Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung I
Ghaziuddin Khan Bahadur, Firuz Jang, Farzand-i Arjomand Mir Shihab-ud-Din Siddiqi | |
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LACMA | |
Subahdar of Berar | |
In office 1698–? | |
Monarch | Aurangzeb |
Subahdar of Gujarat | |
In office ?–1710 | |
Monarch | Bahadur Shah |
Preceded by | Ibrahim Khan |
Personal details | |
Born | 1649 Bukhara |
Died | Ahmedabad, Gujarat Subah | 8 December 1710
Resting place | Madrasa Ghaziuddin Khan, Old Delhi |
Spouse | Safiya Khanum |
Children |
|
Parent | Abid Khan |
Awards | Mahi Maratib |
Military service | |
Battles/wars | Siege of Bijapur (1685-1686) Siege of Golconda (1687) |
Mir Shihab-ud-Din Siddiqi (c. 1649- 8 December 1710), known by his title Ghaziuddin Khan, was a leading military general and noble of
Early life
Ghaziuddin Khan was born in Bukhara (in present-day Uzbekistan) as Mir Shihab ud-Din Siddiqi, in the year 1649.[1] He was the eldest son of Abid Khan, who had emigrated to Mughal India earlier than him and later became a favoured noble of emperor Aurangzeb. Ghaziuddin Khan's grandfather was a prominent intellectual of Bukhara named Alam Shaikh, who traced his descent to renowned saint Shihabuddin Suhrawardi (d. 1234).[2][3]
Career
Reign of Aurangzeb
Mir Shihab-ud-Din arrived in Mughal India around 1670, during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
In 1685, he participated in the Siege of Bijapur,[1] and was credited with the campaign's success. He was particularly recognised for leading a difficult expedition during this campaign, to relieve a trapped and starving army led by prince Azam, Aurangzeb's third son. For his action he was rewarded with the Mahi Maratib (fish standard), and received the title 'farzand-i arjomand' (distinguished son).[3][5] A year later, he captured the city of Adoni.[3]
In 1687, he fought in the
Beginning in the late 1680s, the nobles of Aurangzeb's court were split into two rival factions: Ghaziuddin Khan and his son
In 1698, Ghaziuddin Khan was appointed governor of Berar Subah, a province of the empire. He held this governorship for the rest of Aurangzeb's reign,[3] and played an active role in defending the province from Maratha assaults.[7] In 1704, Feroze Jung routed a Maratha army that was besieging Sironj.[8]
War of Succession
In the early 1700s, as emperor Aurangzeb's death loomed, Ghaziuddin Khan (along with Chin Qilich Khan and Muhammad Amin) decided to stay neutral in any potential war of succession among the princes. Ghaziuddin Khan and other members of the family also began to stockpile arms, in anticipation of aggression from the princes. Historian Munis Faruqui describes their policy as one of 'armed neutrality', and notes that previously in Mughal history, nobles had never been allowed to stay neutral in succession conflicts.[9][10]
The succession struggle was kicked off when the aged emperor died in 1707, at the imperial camp in Ahmadnagar; the prince
Reign of Bahadur Shah
Aurangzeb's second son, prince Muazzam, emerged victorious in the war of succession and was crowned as emperor Bahadur Shah. Ghaziuddin Khan and his family were pardoned and rewarded by the emperor despite their lack of support in the war, possibly due to their military value.
During Bahadur Shah's reign, Ghaziuddin Khan was also dispatched to combat recalcitrant Rajput rajas, for which purpose he was made the absentee governor of Ajmer on 12 April 1708 (he was dismissed shortly after and reappointed on 15 June).[13]
Death
Ghaziuddin Khan died in Ahmadabad, capital of Gujarat Subah, on 8 December 1710. His body was brought to Delhi, where it was buried at a madrasa complex he had founded during his lifetime (Madrasa Ghaziuddin Khan), located near Delhi's Ajmeri Gate. Following his death, the Mughal state confiscated his assets, as per custom.[4][14]
Family
Emperor Aurangzeb took an active interest in cultivating Ghaziuddin Khan and his family, perhaps in an effort to gain an ultra-loyal group of nobles. Upon Ghaziuddin's arrival in India, Aurangzeb arranged him a prestigious marriage to Safiya Khanum, daughter of renowned Mughal wazir Saadullah Khan. This honor was in addition to several promotions his father Abid Khan had received prior.[15] The marriage took place in 1670; their first son was Chin Qilich Khan (born Mir Qamaruddin), who Aurangzeb personally named and mentored.[2] He went on to become a major noble of the court, later becoming the first Nizam and founder of Hyderabad State.[16] Ghaziuddin Khan was first cousins with noble Muhammad Amin Khan, who was promoted to the high-ranking position of sadr-us-sudur during Aurangzeb's reign,[17] and later became wazir (prime minister) of the empire.[18] Ghaziuddin Khan also had two other sons: Hamid Khan Bahadur and Rahimuddin Khan.[3]
Philanthropy
In 1690s, through religious endowment he founded a
Ghaziuddin complex
The Ghaziuddin Khan complex or the Madrasa Ghaziuddin in
Madrasa Ghaziuddin Khan became the historic and influential
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Courtyard of Ghazi al-Din Khan's Madrassah at Delhi 1814-15
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A grave at the complex
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Graves in the complex
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The tomb and surrounding marble enclosure of Ghazi al-Din Khan, Sita Ram 1814
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Mosque of Ghaziuddin
References
- ^ a b c d "General Ghazi al-Din Bahadur Khan Firuz Jang I (recto), Calligraphy (verso) | LACMA Collections". collections.lacma.org. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ a b Faruqui 2009, p. 7.
- ^ OCLC 50004530.
- ^ OCLC 75615171.
- ^ a b c Faruqui 2012, p. 298.
- ^ Faruqui 2012, p. 297.
- ISBN 978-0-521-56603-2.
- ^ Jadunath Sarkar, History of Aurangzib Volume V, p .384
- ^ a b c Faruqui 2009, p. 13-14.
- ^ Faruqui 2012, p. 309-310.
- OCLC 50004530.
- ISBN 978-1-009-33021-3.
- OCLC 50004530.
- ^ Irvine, William (1898). "The Later Mughals (1707-1803), Chapter IV". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 67 (2): 163.
- ^ Faruqui 2012, p. 297-298.
- ^ Faruqui 2012, p. 264.
- ^ Faruqui 2009, p. 12.
- ^ Faruqui 2012, p. 16.
- ^ Fanshawe, p. 64
Bibliography
- Faruqui, Munis D (2009), "At Empire's End: The Nizam, Hyderabad and Eighteenth-Century India", Modern Asian Studies, 43 (1): 5–43, S2CID 146592706
- Faruqui, Munis D (2012), Princes of the Mughal Empire, 1504-1719, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, OCLC 808366461
- H.C. Fanshawe (1998). Delhi, past and present. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-1318-X.