Farrukhsiyar
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Shahjahanabad, Delhi, Mughal Empire | |
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Farrukhsiyar (Persian pronunciation:
Reportedly a handsome man who was easily swayed by his advisers, he was said to lack the ability, knowledge and character to rule independently.
Farrukhsiyar was the son of Azim-ush-Shan (the second son of emperor Bahadur Shah I) and Sahiba Niswan.
Early life
Muhammad Farrukhsiyar was born on 20 August 1683 (9th
In 1696, Farrukhsiyar accompanied his father on his campaign to Bengal. Aurangzeb recalled Azim-ush-Shan from Bengal in 1707 and instructed Farrukhsiyar to take charge of the province. Farrukhsiyar spent his early years governing Dhaka (in present-day Bangladesh) the capital city of Bengal Subah.[4]
In 1712 Azim-ush-Shan anticipated Bahadur Shah I's death and a struggle for power, and recalled Farrukhsiyar. He was marching past
Deposing Jahandar Shah
In 1712,
When they reached
On 10 January 1713, Farrukhsiyar and Jahandar Shah's forces met at Samugarh, 14 kilometres (9 mi) east of Agra in present-day Uttar Pradesh. Jahandar Shah was defeated and imprisoned, and the following day Farrukhsiyar proclaimed himself the Mughal emperor.[7] On 12 February, Farrukhsiyar marched to the Mughal capital of Delhi, capturing the Red Fort and the citadel. Jahandar Shah's head, mounted on a bamboo rod, was carried by an executioner on an elephant and his body was carried by another elephant.[8]
Reign
Hostility towards the Sayyid Brothers
Farrukhsiyar defeated
According to historian William Irvine, Farrukhsiyar's close aides Mir Jumla III and Khan Dauran sowed seeds of suspicion in his mind that they might usurp him from the throne. Learning about these developments, the other Sayyid brother (Hussain Ali Khan) wrote to Abdullah Khan: "It was clear, from the Prince's talk and the nature of his acts, that he was a man who paid no regard to claims for service performed, one void of faith, a breaker of his word and altogether without shame".[10] Hussain Ali Khan felt it necessary to act in their interests "without regard to the plans of the new sovereign".[11] Farrukhsiyar could not confront them, as the Sayyid Brothers maintained control of the strongest part of the army, and thus the latter became de facto rulers of the empire.[12]
Campaign against Ajmer
Campaign against the Jats
Due to
In September 1716 Raja
By January 1718, the siege had lasted for more than a year. With rain coming late in 1717, prices of commodities increased and Raja Jai Singh II found it difficult to continue the siege. He wrote to Farrukhsiyar for reinforcement, saying that he had overcome "many encounters" with the Jats. This failed to impress Farrukhsiyar, so Jai Singh II (via his agent in Delhi) informed Hussain Ali Khan that he would give three million rupees to the government and two million rupees to the minister if he championed his cause to the emperor. With negotiations between Hussain Ali Khan and Farrukhsiyar successful, he accepted his demands and dispatched Syed Khan Jahan to bring Churaman to the Mughal court. Farrukhsiyar issued a farman (royal decree) to Raja Jai Singh II, thanking him for the siege.[21]
On 19 April 1718, Churaman was presented to Farrukhsiyar; they negotiated for peace, with Churaman accepting Mughal authority. Khan Jahan was given the title of Bahadur ("brave"). It was decided that Churaman would pay five million rupees in cash and goods to Farrukhsiyar via Syed Abdullah.[22]
Campaign against Sikh Confederacy
In 1714, the Sirhind
Banda Singh Bahadur was put into an iron cage and the remaining Sikhs were chained.[26] They were pressured to give up their faith and become Muslims.[27] Although the emperor promised to spare the Sikhs who converted to Islam, according to William Irvine "not one prisoner proved false to his faith". On their firm refusal all were ordered to be executed.[28] The Sikhs were brought to Delhi in a procession with the 780 Sikh prisoners, 2,000 Sikh heads hung on spears, and 700 cartloads of heads of slaughtered Sikhs used to terrorise the population.[29][30] When Farrukhsiyar's army reached the Red Fort, the Mughal emperor ordered Banda Singh Bahadur, Baj Singh, Bhai Fateh Singh and their companions to be imprisoned in Tripolia.[31] After three months of confinement,[32] on 19 June 1716 Farrukhsiyar had Banda Singh Bahadur and his followers executed, despite the wealthy Khatris of Delhi offering money for his release.[33] Banda Singh Bahadur's eyes were gouged out, his limbs were severed, his skin removed, and then he was killed.[34]
Campaign against rebels at the Indus River
Re-Imposition of Jizyah
Farrukhsiyar gave power to a number of Kashmiri nobles such as Inayatullah Kashmiri, an old Alamgiri noble, and Muhammad Murad Kashmiri, who he was related to by marriage. This was because he needed a close party of supporters who were directly related to him in dealing with the Sayyid brothers.[36][37][38][3] Inayatullah Khan was appointed the Diwan-i-Tan-o Khalisa, and the governor of Kashmir in 1717. He set fire to the Hindu area of Srinagar and forbade the Pandits from wearing turbans.[39] Inayatullah Khan was further responsible for the re-imposition of Jizyah in the Mughal Empire after the death of Aurangzeb. Farrukhsiyar said to the Hindus:[40]
"Inayatullah has placed before me a letter from the Sherif of Mecca urging that the collection of jizya is obligatory according to our Holy book. In a matter of faith, I am powerless to interfere."
