The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c20.146

v4.c20.146

Farrukh-siyar was utterly thoughtless, fickle and weak, and devoid of constancy or fidelity to his own promises. Like all weak men he was swayed by the latest adviser, and having resolved to do a thing could never hold to it long but soon sank into despair and went back on his undertakings. Constitutionally incapable of governing by his own will and controlling others, he would not trust any able agent, but was easily inspired with a childish suspicion of his ministers and induced to enter into plots for their overthrow. But his cowardice and fickleness made it impossible for any plot to succeed under his leadership, and his instigators had to suffer from the vengeance of the fruitlessly offended ministers. From the very commencement of his reign a party hostile to the Sayyid brothers was formed at his court by his personal favourites and attendants and they did their best to clog the wheels of the administration by inducing him to interfere in the minister’s department and to issue secret orders contradictory to those that he had publicly sanctioned in the presence of his minister. The distribution of offices of state and of the confiscated property of the defeated party led to frequent and bitter differences between the Sayyid brothers and Farrukh-siyar as instigated by his intimate circle (chiefly Mīr Jumla). Mīr Jumla easily poisoned his ears against the Sayyid brothers by suggesting that they were amassing fortunes and increasing their forces and adherents with a view to ousting Farrukh-siyar after a time and seizing the throne for themselves. As early as March, 1713, the quarrel between the emperor and his ministers had become so bitter and open that the latter ceased to attend at court. But in a few days, Farrukh-siyar’s courage failed, he personally visited ‘Abdullah in his house and patched up a truce by an effusive display of friendliness and trust.