Nizam-ul-Mulk - Asaf Jah I

Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi, the first Nizam of Hyderabad, was born on 11 August 1671 and died on 1 June 1748. He was also known as Chin Qilich Kamaruddin Khan, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah, and Nizam I. He began his career as a favourite of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who promoted him to the rank of general. Following Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, Asaf Jah refused to favour any of Aurangzeb’s warring sons and thus remained neutral. When Aurangzeb’s third son, Bahadur Shah, eventually triumphed, Asaf Jah was cycled as governor of numerous Mughal provinces until 1714, when he was appointed Viceroy of the Deccan and given power over six Mughal provinces in southern India from 1714 to 1719. From 1719 on, he was involved in opposing the Sayyid brothers’ machinations. From 1720 to 1722, he assisted the new Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah in eliminating the Sayyid brothers, for which he was appointed grand vizier from 1722 until 1724. Asaf Jah was forced to revolt against the emperor due to political machinations, and Muhammad Shah was obliged to acknowledge Asaf Jah as the permanent Viceroy of the Deccan in 1724. Later that year, Asaf Jah declared himself Nizam and established the Asaf Jahi dynasty as its first ruler.

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About Asaf Jah I

Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan (also known as Nizam) was born in 1670 to Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung I and Wazir un-nissa (Safia Khanum). Sadullah Khan, the Grand Vizier (1645 – 1656) of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, was Nizam’s mother. During his presidency, the Taj Mahal was constructed. Though he is a descendant of Abu Bakr, Islam’s first caliph, through his father, his heritage may be traced back to Shihab al-Din ‘Umar al-Suhrawardi (1145 – 1234). His great-grandfather, Alam Sheikh, was a Sufi saint of Bukhara (modern-day Uzbekistan) who was dubbed Azam ul Ulama by Khanate of Bukhara Imam Quli Khan (1611 – 1642). His grandfather, Kilich Khan, was born in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. During the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, Kilich Khan visited India for the first time in 1654 on his route to the Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage). After completing the journey, he returned to India and joined the army of former Mughal prince Aurangzeb in Deccan in 1657. Khan engaged in the Battle of Samugarh, which resulted in Aurangzeb’s brother Dara Shikoh’s loss. He was not only a commander in Aurangzeb’s army, but he was also the governor of Zafarabad (present-day Bidar). Feroze Jung, Khan’s eldest son and Nizam-ul-Mulk’s father immigrated to India in 1669 and served in Aurangzeb’s army as a general before becoming governor of Gujarat.

Early Life of Nizam-ul-Mulk

Mir Qamaruddin Khan was born on 11th August 1671 in Agra to Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung I and his first wife Safia Khanum (Wazir unnisa Begum); the name was bestowed to him by Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb. His grandfathers, General Kilich Khan (Paternal) as well as Grand Vizier Saadullah Khan, were also significant Mughal courtiers (Maternal). Mir Qamaruddin received his education privately. Mir Qumaruddin, being six years old, accompanied his father to the Mughal court in 1677. Aurangzeb bestowed the Mansab upon him. Mir Qamaruddin exhibited remarkable skill as a warrior, and while he was in his teens, he began joining his father in wars, for which Mir Qamaruddin Khan was awarded 400 zaat and 100 Sowar in 1684. In 1688, at the age of 17, he joined his father in the victorious assault on the fort of Adoni, and was elevated to the rank of 2000 zaat and 500 Sowar, as well as being bestowed with the finest Arab stallion with gold trappings and an ambergris-scented pastille from the Mughal court. In 1690, at the age of 19, he was given the title Chin Qilich Khan (child swordsman) and a female elephant by Aurangazeb.

The Marathas besieged Panhala Fort in 1693. Mir Qamaruddin fought and destroyed the Marathas at Karad in retaliation. Thirty Marathas were imprisoned. In 1698, Aurangzeb dispatched Mir Qamaruddin to quell a rebellion in Nagori, near Bijapur. The emperor was pleased with his mission and dispatched him to Kotha to bring order. As a result of his success, he was promoted to the level of 3,000 zaat and 500 Sowar. Aurangzeb elevated him to 3,500 zaat and 3,000 Sowar in 1699. Mir Qumaruddin successfully besieged the Marathas’ held Panhala Fort. He barricaded all highways, preventing supplies from reaching the residents. On June 9, 1700, his soldiers captured the fort. Aurangzeb appointed him as the faujdar (garrison commander) of Bijapur and raised his rank by 400 “Sowar”.

Later life of Nizam-ul-Mulk

The Nizam was well capable of governing his own region. The executive branch was in control. Nizam ul-mulk received a modest hamper in March 1742 from the British, who were located in Madras’ Fort St. George, in appreciation for his administration of the most significant of the Mughal successor republics. A gold throne, gold and silver threaded silk from Europe, two pairs of large painted looking glasses, equipment for coffee cups, 163.75 yards of green velvet and 73.5 yards of crimson velvet, brocades, Persian carpets, a gold ceremonial cloth, two Arab horses, six ornate rosewater bottles, and 39.75 chests of rosewater were among its contents. These items were enough to keep the Nizam and his entire darbar fragrant for the remainder of his reign.

The British obliged with the Nizam’s request after receiving one horse, some jewellery, and a note reminding them that they had no authority to mint their own money. After Nizam ul-mulk passed away, his son and grandson turned to the British and French for assistance in their attempt to ascend to the throne. Asaf Jah spoke his final testament just before passing away in 1748. The 17 clause statement was a guide for leadership and behaviour that covered everything from suggestions for feeding and pleasing the troops to an admission of neglecting his wife. Then he urged his successors to continue to be obedient to the Mughal Emperor who had appointed them to their position. He urged people not to start wars needlessly, but if they were, he advised them to seek the advice of saints and elders and to act in accordance with the teachings and example of the Prophet. Last but not least, he commanded his sons, “You must not lend your ears to tittle-tattle of the backbiters and slanderers, nor suffer the riff-raff to approach your presence.”

Death of Nizam-ul-Mulk

He was involved in a thorough tour of his dominion due to his ongoing efforts to resolve neighbouring Marathas’ treaties and resolve internal issues. He contracted a cold and the flu while on this voyage, which caused his health to deteriorate when he arrived in Burhanpur in May 1748. The Nizam, who was aware of his impending death, dictated his 17-clause last will and testament (wasiyyatnama) in front of his available family and close friends. In Khuldabad, close to Aurangabad, at the mazaar of Shaikh Burhan ud-din Gharib Chisti, where Nizam’s tutor Aurangazeb is also interred, he was buried on June 1, 1748, at the age of 77. Political upheaval followed Asaf Jah I’s death in 1748 as his sons and grandson—Nasir Jung (1748–1750), Muzaffar Jang (1750–1751), and Salabat Jung (1751–1762)—contended for the throne with the support of opportunistic neighbouring kingdoms and colonial foreign armies. The unrest was put an end to by Asaf Jah II, who ruled from 1762 to 1803. He ratified the Treaty of Masulipatam in 1768, ceding the coastal area to the East India Company in exchange for a set rent each year.

Career of Nizam-ul-Mulk

Post Aurangzeb

The disintegration of Aurangzeb’s well-established Mughal empire began with his death in 1707. After Aurangzeb’s death, the Sayyid brothers (Syed Hussain Ali Khan and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha) rose to prominence in the Mughal Court and were king makers during the anarchy that followed. They sowed discord in the Mughal court by deposing and appointing new emperors one after the other. When Bahadur Shah I (born in 1707 and died in 1712) passed away, his successor Jahandar Shah (born in 1712 and passed away in 1713) was killed and his nephew Farrukhsiyar (born in 1713 and died in 1719) became the king with the aid of the Sayyid brothers, shortly after Farrukhsiyar was blinded, deposed and killed and his 1st cousin Rafi ud-Darajat became the king and passed away due to some lung disease when his elder brother Rafi ud-Daulah became the king who too passed away due to some lung ailment, thus Muhammad Shah (1719 – 1748) the grandson of Bahadur Shah I from his 4th son Jahan Shah ascended the throne at the age of seventeen years with Sayyid Brothers as his regents.

Later Mughals and Asaf Jah

Asaf Jah was chosen to lead Oudh upon the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. Asaf Jah decided to lead a quiet life in Delhi after the passing of Bahadur Shah I in 1712. When Farrukhsiyar named Asaf Jah I as Viceroy of the Deccan—administrator of six Mughal governorates — with the title Nizam-ul-Mulk (Governor of the Realm) and Fateh Jung in 1714, his vacation was cut short. After Farrukhsiyar lost his battle with the Sayyid Brothers and was slain in 1719, he subsequently requested Asaf Jah’s assistance in repelling them. Asaf Jah I set out on a mission to drive the Sayyid brothers from the Mughal court in due course, from 1719 to 1722. To accomplish this, he organised and supported Central Asian nobility in the Mughal court against the Sayyid brothers. In 1720, he captured the forts of Asirgarh and Burhanpur in the Deccan and murdered Mir Alam Ali Khan, the adopted son of Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan and Asaf Jah assisted Muhammad Shah in having Syed Hussain Ali Khan killed in 1720 and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha poisoned in 1722. Muhammad Shah then seized the title of independent Mughal Emperor, and as payment, Asaf Jah was named Grand Vazir (Prime Minister) of the Mughal Empire in 1722.

Asaf Jah, a Grand Vazir, made many enemies by trying to clean up the court corruption. Asaf Jah’s disputes with the court nobles grew in 1723, and Muhammad Shah moved him from the Delhi court to the Awadh court out of concern about his expanding influence. By the end of the year 1723, Nizam rebelled against the established order, resigned as Grand Vizier, abdicated all imperial duties, and marched toward the Deccan. Muhammad Shah, who was swayed by Asaf Jah’s adversaries, ordered Mubariz Khan, the governor of Hyderabad, to put an end to Asaf Jah, which led to the Battle of Shakar Kheda. Asaf Jah I overcame Mubariz Khan in 1724, and as a result, the Mughal emperor appointed him viceroy of the Deccan.

Governor of Bijapur

In 1702, Mir Qamaruddin was appointed the subahdar (governor) of Bijapur and given a steed by Emperor Aurangzeb. He also received the faujdari of Azamnagar and Belgaum in the same year. He was appointed the faujdar of Nusratabad and Mudgal in 1704. During the Siege of Wagingera Fort in 1705, Mir Qumaruddin managed to survive the assaults and led an assault on the Lal Tikri hill. The Marathas were eventually defeated, and Mir Qamaruddin was promoted to a rank of 5,000 zaat and 5,000 “Sowar” for his contribution to the siege. He was also given an elephant and a jewel-encrusted sabre in appreciation.

Viceroy of the Deccan

A Mughal general named Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung helped and manipulated Jahandar Shah after the death of his father Bahadur Shah I in 1712 to defeat all of his brothers, including the battle in which Azim-ush-Shan, the father of Farrukhsiyar, drowned in the Ravi River, and ascended the throne of Mughal Emperor. In exchange, Zulfiqar Khan was given the title of Grand Vizier On the command of Farrukhsiyar, Zulfiqar Khan was caught and killed by being strangled in 1713 AD. In 1713, Farrukhsiyar named Mir Qumaruddin as Viceroy of the Deccan (administrator of six Mughal governorates), Faujdar as Nizam-ul-Mulk (Administrator of the Realm) for the Carnatic territory, and Fateh Jung as Viceroy of the Bengal province (Conqueror of battles). He was a skilled diplomat who did a great job of carrying out his duties. In the end, he organised the government, increased financial resources, and attained complete control over the Deccan, including the Carnatic region. The Nizam also revoked the permission that the Marathas had been given by his forebears to collect Chauth in the area under his control. Nizam had accompanied Aurangzeb throughout his campaign in the Deccan.

He avoided direct conflict with the Marathas and locals because he was aware of the area’s native communities and territory. Instead, he worked to reduce the Maratha’s growing influence in the Deccan by winning over Sambhaji II of Kolhapur and appointing the direct competitor Maratha generals (Candrasen Jadhav, Sultanji Nimbalkar, and Raja Rambha Rao Bahadur) to his side. Under the persuasion of the Sayyed brothers, Farrukhsiyar recalled Nizam to Delhi in 1715 AD and appointed Syed Hussain Ali Khan (one of the Sayyed brothers) as the viceroy of the Deccan.

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Governor of Malwa

The Sayyid brothers took over as the only decision-makers in the Mughal court, which diminished the status of the Turkic and Iranian nobility. They established a counter-revolutionary group to fight the Sayyid brothers as a result. The Nizam served as the leader of the counterrevolution. Nizam-ul-mulk was relocated from Delhi by the Sayyid brothers in order to quell the counter-revolution. The Nizam was appointed as the Governor of Malwa (central India) in the year 1715 AD, which was a lower position than the previous one. In order to strengthen his forces against the Sayyid brothers and to restrain and prevent the Marathas’ growing dominance in the central India region, Nizam reluctantly accepted the new position in 1716 AD. Nizam became suspicious of the Sayyed brothers’ plots in 1719 and realised that they intended to conquer the Mughal Empire. The Nizam began full-fledged preparation to initiate an armed attack against them when two of the Mughal Emperors died consecutively within a year due to the same illness, and Muhammad Shah, the 18-year-old Mughal prince, was named Mughal Emperor and Sayyid Brothers as his regents. When Sayyid Brothers learnt of the Nizam’s predicament, they became enraged and issued an imperial decree requesting that the Nizam report to Delhi; alternatively, they prepared to attack the Nizam if he did not report.

The Mughal queen’s mother dispatched a secret message to Nizam saying, “Resist the Sayyids, and you will discover yourself a prominent spot in the history of the Mughals. May Allah assist you in a war of righteousness against suppression.” Later, Emperor Muhammad Shah sent a secret message to Nizam to help him escape the atrocities of the Sayyid Brothers. Nizam was persuaded by the Sayyid Brothers’ plot, refused to report to Delhi, and made the decision to kill the Sayyids. In Delhi, the Sayyid brothers issued an imperial order to attack Nizam’s forces from two directions. As a result, 20,000 soldiers from the imperial armies of Delhi and Aurangabad — the former led by Syed Hussain Ali Khan’s adopted son Alim Ali and the latter by Dilawar Khan — were sent to attack from the north and south, respectively. Being a military strategist, Nizam chose to march south to the Deccan, where he had many supporters, rather than going towards Delhi. Using his diplomatic scheming, the Nizam took control of Asirgarh Fort from the Mughals and departed from Ujjain in the direction of Burhanpur. In June 1720, his army engaged Dilawar Khan in battle in Burhanpur (Khandwa), where Dilawar Khan and the Marathas were routed and Nizam took control of the city. In despair over the outcome of the fight, the Sayyed brothers issued an imperial decree installing Nizam as the Viceroy of Deccan.

Sayyed brothers ordered Alim Ali, who had not been notified by Sayyed brothers regarding Nizam’s appointment as Viceroy of Deccan, to march towards Nizam and prevent him from reaching Aurangabad, while the Mughal empress’s mother warned Nizam that “Plans are already being made to mount a strong invasion of the south, be on your guard”. When a 20 years old Alim Ali approached with his army in July 1720 AD, Nizam despatched an envoy in an attempt to prevent war, but despite Alim Ali’s valiant attempts, he was defeated by Nizam’s well-equipped army. Frustrated by Alim Ali’s defeat, the Sayyed brothers resolved to launch an attack with an army of 50,000 imperial soldiers under the command of Emperor Muhammad Shah. They also decided to proceed south by gathering Rajputana reinforcements. A plan against the Sayyid brothers was hatched while the Mughal army was camped on the outskirts of Delhi, and on October 9, 1720, a Turkish soldier acting on behalf of a Nizami supporter assassinated Sayyid Hussain, one of the Sayyed Brothers. After learning of his brother’s passing, Abdullah Khan moved from Agra to Delhi in a rage to exact revenge. He led an army against the Emperor Muhammad Shah using his own puppet Emperor, Ibrahim.

The battle took place near Hasanpur, and almost all of Abdullah Khan’s army abandoned him, Abdullah Khan individually fought on foot in accordance with Barha custom, was captured in November 1720, and ultimately was poisoned while in confinement. Muhammad Shah designated Nizam’s uncle and sympathiser Muhammad Amin Khan Turani to march towards Agra to cope with Abdullah Khan. Without a regent, Muhammad Shah was proclaimed emperor, and Muhammad Amin Khan Turani was chosen to serve as the first Grand Vizier. When Muhammad Amin Khan Turani passed away in 1721, Nizam decided to stay put in Deccan despite being given the position of Grand Vizier of the Mughal Empire.

Mughal Empire’s Grand Vizier

Nizam ul-Mulk received the position of Wakil E Mutlaq Grand vizier in the court of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah who was just an eighteen years old successor, as a reward for removing the Sayyid Brothers in 1721 AD. Although Muhammad Shah had been wholly reliant upon the policies and bravery of the Nizam, he relocated him from the court of Delhi to Awadh in 1723 AD. This was when Nizam’s desire to reinstate the decorum of the Mughals lapsed. These courtiers, cliques of corrupt consorts and eunuchs, together with harlots and jesters who were the Emperor’s constant companions, became Nizam’s adversaries and coercively built distrust. In defiance of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah, Nizam revolted against the imperial decree, resigned as Grand Vizier, and marched into the Deccan. Muhammad Shah, who was swayed by Nizam’s foes, ordered Mubariz Khan, the governor of Hyderabad, to put an end to Nizam, which led to the Battle of Shakar Kheda. As a result of Asaf Jah I’s victory over Mubariz Khan in 1724, the Mughal emperor was compelled to acknowledge him as the viceroy of the Deccan, using the title Asaf Jah.

Nizam of Hyderabad

The Nizam began the Asaf Jahi dynasty on October 11, 1724, when he established autonomous sovereignty over the Deccan region. The subsequent tyrants were known as Asaf Jahi Nizams or Nizams of Hyderabad, and they kept the title Nizam ul-Mulk. Nizam maintained to recognise Mughal suzerainty and remained devoted to the Mughal Emperor. He also refrained from assuming any imperial titles. The six Mughal viceregal governorates of Deccan came under his de facto rule, making them all his feudatory. As a sovereign ruler in 1725 AD, the Nizam sought to strengthen the Deccan by reining in the Marathas’ expanding authority. To that end, he faced and defeated Maratha forces and stopped them from amassing levies in the Carnatic region (It was given to the Marathas in 1719 AD by his predecessor, the Mughal Viceroy of Deccan.). Sambhaji II of Kolhapur requested the Nizam’s mediation in 1726 AD to resolve a dispute with Shahu I of Satara, but Shahu turned him down. As a result, in 1727 AD, the Nizam army seized Pune and named Sambhaji II as Chhatrapati. These brave deeds of the Nizam set off a protracted series of battles with Shahu, who employed guerrilla warfare under the direction of his Peshwa Baji Rao I, which culminated in the Battle of Palkhed in 1728 AD.

Sambhaji II repudiated the Shahu treaty at the last minute, and the Shahu forces surrounded the Nizam. He then signed the treaty with Shahu, which restored him to his former status as a Chhatrapati of Marathas and the right to collect levies in the Carnatic area. When the Marathas attacked and took control of Bundelkhand and Malwa from the Mughals in 1734, the Nizam and Baji Rao made a secret agreement in 1733 AD to support one another in the event of external attacks. However, when the Mughal emperor granted them the right to collect levies from the Deccan in exchange for these territories, the Nizam refused, and the agreement was broken. When Maratha army units assembled in Delhi in 1737 AD, Nizam rallied against Maraths from the Deccan to prevent the invasion; as a consequence, the Maratha forces withdrew from Delhi and, with the aid of the Nawab of Bhopal, launched a counteroffensive on Nizam’s forces, leading to the Battle of Bhopal. Later, in January 1738, a peace treaty was reached between the parties, and they withdrew.

Three portions of the Nizam’s newly acquired empire were split. The remainder was given to nobles (Jagirdar, Zamindars, and Deshmukh), who in turn paid nazars (gifts) to the Nizam for the right to collect taxes from the villages under their suzerainty. One third became his own private estate known as the Sarf-i-Khas. One third was allotted for the expenses of the government and was known as the Diwans territory. The Paigah estates were the most significant of these. If the Nizams Dominions were attacked, it would be simple to mobilise an army because of the Paigahs’ dual roles as generals. They served as the Abbasid Caliphate’s counterparts to the Barmakids. just after the Nizams family.

War Against the Marathas

The Nizam refused to pay the Marathas for Chauth and Sardeshmukhi, which led to a conflict between the two parties in 1725. The conflict lasted from August 1727 through March 1728. At the Battle of Palkhed, which took place close to Nashik, Bajirao I, the son of Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath Bhatt, beat Nizam.

Nader Shah and Asaf Jah I

Nader Shah began moving towards Delhi via Afghanistan and Punjab in 1739 from beyond the Hindu Kush. Nizam ul-Mulk dispatched his soldiers to Karnal, where the warriors of the Mughal Emperor Muhammed Shah had gathered to repel the Persian army. However, the united troops were useless against the Persian cavalry and its superior equipment and strategy. The united forces of Mohammed Shah and Nizam were defeated by Nader Shah. Nader Shah arrived in Delhi and set up his army there. Some Delhi residents got into a fight and attacked his soldiers. Nader Shah leapt into a frenzy, pulled his sword out of the sheath, and ordered a massacre after nine hundred of his soldiers were slain in a scuffle in a bazaar. Muhammad Shah failed in his attempts to stop Delhi from being destroyed.

Neither the defenceless Mughal Emperor Muhammed Shah nor any of his Ministers had the fortitude to approach Nader Shah and attempt to broker a cease-fire when Nader Shah ordered the murder in Delhi. By approaching Nader Shah and pleading with him to put an end to the city’s bloodshed, Asaf Jah stepped forward and put his life in danger. According to legend, Asaf Jah remarked to Nader Shah:

“You have taken the lives of thousands of people of the city, if you still wish to continue the bloodshed, then bring those dead back to life and then kill them again, for there are none left to be killed.”

Nader Shah was greatly impacted by these comments; as a result, he put a condition on the massacre and left for Persia.

Legacy of Asaf Jah I

By the first half of the 20th century, Nizam-ul-Mulk had laid the groundwork for what would grow to be one of the most significant Muslim states outside of the Middle East. Among the princely states of the British Raj, Hyderabad State was one of the most prosperous and was also the largest, covering a vast 95,337 sq. miles, an area larger than Mysore, Gwalior, Nepal, and Kashmir combined (although it was the size of France when the first Nizam held reign). Hyderabad State also survived the entire period of British rule up until the time of Indian independence in 1947. His legacy was carried on by the titles “Nizam Ul Mulk” and “Asaf Jah” which the Mughal Emperors bestowed upon him. His descendants held the title “Nizam of Hyderabad” and the dynasty itself became known as the Asaf Jahi Dynasty. Early in 1710, while serving as Subedar of Awadh, he became so upset by the Mughal Emperor’s court intrigues and the cunning cliques that existed there that he resigned from his position and departed to lead a life as a fakir.

Titles of Asaf Jah I

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