Trade concession in Bengal
In 1717, Farrukhsiyar issued a farman giving the British East India Company the right to reside and trade in the Mughal Empire. They were allowed to trade freely, except for a yearly payment of 3,000 rupees, in gratitude for William Hamilton, a surgeon associated with the company, curing Farrukhsiyar of a disease.[41] The company was given the right to issue dastak (passes) for the movement of goods, which was misused by company officials for personal gain.[42] The farman allowed the British East India company to carry out duty-free trade in the province of Bengal. They were given dastaks (passes), which were misused by the employees of the Company. The dastaks were used for their own private trade, angering the Nawab of Bengal, Alivardi Khan.
Final struggle with the Sayyid Brothers
By 1715, Farrukhsiyar had given
After Syed Hussain learned about Farrukhsiyar's plans, he felt that their position could be cemented by controlling "important provinces". He asked to be appointed viceroy of the Deccan, instead of Asaf Jah I; Farrukhsiyar refused, transferring him to the Deccan instead. Fearing attack by Farrukhsiyar's supporters, the brothers began making military preparations. Although Farrukhsiyar initially considered giving the task of crushing the brothers to Mohammad Amin Khan (who wanted the position of prime minister in return), he decided against it because removing him would be difficult.[45]
Arriving at the Deccan, Syed Hussain made a treaty with
State of the Mughal Empire
Appointments
Farrukhsiyar appointed Sayid Abdullah Khan as chief minister and placed Muhammad Baqir Mutamid Khan in charge of the
The following were governors of the provinces; the governor of South India was Chin Qilich Khan, who appointed deputy governors:[49][50][51]
North India | South India | ||
---|---|---|---|
Province | Governor/Chief Minister | Province | Deputy governor |
Agra | Shams ud Daula Shah Khan-i Dauran | Berar | Iwaz Khan |
Ajmer | Syed Muzaffar Khan Barha | Bidar | Amin Khan |
Allahabad |
Khan Jahan Barha | Bijapur | Mansur Khan |
Awadh | Sarbuland Khan |
Burhanpur | Shukrullah Khan |
Bengal | Farkhunda Bakht | Hyderabad | Yusuf Khan |
Bihar | Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan Barha |
Karnataka | Saadatullah Khan Nawayath |
Delhi | Muhammad Yar Khan | ||
Gujarat | Shahamat Khan | ||
Kabul | Bahadur Nasir Jang | ||
Kashmir | Saadat Khan | ||
Lahore | Abd al-Samad Khan | ||
Malwa | Raja Jai Singh of Amber
| ||
Multan | Qutb-ul-Mulk Barha
| ||
Orissa | Murshid Quli Khan |
Personal life
Family
Farrukhsiyar's first wife was Fakhr-Un-Nissa Begum, also known as Gauhar-Un-Nissa, the daughter of Mir Muhammad Taqi (known as Hasan Khan and then Sadat Khan). Taqi, from the Persian province of
His second wife was Bai Indira Kanwar, the daughter of Maharajah Ajit Singh. [53] She married Farrukhsiyar on 27 September 1715, during the fourth year of his reign, and they had no children. After Farrukhsiyar's deposition and death she left the imperial harem on 16 July 1719, she returned to her father with her property and lived her remaining years in Jodhpur.[54]
Farrukhsiyar's third wife was Bai Bhup Devi, daughter of Jaya Singh (the Raja of Kishtwar, who had converted to Islam and received the name of Bakhtiyar Khan). After Jaya Singh's death he was succeeded by his son, Kirat Singh. In 1717, in response to a message from the Mufti of Delhi, her brother Kirat Singh sent her to Delhi with her brother Mian Muhammad Khan. Farrukhsiyar married her, and she entered the imperial harem on 3 July 1717.[54][55]
Titles
His full name was Abul Muzaffer Muinuddin Muhammad Farrukhsiyar Badshah.[56]
Posthumously, he was known as "Shahid-i-marhum" (the martyr received with mercy).[57]
Coinage
On coins issued during Farrukhsiyar's reign, the following phrase was inscribed: "Sikka zad az fazl-i-Haq bar sim o zar/ Padshah-i-bahr-o-bar Farrukhsiyar" (By the grace of the true God, struck on silver and gold, the emperor of land and sea, Farrukhsiyar).[57] There are 116 coins from his reign on display at the
