History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v4.c66.s1.2

v4.c66.s1.2

The clever diplomacy of these two had for half a century saved the Qutb-Shahi State from being annexed by the Mughals. But it was only a temporary respite, and the dissolution of the kingdom was inevitable. Abdullah was throughout life, indolent and almost imbecile, and his narrow escape from capture and assassination by Aurangzib's army in 1656 had given him such a fright that Bernier noted eleven years afterwards, "The King has lost all mental energy and has ceased to hold the reins of government. He never appears in public to give audience and administer justice according to the custom of the country, nor does he venture outside the walls of the fortress Golkonda. Confusion and misrule are the natural and unavoidable consequences of this state of things. The grandees, totally disregarding the commands of a monarch for whom they no longer feel either affection or respect, exercise a disgusting tyranny.'' (Bernier, 194-195.)