Short biography of Alam Shah

Short biography of Alam Shah

When Muhammad Shah died in 1444, he was succeeded by his son Ala-ud-Din who took up the title of Alam Shah. The new king was even feebler than his father but in spite of this Bahlol accepted his accession. In 1447, Alam Shah went to Badaon. He found the city so attractive that the decided to live there instead of living at Delhi. He appointed one of his relatives as the Governor of Delhi and retired in 1448 to Badaon permanently.

There he gave himself up completely to the pursuit of pleasure. After the departure of Alam Shah from Delhi, there was a quarrel amongst those who were ruling. Hisam Khan and Hamid Khan became the arbiters of the destiny of Delhi. The claims of various persons were considered and ultimately the choice fell on Bahlol Lodi. He was invited to Delhi. He responded to the invitation so quickly that he did not bring with him a sufficient force to stabilize his position in the capital.

He received from Hamid Khan the keys of the city. He also wrote a letter to Alam Shah at Badaon and his reply was that he had neither fruit nor profit of sovereignty. His father had made Bahlol his son and he himself freely and cheerfully resigned his throne to Bahlol as to an elder brother. Thus, when Bahlol ascended the throne on 19th April, 1451, he did so not only as the creature of a successful faction but also as the heir-designate of a king who had voluntarily abdicated. Alam Shah continued to live in Badaon till he died in 1478 A.D.

Prof. K. A. Nizami says: “Thus ended the Sayyid dynasty after an inconspicuous rule of over 37 years. Emerging as the principality of Multan it ended as the principality of Badaun. Neither politically, nor culturally did it contribute anything worth while to the history of medieval India. It was, however, an inevitable stage in the process of the dissolution and reconstruction of the Delhi Empire.”