Saiyid Brothers
Encyclopedia
The term Sayyid Brothers refers to Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha (b.1668) and Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha (b.1666), who were powerful Mughal Army
generals of the Mughal Empire
during the early 18th century.
The Sayyid Brothers became highly influential in the Mughal Court after Aurangzeb's death and turned king-makers in the anarchy following the death of emperor Aurangzeb
in 1707 CE, and created and dethroned Mughal Emperors at their will during the 1710s.. Aurangzeb's son Bahadur Shah I
defeated his brothers to capture the throne with the help of Sayyid Brothers, and Nizam-ul-Mulk, another influential administrator in the Mughal court. Bahadur Shah I died in 1712, and his successor Jahandar Shah
was assassinated on the orders of the Sayyid Brothers.
In 1713, Jahandar's nephew Farrukhsiyar
became the emperor with the Brothers' help. His reign marked the ascendancy of the Brothers, who monopolized state power and reduced the Emperor to an effective figurehead. The Brothers conspired to send Nizam-ul-Mulk to Deccan, away from the Mughal Court, to reduce his influence. In 1719, the Brothers blinded, deposed and murdered Farrukhsiyar. They then established his first cousin Rafi ud-Darajat as the next ruler in February 1719; when he died of lung disease in June, they made his elder brother Rafi ud-Daulah (Shah Jahan II). After Rafi ud-Daulah also died of lung disease in September 1719, Muhammad Shah
(r. 1719 -1748) ascended the throne at the age of seventeen with Sayyid Brothers as his regent
s from 1719 to 1722.
Muhhamad Shah, in order to take back control of his rule, got the Brothers killed with the help of Nizam-ul-Mulk; Hussain Ali Khan was murdered at Fatehpur Sikri
in 1722, and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was poisoned to death in 1724.
in Iraq
; Several hundred years ago, at a date which cannot be fixed exactly, Abul Farah and his twelve sons came from Wasit to Mughal Empire
, settling at first in four villages near Patiala, in the sarkar
of Sirhind and subah
of Delhi
. From these villages the four branches, into which they are divided, derive their names. Then crossing the Yamuna
, they formed a settlement on the eastern side of the upper Doaba
, half way between Mirat and Saharanpur
, in a sandy, unproductive piece of country, possibly at that time very sparsely inhabited. The etymology of the name Barha is disputed; perhaps it is from the word bara (twelve), with some allusion to the number of their villages. Some of their descendants settled in Delhi, but some returned to their villages. The Sayyids who remained in Delhi came to be called shahrwala, and those who lived outside were called bahirwala or bahira, which was corrupted to Barha, which was further corrupted when some of them moved to the south to the city of Gulbarga and came to be known as Barey.
From the time of Akbar the Great
, the Syed caste were famous as military leaders, and by their bravery had acquired a hereditary right to lead the vanguard
of the Mughal
troops.
During the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb
in 1697, Syed Hassan Ali Khan the elder brother was Faujdar
of Sultanpur
, Nazarbar in Baglana, and was appointed Subedar
of Khandesh
in 1698 with an objective of halting Maratha
expansion in the region, after that, of Hoshangabad
also in Khandesh, then again of Nazarbar coupled with Thalner
in sarkar Asir of the same province. Subsequently he obtained charge of Aurangabad during the final campaign of the Mughal Emperor against the Maratha
in the year 1705 and was known to have attended the funeral of Aurangzeb
in the year 1707.
The younger brother, Hussain Ali Khan, who is admitted by every one to have been a man of much greater energy and resolution than his elder brother, had in the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb
reign held charge first of Ranthambore, in Ajmer
, and then of Hindaun
-Bayana
, in Agra
.
The two Syed brothers, who now come into such prominence, were not the mere upstarts, men of yesterday. Besides the prestige of Syed lineage and the personal renown acquired by their own valor, they were the sons of Syed Mian
was chosen by Aurangzeb
as the first Subedar
of Bijapur
in the Deccan and then Subedar
of Ajmer
. Their father, Syed Abdullah Khan titled Syed Miyan, had risen in the service of Ruhullah Khan, Aurangzeb
's Mir Bakhshi, and finally, on receiving the rank of an imperial Mansabdar
, attached himself to the eldest Prince Muazzam
.
, the eldest of Emperor Bahadur Shah
's sons, had been appointed in 1106 H. (1694-5) to the charge of the Multan
province, Hassan Ali Khan and his brother followed him there. In an expedition against a refractory Baloch
zamindar, the Syed
s were of opinion that the honors of the day were theirs. Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah
thought otherwise, and assigned them to his then favorite administrator Isa Khan Mian. The Syeds quit the service in dudgeon and repaired to Lahore
, where they lived in comparative poverty, waiting for employment from Munim Khan, the nazim of that place. When Emperor Aurangzeb
died and Prince Muhammad Mu'azzam Shah Alam, reached Lahore on his march to Agra
to contest the throne, the Syeds presented themselves, and their services were gladly accepted. In the battle of Jajau or Jajowan on the 18th Rabi I, 1119 H. (June 18, 1707), they served in the vanguard
and fought valiantly on foot, as was the Syed habit on an emergency. A third brother, Syed Nur ud-Din Ali Khan, was left dead on the field, and Hussain Ali Khan was severely wounded. Though their rank was raised and the elder brother received his father's title of Abdullah Khan, they were not treated with such favor as their exceptional services seemed to deserve, either by the new Emperor or his vizier.
The two Syeds managed to quarrel with Khanazad Khan, the vizier Munim Khan's second son, and though the breach was healed by a visit to them from the vizier in person, there is little doubt that this difference helped to keep them out of employment. Hussain Ali Khan is also said to have offended Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah
. The morning after the battle of Jajau, the Prince visited their quarters to condole with them on the death of their brother, Syed Nur ud-Din Ali Khan, and in so doing launched out into praises of their valor. Hussain Ali Khan met these overtures in an aggressive manner, saying that what they had done was nothing, many had done as much, their valor would be known when their lord was deserted and alone, and the strength of their right arm had seated him on the throne. Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah
was vexed by this speech, and refrained from making any recommendation to his father in their favor. Nay, he did his best to prevent their obtaining lucrative employment, and we read of their being obliged to rely upon the Emperor's bounty for their traveling expenses, which were necessarily great, as they were kept in attendance on the Court while it was constantly on the march.
In Shaban 1120 H. (Oct. 1708) Abdullah Khan had been named to the subah of Ajmer
, then in a disturbed state owing to the Rajput
rising, a condition of things with which Syed Shuja'at Khan seemed hardly capable of dealing. Syed Abdullah Khan had barely more than reached Delhi
, in order to raise new troops and make other preparations, when the Emperor, Bahadur Shah
, changed his mind and Shuja'at Khan was received again into favor and maintained in his Government. At length, by the favor of Prince Azim-ush-shan
, Abdullah Khan on the 21st Dhu al-Qida 1122 H. (10th Jan. 1711) became that Prince's deputy in the province of Allahabad
. About two years earlier (11th Muharram 1120 H., 1 April 1708), the same patron had nominated the younger brother Hussain Ali Khan, to represent him in another of his Governments, that of Bihar
, of which the capital was at Azimabad Patna
.
first arrived at Azimabad
, Hussain Ali Khan was away on an expedition, apparently the recapture of Rohtas
fort of Bihar
, which about this time had been seized by one Muhammad Raza Rayat Khan. The Syed had felt annoyed on hearing that Farrukhsiyar
had issued coin and caused the khutba
to be read in his father, Prince Azim-ush-shan
's, name, without waiting to learn the result of the impending struggle at Lahore
.
Thus on his return to his head-quarters his first impulse was to decline altogether that Prince's overtures. In truth, no attempt could well look more hopeless than that upon which Prince Farrukhsiyar
wished to enter. The Prince's mother now hazarded a private visit to the Syed
s mother, taking with her little grand-daughter. Her arguments rested on the fact that the Syed
s position was due to the kindness of the Prince's father. That father, two brothers, and two uncles had been killed, and the Prince's own means were insufficient for any enterprise. Let Hussain Ali Khan then choose his own course, either let him aid Prince Farrukhsiyar
to recover his rights and revenge his father's death, or else let him place the Prince in chains and send him a prisoner to Emperor Jahandar Shah
. Here the Prince's mother and daughter bared their heads and wept aloud. Overcome by their tears, the Syeda called her son within the harem. The little girl fell bareheaded at his feet and implored his aid. His mother told him that “whatever was the result he would be a gainer: if defeated, his name would stand recorded as a hero till Judgment Day; if successful, the whole of Hindustan would be at their feet and above them none but the Emperor”. Finally she exclaimed, “If you adhere to Emperor Jahandar Shah, you will have to answer before the Great Judge for disavowing your mother's claim upon you.”
At these words Hussain Ali Khan took up the women's veils and replaced them on their heads swearing a binding oath that he would espouse the Prince's cause. The next night Prince Farrukhsiyar
presented himself at the Khan's house, saying that he had come either to be seized and sent to Emperor Jahandar Shah
or to enter into an agreement for the recovery of the throne. The Syed bound himself finally to fight on Prince Farrukhsiyar's behalf. He wrote at once to his elder brother, Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha, at Allahabad
, inviting him to join the same side, and Prince Farrukhsiyar
addressed a farman to him making many promises, and authorizing him to expend the Bengal treasure, then at Allahabad
, on the enlistment of troops. It is quite clear that at this time, or soon afterwards, the two chief places in the Empire, those of Vizier and of Amir ul Umara were formally promised to the two brothers as their reward in case of success. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha, on being superseded at Allahabad
, gives in his adhesion to Prince Farrukhsiyar
.
At first Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha's intention was to submit to Emperor Jahandar Shah
, the de facto Emperor, to whom he sent letters professing his loyalty and offering his services. Three months before the death of Emperor Bahadur Shah
, he had gone out towards Jaunpur
to restore order. In this he was not successful and the pay of his soldiers fell into arrears. The men raised a disturbance, and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha's only anxiety was to escape from them and take shelter within the fort of Allahabad
. He promised publicly that as soon as he reached the city, all the collections then in the hands of his agents should be made over to the troops. On the return march, word came of Emperor Bahadur Shah
's death.While Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was still in expectation of a favorable reply to his letter to Emperor Jahandar Shah
, he was surprised to learn that his Government had been taken from him, and that the deputy of the new governor was on his way to take possession. The province had been granted to a Gardezi Sadaat
of Manikpur
, subah Allahabad
, one Raji Muhammad Khan, who had risen to notice in the recent righting at Lahore
, and through the reputation thereby acquired, had been appointed Mir Atish or general of artillery. The new governor nominated as his deputy his relation, one Syed Abdul Ghaffar (a descendant of Syed
Sadar
Jahan
, Sadar-us-Sadur, Pihanwi).
Syed Abdul Ghaffar obtained contingents from one or two zamindars and collected altogether 6,000 to 7,000 men. When he drew near to Karra Manikpur,Abul Hasan Khan, a Syed of Bijapur
, who was Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha's Bakhshi, advanced at the head of 3,000 men to bar his progress. At the Battle of Sarai Alam Chand on August 2, 1712 with Abul Hasan Khan's victory for Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha it became clear now that the Syeds were allied against the Emperor for the new contender Prince Farrukhsiyar
.
Prince Farrukhsiyar
, meanwhile, had marched out with an army along with Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha from Patna
to Allahabad
to join Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha as soon as possible. Emperor Jahandar Shah
learning of the defeat of his General Syed Abdul Ghaffar sent his own son Prince Azzu-ud-Din along with Generals Lutfullah Khan and Khwaja Hussain Khan Dauran to face this army. The Second Battle of Khajwah was fought in Fatehpur District
, Uttar Pradesh
on November 28, 1712.Prince Farrukhsiyar
decisively defeated Prince Azzu-ud-Din forcing Emperor Jahandar Shah
and his Vizier the Great Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung to take the field. At the Battle of Agra 1713 fought on January 10, 1713, Prince Farrukhsiyar
won decisively and became the Emperor of the Mughal Empire
succeeding his uncle Jahandar Shah
.
on the way from Agra
to Delhi
, and after arrival at Delhi
, conferred many new appointments and new titles on his generals and noblemen. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was awarded titles Nawab Qutb-ul-mulk, Yamin-ud-daulah, Syed Abdullah Khan Bahadur Zafar Jung, Sipah-salar, Yar-i-wafadar and became Vizier or Prime Minister
. Syed Hussain Ali Khan was appointed first Bakhshi with the titles of Umdat-ul-mulk, Amir-ul-Umara, Bahadur, Feroze Jung, Sipah Sardar.
