Bahmani–Vijayanagar War (1398)
The Bahmani–Vijayanagar War (1398) of 1398 marked the military conflicts between the Bahmani Sultanate under Tajuddin Firuz Shah and the Vijayanagar empire under Harihara II. After the initial Bahmani-Vijayanagar War in 1367, the two kingdoms enjoyed a period of peace for thirty years. However, in the late fourteenth century, they once again found themselves engaged in major warfare in the Deccan region.
| Bahmani–Vijayanagara War (1398) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Bahmani–Vijayanagar Wars | |||||||||
Krishna river Basin | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Bahmani Sultanate | Vijayanagara empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah Ahmad Shah I Wali Qazi Sirajuddin Malik Na'ib |
Harihara II Prince Bukka X | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 12,000 Cavalry |
900,000 Men 30,000 Cavalry | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Heavy | ||||||||
The war was ignited by the invasion of Raichur by Prince Bukka and Harihara II, who capitalized on the internal conflicts within the Bahmani Sultanate's northern region. Firuz Shah faced a significant disadvantage as most of his army was deployed in the north. A flood in the Krishna river further complicated matters, separating the two armies on opposite banks.
Seizing the opportunity, Qazi Sirajuddin, a Bahmani officer, infiltrated the Vijayanagar camp as an assassin, assassinating the Prince and causing chaos. Exploiting the ensuing disorder, Firuz Shah launched an attack on Vijayanagar, compelling Harihara to lay down his arms under pressure from the Brahmins, whose families had been enslaved by the Bahmanis. The Bahmanis withdrew after recapturing the Raichur Doab and receiving a ransom of 1 million Hunas. Harihara had to pay an annual tribute of 3.3 million Tankas to the Bahmanis.