Reign Farrukhsiyar

1 reign

1.1 hostility sayyid brothers
1.2 campaign against ajit singh
1.3 campaign against jats
1.4 campaign against sikhs , execution of banda bahadur
1.5 trade concession
1.6 final struggle sayyids
1.7 appointments

reign
hostility sayyid brothers

farrukhsiyar on horseback attendants

farrukhsiyar defeated jahandar shah aid of sayyid brothers, , 1 of brothers, abdullah khan, wanted post of wazir (prime minister). demand rejected, since post promised ghaziuddin khan, farrukhsiyar offered him post regent under name of wakil-e-mutlaq. abdullah khan refused, saying deserved post of wazir since led farrukhsiyar s army against jahandar shah. farrukhsiyar gave in demand, , abdullah khan became prime minister.

according historian william irvine, farrukhsiyar s close aides mir jumla iii , khan dauran sowed seeds of suspicion in mind might usurp him throne. learning these developments, other sayyid brother (hussain ali khan) wrote abdullah: clear, prince s talk , nature of acts, man paid no regard claims service performed, 1 void of faith, breaker of word , altogether without shame . hussain ali khan felt necessary act in interests without regard plans of new sovereign .

campaign against ajit singh

maharaja ajit singh, seen here 6 sons, had daughter marry farrukhsiyar in december 1715.

maharaja ajit singh captured ajmer support of marwari nobles , expelled mughal diplomats state. farrukhsiyar sent hussain ali khan subjuguate him. however, anti-sayyid brothers faction in mughal emperor s court compelled him send secret letters ajit singh assuring him of rewards if defeated hussain ali khan.

hussain left delhi ajmer on 6 january 1714, accompanied sarbuland khan , afrasyab khan. army reached sarai sahal, ajit singh sent diplomats failed negotiate peace. hussain ali khan advanced ajmer via jodhpur, jaiselmer , mairtha, ajit singh retreated deserts hoping dissuade mughal general battle. hussain advanced, ajit singh surrendered @ mairtha. result, mughal authority restored in rajasthan. ajit singh gave daughter, indira kanwar, bride farrukhsiyar. son, abhai singh, compelled accompany him see mughal emperor.

campaign against jats

due aurangzeb s 25-year campaign on deccan plateau, mughal authority weakened in north india rise of local rulers. taking advantage of situation, jats advanced. in 1713, farrukhsiyar unsuccessfully sent subahdar of agra chabela ram defeat churaman (the jat leader). successor, samsamud daulah khan, compelled churaman negotiate mughal emperor. raja bahadur rathore accompanied him mughal court, negotiations farrukhsiyar failed.

in september 1716 raja jai singh ii undertook campaign against churaman, lived in thun (in present-day rajasthan, india). 19 november, jai singh ii began besieging thun fort. in december churaman s son, muhkam singh, marched fort , battled jai singh ii; raja claimed victory. mughals running out of ammunition, syed muzaffar khan ordered bring gunpowder, rockets , mounds of lead arsenal @ agra.

by january 1718, siege had lasted more year. rain coming late in 1717, prices of commodities increased , raja jai singh ii found difficult continue siege. wrote farrukhsiyar reinforcement, saying had overcome many encounters jats. failed impress farrukhsiyar, jai singh ii (via agent in delhi) informed syed abdullah give 3 million rupees government , 2 million rupees minister if championed cause emperor. negotiations between syed abdullah , farrukhsiyar successful, accepted demands , dispatched syed khan jahan bring churaman mughal court. gave farman raja jai singh ii, thanking him siege.

on 19 april 1718, churaman presented farrukhsiyar; negotiated peace, churaman accepting mughal authority. khan jahan given title of bahadur ( brave ). decided churaman pay 5 million rupees in cash , goods farrukhsiyar via syed abdullah.

campaign against sikhs , execution of banda bahadur

banda bahadur sikh leader who, 1700, had captured parts of punjab region. mughal emperor bahadur shah failed suppress bahadur s uprising.

in 1714, sirhind faujdar (garrison commander) zainuddin ahmad khan attacked sikhs near ropar. in 1715, farrukhisyar sent 20,000 troops under qamaruddin khan, abdus samad khan , zakariya khan bahadur defeat bahadur. after eight-month siege @ gurdaspur, bahadur surrendered after ran out of ammunition. bahadur , 200 companions arrested , brought delhi; paraded around city of sirhind.

bahadur put iron cage , remaining sikhs chained. sikhs brought delhi in procession 780 sikh prisoners, 2,000 sikh heads hung on spears, , 700 cartloads of heads of slaughtered sikhs used terrorise population. when farrukhsiyar s army reached red fort, mughal emperor ordered banda bahadur, baj singh, bhai fateh singh , companions imprisoned in tripolia. pressurised give faith , become muslims. although emperor promised spare sikhs converted islam, according william irvine not 1 prisoner proved false faith . on firm refusal ordered executed. every day, 100 sikhs brought out of fort , murdered in public. continued approximately 7 days. after 3 months of confinement, on 19 june 1716 farrukhsiyar had bahadur , followers executed, despite wealthy khatris of delhi offering money release. banda singh s eyes gouged out, limbs severed, skin removed, , killed.

trade concession

moonlit portrait of farrukhsiyar smoking hookah female attendant

in 1717, farrukhsiyar issued farman giving british east india company right reside , trade in mughal kingdom. allowed trade freely, except yearly payment of 3,000 rupees. because william hamilton, surgeon associated company cured farrukhsiyar of disease. company given right issue dastak (passes) movement of goods, misused company officials personal gain.

final struggle sayyids

by 1715, farrukhsiyar had given mir jumla iii power sign documents on behalf: word , seal of mir jumla word , seal . mir jumla iii began approving proposals jagirs , mansabs without consulting syed abdullah, prime minister. syed abdullah s deputy ratan chand accepted bribes him work , involved in revenue farming, forbidden mughal emperor. taking advantage of situation, mir jumla iii told farrukhsiyar sayyids unfit hold office , accused them of insubordination. hoping depose brothers, farrukhsiyar began making military preparations , increased number of soldiers under mir jumla iii , khan dauran.

after syed hussain learned farrukhsiyar s plans, felt position cemented controlling important provinces . asked appointed viceroy of deccan, instead of nizam ul mulk; farrukhsiyar refused, transferring him deccan instead. fearing attack farrukhsiyar s supporters, brothers began making military preparations. although farrukhsiyar considered giving task of crushing brothers mohammad amin khan (who wanted position of prime minister in return), decided against because removing him difficult.

arriving @ deccan, syed hussain made treaty maratha ruler shahu in february 1718. allowed collect sardeshmukhi in deccan, , received lands of berar , gondwana govern. in return, shahu agreed pay 1 million rupees annually , maintain army of 15,000 horses sayyids. agreement reached without farrukhsiyar s approval, , angry when learned it: not proper vile enemy overbearing partners in matters of revenue , government.

appointments

farrukhsiyar appointed sayid abdullah khan chief minister , placed muhammad baqir mutamid khan in charge of exchequer. title of bakshi first conferred on hussain ali khan (with titles of umdat-ul-mulk, amir-ul-umara , bahadur firuz jung) , chin qilich khan , afrasayab khan bahadur.

the following governors of provinces; governor of south india chin qilich khan, appointed deputy governors: