page_title: Military history of Bangladesh
section_title: Bengal Sultanate
hierarchical_section_title: Military history of Bangladesh / Early history / Sultanate period / Bengal Sultanate
caption_attribution_description: English: The Bengal Sultanate in 1500.
context_page_description: Bangladesh's military history is intertwined with the history of a larger region, including present-day India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. The country was historically part of Bengal– a major power in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
  Muslims brought new military technology to the region after the 12th century. According to João de Barros, Bengal enjoyed military supremacy over Arakan and Tripura due to good artillery. Its forces possessed large guns and cannons. It was also a major exporter of gunpowder and saltpeter to Europe. Bengal had a cosmopolitan military, including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and mercenaries from Africa, Central and West Asia. The Bengal Sultanate was a powerful kingdom between the 14th and 15th centuries. Bengal became an integral part of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century. The Mughal Army built fortifications across the region and expelled Arakanese and Portuguese pirates from the northeastern coastline of the Bay of Bengal. Throughout the late medieval and early modern periods, Bengal was notable for its navy and shipbuilding. Its shipyards produced ships for the Mughal, Ottoman and British navies.
context_section_description: The Bengal Sultanate was a medieval great power and conducted a number of notable campaigns, including the Bengal Sultanate-Delhi Sultanate War, the Bengal Sultanate-Jaunpur Sultanate War, the Reconquest of Arakan, the Bengal Sultanate-Kamata Kingdom War and the Bengal Sultanate-Kingdom of Mrauk U War of 1512-1516. The naval strength of Bengal was notable during the Ilyas Shahi dynasty and the Hussain Shahi dynasty.
caption: The Bengal Sultanate
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