A New Perspective on the Origins of Yusuf Adil Shah, Founder and First Ruler of the Adil Shahi Sultanate
Cihan OruçThe Adil Shahi Sultanate was an important state founded in 1489 by Yusuf Adil Shah in the Deccan region of India, centered in Vijayapura. The sultanate witnessed eight different rulers until it was destroyed by the army of Babur in 1686. Some researchers generally base their studies on Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah’s work titled Ferishtah’s History of Deccan, which is one of the main sources for this sultanate. According to researchers and based on this resource, Yusuf was the son of the Ottoman ruler Murad II. However, other claims about Yusuf’s lineage appear to have not been included in these studies. Thus, these academic studies can be said to be methodologically incomplete or insufficient. In fact, Fuzuni Astarabadi was another author to write about the sultanate and attributed Yusuf’s origins to the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent in his work titled Futuhat-i-Adil Shahi. Another author, Rafiuddin Ibrahim Shirazi, wrote Tazkirat ul-Muluk, in which he attributed Yusuf’s origins to the Aq Qoyunlu Sultan Uzun Hasan. The novel claims about Yusuf’s origins in these works that researchers have ignored necessitate an examination of the issue in full detail. This study analyzes each of these claims by making use of Ottoman and Aq Qkoyunlu chronicles. As a result, the research reveals that the accuracy of these allegations should be questioned. The authors who put forward these claims are assumed to have aimed to strengthen the legitimacy of the sultan of the period due to their own interests or the political circumstances of the sultanate. In this context, the current study has focused on the question of who Yusuf Adil Shah was. As a result, the research has concluded him to have been an ordinary Turk who belonged to the Shiite sect and who’d originally migrated from the city of Save in Iran to the Bahmani lands. The obtained findings provide an important new perspective on Yusuf’s lineage that researchers should take into account.
Âdilşâhîler Sultanlığı’nın Kurucusu ve İlk Hükümdarı Yusuf Âdilşâh’ın Kökeni Üzerine Yeni Bir Bakış Açısı
Cihan OruçÂdilşâhîler Sultanlığı, 1489 yılında Yusuf Âdilşâh tarafından merkezi Bicapur olmak üzere Hindistan’ın Dekken bölgesinde kurulmuş önemli bir devlettir. Sultanlık, Bâbürlü ordusu tarafından 1686 yılında yıkılıncaya kadar sekiz farklı hükümdar dönemine tanıklık etmiştir. Bazı araştırmacılar, çalışmalarında genellikle sultanlığın temel kaynaklarından biri olan Muhammed Kâsım Hindûşâh’ın Tarih-i Firişte adlı eserine dayanarak Yusuf'un, Osmanlı hükümdarı II. Murad'ın oğlu olduğunu belirtmektedirler. Ancak bu çalışmalarda, Yusuf'un soyuna dair diğer iddialara yer verilmediği görülmektedir. Böylelikle söz konusu akademik çalışmaların metodolojik açıdan eksik olduğunu söyleyebiliriz. Nitekim, sultanlığın müelliflerinden Fuzûnî Astarabadî, Fütühat-ı Âdilşâhî adlı eserinde Yusuf'un kökenini Osmanlı hükümdarı Kanuni Sultan Süleyman'a dayandırmaktadır. Bir başka müellif Refîüddîn Şîrâzî ise Tezkiretü’l-mülûk adlı eserinde Yusuf'un kökenini Akkoyunlu sultanı Uzun Hasan'a dayandırmaktadır. Araştırmacıların göz ardı ettiği bahsi geçen eserlerdeki Yusuf’un kökeni hakkındaki yeni iddialar, bu konunun tüm ayrıntılarıyla incelenmesini gerektirmektedir. Çalışmamızda bu iddiaların tamamı, Osmanlı ve Akkoyunlu vakayinamelerinden yararlanılarak incelenmiştir. Yapılan araştırma neticesinde, bu iddiaların doğruluğunun sorgulanması gerektiği ortaya çıkmıştır. Söz konusu iddiaları öne süren müelliflerin, kendi çıkarları veya sultanlığın siyasi koşulları nedeniyle devrin sultanının meşruiyetini güçlendirmeyi amaçladıkları düşünülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, Yusuf Âdilşâh'ın kim olduğu sorusuna cevap aranmış ve onun aslen İran'ın Save şehrinden Behmenî topraklarına göç etmiş, Şii mezhebine mensup sıradan bir Türk olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ulaştığımız bulgular, Yusuf’un soyuna dair araştırmacıların dikkate alması gereken yeni ve önemli bir bakış açısı sunmaktadır.
