| Farrukhsiyar | |||||||||
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 Emperor Farrukhsiyar holding a jewelc. 1717 | |||||||||
| Emperor of Hindustan | |||||||||
| Reign | 11 January 1713 – 28 February 1719 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Jahāndār Shāh | ||||||||
| Successor | Rafī-ud-Darajāt | ||||||||
| Born | (1683-08-20)20 August 1683 Aurangabad,Ahmadnagar Subah,Mughal Empire | ||||||||
| Died | 9 April 1719(1719-04-09) (aged 35) Shahjahanabad,Delhi,Mughal Empire | ||||||||
| Cause of death | Execution byImmurement | ||||||||
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| House | House of Babur | ||||||||
| Dynasty | Timurid Dynasty | ||||||||
| Father | Azīm-ush-Shān | ||||||||
| Mother | Sahiba Niswan | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam (Hanafi) | ||||||||
| Military career | |||||||||
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Farrukhsiyar (Persian pronunciation:[faɾ.ˈɾuxsaj.ˈjɑːɾ]; 20 August 1683 – 9 April 1719), also spelled asFarrukh Siyar, was the tenthMughal Emperor from 1713 to 1719. He rose to the throne after deposing his uncleJahandar Shah.[1] He was an emperor only in name, with all effective power in the hands of the courtierSayyid brothers.[2]
Muhammad Farrukhsiyar was born on 20 August 1683 (9thRamzan 1094AH) in the city ofAurangabad on theDeccan plateau, to a Kashmiri mother, Sahiba Niswan.[3] He was the second son ofAzim-ush-Shan, the Grand son of emperorBahadur Shah I and a great grandson of emperorAurangzeb.
In 1696, Farrukhsiyar accompanied his father on his campaign toBengal. Aurangzeb recalled Azim-ush-Shan from Bengal in 1707 and instructed Farrukhsiyar to take charge of the province. Farrukhsiyar spent his early years governingDhaka (in present-dayBangladesh) 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 pastAzimabad (present-dayPatna,Bihar, India) when he learned of the Mughal emperor's death. On 21 March, Farrukhsiyar proclaimed his father's accession to the throne, issued coinage in his name and orderedkhutba (public prayer).[4] On 6 April, he learned of his father's defeat to an alliance orchestrated byZulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung between Jahandar Shah, and his younger brothersRafi-us-Shan andJahan Shah. Although the prince considered suicide, he was dissuaded by his friends from Bengal.[5]
In 1712,Jahandar Shah (Farrukhsiyar's uncle) ascended the throne of theMughal Empire by defeating Farrukhsiyar's father, Azim-ush-Shan. Farrukhsiyar wanted revenge for his father's death and was joined by Hussain Ali Khan (thesubahdar of Bengal) and Abdullah Khan, his brother and thesubahdar ofAllahabad.[6]
When they reachedAllahabad from Azimabad, Jahandar Shah's military general Syed Abdul Ghaffar Khan Gardezi and 12,000 troops clashed with Abdullah Khan, resulting in Abdullah retreating to theAllahabad Fort. However, Gardezi's army fled when they learned about his death. After the defeat, Jahandar Shah sent general Khwaja Ahsan Khan and his son Aazuddin. When they reached Khajwah (present-dayFatehpur district,Uttar Pradesh, India), they learned that Farrukhsiyar was accompanied by Hussain Ali Khan and Abdullah Khan. With Abdullah Khan commanding thevanguard, Farrukhsiyar began the attack. After a night-long artillery fight, Aazuddin and Khwaja Ahsan Khan fled and the camp fell to Farrukhsiyar.[6]
On 10 January 1713, Farrukhsiyar and Jahandar Shah's forces met at Samugarh, 14 kilometres (9 mi) east ofAgra 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 ofDelhi, capturing theRed 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]
Farrukhsiyar defeatedJahandar Shah with the aid of theSayyid brothers, and one of the brothers, Abdullah Khan, wanted the post ofwazir (prime minister). His demand was rejected, since the post was promised to Ghaziuddin Khan, but Farrukhsiyar offered him a post asregent under the name ofwakil-e-mutlaq. Abdullah Khan refused, saying that he deserved the post ofwazir since he led Farrukhsiyar's army against Jahandar Shah. Farrukhsiyar ultimately gave in to his demand, and Abdullah Khan becamewazir.[9] His brother Hussain Ali Khan became theMir Bakhshi or Commander-in-Chief.
According to historianWilliam Irvine, Farrukhsiyar's close aidesMir 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]
Maharaja Ajit Singh of Marwar capturedAjmer with the support of the Marwari nobles and expelled Mughal diplomats from his state. Farrukhsiyar sentHussain Ali Khan to subjugate him. However, the anti-Sayyid brothers faction in the Mughal emperor's court compelled him to send secret letters to Ajit Singh assuring him of rewards if he defeated Hussain Ali Khan.[13] Hussain Ali Khan left Delhi for Ajmer on 6 January 1714, accompanied by Sarbuland Khan and Afrasyab Khan. As his army reached Sarai Sahal, Ajit Singh sent diplomats who failed to negotiate a peace. As Hussain Ali Khan advanced to Ajmer viaJodhpur,Jaisalmer andMerta, Ajit Singh retreated to the deserts hoping to dissuade the Mughal general from a battle. Ajit Singh surrendered at Merta.[14] As a result, Mughal authority was restored inRajputana. Ajit Singh gave his second daughter, KunwariIndira Kanwar, as a bride to Farrukhsiyar.[15] His son, KunwarAbhai Singh, was compelled to accompany him to see the Mughal emperor his brother-in-law.[16]
Due toAurangzeb's 25-year campaign on theDeccan plateau, Mughal authority weakened inNorth India with the rise of local rulers. Taking advantage of the situation, theJats advanced.[17] In early 1713, Farrukhsiyar unsuccessfully sentsubahdar ofAgra, Chabela Ram to defeat the Jat leaderChuraman. However, his successor, Samsamud Daulah Khan, compelled Churaman to negotiate with the Mughal emperor. Raja Bahadur Rathore accompanied him to the Mughal court, where negotiations with Farrukhsiyar failed.[18]
In September 1716 RajaJai Singh II undertook a campaign against Churaman, who lived in Thun (in present-dayRajasthan, India). By 19 November, Jai Singh II began besieging the Thun fort.[19] In December Churaman's son,Muhkam Singh, marched from the fort and battled Jai Singh II; the Raja claimed victory. With the Mughals running out of ammunition, Syed Muzaffar Khan was ordered to bring gunpowder, rockets and mounds of lead from the arsenal at Agra.[20]
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 afarman (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 ofBahadur ("brave"). It was decided that Churaman would pay five million rupees in cash and goods to Farrukhsiyar via Syed Abdullah.[22]
Banda Singh Bahadur was aSikh leader who, by early 1710s, had captured parts of thePunjab region.[23] Mughal emperorsBahadur Shah I andJahandar Shah failed to suppress Banda's uprising.[24]
In 1714, the Sirhindfaujdar (garrison commander) Zainuddin Ahmad Khan attacked the Sikhs nearRopar. In 1715, Farrukhisyar sent 20,000 troops under Qamaruddin Khan, Abdus Samad Khan andZakariya Khan Bahadur to defeat Bahadur.[23] After an eight-month siege atGurdaspur, Banda Singh Bahadur surrendered after he ran out of ammunition. Banda Singh Bahadur and his 200 companions were arrested and brought to Delhi; he was paraded around the city ofSirhind.[25]
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 whoconverted 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 theRed Fort, the Mughal emperor ordered Banda Singh Bahadur,Baj Singh,Fateh Singh and their companions to be imprisoned inTripolia.[31] After three months of confinement,[32] on 19 June 1716 Farrukhsiyar had Banda Singh Bahadur and his followers executed, despite the wealthyKhatris of Delhi offering money for his release.[33] Banda Singh Bahadur's eyes weregouged out, his limbs were severed, his skin removed, and then he was killed.[34]
Shah Inayat was the leader of poor peasants ofSindh who led a decisive movement againstzamindars of Sindh and redistributed land among poor peasants and tillers. He was executed on the order of Emperor Farrukhsiyar in the early eighteenth century.[35]
Farrukhsiyar gave power to a number ofKashmiri nobles such asInayatullah 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 ofKashmir in 1717. He set fire to the Hindu area ofSrinagar 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 theSherif 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."
In 1717, Farrukhsiyar issued afarman giving theBritish 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 3,000rupees, in gratitude forWilliam Hamilton, a surgeon associated with the company, curing Farrukhsiyar of a disease.[41] The company was given the right to issuedastak (passes) for the movement of goods, which was misused by company officials for personal gain.[42] Thefarman allowed the British East India company to carry out duty-free trade in theprovince of Bengal. They were givendastaks (passes), which were misused by the employees of the Company. Thedastaks were used for their own private trade, angering theNawab of Bengal,Alivardi Khan.
By 1715, Farrukhsiyar had givenMir Jumla III the power to sign documents on his behalf: "The word and seal of Mir Jumla are my word and seal". Mir Jumla III began approving proposals forjagirs andmansabs without consulting Syed Abdullah, the prime minister.[43] Syed Abdullah's deputy Ratan Chand accepted bribes for him to do work and was involved inrevenue farming, which was forbidden by the Mughal emperor. Taking advantage of the situation, Mir Jumla III told Farrukhsiyar that the Sayyids were unfit to hold office and accused them of insubordination. Hoping to depose the brothers, Farrukhsiyar began making military preparations and increased the number of soldiers under Mir Jumla III and Khan Dauran.[44]
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 ofAsaf 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 withMaratha rulerShahu I in February 1718. Shahu was allowed to collectsardeshmukhi in Deccan, and received the lands ofBerar and Gondwana to govern. In return, Shahu agreed to pay one million rupees annually and maintain an army of 15,000 horses for the Sayyids. This agreement was reached without Farrukhsiyar's approval,[46] and he was angry when he learned about it: "It was not proper for the vile enemy to be overbearing partners in matters of revenue and government."[47]
Farrukhsiyar appointed Sayid Abdullah Khan as chief minister and placed Muhammad Baqir Mutamid Khan in charge of theExchequer. The title ofbakshi was first conferred onHussain Ali Khan (with the titles of Umdat-ul-Mulk, Amir-ul-umara and Bahadur Firuz Jung) and then toChin Qilich Khan and Afrasayab Khan Bahadur.[48]
The following were governors of the provinces; the governor ofSouth 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 | Khandesh | Shukrullah Khan |
| Bengal | Farkhunda Bakht | Hyderabad | Yusuf Khan |
| Bihar | Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan Barha | Carnatic | 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 | ||
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 ofMazandaran, married the daughter of Masum Khan Safawi; if she was the mother of Fakhr-un-nissa, this would account for her daughter's selection as the prince's wife.[52]
His second wife was BaiIndira 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 ofKishtwar, 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 theMufti ofDelhi, 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]
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]
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 theLahore Museum and theIndian Museum inKolkata. The coins were minted inKabul,Kashmir,Ajmer,Allahabad,Bidar andBerar.[57]
In the middle of 1718, a serious conflict broke out at the Mughal court. The emperor and his top minister had been at odds for a long time, but tensions grew when the emperor broke an earlier agreement by appointing new officials in the Deccan region. In response, the minister canceled these appointments. Furious, the emperor tried and failed to eliminate the minister, Abdullah Khan, which led to a gathering of powerful nobles and troops against him. Soon, the emperor found himself with only a small force of Rajput soldiers by the side of Jai Singh Kachhwaha.[58][59][60]Abdullah Khan then called on his brother,Husain Ali Khan, to bring reinforcements from the Deccan. In October, Husain Ali Khan marched north with a large force of cavalry, infantry armed with matchlocks, and artillery. He was joined byBalaji Vishwanath, a Maratha chief minister, who added Maratha horsemen to the army. Although they claimed they were coming to negotiate an exchange of important hostages, their real purpose was to show that the emperor could be replaced with another who would be easier to control.[59][58] In February 1719, Husain Ali Khan made a dramatic entrance into Delhi, ignoring the formal court rules. Under pressure, the emperor, Farrukhsiyar, removed several key officials, includingJai Singh II. When the emperor refused to give up control of the palace fortress, an angry confrontation took place in the court.Abdullah Khan eventually removed the emperor’s guards and seized control of the palace.[59][60][58]
As news spread through the city, Farrukhsiyar was forced to hide in the women’s quarters. The next day, loyal commanders gathered to march on the palace, but they clashed with Husain Ali Khan’s Maratha forces. Seeing that they could not simply install one of their own, the powerfulSayyid brothers chose to replace the emperor with a young and manageable prince. After a failed attempt to capture Prince Bidar Dil, they crowned Prince Rafi-ud-darjat as the new ruler. Later that night, Farrukhsiyar was captured, blinded, and eventually killed in prison.[61][62] Upon his death, Ajit Singh reclaimed his widowed daughter along with dowry and returned to Jodhpur.[63]
The town ofFarrukhnagar inGurgaon district, 32 kilometres (20 mi) south ofDelhi, was named for him. During his reign, he built aSheesh Mahal (palace) and aJama Masjid (mosque) there.
The town ofFarrukhabad inUttar Pradesh was also named after him.
Farrukhsiyar | ||
| Preceded by | Mughal Emperor 1713–1719 | Succeeded by |
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