Q. Who among the following rulers of medieval Gujarat surrendered Diu to Portuguese? (UPSC Prelims 2023)
Answer:
Bahadur Shah
Notes: The correct answer is
[C] Bahadur Shah. He was the Sultan of Gujarat (reigned 1526–1537) who ceded the strategic island of Diu to the Portuguese through a series of treaties.
- Context of Surrender (Statement C – Correct): Faced with a massive invasion from the Mughal Emperor Humayun, Bahadur Shah sought a military alliance with the Portuguese. In 1534, he signed the Treaty of Bassein, ceding Bassein (Vasai) and its dependencies. Later, in 1535, he allowed the Portuguese to construct a fort at Diu in exchange for military support against the Mughals.
- Death at Diu: Once the Mughal threat subsided, relations between the Sultan and the Portuguese soured. In 1537, while visiting a Portuguese ship anchored off the coast of Diu for negotiations, Bahadur Shah was killed during a scuffle and drowned in the Arabian Sea.
- Other Rulers (Incorrect): * Ahmad Shah (Statement A – Incorrect): The founder of Ahmedabad (1411), he consolidated the Sultanate but ruled long before the Portuguese became a dominant power in Indian waters.
- Mahmud Begarha (Statement B – Incorrect): Though he famously defeated the Portuguese in the Battle of Chaul (1508) with the help of the Mamluk fleet, he did not surrender Diu; he was a fierce opponent of their expansion.
- Muhammad Shah (Statement D – Incorrect): Refers to various rulers of the dynasty, but none were central to the specific surrender of Diu to the Portuguese.