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JULY, 1899.]
ministers, shekhs and learned men and grandees of the country and nation - seated on the throne of sovereignty Sultan Shams-ud-Din, who had not yet travelled seven stages on the journey of life;5 bat he kept the reins of power in his own hands, so that Shams-ud-Din was Sultân in name only.
HISTORY OF THE BAHMANI DYNASTY.
185
Firaz Khan and Ahmad Khan, grandsons of Sulțân 'Alâ-ud-Din Hasan Shah, who were worthy of the sovereignty, and eventually in their own persons added ornament and beauty to the crown and throne were faithful in their allegiance to Sultan Shams-ud-din; but Tughalbakhi and all the slaves of the Sultan, who were inimical to them, were always plotting to remove them in order to usurp the sovereignty for themselves. 'In consequence of this the two princes were obliged to fly to the fort of Sagar. The kotwal who had charge of this fort received the princes in a friendly manner and promised them all the assistance in his power. He joined them with a large number of retainers of those parts, and they proceeded against Sultan Shams-ud-Din. But when the two parties met, the Kotwal of Sâgar proved faithless.
The nobles of Sultan Shams-ud-Din, deeming it advisable by promises of aid to the princes to endeavour to sprinkle extinguishing water on the fire of rebellion and contention which was fiercely burning, sent a trustworthy person to Firûz Khân and Aḥmad Khan with a written treaty of peace; and since the princes saw that the most prudent course was to abandon contention and submit themselves they waited on the Sultan and folded up the carpet of strife.
When some time had thus passed, the idea of getting rid of the two princes again occurred to the minds of the slaves. The heart of the mother of the Sultan still burned with the remembrance of the fate of Sultan Ghiyâs-ud-Din, and the slaves persuaded her that Firûz Khan and Ahmad Khân were the cause of that base action. On this account the Sultan's mother conceived hatred against the two princes and set herself in opposition to them. The foster-sister of the Sultan, who was called Makhdûmah Jahân, was the wife of Firûz Khân, and she having obtained information of this plot immediately hurried home and informed her husband. Firûz Khan and his brother then held counsel together; and most of the principal amirs, such as Khwajah Jahan, Azhdar Khân, Malik Shahâb, Saiyid Taj-ud-din Jakâjût, Kutb-ul-Mulk and others who were vexed and distressed by the despotic power of the slaves, united together, and arranged that on the following day they were to go to the palace with a number of armed men, and before the slaves should hear of it, to seize and imprison the Sultan and seat Sultân Firûz on the throne.
Next day Sultan Firûz and Sultan Ahmad with a multitude of followers mounted and proceeded to the court; and after posting a number of their adherents at each door went on till they found the Sultan, whom they seized and imprisoned, and Sultan Firûz took his place on the throne.
In most histories it is stated that this event occurred on the 23rd Safar, A. H. 800 (14th February, A. D. 1397). Sultan Shams-ud-Din reigned for the space of five months and seven days.
CHAPTER VIII.
Reign of Sultan-i Ghasian Taj-ud-Dunya
wa ud-Din Abu-l-Muzaffar Sultan Firaz Shah,
son of Aḥmad Khan,
son of Sultan 'Ala-ud-Din Bahmani.46
After the deposition and imprisonment of Sultan Shams-ud-Din, on the same day Sultan Firuz placed the royal crown on his head and seated himself on the throne. The amirs, wazirs, saiyids, shekhs and learned men hastened to salute him, and obtained the felicity of kissing his feet; and his companions in adversity were eloquent in their congratulations and praises.
45 According to Firishtah he was in his fifteenth year.
4 According to Firishtah, Firuz and Aḥmad were sons of Da,ûd.
