Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c14.s2.1

v1.c14.s2.1

Imām Khan, the eleventh son of Muhammad Khan Bangash, was raised to the lordship of Farrukhabad by his mother Bībi Sāhiba, but he had little ability or power. The tough old lady also planned to enlist Marātha support by offering a subsidy of 20 lakhs of Rupees to their sardārs in Northern India. (*Bayan*, 251.) What followed Qāim Khan’s death throws a lurid light on the morality of the Delhi Government in that age and explains its downfall as an act of divine justice. The wazir, instead of reasserting his master’s authority and avenging the fall of his agent, seized this opportunity of enriching himself at the expense of his helpless dupe. He revived the obsolete Mughal practice of escheating the property of dead nobles, and induced the Emperor to order the attachment of Qāim Khan’s lands and property, as there was none left to defend them. Taking the Emperor with him, Safdar Jang marched out of Delhi (29th November 1749) only 17 days after Qāim’s death. In a few marches Koil (Aligarh) was reached, where he left the Emperor, and then pushed on with his own army to Dariyāganj (in the Eta district), 45 miles n.w. of Farrukhabad. By his order, his deputy in Oudh, Rajah Naval Rāi, advanced and occupied Khudaganj, 16 miles s.e. of Farrukhabad.