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Q49 (IAS/2023) History & Culture › Medieval India › Medieval regional kingdoms Official Key

Who among the following rulers of medieval Gujarat surrendered Diu to Portuguese?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 3: Bahadur Shah. During the 16th century, the Sultanate of Gujarat faced a dual threat from the expanding Mughal Empire under Humayun and the Portuguese naval forces.

To secure his kingdom against the Mughal invasion, Bahadur Shah entered into the Treaty of Bassein in 1534 with the Portuguese Governor Nuno da Cunha. Under this treaty, he ceded Bassein and its dependencies. Later, in 1535, to gain military support against Humayun, he allowed the Portuguese to construct a fort at Diu, effectively surrendering control of the strategic port.

  • Ahmad Shah: Founded Ahmedabad but ruled long before the Portuguese became a dominant power.
  • Mahmud Begarha: Though he resisted the Portuguese (Battle of Diu, 1509), he did not surrender the territory.
  • Muhammad Shah: Refers to various rulers who did not preside over this specific territorial concession.

Thus, it was Bahadur Shah's diplomatic desperation that led to the Portuguese acquisition of Diu.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Who among the following rulers of medieval Gujarat surrendered Diu to Portuguese? [A] Ahmad Shah [B] Mahmud Begarha [C] Bahadur Shah …
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 7.5/10
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This is a textbook 'Sitter' found directly in standard sources like Spectrum (Rajiv Ahir) and TN Board books. It tests the specific intersection of Regional Kingdoms and European Advent. If you skipped the 'Portuguese in India' section thinking it was too basic, you lost 2 free marks.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Did Ahmad Shah, a ruler of medieval Gujarat, surrender Diu to the Portuguese?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Bahadur Shah (r. 1526), the ruler of medieval Gujarat, was the one who surrendered Diu to the Portuguese."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly names the Gujarat ruler who surrendered Diu to the Portuguese.
  • Identifies Bahadur Shah (not Ahmad Shah) as the one who surrendered Diu, directly addressing the statement by refutation.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"also concluded, and the Portuguese were allowed to build a fort at Diu. Thus were the Portuguese able to establish their foothold in Gujarat. Bahadur Shah soon repented his concessions to the Portuguese."
Why this source?
  • Describes concessions that allowed the Portuguese to build a fort at Diu, linking the loss of Diu to the actions of the Gujarat ruler.
  • Names Bahadur Shah in the context of these concessions, supporting that he (not Ahmad Shah) was responsible for surrendering Diu.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 3: Advent of the Europeans in India > The Portuguese > p. 56
Strength: 5/5
“In his rule, Diu and Bassein came under the Portuguese occupation from Gujarat King Bahadur Shah. Bahadur Shah got killed in 1537 at Diu while negotiating with the Portuguese.• Factors for Decline of the Portuguese in India (a) Emergence of powerful dynasties in Egypt, Persia and north India and the appearance of the Marathas as neighbours; (b) political fears aroused by the activities of Jesuit missionaries, and hatred of persecution (such as inquisition) that caused reaction against Portuguese spiritual pressure; (c) rise of the English and Dutch commercial ambitions challenging the Portuguese supremacy; (d) rampant corruption, greed and selfishness along with piracy and clandestine trade practices of the Portuguese administration in India; (e) diversion of Portuguese colonising ambitions towards the West due to the discovery of Brazil.”
Why relevant

States that Diu and Bassein came under Portuguese occupation from the Gujarat king Bahadur Shah and that Bahadur Shah was killed in 1537 at Diu.

How to extend

A student can check the identity and reign dates of 'Ahmad Shah' versus Bahadur Shah to see which ruler was in power when Diu was ceded.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 3: Advent of the Europeans in India > Nino da Cunha > p. 27
Strength: 5/5
“Nino da Cunha assumed office of the governor of Portuguese interests in India in November 1529 and almost one year later shifted the headquarters of the Portuguese government in India from Cochin to Goa. Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, during his conflict with the Mughal emperor Humayun, secured help from the Portuguese by ceding to them in 1534 the island of Bassein with its dependencies and revenues. He also promised them a base in Diu. However, Bahadur Shah's relations with the Portuguese became sour when Humayun withdrew from Gujarat in 1536. Since the inhabitants of the town started fighting with the Portuguese, Bahadur Shah wanted to raise a wall of partition.”
Why relevant

Says Bahadur Shah ceded the island of Bassein in 1534 and 'promised them a base in Diu' while negotiating Portuguese help.

How to extend

Compare these 1534–1537 events with the known reign period of the Ahmad Shah named in the question to assess if he could have surrendered Diu.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 16: The Coming of the Europeans > Consolidation of the Portuguese Trade > p. 249
Strength: 4/5
“He attacked the Arabs and was successful in taking Aden. In 1515 he took control of Ormuz. Two more viceroys played a significant role in consolidating the Portuguese empire in India. They are Nino da Cunha and Antonio de Nohanha. Da Cunha occupied Bassein and Diu in 1534 and 1537 respectively. The port of Daman was wrested from the hands of Imad-ul Mulk in 1559. Meanwhile, in the middle of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese control over Ceylon increased with the completion of a fort in Colombo. was during the period of De Noronha (1571) the Mughal ruler Akbar visited Cambay in Gujarat and the first contacts between the Portuguese and the Mughal emperor established.”
Why relevant

Reports that Nino da Cunha 'occupied Bassein and Diu in 1534 and 1537 respectively', tying Portuguese control of Diu to the 1530s.

How to extend

Use the 1530s occupation dates as a temporal benchmark against which to place any Ahmad Shah referenced in the statement.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 4: India on the Eve of British Conquest > Weak Rulers after Aurangzeb—An Internal Challenge > p. 63
Strength: 4/5
“In 1739, Nadir Shah defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Karnal and later imprisoned Muhammad Shah and annexed areas west of the Indus into the Persian empire. Ahmad Shah (1748-1754) Ahmad Shah was an incompetent ruler who left the state affairs in the hands of Udham Bai, the 'Queen Mother'. Udham Bai, given the title of Qibla-i-Alam, was a lady of poor intellect who ruled with the help of her paramour, Javid Khan (a notorious eunuch). Alamgir II (1754-1758) Alamgir II was a grandson of Jahandar Shah. Ahmed Shah Abdali, the Iranian invader, reached Delhi in January 1757. During his reign, the Battle of Plassey was fought in June 1757.”
Why relevant

Mentions an 'Ahmad Shah (1748-1754)' — an 18th-century ruler, indicating at least one prominent Ahmad Shah ruled long after the 1530s.

How to extend

A student can note the century mismatch (1530s vs 1748–1754) to question whether that Ahmad Shah could have surrendered Diu.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 4: India on the Eve of British Conquest > View > p. 60
Strength: 3/5
“Later, Muhammad Shah was captured, and Delhi looted and devastated. According to an estimate, apart from the Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor diamond, seventy crore rupees were collected from the official treasury and the safes of the rich nobles. Nadir Shah gained the strategically important Mughal territory to the west of the Indus including Kabul. Thus, India once again became vulnerable to the attacks from the north-west. Ahmad Shah Abdali (or Ahmad Shah Durrani), who was elected the successor of Nadir Shah after the latter's death in 1747, invaded India several times between 1748 and 1767. He continuously harassed the Mughals who tried to buy peace in 1751-52 by ceding Punjab to him.”
Why relevant

Describes Ahmad Shah Abdali as an 18th-century figure invading India between 1748 and 1767 — another example of an 'Ahmad Shah' from a later period.

How to extend

Recognize multiple historical figures named Ahmad Shah and use date comparisons to determine which (if any) might relate to the 1530s cession of Diu.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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