Mughal Naval Power: The Bengal Fleet That Defeated the Portuguese

When we think of the Mughals, we tend to picture land-based cavalry empires — but in Bengal, they built a formidable naval force that took on the Portuguese, the Arakanese, and rival river pirates. This episode explores the little-known Mughal navy in Bengal, focusing on the figure of Shaista Khan, who as governor of Bengal in the 1660s, assembled a massive fleet of galleys and warships to secure the waterways of the Ganges delta. We discuss the Battle of Sandwip Island, where the Mughal fleet under the admiral Ibn Husain crushed the Portuguese-Magh combine and captured the pirate queen Juliana Dias da Costa. We also delve into the shipbuilding traditions of Bengal, the role of the Portuguese firangis as mercenaries, and how riverine warfare shaped the geopolitics of the region. This episode draws on accounts from the Alamgirnama and European travelogues, bringing to light a forgotten chapter of naval history in South Asia. #MughalNavy #ShaistaKhan #BengalHistory #SandwipIsland #PortugueseInBengal #Arakan #MaghPirates #NavalHistory #BattleOfSandwip #IbnHusain #JulianaDiasDaCosta #Firangis #GangesDelta #Shipbuilding #Alamgirnama #FexingoHistory #History #SouthAsianHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo