Later Mughals ( Bahadur Shah I )
Bahadur Shah I
Bahadur Shah I (1643-1712), originally named Mu’azzam ,
was the seventh Mughal emperor of India, ruling from 1707 to 1712. He was the
eldest son of Aurangzeb and ascended the throne after defeating his brothers in
a succession war. His reign marked the beginning of the Mughal empire decline,
as internal conflicts and external threats weakened its structure. Despite his
attempts to bring stability, his rule was short-lived, and his death led to
further power struggles.
·
Early Life and Background
Born on 14 October 1643, Prince Mu’azzam was the
second son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and Nawab Bai. Unlike his father, who
was a strict ruler, Mu’azzam was known for his more moderate and inclusive
policies.
Governorships and Experience
Aurangzeb assigned him important administrative roles
to prepare him for leadership:
i. Governor of the Deccan (1663 – 1680):
After Raja Jai Singh 1 defeated Shivaji at Purander,
Mu’azzam was given charge of the Deccan in May 1663 and was appointed as
governor of Deccan in which he was assisted by Maharaja Jaswant Singh.
In 1670, Mu’azzam organised an insurgency to overthrow
Aurangzeb and proclaim himself the Mughal emperor. This plan may have been
hatched at the instigation of the Marathas, and Mu’azzam own inclinations and
sincerity are difficult to gauge. Aurangzeb learned of the plot and sent Mu’azzam
mother, Begum Nawab Bai, to dissuade him from rebellion. Mu’azzam returned to
the Mughal court, where he spent the next several years under Aurangzeb’s
supervision.
However, again nearly revolted in 1680 over Aurangzeb
scorched earth policy during his suppression of Rajput rebellions. Once again,
Aurangzeb dissuaded Mu’azzam with gentleness and watched him with greater vigilance.
For the next seven years, from 1681 to 1687, historian
Munis Faruqui describes Mu’azzam as a “grudgingly obedient son”.
i. 2nd Governorship of Deccan
In 1681, Mu’azzam was sent back by Aurangzeb to the
Deccan to cut off the retreat of his rebellious half-brother Sultan Muhammad
Akbar. According to Faruqui, Mu’azzam deliberately failed in his mission. In 1683,
after being ordered by Aurangzeb to march to the Konkan region to prevent the
still rebellious Muhammad Akbar from fleeing the country, but again Mu’azzam
failed to achieve the assigned goal. In 1687, Aurangzeb ordered Mu’azzam to
march against the sultanate of Golconda. Within weeks, the emperor’s spies
intercepted treasonous messages exchanged between Mu’azzam and Abul Hasan, the
ruler of Golconda. This was something which could not be mistaken for
incompetence; it was clearly treason. Aurangzeb imprisoned Mu’azzam and his
sons, executed his closest followers, ordered his harem “shipped off to faraway
Delhi”, and dispersed his staff. Aurangzeb forbade Mu’azzam to cut his nails or
hair for six months, gave order depriving him of “good food, or cold water”. He
was not to meet anybody without his father prior consent.
i. Other Governorship’s
In 1695, Aurangzeb sent Mu’azzam to the Punjab to fight
to chieftains and subdue a rebellion by the Sikh Guru Govind Singh. Although the
commander imposed “Heavy Taxation” on the rajas, he thought it necessary it necessary
to leave the Sikhs undisturbed in their fortified city of Anandpur and refused
to wage war against them out of “genuine respect” for their religion. That year
Mu’azzam was appointed governor of Akbarabad, and in 1696 he was transferred to
Lahore. After the death of Amin Khan, the governor of Kabul he assumed that
position in 1699, holding it until his father death in 1707.
· War of Succession (1707)
Aurangzeb died in 1707, without appointing a crown
prince or a designated successor. Mu’azzam was governor of Kabul and his younger
half-brothers Muhammad Kam Bakhsh and Muhammad Azam Shah were the governors of
the Deccan and Gujarat respectively. All three sons intended to win the crown,
and Kam Bakhsh began minting coins in his name. Mu’azzam defeated Azam Shah at
the Battle of Jajau in June 1707. Azam Shah and his son Ali Tabar would be
killed in the battle. Mu’azzam ascended the Mughal throne at the age of 64 on
19 June 1707, with the title of Bahadur Shah I. He then marched to the deccan
and defeated and killed Kam Bakhsh in a battle near Hyderabad in January 1708.
·
Reign of Bahadur Shah I (1707-1712)
Bahadur Shah I ruled for only five years, but his
tenure was significant for multiple reasons:
He followed a liberal policy towards the nobles,
granted them the territories of their preferences and promoted them. This led
to the worsening of the state finances. It is also believed that the realpower
that the real power was in the hands of the wazir, Zulfiqar khan. He showed a
tolerant attitude towards Hindus, though he never abolished jaziya.
