Later Mughals v1.c9.s10: Sec. 11.—Nizam-Ul-Mulk.
Later Mughals v1.c9.s10
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Sec. 11.—Nizam-Ul-Mulk.
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Perhaps the most important person in the group of men that rose into the very first rank upon Farrukh-siyar's accession, was Nizam-ul-mulk, now a man of nearly forty-three (lunar) years of age, who was already a distinguished soldier and provincial governor, even in Alamgir's reign. Hitherto, however, he had been overshadowed by his father, Ghazi-ud-din Khan Firuz Jang, who had died only two years before this time, and by his cousin, a much older man, Muhammad Amin Khan Chin Bahadur. But on Nizam-ul-mulk's appointment in 1125 H. (1713) to the six subahs of the Dakhin, he rose to a position of pre-eminence, which he never for one moment lost till his death in 1161 H. (1748), thirty-five years afterwards.
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As stated a few pages back, when speaking of Muhammad Amin Khan, the family of Nizam-ul-mulk came from Samarqand. His great grand-father was Alam Shaikh, son of Allahdad, son of Abdur-rahman Shaikh Azizan. They are said to have come originally from Sahrward. Khwaja Abid, son of Alam Shaikh, moved to Bukhara, where he was first of all Qazi, then Shaikh-ul-islam. A year or two before Alamgir ascended the throne (1066-67 H., 1655-56), he passed through India on his way to Mecca. He returned at the time when Alamgir was about to start from the Dakhin to seize his father's throne. Alamgir accepted his services and gave him a high command. He filled various offices, such as that of Sadar-i-kul, or superintendent of endowments, governor of Ajmer, then of Multan. In the twenty-fourth year (1091-2 H., 1680-1) he fell into disgrace, but was soon pardoned and again given the Sadarat-i-kul. A year afterwards he was sent to the Dakhin, and then in the twenty-ninth year (1096-7 H., 1685-6), he became governor of Zafarabad Bidar. He continued to serve with distinction in the Dakhin, until on the 24th Rabi I. 1098 H. (30th January, 1687), at the siege of Golkonda, he was shot in the arm and died of the wound. In the twenty-third year (1090-1) he had received the title of Qilich Khan. He had five sons, the two youngest of whom died comparatively early in life without rising very high. The second and third sons, Muizz-ud-daulah Hamid Khan, and Nasir-ud-daulah Abdur-rahim Khan, were men of some fame and distinction. But the greatest of all was the eldest son, Ghazi-ud-din Khan Firuz Jang, and to him we now turn.
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Mir Shahab-ud-din was born at Samarqand about the year 1060 H. (1649-50); and followed his father to India in the twelfth year of Alamgir (1079-80 H., 1668-69), when he was in his nineteenth or twentieth year. He received the rank of 300 zat, 70 horse. His special favour with Alamgir began ten years later when, at the peril of his life, he brought speedy information from a general who had been sent in pursuit of the Rana into the hills of Udaipur, and of whose safety no tidings could be obtained. For this service he obtained the title of Khan and from that time rose rapidly, especially after he had proved his loyalty by rejecting all advances from the Emperor's rebel son, Prince Akbar. He accompanied the Emperor into the Dakhin and took part in all the campaigns there for the succeeding five and twenty years. He conquered Ibrahimgarh-Yadgiri (also called Firuzgarh); was conspicuous in the taking of Haidarabad; Adoni (Imtiyaz-garh) also fell before him. He was sent against Shambhaji, son of Shivaji, in 1099-1100 H. (1687-88), and served against Deogarh (Islamgarh), which he captured. In the forty-eighth year, 1115-16 H., 1703-4, he pursued the Mahrattas into Malwa. At the time of Alamgir's death in 1118 H., 1707, he was at Elichpur, in charge of the subah of Berar. As we have already recounted (under Bahadur Shah's reign), he took no part in the war of succession between Azam Shah and Bahadur Shah. The Turanis were not in favour with the victor, Bahadur Shah, and thus Firuz Jang was moved out of the Dakhin, where he was dangerous, to the Government of Ahmadabad in Gujarat. There he died on the 17th Shawwal 1122 H. (8th December, 1710) at the age of sixty-two (lunar) years. He held the rank of 7,000 zat. Following the usual Mughal system, his estate was confiscated on his death. It consisted of 1½ lakhs of Rupees in bills on bankers, 133,000 gold muhars 25,000 hun (gold) and nim-paoli (gold), 17,000 gold paoli, 400 adheli (half) and 8,000 whole silver paoli, 140 horses, 300 camels, 400 oxen and 38 elephants.
