Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah

Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah was the founder of the Sultanate of Bengal and its inaugural Ilyas Shahi dynasty. The Ilyas Shahi Dynasty ruled Bengal for 145 years (1342–1487), except for a 21-year interregnum by the descendants of Raja Ganesha. The Ilyas Shahi rulers are considered to be among the most important political, diplomatic and military leaders of Bengal during the sultanate period. In Bengali history, Ilyas Shah himself has been compared with Alexander the Great because of his ability to conquer large swathes of the Indian subcontinent. Ilyas Shah was instrumental in unifying the principalities of Bengal into a single state.

Born in Sistan, and a follower of Sunni Islam, Ilyas Shah rose through the ranks of the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 14th-century, the Delhi Sultanate divided Bengal into three provinces based in the towns of Satgaon in South Bengal, Sonargaon in East Bengal, and Lakhnauti in North Bengal. The purpose was to improve administration as Delhi's sway over Bengal weakened. Ilyas Shah was appointed Governor of Satgaon. In the middle of the 14th-century, the governors of the three city-states declared independence. The three city-states began warring against one another. Ilyas Shah eventually defeated the ruler of Lakhnauti, Alauddin Ali Shah, and the ruler of Sonargaon, Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah. He unified Bengal into an independent sultanate, establishing his capital in Pandua.

As Sultan, Ilyas Shah waged a war against the Delhi Sultanate to secure recognition of Bengal's independence. He raided cities across northern and eastern subcontinent, becoming the first Muslim ruler to invade the Kathmandu Valley. Under Ilyas Shah, the territory of the Bengal Sultanate expanded to include parts of north India, northeast India, Nepal and Orissa.