Page:Historic Landmarks of the Deccan.djvu/26

Rh young son to the throne as Ahmad Shah III, fearing openly to usurp the crown, lest the tarafdars should unite in defence of the scion of the Bahmani line. Ahmad Shah died early in 1521, poisoned, it is supposed, by Amir Barid, and his next brother was raised to the throne as Ala-ud-din Shah III. This prince showed a disposition to assert his authority, and was therefore deposed by Amir Barid in 1523, and shortly afterwards put to death, his next brother, Wali-ullah, being raised to the throne. After a reign of two years he, likewise, was put to death and Kalim-ullah, the youngest brother* of Ahmad III, was placed on the throne. This prince privately wrote a letter to Babar, who had recently invaded Hindustan, imploring him to deliver the writer from the tyranny of Amir Barid. On this fact becoming known Kalim-ullah fled to Bijapur, where Ismail Adil Shah made an attempt to seize and imprison him. The young king then fled, with no more than eighteen horsemen, to Ahmadnagar, where he was at first well received by Burhan Nizam Shah. Later however, he was regarded as a dangerous guest, and Burhan, fearing lest the heir of the Bahmanis should excite the pity and the loyalty of the nobles and the army, placed him under surveillance. He died at Ahmadnagar in 1526 or 1527, poisoned, it is supposed, by order of Burhan Nizam Shah, and with him ended the Bahmani dynasty.

On the extinction of the Bahmanis Amir Barid assumed the royal title in Bidar. Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk had already, as we have seen, assumed it in Golconda in 1512. There were now, therefore, five independent Muhammadan kingdoms in the Deccan, Bijapur, the kingdom of the Adil Shahi kings; Ahmadnagar, that of the Nizam Shahis; Golconda, where the Qutb Shahi kings bore sway; Berar, ruled by the Imad Shahi kings; and Bidar, by the Barid Shahi kings. Of these the first three were large and powerful kingdoms, while the other two were comparatively insignificant. The story of the wars of these states is extremely complicated and has never been adequately described in English, though materials for the task are not wanting. Bijapur and Ahmadnagar were frequently at war, the frontier fortress of Sholapur being a fruitful source of strife between them. Golconda as a rule endeavoured to hold itself aloof from these quarrels, being engaged in the early days of the