The Adil Shahid Sultanate was founded in 1489 by Yusuf Adil Shah in the Deccan region of India with Vijayapura as its center. The sultanate was ruled by eight rulers until it was destroyed by the Babur army attack in 1686. Researchers generally refer to Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah’s work titled Tarikh-i Firishtah [Ferishtah’s History of Deccan] to elucidate upon the history of the sultanate. According to researchers and in the context of this work, Yusuf was the son of the Ottoman ruler Murad II. In order to verify the accuracy of this claim, consulting Ottoman chronicles as well as other chronicles that put forward different claims on this issue is necessary. However, the researches reviewed in this study seems to have neglected this aspect of the issue. Therefore, these academic studies can be said to be methodologically incomplete. This research has revealed new claims about Yusuf’s origin. Fuzuni Astarabadi, an Adil Shahi chronicler, attributed Yusuf's origin to the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent in his work Futuhat-i-Adil Shahi, whereas Rafiuddin Shirazi, attributed Yusuf's origin to the Aq Qoyunlu sultan Uzun Hasan in his work Tazkirat al-Muluk.
This first discusses in detail the claim about Yusuf’s origin as found in Tarikh-i Firishtah using Ottoman sources of the period. According to the conclusion in the context of the current study, Hindu Shah had benefited from Ottoman chronicles regarding important events from the reigns of Murad II and Mehmed II while writing this work, or he heard about these events from a reliable source. Hindu Shah first presented information about the order to kill Mehmed II’s brother, Yusuf, and then touches upon Yusuf’s abduction from Ottoman lands. Therefore, he tried to establish a logical cause-and-effect relationship between the events. In this study’s opinion, Hindu Shah had aimed to glorify the Adil Shahid dynasty and strengthen its political legitimacy by introducing Yusuf as the son of Murad II.
The study continues with a discussion of Astarabadi’s claim. A large time difference can be seen to have occurred between 1566, when Suleiman the Magnificent passed away and his son Selim II ascended the throne, and 1489, when the Adil Shahid dynasty was founded and Yusuf’s reign began. In addition, although Yusuf’s birth date cannot be determined exactly, his death date is recorded as 1510. For this reason, the claim in Futuhat-i-Adil Shahi of Yusuf being a descendant of Suleiman the Magnificent does not appear to coincide with the historical chronology and reality. In addition, the state was determined to have entered a politically difficult period during the reign of Muhammad Adil Shah, who ascended the throne after the death of Ibrahim II. During this period, the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan followed a harsher policy against the Adil Shahids. He started attacking Vijayapura after 1631. The Adil Shahids were forced to recognize the Mughal authority with a heavy treaty made in 1636. In this context, Astarabadi is seen to have aimed to rebuild the shaken image of the Adil Shahi sultan through this work.
This study also examined Shirazi’s claim. According to this work, Yusuf was the grandson of Ahmed Bey, the nephew of Uzun Hasan, who appointed him to Saveh in Iran, then Persia. However, the chronicles of Aq Qoyunlu history recorded that Jahangir Bey had been appointed to Saveh. Shirazi prepared this chronicle, in which he narrated the history of the sultanate up until Ibrahim II between 1608-1611. On the other hand, Hindu Shah had completed the first copy of Tarikh-i Firishtah in 1606-1607 and the second copy in 1609-1610. These two authors appear to have written their works at almost the same time, with Shirazi having begun writing his work one year after Hindu Shah’s first copy of Tarikh-i Firishtah was completed. Therefore, Shirazi was aware of Hindu Shah’s claim about Yusuf’s origin. Nevertheless, he claimed that Yusuf's lineage had been traced back to Uzun Hasan. This situation clearly shows that, during the reign of Ibrahim II, court historians made great efforts to glorify the lineage of the Adil Shahid Dynasty and strengthen its political legitimacy.
After evaluating the allegations mentioned above, this study has attempted to answer the question of who Yusuf really was. The Bahmani sultans took a protective approach, especially toward people from the Sayyids and the Shiite sect. For this reason, many Sayyids and people from the Shiite sect migrated to India from regions such as Iran, Iraq, Mecca, and Medina. Some of them rose to important positions in the Bahmani lands. These circumstances are believed to have also encouraged Yusuf to go to India. Yusuf belonged to the Shi'a sect and was Turkish in origin. He had a disagreement with some people while living in Saveh, Iran and was concerned about the security of the city. Therefore, Yusuf is thought to have decided to go to the safer Bahmani lands where he could be patronized because of his sect. In this context, the idea that Yusuf was an ordinary Turk of the Shiite sect who sought refuge in Bahmani lands from Saveh has gained weight.