Deposition and death
With the help of Ajit Singh and Marathas, Farrukhsiyar was blinded, imprisoned and then executed by the Sayyid Brothers in 1719.[58][59] Upon his death, Ajit Singh reclaimed his widowed daughter along with dowry and returned to Jodhpur.[60]
Legacy
The town of
The town of Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh was also named after him.
References
- ISBN 978-93-80607-34-4.
- ISBN 9780674977556.
- ^ a b Journal and Proceedings Volume 73, Parts 1-3. Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal. 1907. p. 306.
- ^ a b Irvine 2006, p. 198.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 199.
- ^ a b Asiatic Society of Bengal 2009, p. 273.
- ^ Asiatic Society of Bengal 2009, p. 274.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 255.
- ^ Tazkirat ul-Mulk by Yahya Khan p.122
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 282.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 283.
- ISBN 9780857727770.
- ^ The Cambridge Shorter history of India p.456
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 288–290.
- ^ Fisher, p. 78.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 290.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 322.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 323.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 324.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 325.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 326.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 327.
- ^ a b "Marathas and the English Company 1707–1800". San Beck. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ Richards 1995, p. 258.
- ^ Singha, p. 15.
- ISBN 9788170174103.
- ISBN 0969409249.
- ISBN 9789380213255.
- ISBN 9788185148045.
- ^ Sastri, Kallidaikurichi (1978). A Comprehensive History of India: 1712–1772. The University of Michigan: Orient Longmans. p. 245.
- ^ Singha, p. 16.
- ^ Singh, Ganda (1935). Life of Banda Singh Bahadur: Based on Contemporary and Original Records. Sikh History Research Department. p. 229.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 319.
- ISBN 9788185815282.
- OCLC 23694258.
- ISBN 9788173044168.
- ^ A Study of Eighteenth Century India: Political history, 1707-1761. Saraswat Library. 1976.
- ^ Jagadish Narayan Sarkar (1976). A Study of Eighteenth Century India: Political history, 1707-1761. Saraswat Library.
- ISBN 9781860640360.
- ISBN 9788176258418.
- ISBN 978-0-595-34230-3.
- ISBN 978-81-317-6320-9.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Chandra 2007, p. 476.
- ^ Chandra 2007, p. 477.
- ^ Chandra 2007, p. 478.
- ISBN 978-93-85724-70-1.
- ^ Chandra 2007, p. 481.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 258.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 261.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 262.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 263.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 400-1.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 400.
- ^ a b Irvine 2006, p. 401.
- ^ Proceedings – Punjab History Conference – Volumes 29-30. Punjabi University. 1998. p. 85.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 398.
- ^ a b c Irvine 2006, p. 399.
- ^ Irvine 2006, p. 390.
- ISBN 978-1615302017.
- ISBN 9789004300569.
Bibliography
- Asiatic Society of Bengal (18 August 2009). Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 47. Bishop's College Press.
{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help)CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - ISBN 978-81-241-1269-4
- ISBN 81-7536-406-8
- Fisher, Michael H. (1 October 2015), A Short History of the Mughal Empire, I.B.Tauris, ISBN 978-0-85772-976-7
- ISBN 9780521566032
- Singha, H.S. (1 January 2005), Sikh Studies, Book 6, Hemkunt Press, ISBN 978-81-7010-258-8