Alamgir II: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2012}}

| name = '''Alamgir II''' <br/> {{nq|عالمگير ثانی}}

| title =

| image = Brooklyn Museum - Emperor Alamgir II - Sukha Luhar.jpg

| caption =

| succession = 15th [[Mughal emperors|Mughal Emperor]]

| reign = 3 June 1754 – 29 November 1759

| coronation =

| predecessor= [[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]]

| successor = [[Shah Jahan III]]

| regent = [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] (1754–1756)<br />[[Najib-ul-Daula]] (1756–1759)<br />[[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] (1759)

| spouses = Zinat Mahal<br>Faiz Bakht Begum<br>Azizabadi Mahal<br>Latifa Begum<br>Zinat Afruz Begum<br>Aurangabadi Mahal

| issue = [[Shah Alam II]]<br />Mirza Muhammad Ali Asghar Bahadur<br />Mirza Muhammad Harun Hidayat Bakhsh Bahadur<br />Mirza Tali Murad Shah Bahadur<br />Mirza Jamiyat Shah Bahadur<br />Mirza Muhammad Himmat Shah Bahadur<br />Mirza Ahsan-ud-Din Muhammad Bahadur<br />Mirza Mubarak Shah Bahadur

| full name = Aziz-ud-din Alamgir II

| house = [[Mughal dynasty|Mughal]]

| father = [[Jahandar Shah]]

| mother = Anup Bai

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1699|06|06}}

| birth_place = [[Burhanpur]], [[Mughal Empire]]

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1759|11|29|1699|06|06}}

| death_place = Kotla Fateh Shah, [[Mughal Empire]]

| religion = [[Islam]]

|}}

'''Alamgir II''' ([[Urdu]]: {{nq|''عالمگير ثانی''}}) (6 June 1699 – 29 November 1759) was the fifteenth [[Mughal Empire|Mughal Emperor]] of [[India]], who reigned from 3 June 1754 to 29 November 1759. He was the son of [[Jahandar Shah]].

Born Aziz-ud-Din, the second son of [[Jahandar Shah]], was raised to the throne by [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] after he deposed [[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]] in 1754. On ascending the throne, he took the title of Alamgir and tried to follow the approach of [[Aurangzeb]] (Alamgir I). At the time of his accession to throne he was an old man of 55 years. He had no experience of administration and warfare as he had spent most of his life in jail. He was a weak ruler, with all powers vested in the hand of his vizier, Ghazi-ud-Din Imad-ul-Mulk.

In 1756, [[Ahmad Shah Abdali]] invaded India once again and captured [[Delhi]] and plundered [[Mathura, Uttar Pradesh|Mathura]]. Marathas became more powerful because of their collaboration with [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]], and dominated the whole of northern India. This was the peak of Maratha expansion, which caused great trouble for the Mughal Empire, already weak with no strong ruler. Relations between Alamgir II and his usurping vizier, [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] had now deteriorated. He was murdered by [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]]. Alamgir II's son Ali Gauhar escaped persecution from Delhi, while [[Shah Jahan III]] was placed on the throne.

He was born on 6 June 1699 at [[Burhanpur]] and was the second son of [[Jahandar Shah|Maaz-ud-Din]], the son of future Emperor [[Bahadur Shah I]]. Alamgir II was 7 when his great-grandfather [[Aurangzeb]] died in the Deccan. After the death of his grandfather, [[Bahadur Shah I]], and the war of succession that followed, his father, [[Jahandar Shah|Maaz-ud-Din]], was defeated, by the next [[Mughal Emperor]], [[Farrukhsiyar]].

Aziz-ud-Din was then imprisoned in 1714 and released in 1754, by usurping Vizier [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]], he perceived Aziz-ud-Din as a frail personality who would not object his regime. Therefore, on 2 June 1754, Aziz-ud-Din was given the title ''Alamgir II'' by the vizier out of his own recommendation, as he wanted to follow the centralised approach of [[Aurangzeb]].

Imad-ul-Mulk hired Maratha mercenaries to do his bidding<ref>http://www.emotional-literacy-education.com/classic-books-online-a/tfmeh10.htm</ref> and put all the imperial revenues into his own pocket and starved Alamgir II's family. He persecuted [[Shah Alam II|Ali Gauhar]], the elder son of Muhy-us-Sunnat.

Since then, relations between Alamgir II and [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]]'s regime were so bad that the latter got him assassinated in November 1759.

After the emergence of Alamgir II the [[Mughal Empire]] had impulsively began to re-centralize, particularly when many [[Nawab]]s sought the gratification of the [[Mughal Emperor]] and his co-ordination regarding their resistance to the Maratha. This development was clearly unwelcome by [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] who sought to strengthen his authoritarianism with the undaunted support of the [[Maratha]]s.

In the year 1755, the acclaimed [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] [[viceroy]] of [[Punjab region|Punjab]], [[Mir Mannu|Muin ul-Mulk]] died, his widow [[Mughlani Begum]] desperately sought the assistance of [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] to halt any succession struggle and to quell the [[Sikh]] rebels in the eastern regions.

He then marched towards Delhi, in October 1757, the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II with courtiers such as Shah Waliullah, nobles such as [[Najib-ul-Daula]], and the imperial family went to meet [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]], whose forces then engaged the [[Maratha]]s in combat and threatened to overthrow and execute the regime of [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]].

Ahmad Shah Durrani's relations with the [[Mughal Emperor]], strengthened further when his son [[Timur Shah Durrani]] was chosen as the suitor of Alamgir II's daughter [[Zuhra Begum]]. Ahmad Shah Durrani himself also married Hadrat Begum the daughter of the former Mughal Emperor [[Muhammad Shah]].<ref>https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.99051/2015.99051.Mughal-Rule-In-India_djvu.txt</ref>

He was supported by [[Bahawalpur (princely state)|Mohammad Bahawal Khan II]] ([[Bahawalpur (princely state)|Nawab Amir of Bhawalpur]]) and [[Muhammad Nasir Khan I]] ([[Khanate of Kalat]]).<ref>http://thebaluch.com/documents/Nasir%20Khan%20Noori.pdf</ref>

[[Image:Patthargarh fort outside Najibabad, 1814-15.jpg|250px|right|thumb|''Patthargarh fort'' (literally meaning: "stone stronghold") outside [[Najibabad]], built by [[Najib ad-Dawlah]] in 1755, during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II.]]

 

In July 1757, the Maratha's led by [[Raghunathrao]] rejected the alliance established between the [[Durrani Empire]] and the [[Mughal Empire]], they were assisted by [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] and encamped 30&nbsp;km opposite to the [[Red Fort]] and occupied all the villages by the [[Yamuna River|Jamuna]] they began to stage the [[Siege of Delhi (1757)]].

 

The Marathas fought against Alamgir II's incumbent ''Mir Bakshi'' ("Paymaster") [[Najib-ul-Daula]] along with his lieutenants Qutub Shah and Aman Khan and a [[Mughal Army]] of 2,500 garrisoned inside the metropolis of Delhi.

 

 

 

 

The Marathas looted and plundered the city and the people of Delhi. Mosques and Shrines built by the Mughals were desecrated; and the [[Peshwa]] conspired to place Vishwasrao upon the Mughal throne.

Imad-ul-Mulk was reappointed ''Mir Bakshi'' and with the support of the Marathas.<ref name="googlebooks">{{cite book |url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=d1wUgKKzawoC |page=230 }} |title=Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707–1813 |author=Jaswant Lal Mehta |access-date=2014-01-31}}</ref>

Not long after entering Delhi the Marathas encountered a [[Jat]] regiment sent by [[Suraj Mal]] who now began to claim sovereignty over Delhi.

The Jat also plundered Delhi but soon afterwards made it possible for Alamgir II and the Mughal royal family to return to Delhi from Bharatpur.

====Subjects opposing the Maratha Confederacy====

 

Alamgir II grieved the death of [[Alivardi Khan]] the famous [[Nawab of Bengal]], who annually pledged 5 million ''dams'' to the imperial court. His successor [[Siraj-ud-Daula]] was recognised as the next [[Nawab of Bengal]], but he faced internal rivals who refused to consider the [[Firman]] granted by Alamgir II to Siraj-ud-Daula. These internal conflicts would lead Siraj-ud-Daula to hastily annex [[Calcutta]] from the [[English East India Company]], without the permission of the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II and [[Salabat Jung]]. Siraj-ud-Daula was quickly defeated by Clive who recaptured [[Calcutta]] and defeated Siraj-ud-Daula during the [[Battle of Plassey]] in the year 1757. After the annihilation of his entire army Siraj-ud-Daula fled and was killed by the forces of the treacherous [[Mir Jafar]]. The deceased Siraj-ud-Daula's pretensions were criticised in the Mughal imperial court by [[Ghulam Husain Tabatabai]], and Alamgir II refused to recognise [[Mir Jafar]] as the next [[Nawab of Bengal]]. In response to the imperial court's decision Mir Jafar thus consolidated and alliance with the manipulative [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] against the imperial family.

In 1758 the [[Maratha]]s led by [[Raghunathrao]] occupied [[Lahore]] after extracted an extortion of imperial wealth from [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]], together they conspired the overthrow of young [[Timur Shah Durrani]]. [[Raghunathrao]] drove out Jahan Khan and [[Timur Shah Durrani]], the son and viceroy of [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]]. Timur Shah Durrani and his forces were forced to retreat from [[Lahore]] to [[Peshawar]] under the force of attacks from [[Sikh]]s and [[Maratha]]s. This victory made the belligerent Peshwa, grandiosely sack [[Delhi]] and hype their intentions of placing [[Vishwasrao]] on the Mughal throne.<ref name="Elphinstone">{{cite book| first=Mountstuart |last=Elphinstone |title=History of India | url=https://archive.org/details/historyindia02elphgoog |publisher=John Murray, Albermarle Street |year=1841 |page=276}}</ref>

Agitated by the daring escape [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] and [[Sadashivrao Bhau]] reckoned that Alamgir II was about to advance his son Prince Ali Gauhar, to dispossess and overthrow their regime.

 

 

During his reign religious feuds became common among the individuals of the [[Durbar (court)|Durbar]], and communal duels between rivals became a common occurrence.

The defeat of Alamgir II's son-in-law, [[Timur Shah Durrani]] by the [[Maratha]]s in the year 1760, provoked the wrath of [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]], who launched a massive campaign gathering more troops than ever before. In response to the crimes committed by [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] and [[Sadashivrao Bhau]]; [[Najib-ud-Daula]] and his firm alliance of principal Muslim nobles in the [[Mughal Empire]] recaptured Delhi and placed it under the nominal authority of [[Shah Alam II]]. In the south [[Hyder Ali]] and his [[Sultanate of Mysore|Mysore Army]] ferociously attacked the [[Maratha]]. Meanwhile, [[Shah Alam II]] anticipated the collapse of the [[Maratha]] and declared [[Shuja-ud-Daula]] his [[Grand Vizier]] and [[Najib-ud-Daula]] as his honorary ''Mukhtar Khas'' (Chief Representative).<ref>{{cite book |url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=Z4-8Z0gqBkoC |page=17 }} |title=History |author=Raghunath Rai |access-date=2014-01-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=TPVq3ykHyH4C |page=234 }} |title=A History of India |author=Hermann Kulke, Dietmar Rothermund |access-date=2014-01-31}}</ref> These developments eventually culminated into rise of religious and political loyalties that eventually clashed at the "Third Battle of Panipat" in the year 1761.

In 1756, the Seven Years' War had broken out and Alamgir II was supported by various international belligerents of that war.

 

It was the first global war in which the [[Great Mogul]] had his involvement apart from the boundaries of India.

 

Alamgir II initially involved in that war because the British were hasty in their attempts to conquer [[Bengal Subah]].

The newly appointed Mughal [[Grand Vizier]] after Ahmad Shah Durrani's invasion was [[Najib-ud-Daula]] who tried to consolidate the remains of the [[Mughal Empire]] by uniting distant [[Faujdar]]s, [[Nawab]]'s and [[Nizam]]s into a common cause against the [[Maratha]]s. Fearing their wrath the deposed [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] aligned himself with the [[Maratha]] leader [[Sadashivrao Bhau]] and launched an counterattack against Najib-ud-Daula which lasted 15 days and resulted in the defeat of Najib-ud-Daula who was driven North.

[[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] then feared that the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II would recall [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]], or use his son Prince [[Shah Alam II|Ali Gauhar]], to dispossess him of his newfound power with the [[Maratha]]s. Therefore, Imad-ul-Mulk plotted to murder the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II and his family. A few Mughal Princes, including Ali Gauhar desperately managed to escape before assassination. In November 1759, the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II was told that a pious man had come to meet him, Alamgir II, ever so eager to meet holy men, set out immediately to meet him at Kotla Fateh Shah, he was stabbed repeatedly by [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]]'s assassins. The Mughal Emperor Alamgir II's death was mourned throughout the [[Mughal Empire]], particularly by the [[Muslim]] populace.

After the assassination of Alamgir II in 1759, the [[Peshwa]] under the sway of [[Sadashivrao Bhau]] had reached the peak of its short-lived power particularly when their involvement in the assassination had become eminent when he discussed abolishing the [[Mughal Empire]] and placing [[Vishwasrao]] on the throne in [[Delhi]] by bribing or deposing [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]].<ref name="Elphinstone" />

== In Popular Culture ==

In the 1994 tv series [[The Great Maratha]] the character was potrayed by [[Arun Bali]]

* [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]]