The Nāṣirī Generations 39: 5. Mu'izzu-d din Bahram Shah.
Tabakát-i Násirí (extracts) 39
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5. Mu'izzu-d din Bahram Shah.
39.1
Sultan Mu'izzu-d din Bahram Shah was a victorious king; a fearless, intrepid, and sanguinary man. Still he had some virtues. He was shy and unceremonious, and had no taste for the gorgeous attire which kings love to wear, nor for the belts, accoutrements, banners, and other insignia of royalty. When Sultan Raziya was sent to prison at Tabarhindh, the nobles and the generals agreed to send him to Dehli, and on Monday the 27th of Ramazan 637 (April, 1240) they raised him to the throne. After all the nobles and the generals and the army had returned to Dehli, on Sunday the 11th Shawwal of the same year, they assembled at the palace and made a general agreement to uphold him as king on condition of Ikhtiyaru-d din Itigin being made deputy. On that day the author of this work was present and composed the following gratulatory lines. *****
39.2
Ikhtiyaru-d din, having been appointed deputy, he in virtue of his office assumed the direction of all affairs of State, and with the acquiescence of the wazir Nizamu-l mulk Mahzabu-d din Muhammad 'Auz Mustaufi the duties of administration also came under his control. After a month or two this state of affairs became very irksome to the Sultan. The Sultan's sister had been married to Kazi Nasiru-d din, but being divorced, the deputy took her to wife. Music played three times a day at his gate, an elephant was always there in waiting, and he maintained great state. On Monday, the 8th of Muharram 638 H. (July, 1240), there was a sermon in the Palace of the White-roof, and after the sermon the Sultan sent two inebriated Turks from the top of the palace as assassins, who killed Ikhtiyaru-d din in front of the royal seat in the White Palace. The wazir Mahzabu-d din also received two wounds in his side, but his time was not come, and he rushed out away from them. Malik Badru-d din Sankar became lord chamberlain and assumed the management of the State.
39.3
When Raziya and Altuniya marched from Tabarhindh upon Dehli, they were baffled in their enterprise and were defeated. Both were killed by the Hindus as we have already related. Badru-d din Sankar now assumed a very imperious position; he issued orders and carried on the government without consulting the Sultan, and sought to domineer over the wazir Nizamu-l Mulk Mahzabu-d din. The wazir complained to the Sultan and succeeded in setting him against Badru-d din. When the latter perceived this he was afraid of the Sultan, and sought to set him aside and to raise one of his brothers to the throne in his stead.
39.4
On Monday, the 8th of Safar, 639 H. (Aug. 1241) Badru-d din convoked a meeting of nobles and chiefs at the house of Sadru-l Mulk Taju-d din 'Ali Musawi, mushrif of the State. There were present the chief Kazi Jalalu-d din Kashani, Kazi Kabiru-d din, Shaikh Muhammad Shami, and others. When they had met and were deliberating about the removal of the Sultan, they determined to send Sadru-l mulk to the wazir Nizamu-l mulk Mahzabu-d din to invite his attendance, and to finally settle the matter in concurrence with him. It so happened that when Sadru-l mulk came to the house of the wazir, one of the confidential attendants of the king was present. When the wazir heard of the arrival of Sadru-l mulk, he concealed this trusty servant in a place where he could hear the conversation. Sadru-l mulk entered and proceeded to talk about the removal of the king and to ask the co-operation of the wazir. The minister desired his visitor to return and say that he would wait upon the gentlemen as soon as he had performed his ablutions. Sadru-l mulk had no sooner departed than the wazir released the Sultan's man and asked him if he had heard what had passed. He then directed him to go quickly and tell his master that the best thing he could do would be to take horse and to proceed against the conspirators and scatter them.
39.5
The facts being reported to the Sultan by his faithful adherent, he instantly mounted and dispersed the plotters. Badru-d din Sankar joined the king's party, and the Sultan returned to his palace, where he held a darbar. Badru-d din was ordered to depart instantly to Badaun and assume the management of that province; Kazi Jalalu-d din Kashani was dismissed from his post of Kazi, and Kazi Kabiru-d din and Shaikh Muhammad Shami took the alarm and fled the city. After four months, Badru-d din Sankar returned to the capital, but the Sultan's heart was entirely alienated from him, so he ordered him to be imprisoned. The king also directed Jalalu-d din Musawi to be apprehended, and he had them both slain in prison. These proceedings set the hearts of the nobles against the Sultan; they were alarmed and had no longer any confidence in him. The wazir also longed to exact vengeance for the wounds he had received. The nobles, generals, and Turks all became disaffected, while on his side the Sultan was alarmed by their proceedings. In the end this uneasy feeling spread like an epidemic, and was the cause of the fall of the Sultan and of rebellion among his people.
