Later Mughals (Ahmad Shah Bahadur)

Ahmad Shah Bahadur

Portrait of Ahmad Shah Bahadur

Source :- Wikipedia

Ahmad Shah Bahadur, also known as Mirza Ahmad Shah & Mujahid-ud-Din Ahmad Shah Ghazi. Lived From 23 December 1725 – 1 January 1775 and was the 14th  Mughal emperor, also the only child of late emperor Muhammad Shah and succeeded his father after Muhammad Shah's death in 1748. 

When Ahmad Shah become the emperor the Mughal Empire is already in a very bad state and already started to decline. Which becomes a major reason for the rise of various ministers in Mughal court one of them is 'Imad-ul-Mulk'.

When Ahmad Shah become the emperor, the people of Delhi were very happy because Ahmad Shah had already defeated Ahmad Shah Abdali in the Battle of Manupur in 1748. So the people thought the Emperor will bring back the golden days of empire.

But Ahmad Shah was also an incapable and weak Emperor, his reign was of 6 years in which many foreign invaders attacked Delhi and looted it, Ahmad Shah left all factions of State to rival groups. He was desposed by his own Wazir Imad-ul-Mulk and later killed and binded and imprison him where he died in 1775. 

Early Life

Young Prince Ahmad developed a weakness towards women, even after this he was restricted by his father which show no tolerance towards him. Ahmad is also known to have been an illiterate man who never took part in military training, largely due to the attitude of his father and  not even giving him a sufficient allowance requisite of imperial princes, despite the fact that at that time there was still no shortage of funds for the imperial household. 

He was strongly supported by his step-mother, Badshah Begum, who adopted him as her own son, after the loss of her biological child; this was tactical for her own benefit and  in his succession to the throne; as well as by his mother, who managed the state affairs along with the Head of the harem, Javed Khan Nawab Bahadur, during his reign, he visited the harem more than his offices of the empire.

Ahmad Shah Durrani First Invasion of India

After the death of the Mughal viceroy of Lahore, Zakariya Khan Bahadur, his two sons, Yahya Khan Bahadur and Mian Shah Nawaz Khan, the Rich of Multan, fought each other for succession. After defeating his elder brother,  Mian Shah Nawaz Khan declared himself the Mughal viceroy of Punjab. 

This weakness was quickly exploited by Ahmad Shah Durrani who initiated another campaign with 30k cavalry to assist Shah Nawaz Khan, who was resented for tax-evasion in the Mughal imperial court and opposed by the Grand Wazir, Qamar-ud-Din Khan, who was the father-in-law of Yahya Khan.

In April 1748, Ahmad Shah Abdali was  joined by Shah Nawaz Khan and both combined attacked the Indus River Valley, attacked Mughal Subhedar, to assist him. Prince Ahmad and Qamar-ud-Din Khan, Safdarjung, Intizam-ud-Daula, Yahya Khan and Ali Mohammed Khan and many others were dispatched by Muhammad Shah to command a large army of 75,000 to confront the 12,000 advancing Durrani army. Both army met at Manupur and e Battle of Manupur (1748) taken place, in Sirhind, both forces fought a very well.

Prince Ahmad was became victorious after a 

Durrani Artillary filled with gunpowder exploded, he was then given the title Bahadur. In spite of this victory, Muhammad Shah seriously felt the death of Qamaruddin Khan, who was killed during the battle. After Ahmad Shah Durrani's retreat the Mughal aligned Nawab Amir remained aligned to Mughal Empire. Qamaruddin Khan's son Moin-ul-Mulk, was  also made  recognised war hero from the Battle of Manupur,and was instituted as the Mughal Viceroy of Punjab, by the new Mughal Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur.

Reign of Emperor

Coins during the Age of Ahmad Shah Bahadur

Source :- Wikipedia

After hearing about the loss of Qamaruddin Khan's in Battle of Manupur 1748, it led to Muhammad Shah grave sickness and eventual death soon afterwards. Prince Ahmad ascended the throne on 18 April 1748 and was crowned on 28 April 1748 at Red Fort in Delhi. He assumed the title Abu Nasir Mujahid-ud-Din Ahmad Shah Ghazi.

He appointed Safdarjung, the Nawab of Oudh, as Grand Wazir, Salabat Khan as Mir Bakhshi and Amir-ul-Umara and Moin-ul-Mulk, the son of Qamaruddin Khan, as the governor of Punjab due to their contributions in the battle of Manupur

The main servant of the Mughal court, Javed Khan, was given the title of Nawab Bahadur and an army of 5000. Together with the emperor's mother, who was given a force of 50,000.

Internal Politics

Safdarjung's opposition to  favouritism 

Safdarjung portrait

Source :- Wikipedia

After Safdarjung survived an assassination attempt in 1749 (plotted by Javed Khan), due to his personal tensions which erupted in the Mughal court when he tried to de-legitimise any relatives of his predeceasing Grand wairs he also tried to drive out all the members of the imperial Afghan faction from positions of authority due to the their authority they received from Court. These policies brought Safdarjung in conflict with the principal members of the Turani Faction and particularly Javed Khan.

Safdarjung advance against Javed Khan's allies in Rohilkhand

Angered by the policies of the Grand Wazir, Ahmad Khan Bangash attacked Safdarjung's places in Awadh, during which Safdarjung severly wounded.

Safdarjung responded by bringing an army that included Jat and Maratha mercenaries. This defeated Qudsia Begum's loyalists in Rohilkhand, at which point Ahmad Shah demanded an immediate cease of hostilities. Safdarjung obeyed[citation needed] but also ordered his Turkish units, led by Muhammad Ali Jerchi, to assassinate Javed Khan for his involvement in the malevolence in August 1752.

Safdarjung's action cleared the path for the rise of Qudsia Begum's opponents within Javed Khan's faction, such as Intizam-ud-Daula.

Campaign against Maratha Empire

Ahmad Shah Bahadur Portrait

Source:- Wikipedia

Maratha invasion

In May 1753, Ahmad Shah Bahadur chose the 18-year-old Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III famously known as Imad-ul-Mulk, the son of the dead Intizam-ud-Daula, to counter the growing influence of Safdarjung. Imad-ul-Mulk gathered army to stop Safdarjung, and was joined by Hafiz Rahmat Khan, Qudsia Begum and Ahmad Shah Bahadur himself. Safdarjung was defeated and stripped on the streets of Delhi which reducedhis authority but the influence of his supporters such as Suraj Mal and the Capture of Delhi (1753) meant that he was forgiven and allowed to withdraw to Awadh.

In the aftermath of Delhi’s plundering and consequent alliance with the Marathas, Imad-ul-Mulk emerged as the new regent. However, his power in Politics was feared by Ahmad Shah Bahadur, who became estranged from him after Imad-ul-Mulk had collected 1.5 lakh but refused to pay salaries to the Mughal army and imperial officials. Ahmad Shah Bahadur declared reinforcement of Safdarjung as his Grand Wazir. He tried to remove Imad-ul-Mulk from the imperial court, which caused Imad-ul-Mulk to send Aqibat Mahmud to arrest the emperor and then seek an alliance with the Maratha's led by Raghunathrao, the brother of the Peshwa Nanasaheb I.

Defeat at Sikandarabad 

The Emperor was defeated in the battle of Sikandarabad, But Imad-ul-Mulk and his allies had realised this plan. Aided by the Marathas, led by Malhar Rao Holkar, he defeated Safdarjung. The Emperor then collected a large army and camped at Sikandarabad, where the Maratha chieftain Raghunathrao, Malhar Rao Holkar and 2,000 Marathas, together with Imad-ul-Mulk, attacked emperor army at the Battle of Sikandarabad (1754). Ahmad Shah Bahadur fled to Delhi, leaving his mother, wives and a group of 8,000 women behind. Imad-ul-Mulk with the support of Raghunathrao proceeded to Delhi, where he imprisoned both the emperor and his mother.

Meanwhile, following the battle at Sikandarabad, Safdarjung fled to Awadh and a Mughal general laid siege, which Suraj Mal and his Jat controlled. After being repositioned as the Grand Wazir, Imad-ul-Mulk moved out of Delhi.

