Farrukhsiyar

Muin ud-din Abu'l Muzaffar Sani Wala Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Ak Shan Padshah-i-Bahr-u-bar (1685–1719), also known as Shahid-i-Mazlum or Farrukhsiyar, was the Mughal monarch from 1713 to 1719, following the assassination of Jahandar Shah. He lacked the skill, intelligence, and character to rule freely while being an attractive guy who was readily swayed by his counsellors. Farrukhsiyar was the son of Emperor Bahadur Shah I's second son, Azim-ush-Shan, and Sahiba Nizwan. During his reign, the Sayyid brothers rose to prominence, becoming the real power behind the Mughal façade. The brothers deposed Farrukhsiyar due to his constant plots.

Muhammad Farrukhsiyar was born in the Deccan plateau city of Aurangabad on August 20, 1685 (9th Ramzan 1094 AH). He was Azim-ush-second Shan's son. Farrukhsiyar went to Bengal with his father on a campaign in 1696. In 1707, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb summoned his grandson, Azim-ush-Shan, from Bengal and assigned the province to Farrukhsiyar. Farrukhsiyar was born in the capital city of Dhaka (now Bangladesh) and then went to Murshidabad under the reign of Bahadur Shah I. (present-day West Bengal, India).   In 1712, Azim-ush-Shan foresaw Bahadur Shah I's demise and a power struggle, and he remembered Farrukhsiyar. He marched through Azimabad after learning of the Mughal emperor's death (modern-day Patna, Bihar, India).  Farrukhsiyar declared his father's succession to the throne on March 21, minted coins in his name, and ordered khutba (public prayer).  He learned about his father's defeat on April 6. Although the prince was contemplating suicide, his Bengali companions persuaded him otherwise.

Farrukhsiyar's uncle, Jahandar Shah, inherited the Mughal throne in 1712 by conquering Farrukhsiyar's father, Azim-ush-Shan. Farrukhsiyar was supported by Hussain Ali Khan (the subahdar of Bengal) and Abdullah Khan, his brother and the subahdar of Allahabad, in seeking vengeance for his father's death.  When Jahandar Shah's military general Syed Abdul Ghaffar Khan Gardezi, and 12,000 troops arrived in Allahabad from Azimabad, they clashed with Abdullah Khan, who retreated to the Allahabad Fort. Gardezi's soldiers, on the other hand, retreated when they learned of his death. Jahandar Shah dispatched general Khwaja Ahsan Khan and his son Aazuddin after the defeat. They discovered Farrukhsiyar was joined by Hussain Ali Khan and Abdullah Khan when they arrived in Khajwah (now Fatehpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India). Farrukhsiyar launched an attack with Abdullah Khan in command of the vanguard. Aazuddin and Khwaja Ahsan Khan withdrew after a night-long artillery battle, and Farrukhsiyar took control of the camp.  Farrukhsiyar and Jahandar Shah's forces met on January 10, 1713, near Samugarh, 14 kilometres (9 miles) east of Agra in modern-day Uttar Pradesh. Jahandar Shah was defeated and imprisoned after his loss. Farrukhsiyar then declared himself Mughal Emperor the next day. On February 12, he marched on Delhi, the Mughal capital, and captured the Red Fort and fortress. An executioner atop an elephant carried Jahandar Shah's head, mounted on a bamboo stick, while another elephant carried his body.

Farrukhsiyar conquered Jahandar Shah with the support of the Sayyid brothers, and one of the brothers, Abdullah Khan, coveted the role of wazir (prime minister). His request was denied since the post had been given to Ghaziuddin Khan, but Farrukhsiyar offered him the position of wakil-e-mutlaq. Abdullah Khan declined, claiming that because he commanded Farrukhsiyar's army against Jahandar Shah, he earned the position of wazir. However, Farrukhsiyar eventually caved into Abdullah Khan's demands, and he became Prime Minister.

Campaign against Ajit Singh

With the help of the Marwari nobles, Maharaja Ajit Singh conquered Ajmer and evicted Mughal ambassadors from his domain. Hussain Ali Khan was dispatched by Farrukhsiyar to subjugate him. The anti-Sayyid brother's party in the Mughal emperor's court, on the other hand, forced him to send Ajit Singh secret letters promising him prizes if he destroyed Hussain Ali Khan.

Campaign against the Jats

Mughal control in North India eroded due to Aurangzeb's 25-year assault on the Deccan plateau, while local kings rose to power. The Jats took advantage of the situation and advanced. Farrukhsiyar despatched Chabela Ram, an Agra subahdar, to defeat Churaman in early 1713, but he was unsuccessful (the Jat leader).  Churaman was forced to negotiate with the Mughal emperor by his successor, Samsamud Daulah Khan. He was taken by Raja Bahadur Rathore to the Mughal court, where negotiations with Farrukhsiyar failed.  In September 1716, Raja Jai Singh II launched an attack against Churaman, a Thun resident (in present-day Rajasthan, India).  On November 19th, Jai Singh II began besieging the Thun fort. In December, Muhkam Singh, Churaman's son, marched from the fort and attacked Jai Singh II, claiming victory.  Syed Muzaffar Khan was ordered to deliver gunpowder, rockets, and mounds of lead from the Mughals' armoury in Agra because the Mughals ran short of ammunition.  By January 1718, the siege had lasted more than a year. The onset of the monsoon in late 1717 increased commodity prices, making it more difficult for Raja Jai Singh II to keep the siege going.  He requested assistance from Farrukhsiyar, stating that he had survived "many engagements" with the Jats. This did not impress Farrukhsiyar, but Jai Singh II (through his agent in Delhi) notified Syed Abdullah that if he championed his cause to the emperor, he would pay the government three minister two million rupees.  After successful discussions, Syed Abdullah approved Farrukhsiyar's requests and dispatched Syed Khan Jahan to bring Churaman to the Mughal court. He also presented Raja Jai Singh II with a Farman to token his gratitude during the siege.