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Ghazi-ud-din Khan is described as the most exceptionally gifted among the Turani nobles, good-natured, dignified, fortunate in war and an excellent administrator. His first wife was the daughter of Sadullah Khan,* Wazir of Shah Jahan; after her death he married in succession two of her nieces, daughters of her brother, Hifz-ullah Khan (Miyan Khan), but by these two wives he had no children. For the last twenty years of his life he was totally blind, his sight having been destroyed by an epidemic which raged in the army under his command. In spite of this privation, his active career continued as before; such a case having been until then unknown in India, of a blind man continuing to command an army in the field or govern a province.
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Mir Qamar-ud-din, son of Ghazi-ud-din Khan by the daughter of Shah Jahan's Wazir, Sadullah Khan, was born on the 14th Rabi II. 1082 H., (11th August, 1671).† In 1095 H. (1683-4) when in his thirteenth year, he received as his first appointment in the service of the State, the rank of 400 zat, 100 horse. In the following year the title of Khan was added to his name. In 1101 or 1102 H., (1690-1), he received the title of Chin Qilich Khan, and at Alamgir's death in 1118 H., 1707, he was governor of Bijapur. His father and he took no part in the contest for the throne between the sons of Alamgir: and when Bahadur Shah had succeeded in defeating his rival, he removed the Turanis from the Dakhin, possibly on the advice of Zulfiqar Khan, who looked on them as his personal enemies. Ghazi-ud-din Khan Firuz Jang was sent to Ahmadabad in Gujarat, Muhammad Amin Khan Chin went to Muradabad as faujdar and Chin Qilich Khan was appointed subahadar of Oudh and faujdar of Gorakhpur (15th Ramzan, 1119 H., 9th December, 1707). At the same time the title of the last-named was changed to that of Khan Dauran Bahadur, and he was raised to 6000 zat, 6000 horse. A few weeks afterwards (5th Zul Qada, 27th January, 1708), he resigned all his titles and appointments; but at the desire of Munim Khan, the Wazir, he withdrew his resignation and was promoted to 7,000 zat, 7,000 horse. When his father died and the deceased's property was confiscated, Chin Qilich Khan (Khan Dauran as he then was) sent in his resignation afresh, 18th Zul Hijja 1122 H., 6th February, 1711; this time it was accepted, and 4,000 Rupees a year were granted for his support. Quite at the end of Bahadur Shah's reign he returned to the active list with the titles of Ghazi-ud-din Khan Bahadur Firuz Jang. On Bahadur Shah's death, he attempted to espouse the cause of Azim-ush-shan, who long before had promised him high office, and he had made one march from Dihli at the head of 3,000 or 4,000 men, when he heard of the Prince's death. Thereupon he discharged his men and retired into private life. Abdus-samad Khan was the brother-in-law of his cousin, Muhammad Amin Khan, and this man's services to Zulfiqar Khan had been so great, that on his account Chin Qilich Khan's hostile attitude was overlooked. Towards the end of Jahandar Shah's short reign, he was appointed to the defence of Agra. There he and his cousin were brought over to Farrukh-siyar's interest, as already related, through Shariyat-ullah Khan (Mir Jumla), and as a reward for his neutrality he was now made governor of the whole Dakhin, with the new titles first of Khan Khanan, and then of Nizam-ul-mulk, Bahadur, Fath Jang.*
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∗ S. K. died 1066 H., 1655-56, see M. U. ii. 441 and T. M. year 1066 H. † In many works there is a curious mistake as to Nizam-ul-mulk's age. He is said to have died in 1161 H., (1748), at the age of one hundred and four years. (Orme, Military Transactions, Madras reprint, i. 122). Grant Duff, History of the Mahrattas, Bombay reprint, 265, repeats the statement, probably copying from Orme. Nizam-ul-mulk's birth year was 1082 H.; and therefore, in 1161 H., when he died, he could have been no more than 79 lunar or 77 solar years of age.