39.6
One of the most important events in the reign of Mu'izzu-d din was that which happened to the city of Lahore. An army of infidel Mughals came from Khurasan and Ghazni to the gates of that city and waged war for some time. Malik Karakash, governor of Lahore, was a brave, energetic, and intrepid man, but the people of the city did not support him, and were backward in keeping watch and in fighting. When Karakash perceived this lukewarmness, he one night left the city with his own soldiers and went off towards Dehli. The infidels pursued him, but the Almighty watched over him and gave him safe deliverance. When the city was left without a ruler the infidels captured it on Monday, 18th of Jumada-l akhir, 639 H. (December 1241), slaughtered the Muhammadans and made their dependants captives. As soon as this dreadful intelligence reached Dehli, the Sultan assembled the people of the city at the White Palace, and the writer of this book received orders to preach and induce the people to support the Sultan.
39.7
There was a Turkoman darwesh named Ayub, a devout man, clad in the hairy garment of a recluse. He had lived for some time quietly in the Sultan's water palace, and was brought into the society of the Sultan, who conceived a liking for him. This darwesh began to take a part in the business of the state. He had formerly lived in the town of Mihrpur, where he had been imprisoned by Kazi Shamsu-d din Mihr. When the Sultan had become accustomed to listen to his advice, the darwesh exerted himself so that he induced the king to have Kazi Shamsu-d din Mihr cast under the feet of an elephant. On this fact becoming known the people conceived a great dread of the Sultan. The Sultan now sent Kutbu-d din Husain and his wazir, with nobles, generals, and soldiers, to oppose the Mughals who were at Lahore, and to guard his frontier. On Saturday, 10th Jumada-l awwal, 639 H. (November, 1241), his majesty Mu'izzu-d din conferred upon the author of this work the office of Kazi of the capital and of all his territories, accompanied with many honours and costly presents.
39.8
The army which had been sent against the Mughals reached the banks of the Biyah. There the minister Mahzabu-d din Nizamu-l mulk, who cherished hopes of vengeance and of removing the Sultan from the throne, wrote a letter secretly to him. In this letter he represented that the generals and Turks in the army were never likely to become loyal, and that the best course for the king to adopt would be to send orders for him (the wazir) and Kutbu-d din to kill all the generals and Turks in any way they could, and so free the kingdom of them. When this letter arrived, the Sultan hastily and rashly, without thought or consideration, wrote the desired order, and sent it off. On its reaching the wazir he showed it to the generals and Turks, and told them how the king wished to deal with them. They all at once revolted, and at the suggestion of Khwaja Mahzabu-d din they formed a plot for the removal and deposition of the king. On the Sultan's receiving intelligence of this revolt of his generals and army, he sent the Shaikhu-l Islam Saiyid Kutbu-d din to endeavour to allay the outbreak. He accordingly went to the army, but exerted himself to increase the strife. He returned with the army at his heels, and hostilities commenced under the walls of the capital. The author, Minhaj Siraj, and some of the chief men of the city, endeavoured in vain to allay the strife and make peace.
39.9
The army reached the city on Saturday, the 19th Sha'ban, 639, and the siege went on until the month of Zi-l ka'da. Many were killed on both sides, and the suburbs of the city were laid waste. The reason of these protracted hostilities was that there was in the king's service a man named Fakhru-d din Mubarak Shah Farkhi, who was chief of the carpet spreaders (mihtar-farrash). This man had gained the favour of the king, and had great ascendancy over him. Whatever he advised the king performed, and the counsels of the farrash were not for peace. On Friday, the 7th Zi-l ka'da, the followers of Khwaja Mahzab distributed three thousand chitals among a lot of foolish men, and excited inimical feelings among some even of this author's kindred (God forgive them !). They made a riot in the Jami' masjid, after prayers, and drew their swords upon him. By God's mercy the author had a knife and a staff, which he seized, and with the help of some armed slaves whom he had with him he made his way through the crowd. The generals and Turks took the fort, and next day, on Saturday, the 8th Zi-l ka'da, 639 H. (May, 1242), they obtained possession of the whole city. The Sultan was made prisoner. Mubarak Shah, farrash, who had embittered the strife, was also taken and was killed. In the night of Tuesday, the 17th of Zi-l ka'da, the Sultan was slain. He had reigned two years one month and a-half.