| Shuja-ud-Daula | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nawab ofOudh Khan Bahadur Asad Jang Arsh Manzil | |||||
 | |||||
| 3rdNawab of Awadh | |||||
| Reign | 5 October 1754 – 26 January 1775 | ||||
| Predecessor | Safdar Jang | ||||
| Successor | Asaf-ud-Daulah | ||||
| Born | 19 January 1732 Mansion of Dara Shikoh,Delhi,Mughal Empire | ||||
| Died | 26 January 1775 (aged 43) Faizabad,Kingdom of Oudh (present-dayUttar Pradesh,India) | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Nawab Begum Ummat-uz-Zahra Bano "Bahu Begum" Saheba | ||||
| Issue | Asaf-ud-DaulahSaadat Ali Khan II | ||||
| |||||
| House | Nishapuri Branch of theKara Koyunlu | ||||
| Father | Safdar Jang | ||||
| Mother | Nawab Begum Sadar Jahan Ara Begum Saheba | ||||
Shuja-ud-Daula (b.(1732-01-19)19 January 1732 – d.(1775-01-26)26 January 1775) was the thirdNawab of Oudh[1] and theVizier ofDelhi from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775.[2]
Shuja-ud-Daula was the son of theMughalGrand VizierSafdarjung, who was chosen by EmperorAhmad Shah Bahadur. Unlike his father Shuja-ud-Daula was known from an early age for his abilities to synthesize his subordinates;[clarification needed] this skill would eventually cause him to emerge as the chosen Grand Vizier ofShah Alam II.
Shuja-ud-Daula is also known to have assistedAlivardi Khan,Nawab of Bengal, on various occasions when the territories of the latter were being ravaged byRaghoji I Bhonsle and hisMarathas. Thus, Shuja-ud-Daula is known to have been a very respected figure among the servicemen of Alivardi Khan.
After the death of his father in the year 1753, Shuja-ud-Daula was recognized as the nextNawab by Ahmad Shah Bahadur.
Shuja-ud-Daula despisedImad-ul-Mulk, an ally of the Marathas whose regime emerged after the Battle of Sikandarabad with the support of theSadashivrao Bhau. Imad-ul-Mulk blinded Ahmad Shah Bahadur and placedAlamgir II on the Mughal throne. Alamgir II and his son Prince Ali Gauhar were often persecuted by Imad-ul-Mulk because they refused to abandon their peaceful terms withAhmad Shah Durrani; they also demanded the resignation of Imad-ul-Mulk, mainly due to his relations with the Marathas.[3]
Shuja-ud-Daulah's household cavalry was composed of the Sheikhzadi,[4] much of whom belonged to theQidwai clan, who claimed descent from theBani Israil.[5] Clan-groups such as the Sayyids ofBilgram,Kara-Manikpur, Sheikhs ofKakori, and theSayyids of Barha served as court officers and soldiers.[6] The troops of Naval Rai, the most vigilant of Shuja-ud-Daulah's commanders, were a contingent of his Barah Sayyids, while the Bilgramis were of the same stock.[7][8] These clans had not taken any profession other than soldiery.[9] Shuja-ud-Daulah's father had maintained a contingent of 20,000 "Mughal" cavalry, who were mainly Hindustanis, many of whom were chiefly from the Jadibal district inKashmir and who imitated theQizilbash in dress and spoke the Persian language.[10][11] The state also saw a large migration of Kashmiri Shi'as to the Shi'a kingdom of Awadh, both to escape persecution and to secure courtly patronage.[12] This was especially the case with men from the district of Jadibal in Kashmir, who were all Shias, who looked to the state as the sword-arm of the Shi'as in India.
Prince Ali Gauhar fled fromDelhi when he realized a conspiracy that would eventually lead to the murder of the Mughal emperorAlamgir II. Shuja-ud-Daula welcomed and protected Prince Ali Gauhar, who then declared himselfShah Alam II and officially recognized Shuja-ud-Daula as theGrand Vizier of theMughal Empire. Together they challenged the usurperShah Jahan III, who was placed on the Mughal imperial throne bySadashivrao Bhau and his forces, which plundered much of theMughal Empire.
Shah Alam II was then advised to lead an expedition that would attempt to retake the eastern regions of theMughal Empire fromMir Jafar who was supported by theBritish East India Company. While Shuja-ud-Daula,Najib-ud-Daula andMirza Jawan Bakht allied themselves withAhmad Shah Durrani and assisted his forces during theSecond Battle of Sikandarabad in the year 1760 and later led aMughal Army of 43,000 during theThird Battle of Panipat.[13]
After escaping from Delhi due to the murder of his father the Mughal EmperorAlamgir II, the young Prince Ali Gauhar was well received by Shuja-ud-Daula. TheNawab of Awadh and the newly appointedMughalGrand Vizier Shuja-ud-Daula assured Prince Ali Gauhar that he andNajib-ud-Daula would initiate a struggle that would overthrow theMaratha Empire if Prince Ali Gauhar would lead what remained of theMughal Army against the expandingBritish East India Company inBengal.[14]
Shuja's decision about whom to join as an ally in theThird Battle of Panipat was one of the decisive factors that determined the outcome of the war as lack of food due to theAfghans cutting the supply lines of Marathas was one of the reasons that the Marathas could not sustain the day-long battle. Their forces were weak due to starvation and were also fighting facing the sun.[citation needed]
Shuja was not very sure about whose side should he take before the Third Battle of Panipat. The Marathas were still further south then and it would have taken them considerable time to reach Shuja's province. In spite of this, his mother was of the opinion that he should join the Marathas as they had helped his father previously on numerous occasions. However, in the end, Shuja decided to joinAhmad Shah Durrani.
As the chosenGrand Vizier of theMughal Empire, Shuja-ud-Daula commanded a sizeable army of MughalSepoy, who cut off the supplies of theMarathas and even defeated them in pitched confrontations during theThird Battle of Panipat and dispatched the Maratha leaderSadashivrao Bhau.[citation needed]
Abdali wrote to Shuja-ud-Daulah:
"It is now incontestably known that the addressee is a native of those parts, but that forsaking the conversation and manners of his native land , he has incorporated himself with the inhabitants of Hindustan. Whatever has come to pass, is altogether right. Whatever has been has been; the future will, by the favour of God, be fortunate.[15]
Shuja is also known for his role in theBattle of Buxar, a battle that was no less definite in Indian history. He along with the forces of Mughal emperorShah Alam II &Mir Qasim ruler of Bengal were defeated by the British forces in one of the key battles in the history of British East India company.
He again fought the British with the help of Marathas at Kara Jahanabad and was defeated. On 16 August 1765 AD he signed the Treaty of Allahabad, which said that Kora and Allahabad district would go to Company and the Company would get 5 million rupees from Awadh.[16] The British would be allowed free trade in Awadh and would help each other in case of war with other powers, which was a very shrewd political move by the Company.[17]
To pay for the protection of British forces and assistance in war, Awadh gave up first the fort ofChunar, then districts ofBenaras,Ghazipur and finallyAllahabad.[18]
Shuja-ud-Daula died on 26 January 1775 inFaizabad, the then capital ofAwadh, and was buried in the same city. His burial place is a tomb and known asGulab Bari (Rose Garden).
According to historians, Shuja-ud-Daulah was nearly seven feet tall, with oiled moustaches that projected from his face like a pair of outstretched eagle’s wings, he was a man of immense physical strength. By 1763, he was past his prime, but still reputedly strong enough to cut off the head of a buffalo with a single swing of his sword, or lift up two of his officers, one in each hand. This was something that immediately struck the 18th-century, historianGhulam Hussain Khan who regarded him as a slight liability, every bit as foolish as he was bold. Shuja, he wrote, ‘was equally proud and ignorant’.[19]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Shah Alam ii an shuja-ud-daula.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)| Preceded by | Subadar Nawab of Oudh 1754–1762 | Succeeded by post abolished |
| Preceded by new creation | Nawab Wazir al-Mamalik of Oudh 1762–1775 | Succeeded by |
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