Page:Historic Landmarks of the Deccan.djvu/104

92 In 1540 one of the numerous internecine wars which weakened the Muhaminadan kingdoms of the Deccan broke out, and Burhan Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar and Amir Barid of Bidar marched on Bijapur. Ibrahim Adil Shah I, the fourth of his dynasty, being unable to meet his enemies in the field, retired on Gulbarga, and the invaders, leaving a force to besiege Bijapur, followed him. Asad Khan Lari, one of Ibra- him's principal nobles, who had been compelled by force of circumstances to join the invaders, but who still remained at heart faithful to his old master, contrived to send a message to Ala-ud-din Imad Shah of Berar asking for assistance, and on his arrival joined him with his troops. The invaders were now compelled to retire from Gulbarga and retreated as far as Bir, followed by Ibrahim and Ala-ud-din, who encamped at Daulatabad. Near this place Amir Barid died, and Ibrahim Adil Shah thereupon made peace with Burhan Nizam Shah.

In 1554 Ibrahim Adil Shah I was involved in hostilities with Husain Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar and was defeated in the battle of Sholapur owing to his failure to support Saif Ain-ul-Mulk, whom he distrusted. Saif Ain-ul-Mulk, who had formerly been commander-in-chief in Ahmad- nagar, was himself compelled to seek safety in flight, and was refused admittance to Bijapur by Ibrahim who, to conceal his own deficiencies in the day of battle, affected to regard him as a traitor. Disgusted with this treatment Saif Ain-ul-Mulk, who no longer dared to show his face in Ahmadnagar, set up as a guerilla leader in the Bijapur dominions. He thrice defeated armies sent against him by the Sultan, the second battle taking place at Gulbarga. On the third occasion Ibrahim marched against him in person, and was defeated and hemmed in at Bijapur, He was compelled to seek assistance of Sadashivaraya of Vijayanagar, who sent an army which defeated and dispersed the rebels.

In 1581, Ibrahim Adil Shah II being still a boy, the affairs of Bijapur were thrown into confusion by quarrels between the two parties which were ever antagonists in the Deccan, the " foreigners" and the Deccanis, the Africans siding with the latter. Murtaza Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar and Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah of Golconda took advan- tage of the disorganization of the state to enter into an offensive alliance against Bijapur. The plan of campaign was that the former should attack Naldrug and the latter Gulbarga, joining forces after these forts