Bahram Shah, sultan Muizz al-Daula

(?-1152)

   The son of the Ghaznavid ruler 'Ala al-Din Mas'ud, he came to the throne in 1117, which was made possible by the removal of his brother Ar-salan with the help of Saljuq prince Sanjar. On his rise to kingship, Bahram Shah reestablished the Ghaznavid control in the regions around Lahore and Multan. Subsequently, a quarrel arose between Bahram Shah and the Shansbani ruler of Ghaur that resulted in the occupation of Ghazni by the Ghaurids in 1148. Two years later (1150), Bahram recovered Ghazni. The Ghaurid prince Saif al-Din was captured and fatally tortured. In retaliation, Shaif al-Din's brother 'Ala al-Din Ghauri marched on Ghazni, defeated Bahram, and burned down the town in 1152. Bahram escaped from Ghazni toward his possessions in the Punjab but died on the way. Sultan Bahram is remembered for his patronage of men of letters. The well-known Persian poets Nizami and Hasan Ghaznavi were in his employment. The translation of Kalila-w-damna (Fable of Two Jackals) into Persian was an important literary achievement of his reign.