Later Mughals v1.c10.s1: Sec. 1.—Events Connected with the Accession.
Later Mughals v1.c10.s1
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Sec. 1.—Events Connected with the Accession.
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The new Emperor, a consumptive youth of twenty years of age, was proclaimed under the style and titles of Abul-barakat, Sultan Shams-ud-din, Muhammad Rafi-ud-darjat, Badshah, Ghazi. Within and without the palace, in every audience-hall and at every door, the Sayyids placed men of their own. A chronogram for the accession was found:
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When Rafi-ud-darjat ascended the throne
The sun appeared in the heavens out of Arafat:
The sage, seeing the lustre and strength of his wisdom,
Brought forth the date, ‘His title is High of Dignity.’ ”*
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At the first audience, on the prayer of Maharajah Ajit Singh, Rajah Bhim Singh of Kota, and Rajah Ratan Chand, the *jazya* or poll-tax, was again abolished. In other respects as few changes as possible were made, even the Wala-shahis or personal troops of the late sovereign being retained in the service. The object was to dispel anxiety and restore order without delay. Muhammad Amin Khan was maintained in his post of second Bakhshi, Zafar Khan Roshan-ud-daulah, replaced Saif-ullah Khan in that of third Bakhshi, and the office of fourth Bakhshi was left in abeyance. For seven days there was much confusion, and few men attended the imperial audience-hall; the people generally stood aloof, and also many of the officials. Nizam-ul-mulk kept close at home, but his cousin Muhammad Amin Khan was, in a way, friendly to the Sayyids; and Samsam-ud-daulah “resorting to fox-like tactics” came over to their party.†
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† Khafi Khan 817; Kamwar 197; *Ahwal-ul-khawaqin* 146a, 152b.
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The distant *subahs* were left in the same hands as before, with a few exceptions, special arrangements being made for Malwa and Kabul. Sarbuland Khan had been nominated to the latter province some months before, and had gone one or two stages on his journey. On learning that Farrukh-siyar had been deposed, he returned by himself to Dihli, and his appointment having been confirmed, he left again on the 19th Rabi II. (10th March, 1719). There remained Nizam-ul-mulk, and it was urgent that he should be induced to quit the capital. The Sayyids feared mischief from the Mughals, the strongest in numbers and influence of any of the numerous groups into which their opponents were divided. At the last moment Muhammad Amin Khan had elected to take their side against Farrukh-siyar; but Nizam-ul-mulk, as his habit was, had declined to declare himself. The Government of Patna had been assigned to him on the 18th Rabi I. (7th Februry, 1719); but apparently he was not anxious to proceed there. Husain Ali Khan, as usual, was for the employment of violent measures; he thought Nizam-ul-mulk should be assassinated. Qutb-ul-mulk preferred to detach him from his friends, believing that when thus weakened, he could more easily be got rid of. Samsam-ud-daulah adhered to the latter view. The Sayyids, though good soldiers, were poor politicians; and "since a leader without wisdom is no better than a common soldier," they thus made ready the way for their own downfall.
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∗ *Jam-i-jam*, and *Miftah* 304; Khafi Khan, 816; M. M. 462.
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Nizam-ul-mulk was offered Malwa. At first he declined it; and it was only upon a solemn promise of non-revocation that he accepted. He left the capital on the 24th Rabi II. (15th March, 1719), taking with him all his family and property; and although repeatedly urged to do so, he would not leave even his son to represent him at Court. He was followed by all the Mughals who had been out of employ since the fall of Mir Jumla, and he reached his head-quarters in about two months. Another change which led to future difficulties was the removal of Marahmat Khan, son of Amir Khan, from the charge of Mandu. He had given dire offence to Husain Ali Khan by neglecting to pay his respects, when the Amir-ul-umara had passed near that fortress on his way from the Dakhin to Dihli.∗
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∗ Kamwar 188, Ahwal-ul-khawaqin 152a, Shiu Das 26b.
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The faujdarship of Muradabad was given to Saif-ud-din Ali Khan, younger brother of the Wazir; Muhammad Riza became chief Qazi, Mir Khan Alamgiri was made Sadar-us-sadur or Grand Almoner, Diyanat Khan Khwafi (grandson of Amanat Khan) was appointed diwan of the Khalsa, and Rajah Bakht Mal made diwan of the Tan. Himmat Khan, a protégé of Qutb-ul-mulk’s, was given a subordinate post connected with the audience-chamber, and entrusted with the care of the young Emperor as his tutor and guardian.
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The next task was to proceed against the persons and property of Farrukh-siyar’s chief adherents. Itiqad Khan (Mhd. Murad) was sent as a prisoner to Husain Ali Khan’s house, his jagirs were resumed, and all his property confiscated. He had managed to make away with a great deal, but much was recovered. By one account, it took ten to fifteen days to remove the immense store of valuables that he had obtained through the unwise liberality of Farrukh-siyar. Itiqad Khan now disappears from our story, and ending his days in obscurity, he died at Dihli on the 12th Ramzan 1139 H. (2nd May, 1727) at the age of seventy-two years. The jagirs of the late Sadat Khan, father-in-law, and of Shaista Khan, maternal uncle of the late Emperor, were resumed; as were also those of Sayyid Salabat Khan, late general of the artillery, and of Afzal Khan, the late Sadar. The allowances and lands of Farrukh-siyar’s wife, the daughter of Maharajah Ajit Singh were not interfered with.*
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A few days after the accession of the new sovereign, the Mahrattas under Balaji, the peshwa, who had come in Husain Ali Khan’s train, received their dismissal for the Dakhin (29th Rabi II. 1131 H., 30th March, 1719), taking with them Madan Singh, the younger son of Sambhaji and some female members of his family who had been prisoners since the days of Alamgir. The Mahrattas also took with them at this time three important documents, a grant of the chauth of the Dakhin provinces, one for the sardeshmukhi of the same, and one for the swaraj or hereditary States.* The first dated the 22nd Rabi II. 1131 H. (13th March, 1719), gave them one-fourth of the revenue of all the six subahs of the Dakhin, including the tributary States of Tanjor, Trichinopoly and Maisur. The second dated the 4th Jamadi I. (24th March, 1719) was for 10 per cent. of the remaining three-fourths of the same revenues. The swaraj were the territories in Shivaji's possession at the time of his death in 1681, now confirmed to his grandson with certain modifications.†
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∗ Kamwar Khan, 199; Khafi Khan, ii. 817; Mhd. Qasim Lahori, 253; Tarikh-i-Muhammadi, year 1139 H. Sayyid Salabat Khan (afterwards Sadat Khan, Zulfiqar Jang) was the eldest son of the Sadat Khan abovenamed. He died after Muharram 1170 H. (September-October 1756), see Masir-ul-umara, ii. 524. Sayyid Afzal Khan, Sadar Jahan, died late in Rabi II. or early in Jamadi I. 1138 H. (Jan. 1725) at Shahjahanabad (T-i-Mhdi).
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† Kamwar Khan, 199. Grant Duff (Bombay edition), 199 and note, where he says that these grants were made out in the name of Muhammad Shah. No doubt, the above dates fall in the 1st year of that reign by the official reckoning; but if the deeds were actually issued on the dates they bear, they must have been made out in the name of Rafi-ud-darjat, for Muhammad Shah's accession being then hidden in the future, the fact that at a subsequent date that accession would be ante-dated could not be known to any one.