It was during this this time that Imad-ul-Mulk claimed that Ahmad Shah Bahadur sent secret letters to Suraj Mal, encouraging him to fight and promised to advance to the aid of the Jats. He had intercepted the letters, made peace with Suraj Mal, and returned to Delhi, where he blinded Ahmad Shah. After hearing of this action Safdarjung fell ill and died.

Fragmented polities of the Mughal Empire

Mughal Army expedition against Marwar

Salabat Khan (Mir Bakhshi) and commander of the Mughal army, was joined by Bhakt Singh in Marwar against the forces of Ram Singh and Ishwari Singh. The sides fought each other in 1750 at the Battle of Raona. Immediately after the battle, Ishwari Singh talks with Salabat Khan and the confrontation ended in ceasefire. 

Soon afterwards the Maratha Confederacy invaded Jaipur and Ishwari Singh committed suicide due to lack of capital being given to Marathas.

2nd and 3rd Invasions of Ahmad Shah Abdali

In 1749, Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India for a second time. The reasons for the invasion were the same as the first one, he claimed the revenue of 4 districts of Punjab assigned for the support of the Subah of Kabul, an arrangement which existed previously in Mughal times and was imposed on the Mughals after they give  that Subah to Nadir Shah in 1739. Abdali's forces fought Moin-ul-Mulk, the Mughal governor of Punjab, to a non-decisive battle, but the fight was soon finished and made it into signing a treaty accepting Abdali's demands.

The terms of the 1749 not being fulfilled, Abdali invaded India a third time in 1752 and looted all before the gates of Lahore. Here a fierce battle was fought, and Moin-ul-Mulk's brave lieutenant, Raja Koramal was killed. Moin-ul-Mulk was captured, but Abdali pardoned him due to his courageousness in battle, afterwards reappointed him governor of the Subah. The Grand Wazir, Safdar Jung take the help of 50k Marathas on promise of a large sum of money, but before he could do anything, an equally incapable Emperor signed a peace treaty with the Abdali, acting upon the advice of his mother. 

According to the terms of the treaty, Punjab (including Multan and Sindh) and Kashmir were to be administered by the Abdali in the Emperor's name, and any Governor which get appointed the Emperor had to have Abdali's approval. This was only a face of Empeor gesture, in reality the Subah's had been purely given to the Afghans. That would be officially annexed by them in 1757, following Imad-ul-Mulk's aborted attempt to restore them to Mughal control.

Loss of Gujarat and Orissa to the Maratha Confederacy

Various chieftains of the Maratha Confederacy had defeated the chiefs of Ahmad Shah Bahadur in Gujarat and Orissa. Until 1753 Gujarat continued to be a part of the Mughal Empire, but in that year the Emperor control was deposed by the Marathas, and it was during that time that the Raj Babri Mosque complex was destroyed. In response to the annexation of Gujarat, the Mughal Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur appointed and strengthened the Nawab of Junagarh Nawab Muhammad and given him various titles and authority to various entities who are still loyal to the Mughal Empire in the region. Ahmad Shah Bahadur and Safdarjung also dispatched Salabat Khan and an army of 18k to an expedition to supress all rebels in Rajput territories and to gather support for the local rulers and regions garrisons.

Alivardi Khan loses Orissa

Alivardi Khan captures two prisoners

Source :- Wikipedia

In 1751 after defending his territories from the Marathas for nearly 11 years, Alivardi Khan the Nawab of Bengal, and Faujdars from various regions such as Patna, were attacked by a large force of Marathas under the command of Raghoji I, who eventually annexed Odisha for the Maratha Confederacy. Only some areas still remained in Mughal hands, and Alivardi Khan, the Mughal governor of Bengal, was forced to pay the Chauth tribute to the Marathas, as it is  been instructed to him by the late Emperor Muhammad Shah.

Death of Emperor

After his deposition in 1754, Ahmad Shah Bahadur was imprisoned at the Salimgarh Fort. He stayed there for the rest of his life, dying in 1775 at the age of 49 during the reign of Emperor Shah Alam II.

His tomb is located in a burial enclosure enjoined to the Moti Masjid, in the vicinity of Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki's dargah in Mehrauli.