States had been in veiled revolt from the imperial authority for 50 years. Emperor Bahadur Shah
had been unable, owing to more pressing affairs, to reduce the Raja's effectually. During the confusion which arose on that monarch's death, Ajit Singh
, after forbidding slaughtering cows by Muslims for food and the call for prayer from the Alamgiri Mosque, besides ejecting the imperial officers from Jodhpur
and destroying their houses, had entered the imperial territory and taken possession of Ajmer
. Early in Emperor Farrukhsiyar
's reign it was determined that this encroachment must be put an end to; and as the Raja's replies to the imperial orders were not satisfactory, it was necessary to march against him.
Hussain Ali Khan left Delhi
on January 6, 1714. After a brief campaign Raghunath, a munshi in the service of Maharaja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur
came to negotiate peace.Hussain Ali Khan thus advanced to Mairtha, where he halted until the terms of peace had been arranged. The terms were that the Raja should give one of his daughters in marriage to the Emperor, in the mode which they styled Dola that the Raja's son, Abhay Singh, should accompany Hussain Ali Khan to Court, and that the Raja in person should attend when summoned. Zafar Khan Roshan ud-Daulah arrived at Court on the 5th Jamadi I, 1126 H. (18 May 1714), with the news.
had made over his seal to this favorite, and was often heard to say openly:
On his side, Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was immersed in pleasure and found little or no leisure to devote to State affairs. Nor, being a soldier who had come into office without much preparation for civil affairs, was he very competent to deal with the details of administration, for which, moreover, he had no natural taste.
Everything was left to his man of business, Ratan Chand, a Hindu
of the Baniya caste, and a native of a village near the Syeds home at Jansath
. He had been recently created a Raja with the rank of 2,000 zat. The chief dispute centered upon the question of appointments to office, the fees paid by those receiving appointments being a recognized and most substantial source of emolument. Ratan Chand, in addition to these customary fees, exacted large sums, which were practically bribes or payments for the grant of the appointment.
By Mir Jumla's independent action in bringing forward candidates and affixing the seal to their warrants of appointment, without following the usual routine of passing them through the Vizier's office, the emoluments of both Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha and of his head officer were considerably curtailed. It is a matter of little wonder, therefore, that Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha felt aggrieved at the unusual powers placed in the hands of a rival such as Mir Jumla. This noble was much more accessible than the Vizier, and was not given to the extortionate practices of Ratan Chand. Naturally, men in search of employment or promotion sought his audience-hall rather than that of Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha.
The Vizier suffered, in this way, both in influence and in income. Moreover, Mir Jumla allowed no opportunity to pass without depreciating the Syed brothers, and brought forward arguments of every sort to prove that they were unfitted for the offices that they held.
The Syed brothers could never be certain from day to day that some new plot was not being hatched for their destruction. The Rajputana
campaign was the means of unmasking one of these schemes. Secret letters had been, dispatched to Maharaja Ajit Singh, urging him to strenuous resistance, and inviting him, if he could, to make away with Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha. These letters came into Hussain Ali Khan's possession and through them he acquired proof of Emperor Farrukhsiyar
's double-faced dealings. In the interval of Hussain Ali Khan's absence, Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha had found the greatest difficulty in maintaining his position at Court. All the power was in the hands of Mir Jumla. Every day messages came from Emperor Farrukhsiyar
, couched in various forms, but all urging him to resign the office of Vizier. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha now wrote letters to his brother enjoining him to return to Delhi with all possible speed. In response to these calls, Hussain Ali Khan, as we have seen, reached the capital again on the 5th Rajab 1126 H. (16 July 1714).
For the next two or three months the breach between the Emperor and the minister, although far from closed, was not sensibly widened. The Syeds, as was natural, looked on Farrukhsiyar
's accession to the throne as the work of their hands, and resented the grant of any share of power to other persons. On the other hand, the small group of Farrukhsiyar
's intimates, men who had known him from his childhood and stood on the most familiar terms with him, were aggrieved at their exclusion from a share in the spoil. The two men selected to confront the Syeds were Khwaja Asim Khan Dauran and Mir Jumla III. They were both promoted to the rank of 7,000 horse: they were placed, the former at the head of 5,000 Wala-shahi, and the latter of 5,000 Mughal troopers. Many of their relations were pushed forward into high rank, and counting these men's troops, each of the two nobles had at his command over ten thousand men. Among the signs of this favoritism was the order passed on the 12th Shaban September 2, 1713, permitting Mir Jumla to entertain 6,000 horsemen, who were to be specially paid from the imperial treasury. These were raised by Amanat Khan, his adopted son, from Mughals
born in India
, and some seventy lakhs of Rupees for their pay were disbursed from the treasury, the rules as to descriptive rolls of the men and branding of the horses being set aside. No order was issued by Farrukhsiyar
without the advice and approval of the above two men.
In this exercise of authority Mir Jumla assumed the lead, till at length Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was only the nominal, while he was the real vizier. The two Syeds bowed for the time to the Emperor's will, and made no opposition to these usurpations.
Mir Jumla and Khan Dauran talked well, but evaded dealing with the kernel of the matter. Mir Jumla, having no real strength of character, knew that he was not fitted to enter the lists as a champion to fight the Syeds.He therefore made excuses and drew to one side. Khan Dauran was in reality a mere braggadocio, a big talker; and he was frightened that if he should ever be called on to take the lead, he may lose his life in the attempt to destroy the Syeds.
As for the Emperor, his own troops and those of his relations were unequal to an attack on the Syeds. The imperial and Wala-shahi troops comprised many low-caste men and mere artisans held commands. The Emperor had no proof of their fighting quality.So it was decided once more to resume friendly relations with the Syed brothers. Eventually Islam Khan V
would negotiate a settlement whereby Mir Jumla was forced out of office in Delhi
and sent to Bihar
.
As Hussain Ali Khan would not come to Court until Mir Jumla had left, the latter received his audience of dismissal on December 16, 1714. Four days afterwards,December 20, 1714, Hussain Ali Khan entered the palace with his men, observing the same precautions as in the case of Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha. The Emperor and the Mir Bakhshi exchanged compliments, under which their real sentiments were easily perceived. Some months before this time Hussain Ali Khan had obtained in his own favor a grant of the Deccan provinces, in super session of Nizam-ul-Mulk Chin Kilich Khan (Mir Qamar ud-Din). He had then no intention of proceeding there in person, but meant to exercise the government through a deputy, Daud Khan Panni.
The Sayyid brothers becoming the sole authority of Muhgal politics reduced the status of the Turani and the Irani noblemen in the Muhgal court. This excited the jealousy of these nobles, who used to enjoy high status under Emperor Farukhshiyar. As a result they formed a force of counter-revolution against the Sayyid brothers. The leader of the Counter Revolution was Nizam-ul-Mulk. In order to subdue the counter-revolution, the Sayyid brothers shifted Nizam from Delhi. Nizam was appointed as the Subahdar of Malwa. In due course Nizam captured the forts of Asirgarh and Burhanpur in Deccan. Moreover Nizam also killed Alam Ali Khan, the adopted son of Hussain Ali, who was the Deputy Subahdar of the Deccan. Meanwhile in Delhi a plot was devised against the Sayyid brothers. Haider Khan ultimately killed Hussain Ali. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha with a big army set out to avenge his brother`s murder. But Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was defeated at Hasanpur near Palwal (Haryana) and later he was poisoned to death. Thus the protracted career of the Sayyid brothers came to an end.
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...
generals of the Mughal Empire
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...
during the early 18th century.
The Sayyid Brothers became highly influential in the Mughal Court after Aurangzeb's death and turned king-makers in the anarchy following the death of emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
in 1707 CE, and created and dethroned Mughal Emperors at their will during the 1710s.. Aurangzeb's son 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...
defeated his brothers to capture the throne with the help of Sayyid Brothers, and Nizam-ul-Mulk, another influential administrator in the Mughal court. Bahadur Shah I died in 1712, and his successor Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
was assassinated on the orders of the Sayyid Brothers.
In 1713, Jahandar's nephew Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
became the emperor with the Brothers' help. His reign marked the ascendancy of the Brothers, who monopolized state power and reduced the Emperor to an effective figurehead. The Brothers conspired to send Nizam-ul-Mulk to Deccan, away from the Mughal Court, to reduce his influence. In 1719, the Brothers blinded, deposed and murdered Farrukhsiyar. They then established his first cousin Rafi ud-Darajat as the next ruler in February 1719; when he died of lung disease in June, they made his elder brother Rafi ud-Daulah (Shah Jahan II). After Rafi ud-Daulah also died of lung disease in September 1719, Muhammad Shah
Muhammad Shah
Muhammad Shah also known as Roshan Akhtar, was a Mughal emperor of India between 1719 and 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar Jahan Shah, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. Ascending the throne at 17 with the help of the Sayyid Brothers, he later got rid of them with the help of Nizam-ul-Mulk Chin...
(r. 1719 -1748) ascended the throne at the age of seventeen with Sayyid Brothers as his regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
s from 1719 to 1722.
Muhhamad Shah, in order to take back control of his rule, got the Brothers killed with the help of Nizam-ul-Mulk; Hussain Ali Khan was murdered at Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri is a city and a municipal board in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Built near the much older Sikri, the historical city of Fatehabad, as it was first named, was constructed by Mughal emperor Akbar beginning in 1570...
in 1722, and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was poisoned to death in 1724.
Syeds of Barha
The Syeds of Barha are descendents of Abul Farah, of WasitWasit
Wasit is a place in Wasit Governorate, south east of Kut in eastern Iraq.-History:During Ottoman times, it was the head city of the sanjak of Wasit.To quote UNESCO:...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
; Several hundred years ago, at a date which cannot be fixed exactly, Abul Farah and his twelve sons came from Wasit to Mughal Empire
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...
, settling at first in four villages near Patiala, in the sarkar
Sarkar (country subdivision)
Sarkar is an historic administrative unit, used mostly in the Muslim states of the South Asia. It was a territorial division of a Suba or province. A Sarkar was further divided into territorial divisions for the administrative purpose which were called Mahallas or Parganas. The Mahallas or...
of Sirhind and subah
Subah
A Subah was a province of the Mughal Empire in South Asia. The governor of a subah was known as a subahdar, which later became subedar to refer to an officer in the Indian Army...
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...
. From these villages the four branches, into which they are divided, derive their names. Then crossing the Yamuna
Yamuna
The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
, they formed a settlement on the eastern side of the upper Doaba
Doaba
Doaba is the region of Indian Punjab surrounded by the rivers Beas and Sutlej. The name "Doaba" literally translates to "land of two rivers" . It is one of the most fertile regions of the world, and was the centre of the Green Revolution in India.Scheduled castes form more than 35% of the...
, half way between Mirat and Saharanpur
Saharanpur
Saharanpur is a city and a Municipal Corporation in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur District as well as Saharanpur Division...
, in a sandy, unproductive piece of country, possibly at that time very sparsely inhabited. The etymology of the name Barha is disputed; perhaps it is from the word bara (twelve), with some allusion to the number of their villages. Some of their descendants settled in Delhi, but some returned to their villages. The Sayyids who remained in Delhi came to be called shahrwala, and those who lived outside were called bahirwala or bahira, which was corrupted to Barha, which was further corrupted when some of them moved to the south to the city of Gulbarga and came to be known as Barey.
From the time of Akbar the Great
Akbar the Great
Akbar , also known as Shahanshah Akbar-e-Azam or Akbar the Great , was the third Mughal Emperor. He was of Timurid descent; the son of Emperor Humayun, and the grandson of the Mughal Emperor Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babur, the ruler who founded the Mughal dynasty in India...
, the Syed caste were famous as military leaders, and by their bravery had acquired a hereditary right to lead the vanguard
Vanguard (military tactics)
The vanguard is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.- Medieval origins :...
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...
troops.
Early appointments of the Syed Brothers in the Mughal Empire
Syed Hassan Ali Khan and Syed Hussain Ali Khan, two of the numerous sons of Syed Mian were men of about 46 and 44 years of age respectively in 1712.During the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
in 1697, Syed Hassan Ali Khan the elder brother was Faujdar
Faujdar
Faujdar/Fouzder/Fouzdar/Foujdar was a title awarded by Muslim rulers to people who had responsibility of protecting some territory.In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but did not refer to a specific rank. With the administrative reforms performed by Mughal emperor Akbar,...
of Sultanpur
Sultanpur
Sultanpur is a city and a municipal board in Sultanpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located in the geographic center of and is the administrative headquarters of Sultanpur District. It is an ancient town situated on the right bank of Gomati River, to the south east of...
, Nazarbar in Baglana, and was appointed 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 Khandesh
Khandesh
Khandesh is a region of central India, which forms the northwestern portion of Maharashtra state.Khandesh was the terminal territorial part under the rule of Mughals. The Start of Deccan region demarcated by the boundary of Khandesh....
in 1698 with an objective of halting 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;...
expansion in the region, after that, of Hoshangabad
Hoshangabad
Hoshangabad is a city and a municipality in Hoshangabad district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is a city in the central india region, located on the south bank of the Narmada River, and is the administrative center of Hoshangabad District.-History:mohammed bharmal & abdeali batawalaThe...
also in Khandesh, then again of Nazarbar coupled with Thalner
Thalner
Thalner , the first capital of the Faruqi kings, stands on the Tapi river, in Shirpur tehsil about 46.67 km. north-east of Dhule in the Maharashtra state of India. It was fortified by a strong fort which played a very significant role in the history of Khandesh. Situated on the banks of the...
in sarkar Asir of the same province. Subsequently he obtained charge of Aurangabad during the final campaign of the Mughal Emperor against the 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;...
in the year 1705 and was known to have attended the funeral of Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
in the year 1707.
The younger brother, Hussain Ali Khan, who is admitted by every one to have been a man of much greater energy and resolution than his elder brother, had in the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
reign held charge first of Ranthambore, in Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
, and then of Hindaun
Hindaun
Hindaun is a town in Karauli district in Rajasthan . This is the town located in the vicinity of Aravali Hills & is on the main railway track from Delhi to Mumbai, via Kota, approx. 256 km away from New Delhi. It is a subdivisional headquarters in India. Its population is approximately...
-Bayana
Bayana
Bayana is a historical town in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan in India. It is a historical city founded by Banasur, who was an Asura. He lived during the time of Krishna...
, in Agra
Agra
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...
.
The two Syed brothers, who now come into such prominence, were not the mere upstarts, men of yesterday. Besides the prestige of Syed lineage and the personal renown acquired by their own valor, they were the sons of Syed Mian
Syed Mian
Sayyid Mian, was the father of Syed Hassan Ali Khan and Syed Hussain Ali Khan the two famous Sayyid Brothers.Syed Mian, was a loyal serviceman of Aurangzeb, he became famous as a commander during the Siege of Bijapur for planning the trenches and leading assaults during the Siege of Bijapur. Due to...
was chosen by Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
as the first 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 Bijapur
Adil Shahi
The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi dynasty ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur in the Western area of the Deccan region of Southern India from 1490 to 1686. Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate , before its political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century and eventual break-up in 1518...
in the Deccan and then 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 Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
. Their father, Syed Abdullah Khan titled Syed Miyan, had risen in the service of Ruhullah Khan, Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
's Mir Bakhshi, and finally, on receiving the rank of an imperial Mansabdar
Mansabdar
Mansabdar was the generic term for the military -type grading of all imperial officials of the Mughal Empire. The mansabdars governed the empire and commanded its armies in the emperor's name...
, attached himself to the eldest Prince Muazzam
Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah may refer to*Bahadur Shah of Gujarat *Bahadur Shah I , Mughal Emperor*Bahadur Shah II , the last Mughal Emperor and final ruler of the Timurid dynasty...
.
Rise in authority
After Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar ShahJahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
, the eldest of Emperor Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah may refer to*Bahadur Shah of Gujarat *Bahadur Shah I , Mughal Emperor*Bahadur Shah II , the last Mughal Emperor and final ruler of the Timurid dynasty...
's sons, had been appointed in 1106 H. (1694-5) to the charge of the Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
province, Hassan Ali Khan and his brother followed him there. In an expedition against a refractory Baloch
Baloch people
The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
zamindar, the Syed
Syed
Syed is a masculine given name derived from the title Sayyid, it is not to be confused with the similar looking name Sayid...
s were of opinion that the honors of the day were theirs. Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
thought otherwise, and assigned them to his then favorite administrator Isa Khan Mian. The Syeds quit the service in dudgeon and repaired to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, where they lived in comparative poverty, waiting for employment from Munim Khan, the nazim of that place. When Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
died and Prince Muhammad Mu'azzam Shah Alam, reached Lahore on his march to Agra
Agra
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...
to contest the throne, the Syeds presented themselves, and their services were gladly accepted. In the battle of Jajau or Jajowan on the 18th Rabi I, 1119 H. (June 18, 1707), they served in the vanguard
Vanguard (military tactics)
The vanguard is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.- Medieval origins :...
and fought valiantly on foot, as was the Syed habit on an emergency. A third brother, Syed Nur ud-Din Ali Khan, was left dead on the field, and Hussain Ali Khan was severely wounded. Though their rank was raised and the elder brother received his father's title of Abdullah Khan, they were not treated with such favor as their exceptional services seemed to deserve, either by the new Emperor or his vizier.
The two Syeds managed to quarrel with Khanazad Khan, the vizier Munim Khan's second son, and though the breach was healed by a visit to them from the vizier in person, there is little doubt that this difference helped to keep them out of employment. Hussain Ali Khan is also said to have offended Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
. The morning after the battle of Jajau, the Prince visited their quarters to condole with them on the death of their brother, Syed Nur ud-Din Ali Khan, and in so doing launched out into praises of their valor. Hussain Ali Khan met these overtures in an aggressive manner, saying that what they had done was nothing, many had done as much, their valor would be known when their lord was deserted and alone, and the strength of their right arm had seated him on the throne. Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
was vexed by this speech, and refrained from making any recommendation to his father in their favor. Nay, he did his best to prevent their obtaining lucrative employment, and we read of their being obliged to rely upon the Emperor's bounty for their traveling expenses, which were necessarily great, as they were kept in attendance on the Court while it was constantly on the march.
In Shaban 1120 H. (Oct. 1708) Abdullah Khan had been named to the subah of Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
, then in a disturbed state owing to 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...
rising, a condition of things with which Syed Shuja'at Khan seemed hardly capable of dealing. Syed Abdullah Khan had barely more than reached 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...
