The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c20.503

v3.c20.503

The affectionate disposition of Fīrūz received a severe blow from the death of his eldest son, Fath Khān, on July 23, 1374, and we may attribute to his grief the gradual impairment of his faculties, evidence of which may be observed shortly after his son’s death. At first he withdrew entirely from public business, and when he resumed its responsibilities one of his first acts was entirely foreign to his previous character. Shams-ud-dīn Dāmaghānī, a meddlesome and envious noble, insisted that the province of Gujarāt was assessed for revenue at too low a rate, and offered, if placed in charge of it, to send annually to Delhi, in addition to the revenue for which the province had been assessed, 100 elephants, 400,000 *tangas*, 400 slaves, and 200 horses. Fīrūz was loth to disturb Zafar Khān, but demanded of his deputy, Abū Rijā, the additional contributions suggested by Dāmaghānī. Abū Rijā declared that the province could not bear this impost and Fīrūz, ordinarily solicitous to alleviate the burdens of his subjects, dismissed him and his master, Zafar Khān, and appointed Dāmaghānī governor of Gujarāt. On his arrival in the province the new governor encountered the most determined opposition to his extortionate demands and, finding himself unable to fulfil his promise, raised the standard of rebellion, but was overpowered and slain by the centurions of Gujarāt, who sent his head to court. Fīrūz then appointed to the government of Gujarāt Malik Mufrih, who received the title of Farhat-ul-Mulk.