UPSC Prelims 2023 Q49: Gujarat Sultans and Portuguese Diu — Explained
Who among the following rulers of medieval Gujarat surrendered Diu to Portuguese?
- Ahmad Shah
- Mahmud Begarha
- Bahadur Shah
- Muhammad Shah
Answer: (c) Bahadur Shah
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — Ahmad Shah I ruled Gujarat from 1411 to 1442 and founded Ahmedabad on the Sabarmati in 1411. The Portuguese did not reach India until Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut in 1498, more than 50 years after his death. He had no dealings with them.
- b: incorrect — Mahmud Begarha (1458–1511) took Champaner in 1484 and renamed it Muhammadabad. He fought the Portuguese rather than surrendering to them. His fleet joined the Egyptian (Mamluk) navy against them, and that combined fleet was defeated by Francisco de Almeida off Diu in February 1509. Diu stayed in Gujarat's hands while he ruled.
- c: correct — Bahadur Shah (1526–1537) was squeezed by the Mughal emperor Humayun, who occupied Gujarat in 1535. He made a defensive alliance with the Portuguese and, by a 1535 treaty, let them build a fort at Diu and keep a garrison there. This came after he had already given them Bassein in 1534. He was killed in a clash with the Portuguese off Diu in 1537.
- d: incorrect — The Gujarat Sultanate had more than one ruler called Muhammad Shah. The best known, Muhammad Shah II, was Ahmad Shah's son and ruled in the 1440s, long before the Portuguese reached India. No Muhammad Shah handed Diu over; the 1535 Diu treaty was made with Bahadur Shah.
How to eliminate
You can narrow this down with dates. The Portuguese reached India in 1498, so any Gujarat sultan who ruled before then cannot have surrendered Diu. That rules out Ahmad Shah (founder of Ahmedabad, 1411) and the 15th-century Muhammad Shah. Mahmud Begarha is the name UPSC uses as a trap. He did deal with the Portuguese, but by fighting them: his fleet was defeated with the Mamluks off Diu in 1509, and Diu was not given up. That leaves the sultan who was cornered by Humayun in the 1530s. The fact to remember is: Bahadur Shah, Treaty of Bassein 1534, Diu fort 1535, killed by the Portuguese at Diu in 1537.
Know more
The Gujarat Sultanate and the Portuguese at sea
The Gujarat Sultanate (1407–1573) was set up when Zafar Khan, the Delhi Sultanate's governor, broke away after Timur's 1398 raid weakened Delhi. Gujarat controlled the ports of the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay), Surat and Diu, which carried India's trade with the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. That is why it ran into the Portuguese, who wanted to control Indian Ocean trade through forts and passes (cartaz).
| Ruler | Reign | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmad Shah I | 1411–1442 | Founded Ahmedabad (1411), now a UNESCO World Heritage city |
| Mahmud Begarha | 1458–1511 | Took Champaner (1484) and Junagadh; joined the Mamluks against the Portuguese; lost the naval Battle of Diu (1509) |
| Bahadur Shah | 1526–1537 | Ceded Bassein (1534); let the Portuguese build the Diu fort (1535); killed off Diu (1537) |
| Muzaffar Shah III | until 1573 | Akbar annexed Gujarat in 1572–73 |
Why Diu mattered. It sat on the trade and Haj pilgrimage routes to West Asia. Albuquerque tried and failed to get it. Once the fort was built, the Portuguese could tax shipping: by the mid-1550s every Gujarati ship using the Cambay ports had to call at Diu and pay Portuguese duties.
Long Portuguese rule. Diu stayed Portuguese for more than 400 years. India took Goa, Daman and Diu in December 1961 (Operation Vijay). Diu is now part of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (merged in 2020).
Similar questions to expect: Portuguese bases and when they got them (Cochin, Goa 1510, Bassein, Diu, Daman), the cartaz system, and Champaner-Pavagadh and Ahmedabad as World Heritage Sites.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Gujarat sultanate: All four options are sultans of this kingdom, so knowing its timeline is how you place each ruler against the Portuguese arrival.
- Portuguese in India: The Portuguese reached India by sea in 1498, which rules out every Gujarat ruler who died before then.
- Historic City of Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad's founding in 1411 dates one of the options to a time well before any European reached India.
- Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park: Champaner's capture in 1484 is the best-known fact about one of the options, which helps you date his reign.
- Afonso de Albuquerque: Albuquerque's failed attempt to win Diu shows how long the Portuguese wanted the port before a Gujarat sultan gave it up.