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Farrukhsiyar: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Farrukhsiyar
Muhammad Farrukhsiyar was born on the 20th of August 1683 in Aurangabad, a city on the Deccan Plateau, to a Kashmiri mother named Sahiba Niswan and a father who was a grandson of the great emperor Bahadur Shah I. His early years were spent not in the opulent courts of Delhi but in the rugged provinces of the empire, where he learned the harsh realities of governance from the age of thirteen. In 1696, he accompanied his father on a military campaign to Bengal, and by 1707, he was tasked with governing Dhaka, the capital of the Bengal Subah, a responsibility that fell to him when his father was recalled by the aging Aurangzeb. This early exposure to the volatile politics of the empire shaped a young man who would eventually rise to the throne through blood and betrayal, rather than through the quiet succession of tradition. When his father, Azim-ush-Shan, died in 1712, Farrukhsiyar was marching past Azimabad, now Patna, and upon hearing the news, he immediately proclaimed his father's accession to the throne, issued coinage in his name, and ordered the public prayer to be read in his honor. He was only twenty-eight years old when he began his journey to claim the Mughal throne, a journey that would be defined by the ruthless ambition of the Sayyid brothers and the crumbling foundations of the empire he inherited.
The Blood-Stained Path to Power
The path to the Mughal throne was paved with the bones of Farrukhsiyar's own kin, beginning with the defeat of his uncle, Jahandar Shah, who had ascended to power in 1712 by defeating Farrukhsiyar's father. Farrukhsiyar sought revenge for his father's death and was joined by Hussain Ali Khan, the subahdar of Bengal, and Abdullah Khan, his brother and the subahdar of Allahabad. Their forces clashed with Jahandar Shah's general, Syed Abdul Ghaffar Khan Gardezi, and 12,000 troops near Allahabad, but the tide turned when Gardezi's army fled upon learning of his death. The decisive battle took place on the 10th of January 1713 at Samugarh, east of Agra, where Jahandar Shah was defeated and imprisoned. The following day, Farrukhsiyar proclaimed himself the Mughal emperor, and by the 12th of February, he had marched to the Mughal capital of Delhi, capturing the Red Fort and the citadel. The victory was sealed with a gruesome display: Jahandar Shah's head, mounted on a bamboo rod, was carried by an executioner on an elephant, while his body was carried by another elephant, a stark reminder of the brutal nature of Mughal succession. This bloody ascent set the tone for a reign that would be defined by the constant struggle for power between the emperor and the two courtiers who held the real authority.
Muhammad Farrukhsiyar was born on the 20th of August 1683 in Aurangabad, a city on the Deccan Plateau. He was the son of a Kashmiri mother named Sahiba Niswan and a father who was a grandson of the great emperor Bahadur Shah I.
How did Farrukhsiyar become the Mughal emperor in 1713?
Farrukhsiyar defeated his uncle Jahandar Shah in the decisive battle on the 10th of January 1713 at Samugarh, east of Agra. He proclaimed himself emperor the following day and captured the Red Fort in Delhi by the 12th of February 1713.
Who held the real power during the reign of Farrukhsiyar?
The Sayyid brothers, Abdullah Khan and Hussain Ali Khan, held the real power and became de facto rulers of the empire. Abdullah Khan served as wazir or prime minister while Hussain Ali Khan served as Mir Bakhshi or Commander-in-Chief.
What happened to Banda Singh Bahadur under the orders of Farrukhsiyar?
Farrukhsiyar ordered the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur and his followers on the 19th of June 1716 in Delhi. The execution involved gouging out eyes, severing limbs, and removing skin before killing the prisoners to terrorize the population.
What farman did Farrukhsiyar issue to the British East India Company in 1717?
Farrukhsiyar issued a farman in 1717 granting the British East India Company the right to reside and trade in the empire for a yearly payment of 3,000 rupees. This decree allowed the company to issue dastak passes for duty-free trade in Bengal.
How did the reign of Farrukhsiyar end in 1719?
Farrukhsiyar was captured, blinded, and eventually killed in prison in February 1719 after the Sayyid brothers replaced him with Prince Rafi-ud-darjat. He was forced to hide in the women's quarters before being seized by the forces of Husain Ali Khan.
Farrukhsiyar defeated Jahandar Shah with the aid of the Sayyid brothers, but the victory came at a steep price: the effective power of the empire slipped from his hands into theirs. Abdullah Khan, one of the brothers, demanded the post of wazir, or prime minister, which Farrukhsiyar had promised to Ghaziuddin Khan. When Farrukhsiyar offered him a post as regent under the name of wakil-e-mutlaq, Abdullah Khan refused, insisting that he deserved the post of wazir since he led Farrukhsiyar's army against Jahandar Shah. The emperor ultimately gave in, and Abdullah Khan became wazir, while his brother Hussain Ali Khan became the Mir Bakhshi, or Commander-in-Chief. According to historian William Irvine, Farrukhsiyar's close aides, Mir Jumla III and Khan Dauran, sowed seeds of suspicion in his mind that the Sayyid brothers might usurp him from the throne. Hussain Ali Khan wrote to Abdullah Khan, stating that Farrukhsiyar was a man who paid no regard to claims for service performed, one void of faith, a breaker of his word and altogether without shame. The emperor could not confront them, as the Sayyid Brothers maintained control of the strongest part of the army, and thus the latter became de facto rulers of the empire. This power dynamic turned Farrukhsiyar into a figurehead, a man who could issue decrees but could not enforce them, a reality that would haunt him until his final days.
The Empire's Fractured Frontiers
While Farrukhsiyar struggled to maintain control within the court, the empire's frontiers were crumbling under the weight of local rebellions and the rise of new powers. In 1714, he sent Hussain Ali Khan to subjugate Maharaja Ajit Singh of Marwar, who had captured Ajmer and expelled Mughal diplomats. The anti-Sayyid brothers faction in the court compelled the emperor to send secret letters to Ajit Singh, assuring him of rewards if he defeated Hussain Ali Khan. Ajit Singh surrendered at Merta, and as a result, Mughal authority was restored in Rajputana. He gave his second daughter, Kunwari Indira Kanwar, as a bride to Farrukhsiyar, and his son, Kunwar Abhai Singh, was compelled to accompany him to see the Mughal emperor his brother-in-law. Simultaneously, the Jats advanced, taking advantage of the weakened Mughal authority in North India. By 1718, the siege of Thun fort had lasted for more than a year, and Raja Jai Singh II, who was leading the campaign, wrote to Farrukhsiyar for reinforcement. The emperor, however, was more interested in personal gain than in military strategy, and Jai Singh II offered three million rupees to the government and two million rupees to the minister to champion his cause. The siege ended with Churaman, the Jat leader, accepting Mughal authority and paying five million rupees in cash and goods to Farrukhsiyar. These campaigns revealed the fragility of the empire, where local rulers could challenge imperial authority with relative ease, and where the emperor's word was often secondary to the ambitions of his ministers.
The Iron Cage of Faith
The most harrowing chapter of Farrukhsiyar's reign was his brutal suppression of the Sikh uprising led by Banda Singh Bahadur. By the early 1710s, Banda Singh Bahadur had captured parts of the Punjab region, and Mughal emperors Bahadur Shah I and Jahandar Shah had failed to suppress his rebellion. In 1715, Farrukhsiyar sent 20,000 troops under Qamaruddin Khan, Abdus Samad Khan, and Zakariya Khan Bahadur to defeat Bahadur. After an eight-month siege at Gurdaspur, Banda Singh Bahadur surrendered after he ran out of ammunition. He and his 200 companions were arrested and brought to Delhi, where they were paraded around the city of Sirhind. Banda Singh Bahadur was put into an iron cage, and the remaining Sikhs were chained. They were pressured to give up their faith and become Muslims, but according to William Irvine, not one prisoner proved false to his faith. On the 19th of June 1716, Farrukhsiyar had Banda Singh Bahadur and his followers executed, despite the wealthy Khatris of Delhi offering money for his release. Banda Singh Bahadur's eyes were gouged out, his limbs were severed, his skin removed, and then he was killed. The Sikhs were brought to Delhi in a procession with 780 Sikh prisoners, 2,000 Sikh heads hung on spears, and 700 cartloads of heads of slaughtered Sikhs used to terrorize the population. This brutal display of power was intended to crush the spirit of resistance, but it only served to deepen the divide between the Mughal Empire and the Sikh community, a legacy that would endure for centuries.
The Price of a Favor
In 1717, Farrukhsiyar issued a farman, or royal decree, that would have far-reaching consequences for the future of the Mughal Empire. He gave the British East India Company the right to reside and trade in the empire, allowing them to trade freely except for a yearly payment of 3,000 rupees, in gratitude for William Hamilton, a surgeon associated with the company, curing Farrukhsiyar of a disease. The company was given the right to issue dastak, or passes, for the movement of goods, which was misused by company officials for personal gain. The farman allowed the British East India Company to carry out duty-free trade in the province of Bengal, and the dastaks were used for their own private trade, angering the Nawab of Bengal, Alivardi Khan. This decision, made in a moment of personal gratitude, would eventually lead to the erosion of Mughal sovereignty and the rise of British colonial power in India. The emperor's willingness to grant such concessions to a foreign trading company, without considering the long-term implications, highlighted the shortsightedness of his reign and the inability of the Mughal court to adapt to the changing geopolitical landscape. The dastaks became a tool of economic exploitation, and the British East India Company used them to expand their influence, setting the stage for the eventual takeover of India by the British.
The Final Struggle for Control
By 1718, a serious conflict broke out at the Mughal court, as the emperor and his top minister had been at odds for a long time. The emperor broke an earlier agreement by appointing new officials in the Deccan region, and in response, the minister canceled these appointments. Furious, the emperor tried and failed to eliminate the minister, Abdullah Khan, which led to a gathering of powerful nobles and troops against him. Soon, the emperor found himself with only a small force of Rajput soldiers by the side of Jai Singh Kachhwaha. Abdullah Khan then called on his brother, Husain Ali Khan, to bring reinforcements from the Deccan. In October, Husain Ali Khan marched north with a large force of cavalry, infantry armed with matchlocks, and artillery. He was joined by Balaji Vishwanath, a Maratha chief minister, who added Maratha horsemen to the army. Although they claimed they were coming to negotiate an exchange of important hostages, their real purpose was to show that the emperor could be replaced with another who would be easier to control. In February 1719, Husain Ali Khan made a dramatic entrance into Delhi, ignoring the formal court rules. Under pressure, the emperor, Farrukhsiyar, removed several key officials, including Jai Singh II. When the emperor refused to give up control of the palace fortress, an angry confrontation took place in the court. Abdullah Khan eventually removed the emperor's guards and seized control of the palace. As news spread through the city, Farrukhsiyar was forced to hide in the women's quarters. The next day, loyal commanders gathered to march on the palace, but they clashed with Husain Ali Khan's Maratha forces. Seeing that they could not simply install one of their own, the powerful Sayyid brothers chose to replace the emperor with a young and manageable prince. After a failed attempt to capture Prince Bidar Dil, they crowned Prince Rafi-ud-darjat as the new ruler. Later that night, Farrukhsiyar was captured, blinded, and eventually killed in prison. Upon his death, Ajit Singh reclaimed his widowed daughter along with dowry and returned to Jodhpur.
The Legacy of a Forgotten Emperor
Farrukhsiyar's reign, though short, left a lasting mark on the Mughal Empire and the history of India. The town of Farrukhnagar in Gurgaon district, south of Delhi, was named for him, and during his reign, he built a Sheesh Mahal, or palace, and a Jama Masjid, or mosque, there. The town of Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh was also named after him, a testament to his presence in the region. On coins issued during his reign, the phrase Sikka zad az fazl-i-Haq bar sim o zar, meaning By the grace of the true God, struck on silver and gold, the emperor of land and sea, Farrukhsiyar, was inscribed. There are 116 coins from his reign on display at the Lahore Museum and the Indian Museum in Kolkata, minted in Kabul, Kashmir, Ajmer, Allahabad, Bidar, and Berar. Despite his brutal methods and the ultimate failure of his reign, Farrukhsiyar's story is a cautionary tale of the fragility of power and the consequences of relying on the wrong allies. His reign marked the beginning of the end for the Mughal Empire, as the Sayyid brothers' control over the court paved the way for the rise of regional powers and the eventual colonization of India by the British. His legacy is one of a man who rose to the throne through blood and betrayal, only to be consumed by the very forces he had unleashed, a reminder that power without wisdom is a dangerous thing.