# Muhammad Shah IV

Muhammad Shah IV (Persian: محمد شاه) was the third monarch of the Sayyid dynasty which ruled the Delhi Sultanate.

## Biography

After Mubarak Shah died, his nephew Muhammad Khan bin Farid Khan became ruler and assumed the title Sultan Muhammad Shah. However, for about six months, a man named Sarvar-ul-Mulk—known as Khan-i-Jahan—held most of the power. He began to remove the old nobles, but these nobles fought back under the leadership of Kamal-ul-Mulk.
The first rebellion began in Bayana when its ruler, Yusuf Khan AuhadI, killed a man sent by Sarvar-ul-Mulk to take over the fort. Soon after, other local rulers joined the revolt. Kamal-ul-Mulk pretended to support Sarvar-ul-Mulk so that he could be given command of the royal army and sent to deal with the uprising. Instead of attacking immediately, he stopped at Ahar. When the rebel leaders learned of his true plan in May 1434, they joined him. Together, they marched on Delhi to punish those responsible for the king’s death.
Kamal-ul-Mulk’s plan worked because it deprived Sarvar-ul-Mulk of the support of the Delhi army. In a twist, Sarvar-ul-Mulk attempted to kill the new king, but Muhammad Shah’s bodyguards quickly killed him and his men. After a siege lasting about three months, the rebel army entered Delhi, and the nobles renewed their loyalty to Muhammad Shah. Kamal-ul-Mulk was then appointed chief minister.
He had an excellent opportunity to improve the kingdom, but he soon disappointed everyone by neglecting his royal duties and preferring a life of ease and pleasure. This led to widespread disorder. As the situation worsened, Jalal Khan from Mewat, along with his supporters and Delhi’s leading figures, invited Sultan Mahmud Khalji of Malwa for help. The Malwa ruler set up camp about ten miles from Delhi at a place called Talpat.
Unable to defend himself, Muhammad Shah sought assistance from Bahlul Lodi, the chief of Sirhind. Bahlol arrived with 20,000 horsemen and led the imperial army. At the end of the first day, the battle had no clear result. The next morning, without consulting his other commanders, Muhammad Shah sent envoys to propose peace. That night, the Khalji king—alarmed by a troubling vision of unrest in his own capital—decided to accept the peace offer and immediately retreated to Mandu.
Bahlul Lodi, unhappy with the king’s decision, managed to restore his reputation by launching a surprise attack on the rear of the Khalji forces, killing some soldiers and capturing their supplies. The Khalji ruler, impressed by Buhlul’s actions, praised him by calling him like a son and giving him the title Khan-i-Khanan. Later, Muhammad Shah allowed Bahlul to control most of the Panjab region and even tasked him with subduing the Khokhar rebel Jasrath, who, however, cleverly negotiated with Bahlul.
By this time, the Lodi family had become very powerful. In 1443, Bahlul tried to attack Delhi but was unsuccessful. In the final years of Muhammad Shah’s reign, his kingdom rapidly weakened. Multan broke away to become its own kingdom, the Sharqls annexed some eastern regions, many local rulers stopped paying tribute, and even some leaders within twenty miles of Delhi began to act independently. Not long before his death in 1445, Muhammad Shah recalled his son Alam Shah and named him his heir.