Alamgir II: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Fifteenth Mughal Emperor}}

| name        = '''Alamgir II'''<br>{{lang|fa|{{nq|عالمگیر ثانی}}}}

| title        = [[Padishah]]

| image        = Alamgir II of India.jpg

| caption      = Mughal Padishah Alamgir II

| succession  = 15th [[Mughal emperors|Emperor]] of the [[Mughal Empire]]

| 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<br />Gauhar-un-Nissa Begum<ref>{{cite book|first=Sir Jadunath|last=Sarkar|title=Fall of the Mughal Empire: 1754-1771. (Panipat) 2 ed., rev. 1950|publisher=M. C. Sarkar|year=1950|pages=92}}</ref><br />Khair-un-Nissa Begum<ref name="Mehta2005">{{cite book | author = Jaswant Lal Mehta | date = 1 January 2005 | title = Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813 | publisher = Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd | pages = 464 | isbn = 978-1-932705-54-6}}</ref><br />Daulat-un-Nissa Begum<ref name="Hasan1998">{{cite book | author = Masudul Hasan | date = 1998 | title = History of Islam: Classical period, 1206-1900 C.E | publisher = Adam Publishers & Distributers | pages = 669}}</ref>

| full name    = Aziz-ud-Din Alamgir II

| house        = [[File:Imperial Seal of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]] [[Mughal dynasty|House of Babur]]

| religion    = [[Sunni Islam]]

'''Aziz-ud-Din Muhammad''' ({{Lang-fa|{{nq|عزيز الدين محمد}}|translit=ʿAzīz al-Ḍīn Muḥammad}} 6 June 1699 – 29 November 1759), better known as '''Alamgir II''' ({{Lang-fa|{{nq|عالمگیر}}|translit=ʿĀlamgīr}}; {{IPA-fa|ɑːlam'giːr}}), 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 [[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, [[Imad-ul-Mulk]].

In 1756, [[Ahmad Shah Abdali|Ahmad Shah Durrani]] invaded India once again and captured [[Delhi]] and plundered [[Mathura, Uttar Pradesh|Mathura]]. Marathas became more powerful because of their collaboration with [[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, [[Imad-ul-Mulk]] had now deteriorated. He was murdered by [[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|Muizz-ud-Din]], the son of future Emperor [[Bahadur Shah I|Bahadur Shah (Shah Alam)]]. His mother was a Rajput Princess, Anup Bai, with little clearity about her existence.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lal|first=Muni|title=Mini Mughals|pages=67}}</ref>

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]], was defeated, by the next [[Mughal Emperor]], [[Farrukhsiyar]].

Aziz-ud-Din was then imprisoned in 1714 and released in 1754, by usurping Vizier [[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 also persecuted [[Shah Alam II|Ali Gauhar]], the elder son of Alamgir II.

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 [[Imad-ul-Mulk]] who sought to strengthen his authoritarianism with the undaunted support of the [[Maratha]]s.

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 [[Imad-ul-Mulk]].

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 {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>

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 [[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 besiege Delhi.

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 angry Maratha set ferries ablaze and stopped food supplies from entering Delhi, while Najib-ul-Daula positioned his heavy artillery outside the vicinity of the [[Red Fort]].

 

 

 

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====

 

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 [[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.

In the 1994 TV series [[The Great Maratha]] the character was portrayed by [[Arun Bali]]