Adil Shahi dynasty (Bijapur, Sultanate of)

The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, is a Sunni Muslim dynasty, founded by Yusuf Adil Shah, that rules the Sultanate of Bijapur, centered on present-day Bijapur district, Karnataka in India, in the Western area of the Deccan region of Southern India from 1489 to 1686.

Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1518), before its political decline in the last quarter of the fifteenth century and eventual breakup in 1518.

The Bijapur Sultanate is absorbed into the Mughal Empire on September 12, 1686, after its conquest by the Emperor Aurangzeb.The founder of the dynasty, Yusuf Adil Shah (1490–1510), is appointed Bahmani governor of the province, before creating a de facto independent Bijapur state.

Yusuf and his son, Ismail, generally use the title Adil Khan.

'Khan', meaning 'Chief' in Mongolian and adopted in Persian, conferring a lower status than 'Shah', indicating royal rank.

Only with the rule of Yusuf's grandson, Ibrahim Adil Shah I (1534–1558), does the title of Adil Shah come into common use.The Bijapur Sultanate's borders change considerably throughout its history.

Its northern boundary remains relatively stable, straddling contemporary Southern Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka.

The Sultanate expands southward, first with the conquest of the Raichur Doab following the defeat of the Vijayanagar Empire at the Battle of Talikota in 1565.

Later campaigns, notably during the reign of Mohammed Adil Shah (1627–1657), extend Bijapur's formal borders and nominal authority as far south as Bangalore.

Bijapuris bounded on the West by the Portuguese state of Goa and on the East by the Sultanate of Golconda, ruled by the Qutb Shahi dynasty.The former Bahmani provincial capital of Bijapur remains the capital of the Sultanate throughout its existence.

After modest earlier developments, Ibrahim Adil Shah I (1534–1558) and Ali Adil Shah I (1558–1579) remodel Bijapur, providing the citadel and city walls, a congregational mosque, core royal palaces and major water supply infrastructure.

Their successors, Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580–1627), Adil Shah (1627–1657) and Ali Adil Shah II (1657–1672), further adorn Bijapur with palaces, mosques, mausoleum and other structures, considered to be some of the finest examples of Deccan Sultanate and Indo-Islamic Architecture.Bijapur is caught up in the instability and conflict resulting from the collapse of the Bahmani Empire.

Constant warring, both with the Vijayanagar Empire and the other Deccan Sultanates, curtal the development of state before the Deccan Sultanates ally to achieve victory over Vijayanagar at Talikota in 1565.

Bijapur eventually conquers the neighboring Sultanate of Bidar in 1619.

The Portuguese Empire exerts pressure on the major Adil Shahi port of Goa, until it is conquered during the reign of Ibrahim II.

The Sultanate is thereafter relatively stable, although it is damaged by the revolt of Shivaji, whose fatheris Maratha commander in the service of Adil Shah.

Shivaji founds an independent Maratha Kingdom, which goes on to become the Maratha Empire, one of largest empires in India, just before the British conquer India.

The greatest threat to Bijapur's security is, from the late sixteenth century, the expansion of the Mughal Empire into the Deccan.

Although it may be the case that the Mughals destroyed the Adilshahi it was Shivaji's revolt that weakened the Adilshahi control.

Various agreements and treaties impose Mughal suzerainty on the Adil Shahs, by stages, until Bijapur's formal recognition of Mughal authority in 1636.

The demands of their Mughal overlords sap the Adil Shahs of their wealth until the Mughal conquest of Bijapur in 1686.

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