The Rashīdī History 92: SULTAN AHMAD KHAN.
The Tarikh-i-Rashidi (Elias, Ross) 92
- Language
- English
SULTAN AHMAD KHAN.
92.1
Sultán Ahmad Khán was the son of Yunus Khán, who has been mentioned above. When his father used to go and take up quarters in Táshkand, Ahmad, with a number of Moghuls who objected to towns and settlements, parted from his father, and stayed behind in Moghulistán. It would take too long to relate all that he did and [to describe] his administration in Moghulistán; but the substance of the matter is that it required ten years of residence in the country, before he could bring the people fully under his control. He was obliged to suppress some of the Amirs: among others the Irit, who were powerful chiefs, and had offered him much opposition. A battle ensued in which he overthrew their race; he also put to death Amir Sultán Ali Jarás, who, since the time when the Amirs rose in opposition to Isán Bughá Khán, had never become reconciled to any of the Kháns.
92.2
The Káluji were the most numerous of all the tribes in Moghulistán. At this time, a number of their chiefs joined together, and one night attacked the Khán's camp, killed all whom they found there, and poured a shower of arrows upon the tent of the Khán, who sustained several wounds. At last one of the attacking party entered the tent intending to kill him, but he rose up with drawn sword to meet the man; they dealt each other severe blows, and the intruder fled wounded. After this, several persons, having dismounted, tried, together, to force an entry. Sut Im Bahadur, who was one of the most important men in the Khán's court, at this moment arrived on the scene, and when the assailants saw that somebody was coming, they remounted and attacked him. He was quite alone, but nevertheless, offered them fight, and a considerable time elapsed before they were able to kill Sut Im Bahadur. They then again turned to attack the Khán. Hearing the noise, men came riding up from all directions to the tent of the Khán. At last the Káluji, having no longer power to resist, turned and fled. All these were the intimates of the Khán, and no one suspected them of such [treacherous] intentions. They fled to the Kálmák. As soon as the Khán had recovered from his wounds, he pursued them whither they had gone, but it took him two years to root them out.
92.3
After this, the affairs of the Khán became more prosperous, and no one in Moghulistan dared to oppose him. He made several successful inroads on the Kálmák, and put a number of them to death. He fought two battles with Táishi Isán, and was victorious in both. The Kálmák stood in great awe of him, and used to call him Alacha Khán; Alácha, in Moghul, means kushánda [the slayer], that is to say, "the slaying Khán." This title adhered to him. His own people used to call him Alácha Khán. He is now spoken of by the Moghuls as Sultán Ahmad Khán, but all the neighbouring peoples call him 'Alacha.' Also one finds 'Alacha' written in the Histories of Mir Khwánd and of Khwánd Mir, of Herat, and others. After these events, he carried on hostilities with the Uzbeg Kazak, for the reason already stated in the story of Sultan Mahmud Khan. For Sultdn Mahmud Khan had, on two occasions, gone to war with the Uzbeg Kazdk, and had been defeated on both occasions; on which account Sultdn Ahmad Khdn attacked the Uzbeg Kazdk and utterly routed them three times.
92.4
Whatever they had done to his elder brother, Sultdn Mahmud Khdn, he, in turn, did to them. He, moreover, kept Moghulistdn under such strict supervision, that during seven or eight months the Kalmyk and Uzbeg were unable to approach the country. When he had satisfactorily disposed of the affairs of Moghulistdn, he turned his attention to the question of Abá Bakr and Kdshghar. In the year 905 (which is also the year of my birth), when he came to Kdshghar, he found that Abá Bakr had gone to Ydrkand, leaving Kdshghar and Ydngi Hisdr fortified, garrisoned and stored. The officers of Mirzd Abá Bakr attacked the Khdn several times, both in the citadel of Kdshghar and at Ydngi Hisdr, all of which would take too long to relate. At length, Sultdn Ahmad Mirzd took the citadel of Ydngi Hisdr by storm, and after that, Kdshghar being deserted by its garrison, who fled, he captured that place also.
92.5
He spent that winter in Kdshghar, and removed his family thither from Moghulistdn. At the end of the winter he marched against Mirzd Abá Bakr, in Yarkand. Mirzd Abá Bakr would not come out of the citadel, and when they [the attacking force] saw that an entry was impracticable, they went up into the hills near Ydrkand, to carry off the flocks and plunder [the country]. Then, having taken quantities of cattle and booty, they returned towards Kdshghar. But Mirzd Abá Bakr, leading a powerful army out of Ydrkand, went and blocked the Khdn's road in the mountains. A fierce battle was fought, in which, at length, the Khdn's army was put to flight. The defeated Khdn then descended to Kdshghar, but being unable to remain there, he fled into Moghulistdn.
92.6
One year after this event, news of the victory gained by Shdhi Beg Khdn over Sultdn Mahmud Khdn reached him. Prompted by brotherly love, he set out to offer his services to his distinguished brother. Leaving his eldest son, Mansur Khdn, in his own place, and giving him the style of Khdn, he took his two other sons, Sultdn Said Khdn and Bdbdjdk Khdn, with him to Tdshkand. The two Khdns met in Tdshkand, and exchanged the salutations and formalities usual on such occasions. (An account of this matter is to be found in Part II.) In short, they discussed how they might frustrate the plans of Shdhi Beg Khdn, and finally a battle took place between the latter and the two Khdns, at Akhsi, in which the two Khdns were defeated, and both of them made prisoners. Shahi Beg Khan, observing the duties of the situation, permitted them both to return to Moghulistan; but the greater part of the Moghul Ulus he would not allow to depart. These two Khans went to Moghulistan, passing that winter in Aksu. [There] Sultan Ahmad Khan was attacked with so violent a paralytic seizure, that the doctors were unable to relieve him, and he died in the winter of the year 909 [1503-4]. (May Paradise be his dwelling.)
92.7
Sultan Ahmad Khan was a very religious prince and a devoted Musulman. He was versed in the Holy Law [Shar'] and most of his affairs were governed by it. He was a high-minded, though violent, man and was distinguished for his daring. He was intelligent, of sound judgment and modest. He was especially affable towards darvishes, and towards learned and pious men. During most of his life he granted pensions to the poor, and gave away one-fifth of his income in charity. In his beneficence and virtuous habits he had, in his time, no rival. He died at the age of thirty-nine. More will be said of him in the Second Part.