Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c15.s5.3

v1.c15.s5.3

He was of so lordly a disposition and so careless of money that he spent on the wedding of his son forty-six lakhs of Rupees, while the marriage of the eldest and favourite son of the most magnificent of the Mughal Emperors, a century earlier, had cost thirty lakhs only. [Imād, 36.] He was, no doubt, well served by Hindu secretaries and business managers who raised large revenues for him from his fertile province; but their efforts were neutralised by his extravagance. Nor had he the true leader's instinct of choosing capable servants and allowing himself to be guided by their counsel. Political foresight and diplomatic sagacity alike he lacked, and he could not build up any strong coalition, without which no one could maintain himself in power at the Court of such a fickle and faithless sovereign. In short, Safdar Jang had neither the sagacity nor the spirit necessary in a wazir called upon to maintain the Delhi empire of that age. A number of talented Shia officers gathered round him and remained devoted to him to the end; but they were mere individuals, attracted to him by the ties of religion or family, and not the successive links in a complete and well-joined chain of administration. Thus, in the end, in spite of his splendid opportunities, the natural wealth of his provinces, and the excellence of his soldiers individually, his career ended in failure. The historian is bound to pronounce that Safdar Jang was far inferior in character and capacity to Ali Mardan and Sadullah, Mir Jumla and Ruhullah and other Persian immigrants who had adorned the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzib, or even to Mirza Shafi Khan of the generation next to his.