, in order to raise new troops and make other preparations, when the Emperor, Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah may refer to*Bahadur Shah of Gujarat *Bahadur Shah I , Mughal Emperor*Bahadur Shah II , the last Mughal Emperor and final ruler of the Timurid dynasty...
, changed his mind and Shuja'at Khan was received again into favor and maintained in his Government. At length, by the favor of Prince Azim-ush-shan
Azim-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:...
, Abdullah Khan on the 21st Dhu al-Qida 1122 H. (10th Jan. 1711) became that Prince's deputy in the province of Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
. About two years earlier (11th Muharram 1120 H., 1 April 1708), the same patron had nominated the younger brother Hussain Ali Khan, to represent him in another of his Governments, that of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, of which the capital was at Azimabad Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
.
Succession crises of 1712
When Prince FarrukhsiyarFarrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
first arrived at Azimabad
Azimabad
Azimabad was an old name of Modern-day Patna., India. Patliputra was sacked by foreign attackers like Bakhtiyar Khilji and other Muslim raiders . This event is arguably seen by modern historians/ scholars as a milestone in the decline of Buddhism in India...
, Hussain Ali Khan was away on an expedition, apparently the recapture of Rohtas
Rohtas
Rohtas can refer to:*Rohtas, Pakistan, a village located in Rohtas Fort, Pakistan*Rohtas Fort, Pakistan*Rohtas District, a district in Bihar, India*Rohtas Plateau in north-western Bihar...
fort of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, which about this time had been seized by one Muhammad Raza Rayat Khan. The Syed had felt annoyed on hearing that Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
had issued coin and caused the khutba
Khutba
Khutbah serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition.Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition can be formally at the dhuhr congregation prayer on Friday...
to be read in his father, Prince Azim-ush-shan
Azim-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:...
's, name, without waiting to learn the result of the impending struggle at Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
.
Thus on his return to his head-quarters his first impulse was to decline altogether that Prince's overtures. In truth, no attempt could well look more hopeless than that upon which Prince Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
wished to enter. The Prince's mother now hazarded a private visit to the Syed
Syed
Syed is a masculine given name derived from the title Sayyid, it is not to be confused with the similar looking name Sayid...
s mother, taking with her little grand-daughter. Her arguments rested on the fact that the Syed
Syed
Syed is a masculine given name derived from the title Sayyid, it is not to be confused with the similar looking name Sayid...
s position was due to the kindness of the Prince's father. That father, two brothers, and two uncles had been killed, and the Prince's own means were insufficient for any enterprise. Let Hussain Ali Khan then choose his own course, either let him aid Prince Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
to recover his rights and revenge his father's death, or else let him place the Prince in chains and send him a prisoner to Emperor Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
. Here the Prince's mother and daughter bared their heads and wept aloud. Overcome by their tears, the Syeda called her son within the harem. The little girl fell bareheaded at his feet and implored his aid. His mother told him that “whatever was the result he would be a gainer: if defeated, his name would stand recorded as a hero till Judgment Day; if successful, the whole of Hindustan would be at their feet and above them none but the Emperor”. Finally she exclaimed, “If you adhere to Emperor Jahandar Shah, you will have to answer before the Great Judge for disavowing your mother's claim upon you.”
At these words Hussain Ali Khan took up the women's veils and replaced them on their heads swearing a binding oath that he would espouse the Prince's cause. The next night Prince Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
presented himself at the Khan's house, saying that he had come either to be seized and sent to Emperor Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
or to enter into an agreement for the recovery of the throne. The Syed bound himself finally to fight on Prince Farrukhsiyar's behalf. He wrote at once to his elder brother, Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha, at Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, inviting him to join the same side, and Prince Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
addressed a farman to him making many promises, and authorizing him to expend the Bengal treasure, then at Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, on the enlistment of troops. It is quite clear that at this time, or soon afterwards, the two chief places in the Empire, those of Vizier and of Amir ul Umara were formally promised to the two brothers as their reward in case of success. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha, on being superseded at Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, gives in his adhesion to Prince Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
.
At first Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha's intention was to submit to Emperor Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
, the de facto Emperor, to whom he sent letters professing his loyalty and offering his services. Three months before the death of Emperor Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah may refer to*Bahadur Shah of Gujarat *Bahadur Shah I , Mughal Emperor*Bahadur Shah II , the last Mughal Emperor and final ruler of the Timurid dynasty...
, he had gone out towards Jaunpur
Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
Jaunpur is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of the district of Varanasi in the eastern part of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Jaunpur district had a population...
to restore order. In this he was not successful and the pay of his soldiers fell into arrears. The men raised a disturbance, and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha's only anxiety was to escape from them and take shelter within the fort of Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
. He promised publicly that as soon as he reached the city, all the collections then in the hands of his agents should be made over to the troops. On the return march, word came of Emperor Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah may refer to*Bahadur Shah of Gujarat *Bahadur Shah I , Mughal Emperor*Bahadur Shah II , the last Mughal Emperor and final ruler of the Timurid dynasty...
's death.While Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was still in expectation of a favorable reply to his letter to Emperor Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
, he was surprised to learn that his Government had been taken from him, and that the deputy of the new governor was on his way to take possession. The province had been granted to a Gardezi Sadaat
Gardēzī Sadaat
Gardēzī Sadaat is a Sadaat Muslim family of Sayyid from Gardez ; consequently known as ‘Gardēzī Sadaat’ in Indian subcontinent.- Origin :...
of Manikpur
Manikpur
Manikpur is a census town under Sankrail police station in Sadar subdivision of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Demographics: India census, Manikpur had a population of 19,125. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%...
, subah Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, one Raji Muhammad Khan, who had risen to notice in the recent righting at Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, and through the reputation thereby acquired, had been appointed Mir Atish or general of artillery. The new governor nominated as his deputy his relation, one Syed Abdul Ghaffar (a descendant of Syed
Syed
Syed is a masculine given name derived from the title Sayyid, it is not to be confused with the similar looking name Sayid...
Sadar
Sadar
Sadar may refer to* Sadar - A buffalo festival celebrated in Hyderabad* Sadar Bazaar - A market in New Delhi...
Jahan
Jahan
Jahan is a Persian word meaning world or universe. It is used as first name or surname in Middle East and South Asia.- See also :* Shah Jahan* Nur Jahan* Jahan Shah* Jahan Temur* Nasreen Jahan* Shah Jahan III* Jahan Salehi* Jahan Ara...
, Sadar-us-Sadur, Pihanwi).
Syed Abdul Ghaffar obtained contingents from one or two zamindars and collected altogether 6,000 to 7,000 men. When he drew near to Karra Manikpur,Abul Hasan Khan, a Syed of Bijapur
Adil Shahi
The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi dynasty ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur in the Western area of the Deccan region of Southern India from 1490 to 1686. Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate , before its political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century and eventual break-up in 1518...
, who was Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha's Bakhshi, advanced at the head of 3,000 men to bar his progress. At the Battle of Sarai Alam Chand on August 2, 1712 with Abul Hasan Khan's victory for Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha it became clear now that the Syeds were allied against the Emperor for the new contender Prince Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
.
Prince Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
, meanwhile, had marched out with an army along with Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha from Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
to Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
to join Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha as soon as possible. Emperor Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
learning of the defeat of his General Syed Abdul Ghaffar sent his own son Prince Azzu-ud-Din along with Generals Lutfullah Khan and Khwaja Hussain Khan Dauran to face this army. The Second Battle of Khajwah was fought in Fatehpur District
Fatehpur district
Fatehpur district is one of the 71 districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The district covers an area of 4,152 km². The district has a population of 2,308,384 . Fatehpur city is the administrative headquarters of the district. Located on the banks of the sacred rivers Ganges and...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
on November 28, 1712.Prince Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
decisively defeated Prince Azzu-ud-Din forcing Emperor Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
and his Vizier the Great Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung to take the field. At the Battle of Agra 1713 fought on January 10, 1713, Prince Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
won decisively and became the Emperor of the Mughal Empire
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...
succeeding his uncle Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah
Jahandar Shah was a Mughal Emperor who ruled India for a brief period in 1712-1713. His title was Shahanshah-i-Ghazi Abu'l Fath Muiz-ud-Din Muhammad Jahandar Shah Sahib-i-Quran Padshah-i-Jahan .-Early life:...
.
Rise of the Syed brothers
After his victory at the Battle of Agra 1713 Emperor FarrukhsiyarFarrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
on the way from Agra
Agra
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...
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 after arrival at 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...
, conferred many new appointments and new titles on his generals and noblemen. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was awarded titles Nawab Qutb-ul-mulk, Yamin-ud-daulah, Syed Abdullah Khan Bahadur Zafar Jung, Sipah-salar, Yar-i-wafadar and became Vizier or Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
. Syed Hussain Ali Khan was appointed first Bakhshi with the titles of Umdat-ul-mulk, Amir-ul-Umara, Bahadur, Feroze Jung, Sipah Sardar.
Rajputana Campaign 1714
The RajputRajput
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...
States had been in veiled revolt from the imperial authority for 50 years. Emperor Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah may refer to*Bahadur Shah of Gujarat *Bahadur Shah I , Mughal Emperor*Bahadur Shah II , the last Mughal Emperor and final ruler of the Timurid dynasty...
had been unable, owing to more pressing affairs, to reduce the Raja's effectually. During the confusion which arose on that monarch's death, Ajit Singh
Ajit Singh
Ajit Singh may refer to:* Dekh Bhai Dekh, music composer/singer* Chaudhary Ajit Singh, founder and chief of the political party Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh, India...
, after forbidding slaughtering cows by Muslims for food and the call for prayer from the Alamgiri Mosque, besides ejecting the imperial officers from 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...
and destroying their houses, had entered the imperial territory and taken possession of Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
. Early in Emperor Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
's reign it was determined that this encroachment must be put an end to; and as the Raja's replies to the imperial orders were not satisfactory, it was necessary to march against him.
Hussain Ali Khan left 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...
on January 6, 1714. After a brief campaign Raghunath, a munshi in the service 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...
came to negotiate peace.Hussain Ali Khan thus advanced to Mairtha, where he halted until the terms of peace had been arranged. The terms were that the Raja should give one of his daughters in marriage to the Emperor, in the mode which they styled Dola that the Raja's son, Abhay Singh, should accompany Hussain Ali Khan to Court, and that the Raja in person should attend when summoned. Zafar Khan Roshan ud-Daulah arrived at Court on the 5th Jamadi I, 1126 H. (18 May 1714), with the news.
Clash of the Nobles
During Hussain Ali Khan's absence, Ubaidullah Khan better known as Mir Jumla III became more and more powerful. Emperor FarrukhsiyarFarrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
had made over his seal to this favorite, and was often heard to say openly:
- "The word and seal of Mir Jumla are the word and seal of Farrukhsiyar."
On his side, Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was immersed in pleasure and found little or no leisure to devote to State affairs. Nor, being a soldier who had come into office without much preparation for civil affairs, was he very competent to deal with the details of administration, for which, moreover, he had no natural taste.
Everything was left to his man of business, Ratan Chand, a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
of the Baniya caste, and a native of a village near the Syeds home at Jansath
Jansath
Jansath is a town and a nagar panchayat in Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Jansath is located at . It has an average elevation of 232 metres .-Demographics:...
. He had been recently created a Raja with the rank of 2,000 zat. The chief dispute centered upon the question of appointments to office, the fees paid by those receiving appointments being a recognized and most substantial source of emolument. Ratan Chand, in addition to these customary fees, exacted large sums, which were practically bribes or payments for the grant of the appointment.
By Mir Jumla's independent action in bringing forward candidates and affixing the seal to their warrants of appointment, without following the usual routine of passing them through the Vizier's office, the emoluments of both Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha and of his head officer were considerably curtailed. It is a matter of little wonder, therefore, that Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha felt aggrieved at the unusual powers placed in the hands of a rival such as Mir Jumla. This noble was much more accessible than the Vizier, and was not given to the extortionate practices of Ratan Chand. Naturally, men in search of employment or promotion sought his audience-hall rather than that of Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha.
The Vizier suffered, in this way, both in influence and in income. Moreover, Mir Jumla allowed no opportunity to pass without depreciating the Syed brothers, and brought forward arguments of every sort to prove that they were unfitted for the offices that they held.