1. Amber (Jaipur)
After ascending the throne, Bahadur Shah made plans to
annex Rajput Kingdoms who declared independence after Aurangzeb’s death. On 10
November, he began his march to Kingdom of Amber in Rajputana. He visited the Tomb
of Salim Chisti in Fatehpur Sikri on 21 November. In the meantime, Bahadur Shah’s
aide Mihrab Khan was ordered to take possession of Jodhpur. Bahadur Shah
reached Amber on 20 January 1708. Though the monarch of the kingdom was Sawai
Jai Singh, his brother Bijai Singh resented his rule. Bahadur Shah ruled that
because of the dispute, the region would become part of the Mughal empire and
city was renamed as Islamabad. Jai Singh’s goods and properties were
confiscated on the pretext that he supported Bahadur Shah brother Azam Shah
during the succession war. Bijai Singh was made the governor of Amber on 30
April 1708. Bahadur Shah gave him the title of Mirza Rajah, and he received gifts valud at
100,000 rupees. Amber passed into Mughal hands without a war.
2.Udaipur
The Kingdom of Mewar, under Maharana Amar Singh I, had
submitted to Mughal rule in 1615, during the Jahangir’s reign. However, the
Sisodias declared their independence after Aurangzeb’s death in 1707.
While in Jodhpur, Bahadur Shah got the news that Maharana
Amar Singh II had fled Udaipur to hills in the hills. His messengers gave him
the message that Amar Singh got “afraid” by the happenings in Amber and Jodhpur
and thought that his kingdom would also be annexed by the Mughals once again. According
to the Bahadur Shah Nama chronicle, because of this incident the emperor called
Amar Singh an “unbeliever”. Bahadur Shah waged war against the king until
Muhammad Kam Bakhsh’s insurgency diverted him southward.
While the emperor was on his way to Deccan to punish
Muhammad Khan Bakhsh, the three Rajput Raja of Amber, Udaipur and Jodhpur made a
joint resistance to the Mughals. The Rajputs first expelled the Mughal commandants
of Jodhpur and Hindaun-Bayana and recovered Amber by a night attack. The next
killed Sayyid Hussain Khan Barha, the commandant of Mewar and many other
officers (September, 1708). The emperor, then in the Deccan had to patch up a
truce by restoring Ajit Singh and Jai Singh to the Mughal service.
· Sikh rebellion
Bahadur Shah, upon hearing of the uprising led by Banda
Bahadur in Punjab only a year after Guru Gobind Singh death, left the Deccan
for the north. The Sikhs started moving cautiously towards Delhi and entered
the sarkar in Khand where they started preparation for a military campaign.
They stormed Sonipat and Samana in November 1709 and defeated the faujdar in the
Battle of Sonipat and Battle of Samana whilst sacking the town. Before taking
Sirhind in the Battle of Chappar Chiri, Banda Bahadur captured Shahabad,
Sadhaura and Banur. Before Bahadur Shah’s arrival in December, Banda Bahadur
Shah’s arrival in December, Banda Bahadur had captured the sarkar of Sirhind,
several parganas of the sarkar of Hissar, and has invaded the sarkar of Sarharanpur.
On 1 November 1710, the emperor reached the city of
Karnal. He attacked the Lohgarh fort capturing several weapons where Banda
Bahadur was staying, in the battle Banda Bahadur fled with his few hundred
followers. Lastely, in the July battle , Banda Bahadur was defeated and fled to
the Jammu hills. Banda Bahadur was attacked by Muhammad Amin Khan at the river
Satluj, escaping to the Garhwal hills. Finding him “invincible”, the emperor
went to Ajit Singh and Jai Singh for help. In October 1711, a joint
Mughal-Rajput force marched towards Sadaura. Bahadur escaped the sensuing
siege, this time taking refuge at Kulu in present day Himachal Pradesh.
· Death
According to historian William Irvine, the emperor was
in Lahore in January 1712 when his “health failed”. On 24 February he made his
final public appearance, and died during the night of 27-28 February; according
to Mughal noble Kamwar Khan, of “enlargement if the spleen”. On the 11th
April, his body was sent to Delhi under the supervision of his widow Mihr-Parwar
and Chin Qilich Khan. He was buried on 15 May in the courtyard of the Moti
Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in Mehrauli, which he built near the dargah of Qutbuddin
Bakhtair Kaki.
He was succeeded by his son Jahandar Shah who ruled until
1713.
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