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{{Short description|Sultan of Golconda from 1518 to 1543}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox monarch
{{Infobox monarch
| name           = Sultan Quli
| name         = Sultan Quli
| title         = Qutb-ul-Mulk (Pillar of the Realm)
| title       = Qutb-ul-Mulk (Pillar of the Realm)
| image         =  
| image       = Portret van Bara Malik hij is eerst vizier geweest van de sultan die over de stad Bidar regeerde later werd hij heerser van Golconda en heeft hij Golconda gesticht, RP-T-00-3186-19A.jpg
| succession     = 1st [[Qutb Shahi dynasty|Sultan of the Qutb Shahi Sultanate of Golconda]]
| caption      = {{circa|1686}} portrait of Sultan Quli
| reign         = 1518–1543<ref>{{Citation|work=A Social History of the Deccan,1300-1761|editor-last1=Eaton|editor-first1=Richard Maxwell|title=From the early sultanate to Aurangzeb|url=https://archive.org/details/iB_in/1-8/page/n166/mode/1up|publisher=Cambridge university press}}</ref>
| succession   = 1st [[Qutb Shahi dynasty|Ruler of Golconda]]
| coronation     =  
| reign       = 7 December 1518<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.68551|title=The Bahmanis of the Deccan – An Objective Study |last=Sherwani |first=Haroon Khan |year=1946 |author-link=Haroon Khan Sherwani|publisher=Krishnavas International Printers, Hyderabad Deccan |oclc=3971780|page=386}}</ref>
| predecessor   =  
&ndash; 2 September 1543<ref>{{Citation|work=A Social History of the Deccan,1300-1761|editor-last1=Eaton|editor-first1=Richard Maxwell|title=From the early sultanate to Aurangzeb|url=https://archive.org/details/iB_in/1-8/page/n166/mode/1up|publisher=Cambridge university press}}</ref>
| successor     = [[Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah]]
| coronation   =  
| spouse         =  
| predecessor = ''Position established''
| issue         = Qutbuddin <br/>[[Jamsheed Qutb Shah|Jamsheed]]<br/>Abdul Khadir<br/>Abdul Karim<br/>Husayn<br/>[[Ibrahim Qutb Shah|Ibrahim]]
| successor   = [[Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah]]
| royal house   = [[Qutb Shahi dynasty]]
| spouse       =  
| father         = Uways Quli Beg
| issue       = Qutbuddin <br/>[[Jamsheed Qutb Shah|Jamsheed]]<br/>Abdul Khadir<br/>Abdul Karim<br/>Husayn<br/>[[Ibrahim Qutb Shah|Ibrahim]]
| mother         = Maryam Khanum
| royal house = [[Qutb Shahi dynasty]]
| birth_date     = 1485<ref>{{Citation|work=Landmarks of Deccan|year=1927|editor-last1=Bilgrami|editor-first1=Syed Ali Asghar|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.280768/page/n22/mode/1up|title=Dates of accession of Qutub Shahi Sultans}}</ref>
| father       = Uways Quli Beg
| birth_place   = [[Hamadan]], [[Persia]]
| mother       = Maryam Khanum
| death_date     = {{death date and age|1543|9|2|1485|df=yes}}
| birth_date   = 1485<ref>{{Citation|work=Landmarks of Deccan|year=1927|editor-last1=Bilgrami|editor-first1=Syed Ali Asghar|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.280768/page/n22/mode/1up|title=Dates of accession of Qutub Shahi Sultans}}</ref>
| death_place   = [[Hyderabad]], [[Qutb Shahi dynasty|Sultanate of Golconda]]
| birth_place = [[Hamadan]], [[Aq Qoyunlu]]
| place of burial= [[Qutb Shahi tombs]], Hyderabad
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1543|9|2|1485|df=yes}}
| religion       = [[Shia Islam]]
| death_place = [[Hyderabad]], [[Qutb Shahi dynasty|Sultanate of Golconda]]
| burial_place = [[Qutb Shahi tombs]], Hyderabad
| religion     = [[Shia Islam]]
}}
}}
'''Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk''',<ref>{{cite book|title=Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v4UKJFLZVcEC|page=1|author=Masʻūd Ḥusain K̲h̲ān̲|year=1996}}</ref> more often though less correctly referred to in [[English language|English]] as '''Quli Qutb Shah'''{{efn|"Sultan" was a part of his name, Sultan Quli (also spelled Sultan-Quli),<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Qutb Shāhī Dynasty|author=Haroon Khan Sherwani|year=1974|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aoYgAAAAMAAJ|page=52|quote=Although the name Sultan-Quli might suggest royal dignity, the epithet 'Sultan' is only a part of his name}}</ref> the whole of which meaning 'slave of the sultan' or 'slave of the ruler'<ref>{{cite book|title=When Sun Meets Moon: Gender, Eros, and Ecstasy in Urdu Poetry|author=Scott Kugle|year=2016}}</ref> (see other male given names built from Quli at "[[Quli (Turkic)]]"); and he never proclaimed his kingship (the first of his successors to do so was [[Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah]]).<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Qutb Shāhī Dynasty|author=Haroon Khan Sherwani|year=1974|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aoYgAAAAMAAJ|page=62|quote=Qutbu'lmulk never proclaimed his kingship, and in all probability the first ruler of Golkonda to do so was Ibrāhīm Qutb Shāh}}</ref>}} (1485–1543), was the founder of the [[Qutb Shahi dynasty]], which ruled the [[Sultanate of Golconda]] in southern [[India]] from 1518 to 1687.<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |pages=118}}</ref> Of [[Turkmens|Turkmen]] origin and born in [[Persia]], he originally served the [[Bahmani sultanate|Bahmani sultan]], and was awarded the title Qutb-ul-Mulk (Pillar of the Realm) as military chief;<ref>{{cite book|title=When Sun Meets Moon: Gender, Eros, and Ecstasy in Urdu Poetry|author=Scott Kugle|year=2016}}</ref> he eventually took control of Golconda.
'''Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk''',<ref>{{cite book|title=Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v4UKJFLZVcEC|page=1|author=Masʻūd Ḥusain K̲h̲ān̲|year=1996| publisher=Sahitya Akademi | isbn=9788126002337 }}</ref> more often though less correctly referred to in [[English language|English]] as '''Quli Qutb Shah'''{{efn|"Sultan" was a part of his name, Sultan Quli (also spelled Sultan-Quli),<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Qutb Shāhī Dynasty|author=Haroon Khan Sherwani|year=1974|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aoYgAAAAMAAJ|page=52|quote=Although the name Sultan-Quli might suggest royal dignity, the epithet 'Sultan' is only a part of his name}}</ref> the whole of which meaning 'slave of the sultan' or 'slave of the ruler'<ref>{{cite book|title=When Sun Meets Moon: Gender, Eros, and Ecstasy in Urdu Poetry|author=Scott Kugle|year=2016}}</ref> (see other male given names built from Quli at "[[Quli (Turkic)]]"); and he never proclaimed his kingship (the first of his successors to do so was [[Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah]]).<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Qutb Shāhī Dynasty|author=Haroon Khan Sherwani|year=1974|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aoYgAAAAMAAJ|page=62|quote=Qutbu'lmulk never proclaimed his kingship, and in all probability the first ruler of Golkonda to do so was Ibrāhīm Qutb Shāh}}</ref>}} (1485 &ndash; 2 September 1543), was the founder of the [[Qutb Shahi dynasty]], which ruled the [[Sultanate of Golconda]] in southern [[India]] from 1518 to 1687.<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |pages=118}}</ref> Of [[Turkoman (ethnonym)|Turkoman]]<ref name="Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh">{{cite book|title=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh|year=1991|page=59|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Q88AQAAIAAJ|quote=Quli Qutb Shah of Golconda was a Turkoman of Qara Qayunlu (Black Sheep) tribe and Yusuf Adil Shah of Bijapur, according to Ferishta, was the son of Sultan Murad II of Turkey.}}</ref> origin and born in [[Persia]], he originally served the [[Bahmani sultanate|Bahmani sultan]], and was awarded the title Qutb-ul-Mulk (Pillar of the Realm) as military chief;<ref>{{cite book|title=When Sun Meets Moon: Gender, Eros, and Ecstasy in Urdu Poetry|author=Scott Kugle|year=2016}}</ref> he eventually took control of Golconda.


==Background==
==Background==
Originally named Sultan Quli, he was a [[Shi'i]] [[Turkmens|Turkmen]] from the city of [[Hamadan]] in [[Persia]].<ref name="Siddiqi1956">{{cite book|last=Siddiqi|first=Abdul Majeed|title=History of Golcunda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=omYgAAAAMAAJ|year=1956|publisher=Literary Publications|page=7}}</ref><ref name="Cole2011">{{cite book|last1=Cole|first1=Juan R.I.|authorlink1=Juan Cole|editor1=Nikki R. Keddie|editor-link1=Nikki Keddie|editor2=Rudi Matthee|editor-link2=Rudi Matthee|title=Iranian Culture and South Asia, 1500-1900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLlcCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25|series=Iran and the Surrounding World: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics|year=2011|publisher=University of Washington Press|location=Seattle and London|isbn=978-0-295-80024-0|page=25}}</ref> He was the son of Uways Quli Beg, of the [[Qara Qoyunlu]] dynasty, and Maryam Khanum, a daughter of the Hamadan noble Malik Saleh. Through his father, he was descended from the Turkmen ruler [[Qara Yusuf]] twice over; his grandparents, Pir Quli Beg and Khadija Begum, were grandchildren of Qara Yusuf's sons [[Qara Iskander]] and [[Jahan Shah]] respectively.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Minorsky|first=V.|date=1955-01-01|title=The Qara-qoyunlu and the Qutb-shāhs (Turkmenica, 10)|jstor=609229|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London|volume=17|issue=1|pages=50–73|doi=10.1017/s0041977x00106342}}</ref><ref>Ramanand Vidya Bhawan, ''The Indian Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, Issues 1-4'', 1985, p.711</ref>
Originally named Sultan Quli, he was a [[Shi'i]] [[Turkoman (ethnonym)|Turkoman]]<ref name="Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh"/> from the city of [[Hamadan]] in [[Persia]].<ref name="Siddiqi1956">{{cite book|last=Siddiqi|first=Abdul Majeed|title=History of Golcunda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=omYgAAAAMAAJ|year=1956|publisher=Literary Publications|page=7}}</ref><ref name="Cole2011">{{cite book|last1=Cole|first1=Juan R.I.|authorlink1=Juan Cole|editor1=Nikki R. Keddie|editor-link1=Nikki Keddie|editor2=Rudi Matthee|editor-link2=Rudi Matthee|title=Iranian Culture and South Asia, 1500–1900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLlcCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA25|series=Iran and the Surrounding World: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics|year=2011|publisher=University of Washington Press|location=Seattle and London|isbn=978-0-295-80024-0|page=25}}</ref> He was the son of Uways Quli Beg, of the [[Qara Qoyunlu]] dynasty, and Maryam Khanum, a daughter of the Hamadan noble Malik Saleh. Through his father, he was descended from the Turkoman ruler [[Qara Yusuf]] twice over; his grandparents, Pir Quli Beg and Khadija Begum, were grandchildren of Qara Yusuf's sons [[Qara Iskander]] and [[Jahan Shah]] respectively.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Minorsky|first=V.|date=1955-01-01|title=The Qara-qoyunlu and the Qutb-shāhs (Turkmenica, 10)|jstor=609229|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London|volume=17|issue=1|pages=50–73|doi=10.1017/s0041977x00106342}}</ref><ref>Ramanand Vidya Bhawan, ''The Indian Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, Issues 1–4'', 1985, p.711</ref>


He migrated to [[Delhi]] with some of his relatives and friends, including his uncle Allah Quli Beg, in the beginning of the 16th century. Later, he travelled south to [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] and served the [[Bahmani Sultanate|Bahmani sultan]].<ref name="Michell">George Michell, Mark Zebrowski, ''[[The New Cambridge History of India]]: 1. The Portuguese in India'', (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 17.</ref> Due to his successful leadership in military conflicts, he received the title "Qutb-ul-Mulk".<ref name="Nayeem2006">{{cite book|last=Nayeem|first=M. A.|title=The Heritage of the Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Hyderabad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V48MAQAAMAAJ|year=2006|publisher=Hyderabad Publishers|location=Hyderabad|isbn=978-81-85492-23-0|page=3}}</ref>
He migrated to [[Delhi]] with some of his relatives and friends, including his uncle Allah Quli Beg, at the beginning of the 16th century. Later, he travelled south to [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] and served the [[Bahmani Sultanate|Bahmani sultan]].<ref name="Michell">George Michell, Mark Zebrowski, ''[[The New Cambridge History of India]]: 1. The Portuguese in India'', (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 17.</ref> Due to his successful leadership in military conflicts, he received the title "Qutb-ul-Mulk".<ref name="Nayeem2006">{{cite book|last=Nayeem|first=M. A.|title=The Heritage of the Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Hyderabad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V48MAQAAMAAJ|year=2006|publisher=Hyderabad Publishers|location=Hyderabad|isbn=978-81-85492-23-0|page=3}}</ref>


==Establishing the Qutb Shahi Sultanate==
==Establishing the Qutb Shahi Sultanate==
[[File:Tomb of Sultan Quli Qutb Shah 01.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Sultan Quli Qutb Shah in [[Hyderabad]]]]
[[File:Tomb of Sultan Quli Qutb Shah 01.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Sultan Quli Qutb Shah in [[Hyderabad]]]]
After the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate into the five [[Deccan sultanates]], he declared independence and took the title of '''Qutb Shah''', and established the [[Qutb Shahi dynasty]] of [[Golconda]].<ref name="Rao1988">{{cite book|last=Rao|first=P. Raghunadha|title=History of Modern Andhra Pradesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ncxAAAAAMAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Sterling Publishers|isbn=978-81-207-0878-5|page=18}}</ref> Even though there is ample evidence that he never proclaimed his kingship. The inscription on his grave itself names him as Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk:
After the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate into the five [[Deccan sultanates]], he declared independence and took the title of '''Qutb Shah''', and established the [[Qutb Shahi dynasty]] of [[Golconda]].<ref name="Rao1988">{{cite book|last=Rao|first=P. Raghunadha|title=History of Modern Andhra Pradesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ncxAAAAAMAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Sterling Publishers|isbn=978-81-207-0878-5|page=18}}</ref> Even though there is ample evidence that he never proclaimed his kingship. The inscription on his grave itself names him as Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk:
[[File:Tomb of Sultan Quli Qutb Shah 02.jpg|thumb|His grave]]{{blockquote|{{lang|ar|
[[File:Tomb of Sultan Quli Qutb Shah 02.jpg|thumb|His grave]]{{blockquote|{{lang|ar
انتقل صاحب هذه الروضة الرضية وهو الملك المغفور
|انتقل صاحب هذه الروضة الرضية وهو الملك المغفور


السعيد الشهيد الغازي لوجه الله والمجاهد في سبيل الله الملك سلطان قلي
السعيد الشهيد الغازي لوجه الله والمجاهد في سبيل الله الملك سلطان قلي
Line 39: Line 42:
المخاطب به قطب الملك المشهور به بر ملك انار الله برهانه الى جوار رحمه الله في يوم الاثنين ثاني شهر جمادى الثانية سنة ٩٥٠}}}}
المخاطب به قطب الملك المشهور به بر ملك انار الله برهانه الى جوار رحمه الله في يوم الاثنين ثاني شهر جمادى الثانية سنة ٩٥٠}}}}


Many historians have misattributed the word 'Sultan' in his name but his whole name just meant 'Servant of the Sultan' just like his Uncle Allah Mulk which meant 'Servant of Allah'.<ref>{{Citation|work=Mohammad Qutub Quli Shah,Founder of Hyderabad|editor-last1=Sherwani|year=1967|editor-first1=Haroon Khan|title=Qutub Ul Mulk|publisher=Asian Publishing House|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.46692/page/n21/mode/1up|pages= 4-5}}</ref>
Many historians have misattributed the word 'Sultan' in his name but his whole name just meant 'Servant of the Sultan' just like his Uncle Allah Quli which meant 'Servant of Allah'.<ref>{{Citation|work=Mohammad Qutub Quli Shah,Founder of Hyderabad|editor-last1=Sherwani|year=1967|editor-first1=Haroon Khan|title=Qutub Ul Mulk|publisher=Asian Publishing House|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.46692/page/n21/mode/1up|pages= 4–5}}</ref>


==Extension of the Sultanate==
==Extension of the Sultanate==
Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was a contemporary of [[Krishnadevaraya|Krishana Deva Raya]] and his younger brother [[Achyuta Deva Raya]] of the [[Vijayanagara Empire]]. Sultan Quli extended his rule by capturing forts at [[Warangal]], [[Kondapalli]], [[Eluru]], and [[Rajamundry]], while Krishnadevaraya was fighting the ruler of [[Odisha]]. He defeated [[Sitapati Raju]] (known as Shitab Khan), the ruler of [[Khammam]], and captured the fort. He forced Jeypore's ruler [[Vishwanath Dev Gajapati]] to surrender all the territories between the mouths of [[Krishna river|Krishna]] and [[Godavari river]]s.<ref>{{cite book |author=KSB Singh |title=Nandapur A Forsaken Kingdom |year=1939 |publisher=Utkal Sahitya Press |isbn=978-81-86772-17-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.209240 |page=18}}</ref> He was able to occupy Eluru, Rajamundry and [[Machilipatnam]] extending his rule to [[Coastal Andhra]]. Sultan Quli's campaign against Krishnadevaraya continued until [[Timmarusu]], the Prime Minister of Krishnadevaraya, defeated the Golconda army.
Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was a contemporary of [[Krishnadevaraya|Krishana Deva Raya]] and his younger brother [[Achyuta Deva Raya]] of the [[Vijayanagara Empire]]. Sultan Quli extended his rule by capturing forts at [[Warangal]], [[Kondapalli]], [[Eluru]], and [[Rajamundry]],{{Cn|date=May 2024|reason=We find these territories (Kondapalli & Rajamundry) being conquered by Krishnadevaraya after defeating Gajapati Empire and the same territories before were under Gajapatis until the invasion led by Raya}} while Krishnadevaraya was fighting the ruler of [[Odisha]]. He defeated [[Shitab Khan|Sitapati Raju]] (known as Shitab Khan), the ruler of [[Khammam]], and captured the fort. He forced [[Jeypore|Jeypore's]] ruler [[Vishwanath Dev Gajapati]] to [[Surrender (military)|surrender]] all the territories between the mouths of [[Krishna River|Krishna]] and [[Godavari River|Godavari]] rivers.<ref>{{cite book |author=KSB Singh |title=Nandapur A Forsaken Kingdom |year=1939 |publisher=Utkal Sahitya Press |isbn=978-81-86772-17-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.209240 |page=18}}</ref> In 1513, Krishnadevaraya commanded Vijayanagar forces against [[Golconda Sultanate|Golconda Sultan]] Quli Qutb Shah in [[Pangala]]. The Vijayanagar army, however, faced defeat, resulting in the capture of the Pangal fort by Golconda forces. Consequently, Raya retreated from the battle.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cohen |first=B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sZKHDAAAQBAJ |title=Kingship and Colonialism in India's Deccan 1850–1948 |date=2007-01-08 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-230-60344-8 |pages=47 |language=en |quote=Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya opted to march against the Qutb Shah leader. He came with 30,000 horses and 3,000 foot soldiers. Quli Qutb responded, and the two armies met at Pangal where the Vijayanagar army had encamped. In battle, the Golconda forces were successful, forcing the retreat of Krishnadevaraya who left behind a small force to defend the fort. The fort occupants held out for nearly two months before capitulating to the besieging Qutb Shah forces.}}</ref>


==Death and succession==
==Death and succession==
In 1543, while he was offering his prayers, Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was assassinated by his second son, [[Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah]].<ref name="Michell" /> Jamsheed Quli also blinded Sultan Quli's eldest son and heir, Qutbuddin, and assumed the throne. His sixth son [[Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah]] fled to [[Vijayanagar Empire|Vijayanagara]]. Jamsheed Quli also killed his brother (the third son of Sultan Quli), Abdul Quadeer, who had revolted after their father's death.
In 1543, while he was offering his prayers, Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was assassinated by his second son, [[Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah]].<ref name="Michell" /> Jamsheed Quli also blinded Sultan Quli's eldest son and heir, Qutbuddin Quli, and assumed the throne. His sixth son [[Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah]] fled to [[Vijayanagar Empire|Vijayanagara]]. Jamsheed Quli also killed his brother (the third son of Sultan Quli), Abdul Qadeer, who had revolted after their father's death.


==Notes==
==Notes==
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{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[Qutb Shahi dynasty]]|before=-|after=[[Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah]]|years=1512–1543}}
{{succession box|title='''Quli Qutb Shah'''|before=-|after=[[Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah]]|years=7 December 1518 – 2 September 1543}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}


{{Bahmani Sultanate}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quli Qutb Shah}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quli Qutb Shah}}
[[Category:16th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:1543 deaths]]
[[Category:1543 deaths]]
[[Category:Qutb Shahi dynasty]]
[[Category:Sultans of Golconda]]
[[Category:Shia Muslims]]
[[Category:Hyderabad State]]
[[Category:Hyderabad State]]
[[Category:People from Hamadan Province]]
[[Category:People from Hamadan province]]
[[Category:1470 births]]
[[Category:1485 births]]
[[Category:Ethnic Turkmen people]]
[[Category:People from the Bahmani Sultanate]]

Latest revision as of 19:30, 2 March 2026


Sultan Quli
Qutb-ul-Mulk (Pillar of the Realm)
c. 1686 portrait of Sultan Quli
1st Ruler of Golconda
Reign7 December 1518[1] – 2 September 1543[2]
PredecessorPosition established
SuccessorJamsheed Quli Qutb Shah
Born1485[3]
Hamadan, Aq Qoyunlu
Died2 September 1543(1543-09-02) (aged 57–58)
Hyderabad, Sultanate of Golconda
Burial
Qutb Shahi tombs, Hyderabad
IssueQutbuddin
Jamsheed
Abdul Khadir
Abdul Karim
Husayn
Ibrahim
HouseQutb Shahi dynasty
FatherUways Quli Beg
MotherMaryam Khanum
ReligionShia Islam

Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk,[4] more often though less correctly referred to in English as Quli Qutb Shah[lower-alpha 1] (1485 – 2 September 1543), was the founder of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, which ruled the Sultanate of Golconda in southern India from 1518 to 1687.[8] Of Turkoman[9] origin and born in Persia, he originally served the Bahmani sultan, and was awarded the title Qutb-ul-Mulk (Pillar of the Realm) as military chief;[10] he eventually took control of Golconda.

Background[edit | edit source]

Originally named Sultan Quli, he was a Shi'i Turkoman[9] from the city of Hamadan in Persia.[11][12] He was the son of Uways Quli Beg, of the Qara Qoyunlu dynasty, and Maryam Khanum, a daughter of the Hamadan noble Malik Saleh. Through his father, he was descended from the Turkoman ruler Qara Yusuf twice over; his grandparents, Pir Quli Beg and Khadija Begum, were grandchildren of Qara Yusuf's sons Qara Iskander and Jahan Shah respectively.[13][14]

He migrated to Delhi with some of his relatives and friends, including his uncle Allah Quli Beg, at the beginning of the 16th century. Later, he travelled south to Deccan and served the Bahmani sultan.[15] Due to his successful leadership in military conflicts, he received the title "Qutb-ul-Mulk".[16]

Establishing the Qutb Shahi Sultanate[edit | edit source]

Tomb of Sultan Quli Qutb Shah in Hyderabad

After the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate into the five Deccan sultanates, he declared independence and took the title of Qutb Shah, and established the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golconda.[17] Even though there is ample evidence that he never proclaimed his kingship. The inscription on his grave itself names him as Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk:

His grave

انتقل صاحب هذه الروضة الرضية وهو الملك المغفور

السعيد الشهيد الغازي لوجه الله والمجاهد في سبيل الله الملك سلطان قلي

المخاطب به قطب الملك المشهور به بر ملك انار الله برهانه الى جوار رحمه الله في يوم الاثنين ثاني شهر جمادى الثانية سنة ٩٥٠

Many historians have misattributed the word 'Sultan' in his name but his whole name just meant 'Servant of the Sultan' just like his Uncle Allah Quli which meant 'Servant of Allah'.[18]

Extension of the Sultanate[edit | edit source]

Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was a contemporary of Krishana Deva Raya and his younger brother Achyuta Deva Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire. Sultan Quli extended his rule by capturing forts at Warangal, Kondapalli, Eluru, and Rajamundry,[citation needed] while Krishnadevaraya was fighting the ruler of Odisha. He defeated Sitapati Raju (known as Shitab Khan), the ruler of Khammam, and captured the fort. He forced Jeypore's ruler Vishwanath Dev Gajapati to surrender all the territories between the mouths of Krishna and Godavari rivers.[19] In 1513, Krishnadevaraya commanded Vijayanagar forces against Golconda Sultan Quli Qutb Shah in Pangala. The Vijayanagar army, however, faced defeat, resulting in the capture of the Pangal fort by Golconda forces. Consequently, Raya retreated from the battle.[20]

Death and succession[edit | edit source]

In 1543, while he was offering his prayers, Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was assassinated by his second son, Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah.[15] Jamsheed Quli also blinded Sultan Quli's eldest son and heir, Qutbuddin Quli, and assumed the throne. His sixth son Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah fled to Vijayanagara. Jamsheed Quli also killed his brother (the third son of Sultan Quli), Abdul Qadeer, who had revolted after their father's death.

