Firishta's History (Gulshan-i Ibrāhīmī) 38.1
History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India (Briggs) 38.1
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38.1.1
Mullik Kafoor produces a spurious testament of the King, nominating his youngest son, Oomur Khan, his successor, and appointing Mullik Kafoor protector, during his minority. — Mullik Kafoor procures the King's eldest sons, Khizr Khan and Shady Khan, to be blinded, and another son, Moobarik, is imprisoned for the same purpose. — Mullik Kafoor espouses the mother of the young King. — Plot of the officers of the guards to kill the protector. — Mullik Kafoor is assassinated. — The Prince Moobarik is raised to the throne. — The young King, Oomur Khan, is deprived of eyesight, and confined for life in the fort of Gualiar.
38.1.2
In the history of Sudr Jehan of Guzerat, we are informed that the day after the death of Alla-ood-Deen Khiljy, Mullik Kafoor assembled the omras, and produced a spurious testament of the deceased King, in which his youngest son, the Prince Oomur Khan was appointed his successor, and Mullik Kafoor regent, during his minority; setting aside altogether the right of primogeniture of Khizr Khan and of the other princes. Oomur Khan, then in the seventh year of his age, was accordingly placed on the throne, and Mullik Kafoor began his administration. His first measure was to send a person to Gualiar, to put out the eyes of the Princes Khizr Khan and Shady Khan. His orders were inhumanly executed; and the Sooltana, their mother, was put into closer confinement, and her property seized. Moobarik Khan, the third son of Alla-oodbeen, was also taken into custody, for the purpose of having his eyes put out. However ridiculous it may appear, Mullik Kafoor, though an eunuch, married the mother of the Prince Oomur, the late Emperor's third wife. But the mother of the Prince Moobarik, the late King's second wife, having heard that the regent intended to put out the eyes of her son, acquainted Sheikh hopes that the threatened misfortune should be prevented. Meanwhile, Mullik Kafoor, as a cloak to his designs, placed the young King every day upon the throne, and ordered the nobles to pay their respects as usual. He sent one night a band of assassins to cut off the Prince Moobarik Khan;
38.1.3
but when they entered his apartment, he conjured them to remember his father, whose servants they had been. He then untied a string of rich jewels from his neck, which probably had more influence than his entreaties, and gave it them. They abandoned their purpose; but when they got out, they quarrelled about the division of the jewels, which they at last agreed to carry to the chief of the foot-guards, and acquaint him with what the Prince had said, and with their instructions from Mullik Kafoor. Mullik Musheer, the commander of the foot-guards, and his lieutenant, who both owed every thing to the favour of the deceased king, shocked at the villany of Mullik Kafo sinated him, with some of the principal eunuchs, who were attached to his interest. This event happened 35 days after Alla-ood-Deen's death. The Prince Moobarik Khan was released from confinement, and the reins of government placed in his hands. He, however, did not immediately assume the diadem, but acted for the space of two months as regent or vizier for his brother, till he had brought over the nobles to his interest. He then claimed his birthright, deposed his brother, and succeeded to the regal dignity. But, according to the barbarous custom and policy of those days, he deprived the Prince Oomur Khan of his eyesight, and confined him for life in the fort of Gualiar, after he had borne the title of King for three months and some days.
38.1.4
The officers of the guards, who had cleared the way for the King's accession, are put to death. — The King disgusts his nobles by raising low persons to high dignities. — One Mullik Khoosrow, a Hindoo of the lowest origin, is enrolled among the nobility, and is appointed to the command of the army. — The King indiscriminately orders the gates of the prisons to be thrown open, by which 17,000 persons are set free — he modifies all the regulations regarding trade introduced by his father — he abandons himself to licentiousness, and the most disgraceful vices. — The King sends an army to Guzerat, and goes in person to the Deccan — sends Mullik Khoosrow with the main body of the army, towards Malabar, and returns to Dehly. — A plot discovered against the King's life. — The leader of the conspiracy, a cousin of the King, suffers death. — The princes at Gualiar are also murdered, and the widow of one of them is brought to Dehly, and placed in the King's haram. — The King becomes totally regardless of all decency in his amours and vices. — Mullik Khoosrow returns from the Deccan — The King goes forth to meet him — embraces him publicly. — Khoosrow aims at the throne. — Plot to murder the King publicly talked of. — The King warned by his tutor — rejects the admonition — is murdered by Mullik Khoosrow.
