The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c20.505

v3.c20.505

In 1385, the last year of these raids, Fīrūz founded near Budaun a strong fort which he named Fīrūzpur¹, but the miserable inhabitants called it in derision Ākhirīnpūr (‘the last of his cities’) and the gibe was fulfilled, for Fīrūz now lapsed into a condition of senile decay, and could no more found cities or direct the ship of state. As a natural consequence of the failure of his intellect his minister, Khānjahān, became all powerful, and soon abused his power. In 1387 he persuaded Fīrūz that Muhammad Khān, his eldest surviving son, was conspiring with Zafar Khān and other nobles to remove him and ascend the throne. Fīrūz, without inquiring into the matter, authorised the minister to arrest those whom he had accused, and Zafar Khān was summoned from his fief of Mahoba on the pretext that his accounts were to be examined, and was confined in Khānjahān’s house. The prince evaded, on the plea of ill-health, attendance at a *darbār* at which he was to have been arrested, but privately gained access to the royal harem by arriving at the gate in a veiled litter which was supposed to contain his wife. His appearance, fully armed, in the inner apartments at first caused consternation, but he was able to gain his father’s ear, and easily persuaded him that the real traitor was Khānjahān, who intended to pave his own way to the throne by the destruction of the royal family. Armed with his father’s authority, he led the household troops, numbering ten or twelve thousand, and the royal elephants to Khānjahān’s house. The minister, on hearing of his approach, put Zafar Khān to death and sallied forth with his own troops to meet his enemies. He was wounded and retired into his house, whence he made his escape by an unguarded door and fled into Mewāt, where he took refuge with a Rājput chieftain, Koka the Chauhān. His house was plundered and his followers were slain, and Muhammad Khān returned to the palace. Fīrūz, no longer capable of governing, associated his son with himself not only in the administration, but also in the royal title, and caused him to be proclaimed, on August 22, 1387, under the style of Nāsir-ud-dīn Muhammad Shāh.