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Sultan" was a part of his name, Sultan Quli (also spelled Sultan-Quli),[5] the whole of which meaning 'slave of the sultan' or 'slave of the ruler'[6] (see other male given names built from Quli at "Quli (Turkic)"); and he never proclaimed his kingship (the first of his successors to do so was Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah).[7]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Sherwani, Haroon Khan (1946). The Bahmanis of the Deccan – An Objective Study. Krishnavas International Printers, Hyderabad Deccan. p. 386. OCLC 3971780.
  2. ↑ Eaton, Richard Maxwell (ed.), "From the early sultanate to Aurangzeb", A Social History of the Deccan,1300-1761, Cambridge university press
  3. ↑ Bilgrami, Syed Ali Asghar, ed. (1927), "Dates of accession of Qutub Shahi Sultans", Landmarks of Deccan
  4. ↑ Masʻūd Ḥusain K̲h̲ān̲ (1996). Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah. Sahitya Akademi. p. 1. ISBN 9788126002337.
  5. ↑ Haroon Khan Sherwani (1974). History of the Qutb Shāhī Dynasty. p. 52. Although the name Sultan-Quli might suggest royal dignity, the epithet 'Sultan' is only a part of his name
  6. ↑ Scott Kugle (2016). When Sun Meets Moon: Gender, Eros, and Ecstasy in Urdu Poetry.
  7. ↑ Haroon Khan Sherwani (1974). History of the Qutb Shāhī Dynasty. p. 62. Qutbu'lmulk never proclaimed his kingship, and in all probability the first ruler of Golkonda to do so was Ibrāhīm Qutb Shāh
  8. ↑ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 118. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. 1991. p. 59. Quli Qutb Shah of Golconda was a Turkoman of Qara Qayunlu (Black Sheep) tribe and Yusuf Adil Shah of Bijapur, according to Ferishta, was the son of Sultan Murad II of Turkey.
  10. ↑ Scott Kugle (2016). When Sun Meets Moon: Gender, Eros, and Ecstasy in Urdu Poetry.
  11. ↑ Siddiqi, Abdul Majeed (1956). History of Golcunda. Literary Publications. p. 7.
  12. ↑ Cole, Juan R.I. (2011). Nikki R. Keddie; Rudi Matthee (eds.). Iranian Culture and South Asia, 1500–1900. Iran and the Surrounding World: Interactions in Culture and Cultural Politics. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-295-80024-0.
  13. ↑ Minorsky, V. (1 January 1955). "The Qara-qoyunlu and the Qutb-shāhs (Turkmenica, 10)". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 17 (1): 50–73. doi:10.1017/s0041977x00106342. JSTOR 609229.
  14. ↑ Ramanand Vidya Bhawan, The Indian Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, Issues 1–4, 1985, p.711
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 George Michell, Mark Zebrowski, The New Cambridge History of India: 1. The Portuguese in India, (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 17.
  16. ↑ Nayeem, M. A. (2006). The Heritage of the Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Hyderabad. Hyderabad: Hyderabad Publishers. p. 3. ISBN 978-81-85492-23-0.
  17. ↑ Rao, P. Raghunadha (1988). History of Modern Andhra Pradesh. Sterling Publishers. p. 18. ISBN 978-81-207-0878-5.
  18. ↑ Sherwani, Haroon Khan, ed. (1967), "Qutub Ul Mulk", Mohammad Qutub Quli Shah,Founder of Hyderabad, Asian Publishing House, pp. 4–5
  19. ↑ KSB Singh (1939). Nandapur A Forsaken Kingdom. Utkal Sahitya Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-81-86772-17-1.
  20. ↑ Cohen, B. (8 January 2007). Kingship and Colonialism in India's Deccan 1850–1948. Springer. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-230-60344-8. Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya opted to march against the Qutb Shah leader. He came with 30,000 horses and 3,000 foot soldiers. Quli Qutb responded, and the two armies met at Pangal where the Vijayanagar army had encamped. In battle, the Golconda forces were successful, forcing the retreat of Krishnadevaraya who left behind a small force to defend the fort. The fort occupants held out for nearly two months before capitulating to the besieging Qutb Shah forces.
Preceded by
- 		Quli Qutb Shah
7 December 1518 – 2 September 1543 		Succeeded by
Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah

Template:Bahmani Sultanate

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