Hindustani troops.The nation had been destroyed in the war fought between the Hindu guerrillas and the Hindustani forces, and the latter often resorted to destroying and burning cities in attempts to drive off guerrillas which certainly antagonized the general populace. The Hindu revolts soon started to spread off to other parts of the Empire as well and when it became obvious that Hindustan was unable to maintain control over Vijaynagar, Sriranga I of the Aravidu Dynasty declared the Vijaynagara Rajya and announced independence from Hindustan. Given how weak the auithority of Pandua had become, the ruler of Bahmani, Ibrahim Adil Shah announced his declaration of war upon Vijaynagara but having witnessed the failure of Hindustan to maintain control over their lands, he declared independence as well; proclaiming the Sultanate of Deccan. Soon after, chaos ensued throughout the whole Empire with rebels attacking palaces and ransacking banks. Raja Ranthor Rao Sharma and Ahmad Shah II of the Sultanate of Gujarat and Jaunpur respectively were quick to declare their independence as well, as they had naturally assumed that the fall of Hindustan had begun. By 1785; conservative Buddhist nobles from the Konbaung dynasty proclaimed the start of the Burmese Empire; quickly breaking off Hindustan with little to no resistance faced. However what truly shook the foundations of Pandua was when Nepali Gurkhas announced the start of the Gurkha Rajya on 1786 and within two years, the Gurkha forces had completely shattered the Hindustani military. On 1788, Nepal was firmly established as an independent state. By then, there was nothing that could be done. Within a span of 8 years, the greatest Empire to have ever existed had collapsed. Many members of the Illyas Shahi Dynasty quickly fled to the Empire of Lanka, seeking asylum. Sultan Jehangir Sarfaraz Shah however chose to remain at Pandua in order to try to maintain the nearly 500 year old Empire. Regardless, his attempts largely failed. By 1808, the authority of Pandua was largely restricted to the city itself and Chittagong. The influence of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty had fallen, with hundreds of nobles proclaiming their own Sultanates throughout the crumbling remains of what was once the heart of the Hindustan Empire.

Rebirth of the Empire [1808 - 1854]
On December 21st 1808, a large army led by Mahmud Shah from the Sultanate of Jaunpur attacked Pandua, and captured the city in the decisive battle of Pandua. In the aftermath, Sultan Jehangir Sarfaraz Shah and the Bengali nobles fled the city, fleeing off to Chittagong where they established war-time capital. Soon, a base of operations was set up at Pandua by Mahmud a Shah who quickly set out to unite Bengal. In doing so, he came into conflict with various local warlords whom he defeated numerous times, and of particular notice was a coalition of warlord states that he decisively defeated at the Battle of Gaur. By 1809, he had united much of Bengal but his authority was challenged by the Ilyas Shahi dynasty from Chittagong. Well aware that his available resources made any victory over Chittagong impossible, Mahmud Shah tried to, and successfully secured reinforcements from Jaunpur, crushing the Ilyas Shahi dynasty in the Battle of Chittagong. The last Ilyas Shahi Sultan and various nobles were exiled to Lanka although their treasures were taken back to Pandua. Subsequently, with no power in Bengal to question the authority of Mahmud Shah, he united all of Bengal by 1810 and proclaimed the start of the Bengal Sultanate with him as the Sultan. After doing so, he quickly established a new capital at Kolkata to signify the start of a new era as well as because he felt Pandua would be hostile to him, given that it was the authority of a Pandua that ruled over Bengal and later Hindustan for 450 years. Under the rule of Sultan Mahmud Ashraf Shah, Bengal rapidly advanced in technology and education in India, and had soon acquired a dominant position in the state. The Sultan also led a campaign in Central India, in two offensive wars from 1847-1849 and 1850-52, against the Deccan Sultanate and was able to successfully topple the Adil Shahi regime in Deccan. He appointed his younger son, Prince Imran Ashraf Shah as a Governor for Deccan and later on married him with the only daughter of the last Deccan Sultan. By the end of his rule, he married his elder son, Prince Timur Ashraf Shah with a Jaunpuri Princess and established a dynastic union between the two states.

Politics
The Empire is a absolute hereditary monarchy. The current emperor is Sultan Timur Ashraf Shah of the Ashrafi dynasty.

The Sultanate is also governed to a certain degree by various representatives and diplomats of the Hashemite Caliphate who maintain authority over religion and religious issues in the state. However, these 'diplomats' are appointed by the Sultan of Bengal once a proposal is forwarded by the Caliph of the Hashemite Caliphate.

The Bengali Sultanate is also divided into provinces, with an Amir appointed for each province by the Sultan, responsible to maintain peace and calm in their respective province. The Amir is responsible to impose reforms in their respective provinces in order to modernize and develop them, and each province is given a specific budget from the state treasury based on the resources, population and size of each province. The Amir is also responsible for raising a specific number of soldiers annually, through military colleges and institutions who would then be enlisted into the national military. Besides the Amir, a Qazi is appointed by the Sultan for each province, as a judge to make decisions based off the Shariah Law, with jurisdiction over all legal matters regarding Muslims. The miniorites are not tried under the Shariah Law, and are faced with their own laws based off their religion. A Dewan is also appointed by the Sultan for each respective province, for collection of tax, to regulate the receipt and disbursement of the revenue of each province. These Dewan are transferred from province to another after a two year period. The Amir, Qazi and Dewan are directly answerable to the Sultan and not to one another.

To generally keep himself aware of the situation throughout the Sultanate, and to directly handle complaints of the people against particular Amirs, Qazis or Dewans, a two houses have been established. The Upper House, also known as the Majlis e Shura consists of prominent members of the Ashrafi dynasty. The Upper House generally acts to advise the Sultan on all matters, and can even impeach an incumbent Sultan if a majority is reached. One is elected into the Majlis e Shura through a proposal forwarded either by the Sultan or the Lower House, after which debates and discussions are held amongst the members and a decision is made. Members of the Majlis e Shura cannot themselves propose for anyone to join and a member of the Majlis e Shura can never become Sultan. The Lower House, referred to as the Majlis e Aam constituting of a larger body, consists of representatives of various tribes and dynasties with whom a dynastic union has been established. The Majlis e Aam is called into session on every month, and members of the Majlis e Aam can have direct audience with the Sultan to raise complaints against any particular person or any decision. Members of the Lower House are elected by their own respective tribes and families.

Annually, the Majlis e Shura, Majlis e Aam, Amirs, Qazis and Dewans gather together at Kolkata to discuss national as well as provincial issues. Besides this gathering, the Amirs, Qazis, Dewans and Majlis e Aam are summoned each month seperately to discuss issues after which they are allowed to return to their respective provinces. The Majlis e Shura in contrast remain at the capital to advise the Sultan and are collectively summoned on special, and random occasions depending upon the situation.

Subdivisions
The current division of land in the Sultanate of Bengal is into three different types of divisions. Khedivates are autonomous territories with special needs or are considerably far away from central authority. As such, they are ruled by Ashrafi Princes who may or may not have established a dynastic union with the local tribes. Their rulers are hereditary, have broad control over what happens in their own realm, and can, within limits, raise and manage their own armed forces. 20% of all revenue collected in Khedivates is transferred to the state treasury at Kolkata. The rulers of Khedivates form part of the Majlis e Aam, and are summoned to the capital every month. Wilayets are 'provinces' with an Amir appointed by the Sultan to rule over the province for any specific time period. They maintain a certain amount of autonomy but are generally linked to the central authority, and are provided with a federal budget from the state treasury in contrast to Khedivates where a 'provincial treasury' is present. Wilayets are further divided into Sanjak or provincial districts, which each having an Amil appointed, who are generally military governors. They also collaborate with Dewans and Qazis on issues such as tax collection and imposing a law. Besides Khedivates and Wilayets, Eyalets exist which are generally 'federal districts' directly under the control of the Sultan, with no Amir appointed. Eyalets are generally cities with significant importance to be put under the control of the Central Government.

Khedivates and Wilayets also tend to have their own laws, but their are certain 'national' laws that apply to the entire Sultanate.

{{legend|wheat|Khedivate}} {{legend|lightblue|Wilayet}} {{legend|pink|Eyalet}}

Agriculture in India
[[File:CropsofIndia.png|thumb|center|450px|The Crops of India in the Urdustani Empire.

Dark Green is Rice; Reddish-brown is Wheat; Dirty green is Potato; Orange is Millet; Dirty yellow is Sorghum;]]

Art
The Sultanate is known for its many versions of art. The medieval art of the Sultanate is known as Sadanga or Six Limbs, and it is a characteristic part of traditional Indian culture. Murals and sculptures are also prominent in Bengali art, and such art are widely recognized as beautiful.

Architecture
The Empire has a wide array of architecture that sets it apart from the rest of the world. Some prominent structures are the Mausoleum of Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, Adina Mosque, the Somapura Mahavihara and the Baitul Mukarram.

Cuisine
Bengali cuisine has evolved over the millennia, but at the current mostly consists of seafood, vegetables and dairy products, along with luxury foods like honey. The Empire is a melting pot of cuisine, and it has changed widely over time. One thing that Bengalis are fond of is meat something that sets them apart from their Indian brethren.

Calender
The Sultanate of Bengal use the Islamic Calender, which puts the date of 1800 A.D. as 1814 A.H. (Baad Almulakat, or After Hijri). One of the first reforms of Mahmud Shah I was to make the Islamic calender official along with the Bengali Calender which had historically served as the Calender for the authorities of Pandua. As of now calenders both are officially used in the Sultanate.

Ethnic Terms
The Sultanate is noted for its distinct way of referring to ethnicities. While all members of the Sultanate are generally considered as part of the same Ummah, it has a diverse background of Bengali, Tamils, and Assamese.

In referring to other ethnic groups outside the Empire, "Timurid" or "Mugol" is used to describe North Western Indians. In the same manner, "Assami" is used to describe people of Assamese descent, and "Vijaynagri" is used for people who are of Tamil descent.