| Muhammad Shah | |||||||||
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| Padishah Al-Sultan Al-Azam Rangeela | |||||||||
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| Mughal Emperor | |||||||||
| Reign | 27 September 1719 – 26 April 1748 | ||||||||
| Coronation | 29 September 1719 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Shah Jahan II Jahangir II (titular) | ||||||||
| Successor | Ahmad Shah Bahadur | ||||||||
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| Born | Roshan Akhtar[1] (1702-08-07)7 August 1702 Ghazni,Kabul Subah,Mughal Empire | ||||||||
| Died | 26 April 1748(1748-04-26) (aged 45) Delhi, Mughal Empire | ||||||||
| Burial | Mausoleum of Muhammad Shah,Nizamuddin Dargah,Delhi, India | ||||||||
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| House | Mughal dynasty | ||||||||
| Dynasty | Timurid dynasty | ||||||||
| Father | Jahan Shah | ||||||||
| Mother | Fakhr-un-Nissa Begum[2] | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam(Hanafi) | ||||||||
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Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (bornRoshan Akhtar;[1] 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748)[1] was the thirteenthMughal emperor from 1719 to 1748.[3] He was son ofKhujista Akhtar, the fourth son ofBahadur Shah I. After being chosen by theSayyid Brothers of Barha, he ascended the throne at the young age of 18, under their strict supervision.[4]
He later got rid of them with the help ofNizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I –Syed Hussain Ali Khan was murdered atFatehpur Sikri in 1720 andSayyid Hassan Ali Khan Barha was captured in battle in 1720 and fatally poisoned in 1722.[5] Muhammad Shah was a great patron of the arts, including musical, cultural and administrative developments, he is thus often referred to asMuhammad Shah Rangila (lit. 'Muhammad Shah "the colourful"').[6] His pen-name was "Sadrang" and he is also sometimes referred to as "Bahadur Shah Rangila" after his grand fatherBahadur Shah I.
Muhammad Shah's reign was marked by rapid and irreversible decline of the Mughal Empire that was exacerbated byNader Shah's invasion of India and thesacking of Delhi in 1739. The course of events not only shocked and mortified the Mughals themselves, but also other foreign powers, including theBritish.
In 1719, Kolis ofMahi River were most rebellious against Mughal rule and plundering the villages, Mihir Ali Khan who was acting as Viceroy of Gujarat at the place ofAjit Singh of Marwar, marched against Koli rebels ofMahi who were committing piracy against Muslims and subdued them.[7]
In 1721, Kasim Ali Khan who was an officer in Mughal Empire under Muhammad Shah employed against the Kolis of Kheda district to collect the fine but they refused to pay and there was a battle in Pethapur between Kolis and Mughal army under Kasim Ali Khan. Kasim Ali Khan was killed by Kolis and Mughal army was defeated and retreat to base.*[8]
In 1722, Muhammad Bahadur, son of Salabat Khan Babi, was placed in charge of Sadra and Virpur, with the title of Sher Khan. Shortly after his arrival the viceroy marched against and subdued the rebellious Kolis of the Chunval but was wounded deeply. After that Kolis of Modhera opposed Muhammad Shah and Modhera village was burnt down.[9]
In 1729, Mughal Viceroy of Sultan Muhammad Shah faced the challenge of anti-muslim activities of Kolis of Sorath, The viceroy marched against Kolis of Sorath and after destroying them, he took them to Ahmednagar.[10] After this, Jawan Mard Khan Babi who was the Governor of Petlad gave an order against rebellious Kolis of Balor, at probably Bhátod about fifteen miles east of Bharuch, but Jawan Marad Khan was killed by a man of the Koli tribe, and in revenge for his death the town of Balor was plundered. On the death of Jawán Mard Khan, at the request of Salabat Muhammad Khan Babi, his eldest son Kamal-ud-din Khan Babi received the districts of Sami and Munjpur and the title of Jawan Mard Khan.[11]
In 1738, Sher Khan Babi was in Junagadh appointed as governor of Sorath, Babi was obliged to march against a Koli chieftain Kanji Chunvalia of Chhaniar in Chunval because Kanji opposed and resisted the Mughal authority, but Sher Khan Babi was fiercely resisted by Kolis so Momin Khan was called with a large force and Chhaniar was burned down by the Mughal army.[12]
In 1739, Koli chieftain Jamaji of Thara, raised the Kolis of Kankrej against the Padishah and continually plundered Mughal territory. Jawan Mard Khan was ordered to march against the Koli chieftain but he was unable to maintain order, so he requested Fida-ud-din Khan to subdue the Kolis. After defeating the Koli chieftain, the Koli country was plundered by Mughal troops.[13]
In 1740, Kolis of Atarsumba, challenged Mughal authority and refused to pay any form of tax to the Mughal Padishah. Jawan Mard khan along with his brother Zorawar Khan Babi, marched against Kolis of Atarsumba but they strongly resisted resulting in a battle, Mughals defeated the Kolis and forced them to pay tax. But it was not for a long time, after some time, Kolis again refused to pay tax and Mughal troops were sent under Abdul Hussain Khan and Vajeram burning three Koli villages.[14]
In 1747, Rangoji a Maratha military leader returned to Áhmedábád, and Jawán Mard Khán had an interview with him a few miles from the city. Shortly after this, the Kolis of Mehmudabad and Mahudha rebelled, but the revolt was speedily crushed by Sháhbáz Rohilla.[15]
On 9 October 1720, Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha, the commander and chief of theMughal army, was assassinated in his encampment inTodabhim and Muhammad Shah took direct command of the army. Asaf Jah I was then dispatched to gain complete control of six Mughal provinces in theDeccan, andMuhammad Amin Khan Turani was assigned as theMansabdar of 8000. He was sent to pursue the Mughal Grand vizier Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha, who was defeated at the battle ofHasanpur by Muhammad Amin Turani,Khan-i Dauran, Sher Afkan Panipati, and Amin-ud-Din Sambhali. Hassan Khan Barha fought on the side opposing Khan-i-Dauran where the most danger was anticipated,[16] was captured on 15 November 1720 and executed two years later. The fall of the Sayyid Brothers would mark the beginning of the end of the Mughal Empire's direct control over its dominions in the Deccan.
