Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c15.s8.20

v1.c15.s8.20

The civil war between Safdar Jang, which may well be said to have commenced on 26th March 1753, and ended with Safdar Jang's return defeated towards Oudh on the 7th November following, falls into three clearly marked stages: The first six weeks (26th March—8 May) passed without any hostile action, as both sides were equally unwilling to precipitate a clash of arms, Safdar Jang roving aimlessly round the city, unable to make up his mind whether he should peacefully depart or rise against his king and master, and his rivals at Court setting about to enlist troops and buy Marātha and Afghān allies. This stage was terminated by the arrival of Suraj Mal and Salābat Khan in the wazir's camp (on 1st and 4th May respectively) and their inducing him to take up an openly aggressive policy, of which the first outcome was the plunder of Old Delhi by the Jāts (9th May.) In the second stage (9th May—4 June), there was declared war between the two sides, and Safdar Jang seemed to be on the point of triumphing, while his opponents were cooped up helplessly within the walled city. But with the arrival of the Ruhelas under Najib Khan to the Emperor's aid (2nd June) the tide turned, the first evidence of which was the failure of Safdar Jang's grand assault on Delhi on 5th June. The third stage (5th June—7th November) went steadily but decisively against Safdar Jang, and was heralded by the Court party's advance out of the walled city and their occupation of Old Delhi. Gradually, in spite of almost daily skirmishes and internal troubles with mutinous soldiery, the imperialists pushed the rebels further and further back, till at last the country for 22 miles south of Delhi, as far as Ballamgarh, was wrested by the Emperor’s men, and finally on 7th November Safdar Jang accepted defeat and set his face towards his own subah, leaving all his political ambitions behind.