Banda Bahadur's Execution and a Campaign against Sikhs

By the early 1700s, Sikh leader Baba Banda Singh Bahadur conquered Punjab areas. The Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah I was unable to put down Bahadur's insurrection. Zainuddin Ahmad Khan, the Sirhind faujdar (garrison commander), attacked the Sikhs near Ropar in 1714. Farrukhisyar defeated Bahadur in 1715 with 20,000 troops led by Qamaruddin Khan, Abdus Samad Khan, and Zakariya Khan Bahadur. Bahadur surrendered after an eight-month siege at Gurdaspur after he ran out of ammunition. Bahadur and his 200 companions were apprehended and taken to Delhi, where he was paraded through Sirhind.  The surviving Sikhs were bound, and Bahadur was placed in an iron cage. They were pushed to abandon their beliefs and convert to Islam. Despite the emperor's pledge to spare Sikhs who converted to Islam, William Irvine claims that "not a single prisoner proved false to his faith." On their unequivocal rejection, they were all sentenced to death. The Sikhs were paraded through Delhi with 780 Sikh prisoners, 2,000 Sikh heads hung on spears, and 700 cartloads of murdered Sikh heads to terrorize the populace. When Farrukhsiyar's army arrived at the Red Fort, the Mughal emperor ordered Banda Bahadur, Baj Singh, Bhai Fateh Singh, and his colleagues to be imprisoned in Tripolia. Despite the affluent Khatris of Delhi offering money for his release, Farrukhsiyar murdered Bahadur and his companions on June 19, 1716, after three months of incarceration. Banda Singh was slain after his eyes were gouged out, his limbs were dismembered, and his skin was stripped.

Trade Concession

Farrukhsiyar issued a farman in 1717, allowing the British East India Company to trade and stay in the Mughal Empire. They were free to trade for a yearly payment of 3,000 rupees.  This was because Farrukhsiyar was healed of an illness by William Hamilton, a corporate surgeon. In addition, the corporation was given the authority to issue dastak (passes) for the movement of products, which were utilized for personal advantage by corporate personnel.

State of the Mughal Empire

• Appointments: Farrukhsiyar named Sayid Abdullah Khan as chief minister and Muhammad Baqir Mutamid Khan as treasury minister. Hussain Ali Khan was the first to be given the title of Bakshi, along with the titles of Umdat-ul-Mulk, Amir-ul-umara, and Bahadur Firuz Jung. He was followed by Chin Qilich Khan and Afrasiyab Khan Bahadur. 

Farrukhsiyar invited Ajit Singh, Nizam-ul-Mulk, and Sarbuland Khan to the palace with their armies, totalling 80,000 men, to attack the Sayyids. He did not invite Mir Jumla III and Khan Dauran because the former had failed in a war in Bihar, and he suspected the latter of plotting to topple him with the Sayyid brothers. Syed Abdullah's army, on the other hand, numbered around 3,000 men. Farrukhsiyar could have defeated him with the support of the nobles, according to Satish Chandra, but he didn't because he thought it would be difficult to get rid of them later. Instead, he replaced Syed Abdullah with Muhammad Murad Kashmiri as the next wazir (prime minister).  The nobles withdrew from Kashmiri's court because he was known for having sexual encounters with boys. Syed Hussain's march to Delhi was to bring a son of the Maratha monarch Shahu to him. Syed Hussain fought Farrukhsiyar with the help of Mohammad Amin Khan, Ajit Singh, and Khan Dauran; after a night-long struggle, he was overthrown on February 28, 1719. Rafi ud-Darajat was crowned by the Sayyid brothers. Farrukhsiyar was imprisoned and blinded at Tripolia. During his incarceration, he was forced to eat bitter, salty meals and was denied access to water. He passed the time by reading Quranic passages. Farrukhsiyar attempted to pay jailer Abdullah Khan Afghan, who was in charge of 7,000 men, to free him and bring him to Jai Singh II, but the money was turned down. On April 19, 1719, he was strangled by unknown assailants and buried alongside his father, Azim-ush-Shan, in Humayun's Tomb.

Family

Fakhr-un-Nissa Farrukhsiyar's first wife, Gauhar-un-Nissa, was the daughter of Mir Muhammad Taqi and was Farrukhsiyar's first wife (known as Hasan Khan and then Sadat Khan).    Bai Indira Kanwar, Maharajah Ajit Singh's daughter, was his second wife. Bai Bhup Devi, the daughter of Jaya Singh, was Farrukhsiyar's third wife. His full name was Abul Muzaffer Muinuddin Muhammad Farrukhsiyar Badshah. Posthumously, he was known as "Shahid-i-Marcum" (the martyr received with mercy).

Coinage

The Lahore Museum and the Indian Museum in Kolkata both have 116 coins from their reign on exhibit. Kabul, Kashmir, Ajmer, Allahabad, Bidar, and Berar were among the cities that produced the coins.

Farrukhnagar, a town in the Gurgaon district of Delhi, is named after him. It lies 32 kilometres (20 miles) south of Delhi. He built a Sheesh Mahal (palace) and a Jama Masjid (mosque) in the city during his rule.  He was also called after the town of Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh.