Farrukhsiyar
Encyclopedia
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] (or Farrukhsiyar, 20 August 1685 – 19 April 1719) was the Mughal
emperor between 1713 and 1719. Noted as a handsome but weak ruler, easily swayed by his advisers, Farukhsiyar lacked the ability and character to rule independently. His reign witnessed the primacy of the Syed Brothers who became the effective powers of the land, behind the façade of Mughal rule.
, a son of former emperor Bahadur Shah I
. His mother was Sahiba Niswan, a sister of Nawab
Shaista Khan
, the erstwhile Mughal
Subedar
of Kashmir
. He married his first wife, Nawab Fakhr-un-Nisa Begum Sahiba, daughter of Nawab Sa'adat Khan Bahadur [Mir Muhammad Taqi Husaini], a Kashmiri nobleman from the Marashi
clan, sometime prior to December, 1715. In September 1715, Farrukhsiyar married Indira Kanwar, daughter of Maharaja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur
. He was also married to at least one other lady.
on 10 January 1713. Following this, the Syed Brothers, helped Farukhsiyar to secure his throne. He took the throne On 11 January 1713, at the age of 30. His reign marked the ascendancy of the Syed Brothers who monopolized state power and reduced the Emperor to an effective figurehead. The town of Farrukhnagar
in Gurgaon district
, 32 km south of Delhi
, was rechristened after his name, during his reign, here he built a Sheesh Mahal and also a mosque.
The rogue Sikh leader Banda was finally dealt with, when the experienced Mughal
commander Abdus Samad Khan, had him surrounded and besieged at Gurdaspur. Although Banda's followers ferociously resisted their escape attempts were constantly foiled and after an 8 month siege by the Mughal Army
, the Sikhs surrendered on December 17, 1715. Banda and his followers were then taken to Delhi
and executed by the orders of Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar in the year 1716.
Farrukhsiyar, is also known to have sent a letter to the Ottomans
which was received by the Grand Vizier
Damad Ibrahim Pasha, providing a graphic description of the informing him of the efforts of the Mughal
commander Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha and the Rajput
and Maratha
rebellion.
purchased duty-free trading rights in all of Bengal
for a mere three thousand rupees a year. It is said that the Company's surgeon, William Hamilton
, cured Farrukhsiyar and the Emperor was moved to grant trading rights to the Company. Another story tells of a bribe to a eunuch of the seraglio and a rumoured British Naval attack on the Moghul navy at Surat. This order, which the Company hailed as the golden firman, was not of much practical use. Even though the Company claimed duty exemptions based on this firman, the Mughal governors of Bengal, from Murshid Quli Khan
onwards, ignored this order of their suzerain and continued to collect customs duty from the East India Company.
on the throne. Rafi-ud-durjat's father and Farukhsiyar's father had been brothers.
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
emperor between 1713 and 1719. Noted as a handsome but weak ruler, easily swayed by his advisers, Farukhsiyar lacked the ability and character to rule independently. His reign witnessed the primacy of the Syed Brothers who became the effective powers of the land, behind the façade of Mughal rule.
Biography
Farrukhn Siyar was born at Aurangabad in the Deccan on ,20 August 1685. He was the second son of Azim ush ShanAzim ush Shan
Prince Azim-ush-Shan was the third son of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah I, by his second wife, Maharajkumari Amrita Bai Sahiba. He was also the grandson of emperor Aurangzeb.-Reign:...
, a son of former emperor Bahadur Shah I
Bahadur Shah I
Bahadur Shah was a Mughal Emperor, who ruled India from 1707 to 1712. His original name was Qutb ud-Din Muhammad Mu'azzam later titled as Shah Alam by his father. He took the throne name Bahadur Shah in 1707. His name Bahādur means "brave" & "hero" in Turko-Mongol languages...
. His mother was Sahiba Niswan, a sister of Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
Shaista Khan
Shaista Khan
Mirza Abu Talib, better known by his title Shaista Khan , was a Subahdar and general in the army of the Mughal Empire. A maternal uncle to Emperor Aurangzeb, he served as the Mughal governor of Bengal from 1664 to 1688, and was a key figure during the rule of his nephew, the emperor...
, the erstwhile Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Subedar
Subedar
Subedar is a historical rank in the Indian Army, ranking below British commissioned officers and above non-commissioned officers. The rank was otherwise equivalent to a British lieutenant and was introduced in the East India Company's presidency armies, to make it easier for British officers to...
of Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. He married his first wife, Nawab Fakhr-un-Nisa Begum Sahiba, daughter of Nawab Sa'adat Khan Bahadur [Mir Muhammad Taqi Husaini], a Kashmiri nobleman from the Marashi
Marashi
Marashi is a Persian family name indicating ancestry from Ali al-Marash, the grandson of the fourth Shia imam, Ali ibn Husayn, also known as Zayn al-Abidin. The surname is generally associated with a clan of Shi'ite Muslims who are descended from Ali ibn Husayn, who himself was a great-grandson...
clan, sometime prior to December, 1715. In September 1715, Farrukhsiyar married Indira Kanwar, daughter of Maharaja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
. He was also married to at least one other lady.
Reign
Jahandar Shah was defeated at Samugarh near AgraAgra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
on 10 January 1713. Following this, the Syed Brothers, helped Farukhsiyar to secure his throne. He took the throne On 11 January 1713, at the age of 30. His reign marked the ascendancy of the Syed Brothers who monopolized state power and reduced the Emperor to an effective figurehead. The town of Farrukhnagar
Farrukhnagar
Farrukhnagar is a town and municipality in Gurgaon district in Haryana state, India. It is one of the nine administrative blocks of Gurgaon district situated 21 km from Gurgaon and shares its border with Jhajjar district. Established in 1732 by Faujdar Khan, the first Nawab of Farrukhnagar...
in Gurgaon district
Gurgaon District
Gurgaon district is one of the 21 districts of Haryana state in northern India. Gurgaon city is the administrative headquarters of the district. The population is 1,660,289 . .It is the southern-most district of Haryana...
, 32 km south of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, was rechristened after his name, during his reign, here he built a Sheesh Mahal and also a mosque.
The rogue Sikh leader Banda was finally dealt with, when the experienced Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
commander Abdus Samad Khan, had him surrounded and besieged at Gurdaspur. Although Banda's followers ferociously resisted their escape attempts were constantly foiled and after an 8 month siege by the Mughal Army
Mughal Army
The Mughal Army was the army of the Mughal Empire.Mirza Najaf Khan was commander in chief of the Mughal Army from 1772 till his death in April 1782.The art of Mughal warfare brought about a complete change in the way wars were fought in the Indian...
, the Sikhs surrendered on December 17, 1715. Banda and his followers were then taken to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and executed by the orders of Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar in the year 1716.
Farrukhsiyar, is also known to have sent a letter to the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
which was received by the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Damad Ibrahim Pasha, providing a graphic description of the informing him of the efforts of the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
commander Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha and the Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
and Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
rebellion.
Trade concessions
It was during Farrukhsiyar's reign, in 1717, that the British East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
purchased duty-free trading rights in all of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
for a mere three thousand rupees a year. It is said that the Company's surgeon, William Hamilton
William Hamilton (surgeon)
William Hamilton was a surgeon in the British East India Company. He was a part of the delegation that went from Calcutta, the base of the company, to meet Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar in his court in Delhi in 1715....
, cured Farrukhsiyar and the Emperor was moved to grant trading rights to the Company. Another story tells of a bribe to a eunuch of the seraglio and a rumoured British Naval attack on the Moghul navy at Surat. This order, which the Company hailed as the golden firman, was not of much practical use. Even though the Company claimed duty exemptions based on this firman, the Mughal governors of Bengal, from Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb...
onwards, ignored this order of their suzerain and continued to collect customs duty from the East India Company.
Death
Farrukhsiyar met a humiliating and bloody end, his constant plotting eventually led the Syed Brothers to officially depose him as the Emperor. Farrukhsiyar was imprisoned and starved; later, on 28 February 1719, he was blinded with needles at the orders of the Syed Brothers. Farrukhsiyar was strangled to death on the night of April 27/28, 1719. After accomplishing his assassination, the Syed Brothers placed his first-cousin, Rafi Ul-DarjatRafi Ul-Darjat
Rafi-ul Darjat , the youngest son of Rafi-us-Shan and the nephew of Azim ush Shan, was the 11th Mughal Emperor. He succeeded Furrukhsiyar on 28 February 1719, being proclaimed Badshah by the Syed Brothers....
on the throne. Rafi-ud-durjat's father and Farukhsiyar's father had been brothers.