On 21 February 1722, Muhammad Shah appointed Asaf Jah I as Grand Vizier. He advised Muhammad Shah to be "as cautious asAkbar and as brave asAurangzeb". Asaf Jah used his influence with the emperor to fulfil his territorial ambitions in the Deccan. He lost the emperor's confidence when he appointed Hamid Khan, a relative toSaadullah Khan and his maternal uncle, to administer Gujarat after sending him on the pretext of restoring order to the province.[17] Realising his loss of influence and trust from the emperor, Asaf Jah resigned as Grand Vizier and returned to the Deccan.[18]
Asaf Jah I appointed Commander Ewaz Khan as the master of the garrison atAurangabad, and much of his logistical duties were carried out by Inayatullah Kashmiri.[19] In 1723 he set out on an expedition to the Deccan, where he foughtMubariz Khan, the MughalSubahdar of the Deccan, who had kept the ravagingMaratha Empire at bay. Mubariz Khan was a former ally of the Barha Sayyids, who was appointed by Muhammad Shah to kill Asaf Jah I.[20] Taking advantage of Mubariz Khan's conventional weaknesses, Asaf Jah I defeated and eliminated his opponent during theBattle of Shakar Kheda. Asaf Jah I then established theHyderabad State and appointed himself theNizam of Hyderabad in 1725.
The Mughal-Maratha Wars (1728–1763)[21] would cause irreparable devastation to six Deccansubahs–Khandesh,Bijapur,Berar,Aurangabad,Hyderabad andBidar. Asaf Jah would tell the Marathas to invadeMalwa and the northern territories of the Mughal Empire to protect his newfound independence.[22][23][24] The Nizam described theMaratha army to be an instrument to be wielded to his own advantage in theMaasir-i Nizami:[25]
"I consider all this army (Marathas) as my own and I will get my work done through them. It is necessary to take our hands off Malwa. God willing, I will enter into an understanding with them and entrust theMulukgiri (raiding) on that side of theNarmada to them."
The ears of Muhammad Shah were possessed by the Amir-ul-Umara, Khan-i Dauran.[26] Muhammad Shah appointedQamar-ud-Din Khan as Grand Wazir to succeed Asaf Jah. However, he was quickly dismissed in favour ofRoshan-ud-Daulah Turrah Baz Khan, a native of Panipat,[27] who was appointed the Grand Wazir, in order to reduce the influence of the Turani family.[28]
Despite the loss of the Deccansubahs in 1724, theNawab of AwadhSaadat Ali Khan and the Mughalsubahdar Dilawar Khan (r. 1726–1756) remained loyal to the emperor and established a well-protected bastion on theMalabar Coast.
WhileUrdu (derived fromZuban-i Urdū-yi Muʿallá or in local translationLashkari Zaban, shortened toLashkari) was already in use before Muhammad Shah's reign, it was during his reign that it became more popular among the people and he declared it as the court language, replacing Persian. During Muhammad Shah's reign,Qawwali was reintroduced into the Mughal imperial court and it quickly spread throughoutSouth Asia. Muhammad Shah is also known to have introduced religious institutions for education such asMaktabs ( original arabic plural makātib ). During his reign, theQuran was translated for the first time into simplePersian andUrdu. Also, during his reign, the formal Turkic dress, normally worn by the high Mughal nobility since Mughals originally hailed fromSamarqand, was replaced by theSherwani. However, Muhammad Shah's adoption of the Deccan-influenced dress to court would lead to derisive comments, such as "See how the Deccan monkey dances!"[29][30]
Muhammad Shah was a patron of the performing arts, almost at the cost of administrative priorities, paving the way for the disintegration of governance. While Mughal political power did decline in his reign, the Emperor encouraged the arts, employing master artists such as Nidha Mal (active 1735–75) and Chitarman, whose vivacious paintings depict scenes of court life, such asHoli celebrations, hunting and hawking.[31] The Mughal court of the time had musicians such as Naimat Khan, also known asSadarang, and his nephew Firoz Khan (Adarang), whose compositions popularised the musical form ofkhyal. Naimat Khan composed khyal for his disciples and he never performed khyal.[32] This key component ofIndian classical music evolved, ascended and received princely patronage at the court of Muhammad Shah.[33]
He himself was a poet under the penname "Sadrang" and was also a composer ofIndian classicalraga songs in thebhairav,kafi,dhamar andmalkauns genres. These included songs on the themes of love and the festival ofHoli.[6]
During the reign of Muhammad Shah, a significant scientific work known as theZij-i Muhammad Shahi was completed byJai Singh II of Amber between the year 1727 and 1735; it consisted of 400 pages.[34]
Muhammad Ali Khan theMughalFaujdar ofRangpur and his stern ally Deena Narayan were ambushed out ofKoch Bihar by Upendra Narayan aHinduBihari and Mipham Wangpo (r. 1729–1736) theruler ofBhutan.Ali Mohammed Khan had established the barons ofRohilakhand. In thePunjab region, theSikhs were at war with localMughalsubahdars, devastating them with their hit-and-run tactics.
After decisively defeating Asaf Jah in February 1728 at theBattle of Palkhed,Bajirao I and his brotherChimaji Appa re-invaded Malwa. The Mughalsubahdar Giridhar Bahadur was defeated and killed at the battle of Amjhera in November 1729.[35] Chimnaji Appa then unsuccessfully attempted to besiege the remnants of the Mughal army at Ujjain.[36]
In 1731, Asaf Jah managed to secure the defections of influential Maratha leaders, such asTrimbak Rao Dabhade and Sanbhoji who threatened to abandon the Marathas and join the forces with the emperor Muhammad Shah. However, the defectors were overrun and killed by a large Maratha force led by Bajirao I and Chimnaji Appa duringBattle of Dabhoi.[36] Bajirao I then attackedGujarat with his full force and drove out Sarbuland Khan by 1735.
Bajirao I defeated a well-trained Mughal army led by Amir Khan Bahadur at Rikabganj. He did not proceed with his victory although he could have taken the city unopposed.[38] He withdrew after receiving intelligence of the advancing forces of WazirQamar-ud-Din Khan. Bajirao with his army retreated to the southeast atBadshahpur, where he corresponded with the emperor Muhammad Shah, who ratified peace by agreeing the handover ofMalwa to theMarathas.[36]
In May 1738, Nader Shah attacked northern Afghanistan and capturedGhazni. He captured Kabul in June andJalalabad in September. By November, he hadcrossed theKhyber Pass and besieged and razed thefortress ofPeshawar. In January 1739, he capturedLahore, after completely subduing the forces of the Mughal viceroy,Zakariya Khan Bahadur and his 25,000sowars,[39] by theChenab river. The Afsharid forces soon encountered bands ofSikh rebels whom Nader Shah predicted would clearly benefit after his invasion.[39] The Afsharids would captureterritory all the way up toAttock, forcing Muhammad Shah and his court to realise that the Turkic Qizilbash Afsharid emperor would not be satisfied with the loot of a province. The cities ofWazirabad,Eminabad andGujrat were not only sacked but razed to the ground. NearLarkana, the Afsharids completely routed the Mughal army of theNawab of Sindh,Main Noor Mohammad Kalhoro, and later captured him and his two sons.Sirhind was then captured by the Afsharids in February 1739, opening the route towards the Mughal capital of Delhi.
Rao Bal Kishan ofRewari, with his army of 5,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry and with the forces of Delhi, attempted a desperate defence of the city but was killed in battle and has been immortalized the name "Vijay or "Veergati". Nadir Shah remarked to Emperor Muhammad Shah that "if your combined forces helped Rao Balkrishna ofRewari, then I might not able to enter in Delhi. I had never seen any warrior like him brave, fierce and strong. Muhammed Shah commissioned a royalchhatri to pay tribute to Rao Bal Kishan.[citation needed][40][41]
After entering Delhi,Nader Shah claimed invasion and occupation of theMughal Empire was borne out of religious devotion and that if"the wretched Marathas of the Deccan" moved towards Delhi, he might"send an army of victoriousQizilbash to drive them to the abyss of Hell."[42][43]
The occupation of Delhi was initially cordial, however, rumours spread throughout the city that Nader Shah was assassinated. The masses attacked the Afsharid force and killed some soldiers. Nader Shah became furious, ordered to massacre the populace, and leaving at least 30,000 dead. Muhammad Shah andAsaf Jah I had to beg Nader Shah for mercy and thus he stopped the massacre and turned to looting the Mughal treasury.[44] The famousPeacock Throne, theDaria-i-Noor andKoh-i-Noor diamonds and unimaginable wealth was looted. In addition, elephants, horses and everything that was liked was taken. Muhammad Shah also had to hand over his daughter Jahan Afruz Banu Begum as a bride for Nader Shah's youngest son.Asaf Jah I retired to Deccan after installing his eldest sonIntizam-ud-Daula as a major commander in theMughal Army.[45]
In the year 1740,Dost Ali Khan toNawab of the Carnatic andChanda Sahib faced the task of expelling the Marathas underRaghoji I Bhonsle, authorised by ChhatrapatiShahu I. Dost Ali Khan was killed on 20 May 1740 at theBattle of Damalcherry in defence ofArcot, which was eventually looted and plundered. Chanda Sahib along with his garrison was captured and imprisoned inSatara.Chanda Sahib and his forces ferociously defended their rightful reams during theSiege of Trichinopoly and almost all the territories of the Nawab of the Carnatic despite being outnumbered substantially by the Marathas, their daunting efforts soon attracted the attention of theFrench East India Company officialJoseph François Dupleix.[46]
Dissatisfied by the Maratha occupation of the territories of theNawab of the Carnatic,Asaf Jah I led an expedition to liberate the region. He was joined bySadatullah Khan II andAnwaruddin Muhammed Khan together they recapturedArcot and initiated theSiege of Trichinopoly (1743), which lasted five months and forced the Marathas led byMurari Rao Ghorpade to evacuate the Carnatic.[46]
In the year 1747, the Marathas led by Raghoji I Bhonsle, began to raid, pillage and annex the territories of theNawab of Bengal Alivardi Khan. During the Maratha invasion ofOrissa, itssubahdarMir Jafar completely withdrew all forces until the arrival ofAlivardi Khan and theMughal Army at the Battle of Burdwan where Raghoji I Bhonsle and his Maratha forces were completely routed. The enraged Nawab of Bengal Alivardi Khan then dismissed the shamed Mir Jafar. However, due to four years of continuous wars, Emperor Muhammad Shah was forced to cedeOrissa to the Marathas.[36]
Following Nader Shah's invasion, the Ottoman Empire exploited the void that was created at their eastern borders as almost all Persian forces were deployed to India. During that period, Emperor Muhammad Shah tried to recover all territory lost to Persia until being attacked by the AfghanDurrani Empire atBattle of Manupur.[47]
Emperor Muhammad Shah had four wives. His first wife and chief consort was his first-cousin, PrincessBadshah Begum, the daughter of EmperorFarrukhsiyar and his first wife, Gauhar-un-Nissa Begum.[48] They married after his accession, on 8 December 1721, at Delhi,[49] and he gave her the titleMalika-uz-Zamani (Queen of the Age)[2] by which she was popularly known. They had a son, Shahriyar Shah Bahadur, who died young in 1726.[2] She died on 14 December 1789.
Muhammad Shah took a second wife,Sahiba Mahal, and had a daughterHazrat Begum, who was married toAhmad Shah Durrani in 1757.[50]
His third wife was a dancing girl,Qudsia Begum, Begum of Bhopal, who bore him his successor,Ahmad Shah Bahadur on 23 December 1725. Upon his birth, he was taken from her and was lovingly brought up by Badshah Begum, who considered him her own son. It was through Badshah Begum's efforts that Ahmad Shah was able to ascend the throne upon Muhammad Shah's death in 1748.[51]
The victory of theMughal Army during theBattle of Manupur (1748) came with a heavy price as many fell in battle. Initially this was kept a secret. However, when the news reached the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah, he could not speak, suddenly became sick, and did not come out of his apartments for three days. During this period he fasted. His guards could hear him crying out loud and saying:"How could I bring about anyone as faithful as he? (Qamaruddin Khan)". He died due to grief on 26 April 1748, his funeral was attended by visitingImams fromMecca.[52][53] Muhammad Shah's tomb is located in an enclosure within theNizamuddin Dargah complex.[54]
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The Mughal court was hostile to Nizam-ul-Mulk. If it had the power, it would have crushed him. To save himself from the hostile intentions of the Emperor, the Nizam did not interfere with the Maratha activities in Malwa and Gujarat. As revealed in the anecdotes narrated b Lala Mansaram, the Nizam-ul-Mulk considered the Maratha army operating in Malwa and Gujarat as his own
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Media related toMuhammad Shah at Wikimedia Commons
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