Sher Shah Suri

Sher Shah Suri (1486 – 22 May 1545) born Farid Khan, was the Afghan founder and Sultan of the Pashtun Sur Empire in the Indian subcontinent, with its capital at Delhi. 

The title Sher Khan ("Sher" means lion and "Khan" means king)  was given to him after he fought against a lion all by himself while he was serving the Afghan noble Bahar Khan Lohani. Farid Khan was a talented and fearless soldier. His father Hasan Khan was a large landowner under Bahar Khan Lohani, a noble who served under the ruler of Delhi.  Farid Khan succeeded his father to become the Jagirdar (landowner) and soon he rebelled and successfully overthrew the Mughal Emperor Humayun in 1540.

He ruled until 1545 when he died in a gunpowder explosion, he left a strong empire to his son Islam Shah Suri, who ruled for nine years. Islam Shah Suri was succeeded by his son Firoz Khan in 1554 however Firoz Khan was soon murdered, the empire then became weakened and in 1555 the Mughal ruler Humayun recaptured the lost Mughal territory and reinstates himself as Emperor after defeating Islam Shah in Punjab, thus effectively ending the Surid dynasty.

Background
Sher Shah Suri hailed from the Sur tribe of the Lodi confederacy.

 Military Campaigns 
Sher Shāh defeated the Mughal Emperor Humayun twice and captured Delhi. Soon after becoming king, Sher Shah Suri raised a large army and captured Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Punjab and areas as far north as Kashmir and as eastwards as Burma.

 Achievements 
Sher Shah was one of the greatest generals and administrators. He introduced a new currency, a silver coin known as 'Rupia' in use today by 1/4 of the world. He reduced custom duties and built an excellent connection of roads, including Grand Trunk Road in Bihar, which was 1,600 miles (2500 Kilometers) long. Sher Shah was a secular ruler who practiced religious tolerance. Sher Shah was also a devote Muslim ruler who prayed 5 times a day. 

 References 

Category:1486 births
Category:1545 deaths
Category:Indian royalty