The Syed brothers could never be certain from day to day that some new plot was not being hatched for their destruction. The Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
campaign was the means of unmasking one of these schemes. Secret letters had been, dispatched to Maharaja Ajit Singh, urging him to strenuous resistance, and inviting him, if he could, to make away with Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha. These letters came into Hussain Ali Khan's possession and through them he acquired proof of Emperor Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
's double-faced dealings. In the interval of Hussain Ali Khan's absence, Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha had found the greatest difficulty in maintaining his position at Court. All the power was in the hands of Mir Jumla. Every day messages came from Emperor Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
, couched in various forms, but all urging him to resign the office of Vizier. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha now wrote letters to his brother enjoining him to return to Delhi with all possible speed. In response to these calls, Hussain Ali Khan, as we have seen, reached the capital again on the 5th Rajab 1126 H. (16 July 1714).
For the next two or three months the breach between the Emperor and the minister, although far from closed, was not sensibly widened. The Syeds, as was natural, looked on Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
's accession to the throne as the work of their hands, and resented the grant of any share of power to other persons. On the other hand, the small group of Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
's intimates, men who had known him from his childhood and stood on the most familiar terms with him, were aggrieved at their exclusion from a share in the spoil. The two men selected to confront the Syeds were Khwaja Asim Khan Dauran and Mir Jumla III. They were both promoted to the rank of 7,000 horse: they were placed, the former at the head of 5,000 Wala-shahi, and the latter of 5,000 Mughal troopers. Many of their relations were pushed forward into high rank, and counting these men's troops, each of the two nobles had at his command over ten thousand men. Among the signs of this favoritism was the order passed on the 12th Shaban September 2, 1713, permitting Mir Jumla to entertain 6,000 horsemen, who were to be specially paid from the imperial treasury. These were raised by Amanat Khan, his adopted son, from Mughals
Mughal (tribe)
The term Mughal is simply a Turkic word and many groups in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh use the term Mughal to describe themselves...
born in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and some seventy lakhs of Rupees for their pay were disbursed from the treasury, the rules as to descriptive rolls of the men and branding of the horses being set aside. No order was issued by Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] 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...
without the advice and approval of the above two men.
In this exercise of authority Mir Jumla assumed the lead, till at length Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was only the nominal, while he was the real vizier. The two Syeds bowed for the time to the Emperor's will, and made no opposition to these usurpations.
Mir Jumla and Khan Dauran talked well, but evaded dealing with the kernel of the matter. Mir Jumla, having no real strength of character, knew that he was not fitted to enter the lists as a champion to fight the Syeds.He therefore made excuses and drew to one side. Khan Dauran was in reality a mere braggadocio, a big talker; and he was frightened that if he should ever be called on to take the lead, he may lose his life in the attempt to destroy the Syeds.
As for the Emperor, his own troops and those of his relations were unequal to an attack on the Syeds. The imperial and Wala-shahi troops comprised many low-caste men and mere artisans held commands. The Emperor had no proof of their fighting quality.So it was decided once more to resume friendly relations with the Syed brothers. Eventually Islam Khan V
Islam Khan V
Islam Khan V was one of the prominent Emir and nobleman during the Mughal empire. He was entitled 'Islam Khan' and ‘Barkhurdar Khan’ by Emperor Bahadur Shah I and remained in many important posts during the successive rules of Bahadur Shah I, Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi ud Darajat, Shah...
would negotiate a settlement whereby Mir Jumla was forced out of office in 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 sent to Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
.
As Hussain Ali Khan would not come to Court until Mir Jumla had left, the latter received his audience of dismissal on December 16, 1714. Four days afterwards,December 20, 1714, Hussain Ali Khan entered the palace with his men, observing the same precautions as in the case of Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha. The Emperor and the Mir Bakhshi exchanged compliments, under which their real sentiments were easily perceived. Some months before this time Hussain Ali Khan had obtained in his own favor a grant of the Deccan provinces, in super session of Nizam-ul-Mulk Chin Kilich Khan (Mir Qamar ud-Din). He had then no intention of proceeding there in person, but meant to exercise the government through a deputy, Daud Khan Panni.
End of the Sayyid
Descendants
Their present day descendants are known as Saadat-e-Barha and still mainly reside in various parts of the Northern Indian subcontinent, particularly in Jansath. Some of them live in Rangmahal and Motimahal of Jansath, four Sons of late Mr Sarfaraz Ali Khan:- (late) Zaigham Ali Khan who was the chairman of jansath, (late) Alamdar Ali Khan was the pioneer of musaddas' and was highly respected by people of all communities, Azhar Ali Khan and Abbas Ali Khan who is actively involved in politics. Well, there are a few who wants to label themselves as "Ali Khan " , they are mentally sick, perhaps they have always suffered with inferiority complex; just because they have been given a piece of land in Rang Mahal to look after their family, that does not mean they are "Ali Khan's". It is actually because they have received a few bucks from their in-laws and now pretend as if they are the only one to live in Rang Mahal, they should not forget, what they were a couple of years ago, they did not have shelter to live and clothes to wear. We gave them a small piece of land in Rang Mahal. They are coward, they are dogs who bark when an elephant roars, bloody illiterate people. Well , i am still wondering , how can someone write/speak in English who has hardly been to school, stop hiring people to write your fake stories.Also known as
There are several different spellings and terms for the Saiyid Brothers.- Saiyad brothers
- Sayads of Barha
- Saiyid Brothers
- Saadat Bara
- Saiyids of Barha
- Saiyids of Baraha
- Saiyids of Bara
- Saeeds of Barha
- Saids of Barha
- Sayeeds of Barha
- Sayids of Barha
- Sayeed brothers
- Saeed brothers
- Syed Barey
- Syed Bare
See also
- Saadat-e-BaraSaadat-e-BaraSadat-e-Bara , sometimes pronounced Sadaat-e-Barha, are a community of Sayyids who inhabit a group of twelve villages situated in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh in India. This community had considerable influence during the latter days of the Mughal Empire. They were also found in...
/Saadat-e-Barha These villages may have been originally settled by the Saiyid brothers. - Saadat KhanSaadat KhanSaadat Ali Khan was the Subahdar Nawab of Awadh from 26 January 1722 to 1739, and the son of Muhammad Nasir...
He played a major role in the overthrow of the Saiyid Brothers. - Sadaat-e-BilgramSadaat-e-BilgramThe Saadat-e-Bilgram are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. They also known as the Bilgrami Sayyid , and Bilgrami is often used as a surname.- Origin :...