38.1.5
ON the 7th of Mohurrum, in the year 717 of the Hijra, Moobarik ascended the throne. The commander of the foot-guards who had saved his life, and raised him to the throne, as also his lieutenant, were ungratefully and inhumanly put to death by his orders, under no better pretence than that they presumed too much on the services they had done him. It is probable, that he was instigated to this base action by his fears, as, in some measure, appears by his immediately dispersing all the old soldiers, who were under their command, into different parts of the country. Moobarik began to dispense his favours among the nobles, but he disgusted them all by raising some of his slaves to the rank of omras. Mullik Deenar, the superintendent of the elephants, received the title of Zuffur Khan, Mahomed Moula, the King's maternal uncle, that of Sheer Shah, and Mowlana Zeeaood-Deen, that of Sudr-Jehan. Mullik Kirran Beg was made a member of the council of state; and Hussun, a converted Purwary slave of Guzerat, received the title of Mullik Khoosrow, and, through the King's attachment towards him, became the greatest man in the realm. He was appointed, in the first instance, to the command of the armies of Mullik Kafoor, and Khwaja Hajy, those joint conquerors of the Deccan, and at the same time received the title of Vizier.
38.1.6
The King, whether to affect popularity, or in remembrance of his late situation, ordered all the prisons to be opened; by which means 17,000 persons were blessed with the light of day; and all the exiles were recalled by proclamation. He then commanded a present of six month's pay to be made to the whole of the troops, and conconferred upon them many other advantages. He at the same time issued orders to give free access to all petitioners. He restored the lands and villages to those persons from whom they had been forcibly wrested in the late reign; and by decrees removed all the obnoxious restrictions on commerce, and the heavy tributes and taxes which had been exacted by his father. By these means the ordinary and natural intercourse of trade fell into its usual channels; but in carrying these measures into effect, he abandoned some of the wisest institutions of his predecessor, and the sources of justice soon became polluted, and corruption prevailed. The King gave himself up entirely to wine, revelry, and lust: these vices became fashionable at court, from whence the whole body of the people was soon infected.
38.1.7
Moobarik, in the first year of his reign, sent an army under the command of the celebrated Ein-ool-Moolk Mooltany into the province of Guzerat, which had revolted. Ein-ool-Moolk was an officer of great abilities: he defeated the insurgents, cut off their chiefs, and settled the country in peace. After this the King conferred the government of Guzerat upon Zuffur Khan, whose daughter he had taken in marriage. Zuffur Khan soon after marched his army to Nehrwala, the capital of Guzerat, where some disturbances had taken place. He reduced the rebels, confiscated their estates and sent their moveable wealth to the King.
38.1.8
In the second year of his reign, the King collecting his army, marched towards the Deccan, to chastise Hurpal Dew, the son-in-law of Ram Dew, who, by the assistance of the other princes of the Deccan, had recovered the country of the Marrattas. Having appointed one Shaheen, the son of a slave, to whom he gave the title of Wufa Beg, his lieutenant in his absence, the King left Dehly and arrived at Dewgur. Here Hurpal Dew, with some other rajas, had assembled, but fled at the approach of the Moslems. A detachment was sent in pursuit, which brought back Hurpal Dew prisoner, who was flayed alive, decapitated, and his head fixed above the gate of his own capital. The King now ordered a chain of posts to be established as far as Dwar Sumoodra, and built a mosque in Dewgur, which still remains. He appointed Mullik Beg Luky, one of his father's slaves, to command in the Deccan; and, in imitation of Alla-ood-Deen, gave to his favourite, Mullik Khoosrow, the ensigns of royalty. He sent the latter towards Malabar, with part of his army, and returned in person to Dehly.