Bahmani Sultanate (Principia Moderni IV Map Game)

The Bahmani Sultanate, also known as the Bahmanid Empire, and the Bahmanid Kingdom is a prominent Muslim state in South India.

Reign of Firuz (1397-1422)
Title at death:;; Sultan of the Bahmanids, Malik of the Deccan, Khan of Khandesh and Malwa, Mirza of Sri Lanka, Khanzada of Kozhikode and Venad, Nawab of Cholamandalam, Sultan-al Mujahidin, Taj-ud-Din Firuz Shah.

Three years into his reign, Firuz Shah began a series of monumental military campaigns, punctuated by internal improvements. In 1402, to test his enlarged military, he invaded the small Kingdom of Andhra, which swiftly fell. Vijayanagar, however, tried to steal the fruits of the Firuz's victory by invading both moribund Andhra and Odissa. Firuz saw these developments as an opportunity, and launched an invasion, penetrating to the heart of the Vijayanagar Empire, along with Odissa and Firuz's new ally, Mogadishu. Bukka Raya, the Vijayanagar emperor, was killed and his army annihilated. With the their oldest enemy crushed, the Bahmanid Empire became the power in South India. Soon afterward, the only other two independent states in the area, Kozhikode and Venad, were forced into vassalage, and conquered, respectively. Firuz, however, was no mere conqueror, but also gave a large amount of tolerance to Hindus within the empire, embarked on a grand series of public works, and opened a university at Gulbarga, including the largest observatory in India. Venad was turned into the key port of the empire, and was graced by the visit of the great Chinese admiral Zheng He. Soon afterward, the Shah led a grand Bahmanid-Mogadishan fleet and conquered the island of Sri Lanka. Nonetheless, the empire then faced the greatest crisis in its existence. The newly conquered areas erupted in revolt, and everything Firuz conquered was lost. Nobles, hoping to restore their old position, led, and the fiercely Hindu peasants followed them. Nonetheless, Firuz moved swiftly, noting that the rebels were not one unfied force, but divided along the lines of the states he had conquered, their only center being the nobles attempting to restore the Vijayanagar empire. While portions of the Bahmanid army (with Mogadishan support) distracted the other centers of rebellion, the main Bahmanid army besieged and conquered the city of Vijayanagara. With that victory, the tide turned and the rebels began to lose hope. A road network was commissioned to connect the entire realm economically, as well a currency standardization. The nobles were rotated among their lands, preventing any from building a permanent power base. The 'cold war' with Majapahit was the only significant foreign policy failure of Firuz's reign. When the rebel 'kingdom' of Kotte fell, it was discovered that Majaphait was supporting the Hindu rebels, though little managed to arrive before the rebellion collapsed. In retaliation, Firuz supported Brunei's bid for independence from Majaphait. Majapahit, however, found evidence of the conspiracy, while Delhi and Bengal rapidly expanded in North India. Firuz felt that the Bruneian cause was lost and that the developments closer to home needed more attention.

Religion
Though the Sultan is a Muslim, most of his subjects are Hindus. Each of five recognized religious groups (Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Hindus, Christians, and Parsis/Zoroastrians), have separate legal codes and courts adhering to their ideas.

Official Allies

 * Mogadishu: A key economic partner trading posts at Bombay and Kolon-thota, as well as an offensive/defensive military ally.
 * Gurkanis: In matrimonial alliance.

Good Relations

 * Most Muslim states.

Neutral Relations

 * Most other nations.

Tense Relations

 * Oman: They refused to trade with the Bahmanids, choosing to back Delhi instead. Now the Bahmanids have seized Gujarat, the main center of the Omanis in India. It remains to be seen how they will react.
 * Most Hindu states.

Hostile Relations

 * Majapahit: Not only a Hindu nation, but one that intended to support the rebellion of 1414-1416, and may still be attempting to stir up sedition.

Abysmal Relations

 * N/A

Official Enemies

 * N/A

Vassals/Puppets

 * N/A

Colonies

 * N/A