Medieval kingdom in Punjab
The Langah Sultanate was a late medieval sultanate based in the Punjab region in the western Indian subcontinent between the 15th and 16th centuries. It was the dominant power of the lower Doab tract with Multan at its centre. The Langah Sultanate was annexed in 1527 but had autonomous authority until its merger with the Mughal Empire in 1530.
The sultanate gave the Derajat region to the Mirani mercenaries who ruled it as their direct vassals.
Origins.
There has been an ongoing debate as to the identity of the Langah Sultans of Multan. The 16th-century writer and author of the "Tārīkh-i ḥaqqī", Abd Al-Haqq, detailed that Buddhan Khan, one of the Langah Sultans, was a descendant of the Langah tribe of the Balochs. The historian, Suhail Zaheer Lari, who specialised in the history of Sindh and Southern Pakistan also described them as Baloch.
However other non-contemporary sources have also described them as Afghans or as the descendants of the Langah clan of the Rajputs or the Jats.
History.
After the invasion of Emir Timur in 1398, the Delhi Sultanate greatly weakened and the city of Multan became independent of the Sultanate of Delhi. The inhabitants chose Shaikh Yousaf Qureshi, a descendant of the famous Sufi Baha-ud-din Zakariya, as ruler in 1438. He was a mild and inexperienced ruler. In 1445, Rai Sahra, chief of the Langah, attacked the city at night with the help of his tribesmen, arrested Sheikh Yousaf and proclaimed himself sultan. In this way Multan passed to the Langah clan, thus establishing the Langah Sultanate. The reign of Sultan Husayn I, who ruled from 1469 to 1498, is considered to be the most illustrious of the Langah sultans. Multan experienced prosperity during this time, and a large number of Baloch settlers arrived in the city at the invitation of Shah Husayn. Shah Husayn successfully repulsed attempted invasion by the Delhi sultans led by Tatar Khan and Barbak Shah. He fought off attempts to reinstall Shiekh Yousaf, who had taken refuge under Delhi sultans. Eventually, he signed a peace treaty with Sikander Lodhi and abducted in the favour of his son. His successor, Budhan Khan, who assumed the title Sultan Mahmud Shah I, inherited the sultanate stretched encompassing the neighbouring regions, including the cities of Chiniot and Shorkot. During the rule of the Langah, a large number of Baloch tribes were allowed to settle in the Derajaat Border in turn for military service.
Decline.
Sultan Husayn I being unable to hold his trans-Indus possessions, assigned the region around Dera Ismail Khan to Sardar Malik Sohrab Dodai in 1469 or 1471 and appointed him as "Jagirdar". During the reign of Mahmud Langah, his Vizier rebelled and declared himself independent ruler of Sorkot. The city was invaded during the reign of Sultan Husseyn II by ruler Shah Husayn of the Arghun dynasty, probably at Babur's insistence. Multan fell in 1528 after an extended siege and Shah Husayn appointed his son Mirza Askari as governor of the city, assisted by Langar Khan, one of the powerful Amirs of Sultan Mahmud Langah I. Shortly after Shah Husayn departed Multan for Thatta, however, the governor was thrown out of the city. The rebels under Sultan Mahmud II administered Multan for a time independently but in 1541, Sher Shah Suri captured Multan, and the sultanate ended.
Culture.
The position of Multan as trans-regional mercantile centre for trade with the Islamic world remained dominant during the sultanate era. During their reign, Multan became the principle caravan route between Qandahar and Delhi. The extent of Multan's influence is also reflected in the construction of the Multani Caravanserai in Baku, Azerbaijan — which was built in the 15th century to house Multani merchants visiting the city. Legal records from the Uzbek city of Bukhara note that Multani merchants settled and owned land in the city in the late 1550s.
Another important feature of this era was migration of Baloch tribes and their settling in South Punjab. They soon became core of the military and held political positions in regions like Derajat.
Ministers.
Following is the list of known ministers of Langah Sultanate: