Mirza Qutb-ud-Din Muhammad Azam (Persian: میرزا قطب الدین محمد اعظم) (28 June 1653 – 20 June 1707), commonly known as Azam Shah, was briefly the Mughal emperor who reigned from 14 March 1707 to 20 June 1707. He was the third son of the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and his chief consort Dilras Banu Begum.
Azam was appointed as the heir-apparent (Shahi Ali Jah) to his father on 12 August 1681 and retained that position until Aurangzeb's death.[2] During his long military career, he served as the viceroy of Berar Subah, Malwa, Bengal, Gujarat and the Deccan. Azam ascended the Mughal throne in Ahmednagar upon the death of his father on 14 March 1707. However, he and his three sons, Bidar Bakht, Jawan Bakht and Sikandar Shan, were later defeated and killed by Azam Shah's older half-brother, Shah Alam (later crowned as Bahadur Shah I), during the Battle of Jajau on 20 June 1707.
Qutb-ud-Din Muhammad Azam was born on 28 June 1653 in Burhanpur[3] to Prince Muhi-ud-Din (later known as 'Aurangzeb' upon his accession) and his first wife and chief consort Dilras Banu Begum.[4][5][6][7] His mother, who died four years after giving birth to him, was the daughter of Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi (titled Shah Nawaz Khan) and a princess of the prominent Safavid dynasty of Persia.[8] Therefore, Azam was not only a Timurid from his father's side, but also had in him the royal blood of the Safavid dynasty, a fact which Azam was extremely proud of and after the death of his younger brother, Prince Muhammad Akbar, the only son of Aurangzeb who could boast of being of the purest blood.[9]
Azam's other half-brothers, Shah Alam (later Bahadur Shah I) and Muhammad Kam Bakhsh being the sons of Hindu wives of Aurangzeb.[10] According to Niccolao Manucci, the courtiers were very impressed by Azam's royal Persian ancestry and the fact that he was the grandson of Shah Nawaz Khan Safavi.[11]
Character
As Azam grew up, he was distinguished for his wisdom, excellence, and chivalry.[12][13] Aurangzeb used to be extremely delighted with his son's noble character and excellent manners, and thought of him as his comrade rather than his son. He often used to say, "between this pair of matchless friends, a separation is imminent."[14] Azam's siblings included his older sisters, the princesses: Zeb-un-Nissa, Zinat-un-Nissa, Zubdat-un-Nissa and his younger brother, Prince Muhammad Akbar.
Azam was first married on 13 May 1668 to an Ahom princess, Ramani Gabharu, whose name was changed to Rahmat Bano Begum. She was the daughter of the Ahom king, Swargadeo Jayadhwaj Singh, and the marriage was a political one.
On 3 January 1669, Azam married his cousin, Princess Jahanzeb Bano Begum, the daughter of his eldest uncle Crown Prince Dara Shikoh and his beloved wife Nadira Bano Begum.
Jahanzeb was his chief wife and his favorite wife, whom he loved dearly. She gave birth to her eldest son on 4 August 1670. His grandfather Aurangzeb named him 'Bidar Bakht'. Aurangzeb, throughout his life, always loved the three of Azam and Jahanzeb (who is his favorite daughter-in-law) and Prince Bidar Bakht, a brave and successful general. Bidar Bakht was also Aurangzeb's favorite grandson.
Azam's third marriage was fixed with Iran Dukht Rahmat Bano (Pari Bibi), daughter of Aurangzeb's maternal uncle Shaista Khan. However, the marriage could not take place due to the sudden death of Pari Bibi in Dhaka in 1678. In her memory, a mazar (mausoleum) was constructed in Fort Aurangabad (now Lalbagh Fort) in Dhaka.
As part of a political alliance, Azam later married his third (and last) wife, Shahar Bano Begum (Padshah Bibi), in 1681. She was a princess of the Adil Shahi dynasty and the daughter of the ruler Ali Adil Shah II. Despite Bijapur and his other marriages, Azam's love for Jahanzeb remained unchanged. Because when she died in 1705, he was filled with great sadness and despair which darkened the rest of his life.
In the year 1685 Aurangzeb dispatched his son Muhammad Azam Shah with a force of nearly 50,000 men to capture Bijapur Fort and defeat Sikandar Adil Shah the ruler of Bijapur who refused to be a vassal. The Mughals led by Muhammad Azam Shah could not make any advancements upon Bijapur Fort mainly due to the superior usage of cannon batteries on both sides. Outraged by the stalemate Aurangzeb himself arrived on 4 September 1686 and commanded the Siege of Bijapur after eight days of fighting and the Mughals were victorious.
Subahdar of Bengal
Prince Azam was appointed the governor (Subahdar) of Berar Subah, Malwa and Bengal from 1678 to 1701 upon the death of his predecessor, Azam Khan Koka.[15] He successfully captured the Kamrup region in February 1679. He founded the incomplete Lalbagh Fort in Dacca. During his administration, Mir Maula was appointed Diwan and Muluk Chand as Huzur-Navis for revenue collection.[15] Prince Azam was recalled by Aurangzeb and left Dacca on 6 October 1679.[15]Marathas; Bengal went under administration of the Nawabs of Murshidabad.
He later became the governor of Gujarat from 1701 to 1706.
Accession
Crown Prince Azam, stands before his father, Emperor Aurangzeb
In third week of February 1707 in a bid to prevent a war of succession, Aurangzeb separated Azam and his younger half-brother, Kam Baksh, whom Azam particularly loathed. He sent Azam to Malwa and Kam Baksh to Bijapur. A few days before his death he wrote farewell letters to Azam. The next morning, Azam who had tarried outside Ahmednagar instead of proceeding to Malwa, arrived at the imperial camp and conveyed his father's body for burial at his tomb at Daulatabad.[16] Azam Shah proclaimed himself Emperor and seized the throne. In the political struggles following the disputed succession, he and his son Prince Bidar Bakht were defeated and killed in Battle of Jajau on the 20th of June 1707 against elder half-brother, Prince Muhammad Mu'azzam, who succeeded their father to the Mughal throne.Mughal dynasty</ref> Azam shah was killed by a musket shot which is believed to be fired by Isha Khan Main a jamindar of lakhi jangal of lahore subah. His grave along with that of his wife, lies in the dargah complex of Sufi saint, Sheikh Zainuddin, at Khuldabad near Aurangabad, which also houses the tomb of Aurangzeb to the west.[17]
Padshah-i-Mumalik Abu'l Faaiz Qutb-ud-Din Muhammad Azam Shah-i-Ali Jah Ghazi
References
^Garg, Sanjay (2018). Studies in Indo-Muslim History by S.H. Hodivala Volume II: A Critical Commentary on Elliot and Dowson's History of India as Told by its Own Historians (Vols. V-VIII) & Yule and Burnell's Hobson-Jobson. ISBN9780429757778.
^Sir Jadunath Sarkar (1925). Anecdotes of Aurangzib. M.C. Sarkar & Sons. p. 21.
^Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1912). History of Aurangzib Vol. I(PDF). Calcutta: M.C. Sarkar & Sons. p. 71.
^Eraly, Abraham (2007). The Mughal World: Life in India's Last Golden Age. Penguin Books India. p. 147.
^Chandra, Satish (2002). Parties and politics at the Mughal Court, 1707–1740. Oxford University Press. p. 50.
^Koch, Ebba (1997). King of the world: the Padshahnama. Azimuth Ed. p. 104.
^Nath, Renuka (1990). Notable Mughal and Hindu women in the 16th and 17th centuries A.D. New Delhi: Inter-India Publ. p. 148.
^Annie Krieger-Krynicki (2005). Captive princess: Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb. Oxford University Press. p. 1.
^Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1916). History of Aurangzib: First half of the reign, 1658–1681. M.C. Sarkar & sons. p. 54.
^Sir Jadunath Sarkar (1933). Studies in Aurangzib's reign: (being Studies in Mughal India, first series). Orient Longman. p. 43.
^Krynicki, Annie Krieger (2005). Captive Princess : Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb. Oxford University Press. p. 102. ISBN9780195798371.
^Elliot, Henry Miers (1959). The History of India: 1959 Volume 30 of The History of India: As Told by Its Own Historians; the Muhammadan Period; the Posthumous Papers of H. M. Elliot, Sir Henry Miers Elliot. Susil Gupta (India) Private. p. 48.
^Sarkar, Sir Jadunath (1974). History of Aurangzib: mainly based on Persian sources, Volume 5. Orient Longman. p. 219.
^Saqi Musta'idd Khan, Jadunath Sarkar (1947). Maasir-i-'Alamgiri: A History of the Emperor Aurangzib-'Alamgir. Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal. p. 320.
^ abcKarim, Abdul (2012). "Muhammad Azam, Prince". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^Eraly, Abraham (2000). Emperors of the peacock throne : the saga of the great Mughals ([Rev. ed.]. ed.). New Delhi: Penguin books. pp. 510–513. ISBN9780141001432.
muhammad, azam, shah, mirza, qutb, muhammad, azam, persian, میرزا, قطب, الدین, محمد, اعظم, june, 1653, june, 1707, commonly, known, azam, shah, briefly, mughal, emperor, reigned, from, march, 1707, june, 1707, third, sixth, mughal, emperor, aurangzeb, chief, c. Mirza Qutb ud Din Muhammad Azam Persian میرزا قطب الدین محمد اعظم 28 June 1653 20 June 1707 commonly known as Azam Shah was briefly the Mughal emperor who reigned from 14 March 1707 to 20 June 1707 He was the third son of the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and his chief consort Dilras Banu Begum Azam Shah اعظم شاهPadishah Al Sultan Al AzamPortrait of Azam Shah c 16707th Mughal EmperorReign14 March 1707 20 June 1707PredecessorAurangzebSuccessorBahadur Shah IBorn 1653 06 28 28 June 1653Burhanpur IndiaDied20 June 1707 1707 06 20 aged 53 Jajau near Agra IndiaBurialKhuldabad IndiaConsortJahanzeb Banu Begum m 1669 wbr WivesRahmat Banu Begum m 1668 wbr Shahar Banu Begum m 1681 wbr IssueBidar BakhtJawan BakhtSikandar ShanWala JahZih JahWala ShanAli TabarGitti Ara BegumIffat Ara BegumNajib un Nisa BegumNamesMirza Qutb ud Din Muhammad Azam 1 HouseHouse of BaburDynastyTimurid dynastyFatherAurangzebMotherDilras Banu BegumReligionSunni Islam Hanafi Azam was appointed as the heir apparent Shahi Ali Jah to his father on 12 August 1681 and retained that position until Aurangzeb s death 2 During his long military career he served as the viceroy of Berar Subah Malwa Bengal Gujarat and the Deccan Azam ascended the Mughal throne in Ahmednagar upon the death of his father on 14 March 1707 However he and his three sons Bidar Bakht Jawan Bakht and Sikandar Shan were later defeated and killed by Azam Shah s older half brother Shah Alam later crowned as Bahadur Shah I during the Battle of Jajau on 20 June 1707 Contents 1 Early life 1 1 Birth 1 2 Character 2 Personal life 3 Siege of Bijapur 4 Subahdar of Bengal 5 Accession 6 Ancestry 7 Full title 8 ReferencesEarly life EditBirth Edit Qutb ud Din Muhammad Azam was born on 28 June 1653 in Burhanpur 3 to Prince Muhi ud Din later known as Aurangzeb upon his accession and his first wife and chief consort Dilras Banu Begum 4 5 6 7 His mother who died four years after giving birth to him was the daughter of Mirza Badi uz Zaman Safavi titled Shah Nawaz Khan and a princess of the prominent Safavid dynasty of Persia 8 Therefore Azam was not only a Timurid from his father s side but also had in him the royal blood of the Safavid dynasty a fact which Azam was extremely proud of and after the death of his younger brother Prince Muhammad Akbar the only son of Aurangzeb who could boast of being of the purest blood 9 Azam s other half brothers Shah Alam later Bahadur Shah I and Muhammad Kam Bakhsh being the sons of Hindu wives of Aurangzeb 10 According to Niccolao Manucci the courtiers were very impressed by Azam s royal Persian ancestry and the fact that he was the grandson of Shah Nawaz Khan Safavi 11 Character Edit As Azam grew up he was distinguished for his wisdom excellence and chivalry 12 13 Aurangzeb used to be extremely delighted with his son s noble character and excellent manners and thought of him as his comrade rather than his son He often used to say between this pair of matchless friends a separation is imminent 14 Azam s siblings included his older sisters the princesses Zeb un Nissa Zinat un Nissa Zubdat un Nissa and his younger brother Prince Muhammad Akbar Personal life EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Azam was first married on 13 May 1668 to an Ahom princess Ramani Gabharu whose name was changed to Rahmat Bano Begum She was the daughter of the Ahom king Swargadeo Jayadhwaj Singh and the marriage was a political one On 3 January 1669 Azam married his cousin Princess Jahanzeb Bano Begum the daughter of his eldest uncle Crown Prince Dara Shikoh and his beloved wife Nadira Bano Begum Jahanzeb was his chief wife and his favorite wife whom he loved dearly She gave birth to her eldest son on 4 August 1670 His grandfather Aurangzeb named him Bidar Bakht Aurangzeb throughout his life always loved the three of Azam and Jahanzeb who is his favorite daughter in law and Prince Bidar Bakht a brave and successful general Bidar Bakht was also Aurangzeb s favorite grandson Azam s third marriage was fixed with Iran Dukht Rahmat Bano Pari Bibi daughter of Aurangzeb s maternal uncle Shaista Khan However the marriage could not take place due to the sudden death of Pari Bibi in Dhaka in 1678 In her memory a mazar mausoleum was constructed in Fort Aurangabad now Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka As part of a political alliance Azam later married his third and last wife Shahar Bano Begum Padshah Bibi in 1681 She was a princess of the Adil Shahi dynasty and the daughter of the ruler Ali Adil Shah II Despite Bijapur and his other marriages Azam s love for Jahanzeb remained unchanged Because when she died in 1705 he was filled with great sadness and despair which darkened the rest of his life Siege of Bijapur Edit Muhammad Azam with his son Prince Bidar Bakht Main article Siege of Bijapur In the year 1685 Aurangzeb dispatched his son Muhammad Azam Shah with a force of nearly 50 000 men to capture Bijapur Fort and defeat Sikandar Adil Shah the ruler of Bijapur who refused to be a vassal The Mughals led by Muhammad Azam Shah could not make any advancements upon Bijapur Fort mainly due to the superior usage of cannon batteries on both sides Outraged by the stalemate Aurangzeb himself arrived on 4 September 1686 and commanded the Siege of Bijapur after eight days of fighting and the Mughals were victorious Subahdar of Bengal EditPrince Azam was appointed the governor Subahdar of Berar Subah Malwa and Bengal from 1678 to 1701 upon the death of his predecessor Azam Khan Koka 15 He successfully captured the Kamrup region in February 1679 He founded the incomplete Lalbagh Fort in Dacca During his administration Mir Maula was appointed Diwan and Muluk Chand as Huzur Navis for revenue collection 15 Prince Azam was recalled by Aurangzeb and left Dacca on 6 October 1679 15 Marathas Bengal went under administration of the Nawabs of Murshidabad He later became the governor of Gujarat from 1701 to 1706 Accession Edit Crown Prince Azam stands before his father Emperor AurangzebIn third week of February 1707 in a bid to prevent a war of succession Aurangzeb separated Azam and his younger half brother Kam Baksh whom Azam particularly loathed He sent Azam to Malwa and Kam Baksh to Bijapur A few days before his death he wrote farewell letters to Azam The next morning Azam who had tarried outside Ahmednagar instead of proceeding to Malwa arrived at the imperial camp and conveyed his father s body for burial at his tomb at Daulatabad 16 Azam Shah proclaimed himself Emperor and seized the throne In the political struggles following the disputed succession he and his son Prince Bidar Bakht were defeated and killed in Battle of Jajau on the 20th of June 1707 against elder half brother Prince Muhammad Mu azzam who succeeded their father to the Mughal throne Mughal dynasty lt ref gt Azam shah was killed by a musket shot which is believed to be fired by Isha Khan Main a jamindar of lakhi jangal of lahore subah His grave along with that of his wife lies in the dargah complex of Sufi saint Sheikh Zainuddin at Khuldabad near Aurangabad which also houses the tomb of Aurangzeb to the west 17 Ancestry EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ancestors of Muhammad Azam Shah16 Jalal ud din Muhammad Akbar Mughal Emperor8 Nur ud din Muhammad Jahangir Mughal Emperor17 Mariam uz Zamani4 Shahab ud din Muhammad Shah Jahan I Mughal Emperor18 Udai Singh Raja of Marwar9 Jagat Gosain19 Manrang Devi of Gwalior2 Muhi ud din Muhammad Aurangzeb Mughal Emperor20 I timad ud Daulah 28 10 Abu l Hasan Asaf Khan21 Asmat Begam 29 5 Mumtaz Mahal22 Ghias ud din Ali Asaf Khan11 Diwanji Begum1 Muhammad Azam Shah24 Sultan Hussain Safawi12 Mirza Rustam Safawi6 Mirza Badi uz Zaman Safavi3 Dilras Banu Begum28 I timad ud Daulah 20 14 Mirza Muhammad Sharif29 Asmat Begam 21 7 Nauras Banu BegumFull title EditPadshah i Mumalik Abu l Faaiz Qutb ud Din Muhammad Azam Shah i Ali Jah GhaziReferences Edit Garg Sanjay 2018 Studies in Indo Muslim History by S H Hodivala Volume II A Critical Commentary on Elliot and Dowson s History of India as Told by its Own Historians Vols V VIII amp Yule and Burnell s Hobson Jobson ISBN 9780429757778 Sir Jadunath Sarkar 1925 Anecdotes of Aurangzib M C Sarkar amp Sons p 21 Sarkar Sir Jadunath 1912 History of Aurangzib Vol I PDF Calcutta M C Sarkar amp Sons p 71 Eraly Abraham 2007 The Mughal World Life in India s Last Golden Age Penguin Books India p 147 Chandra Satish 2002 Parties and politics at the Mughal Court 1707 1740 Oxford University Press p 50 Koch Ebba 1997 King of the world the Padshahnama Azimuth Ed p 104 Nath Renuka 1990 Notable Mughal and Hindu women in the 16th and 17th centuries A D New Delhi Inter India Publ p 148 Annie Krieger Krynicki 2005 Captive princess Zebunissa daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb Oxford University Press p 1 Sarkar Sir Jadunath 1916 History of Aurangzib First half of the reign 1658 1681 M C Sarkar amp sons p 54 Sir Jadunath Sarkar 1933 Studies in Aurangzib s reign being Studies in Mughal India first series Orient Longman p 43 Krynicki Annie Krieger 2005 Captive Princess Zebunissa daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb Oxford University Press p 102 ISBN 9780195798371 Elliot Henry Miers 1959 The History of India 1959 Volume 30 of The History of India As Told by Its Own Historians the Muhammadan Period the Posthumous Papers of H M Elliot Sir Henry Miers Elliot Susil Gupta India Private p 48 Sarkar Sir Jadunath 1974 History of Aurangzib mainly based on Persian sources Volume 5 Orient Longman p 219 Saqi Musta idd Khan Jadunath Sarkar 1947 Maasir i Alamgiri A History of the Emperor Aurangzib Alamgir Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal p 320 a b c Karim Abdul 2012 Muhammad Azam Prince In Islam Sirajul Jamal Ahmed A eds Banglapedia National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh Second ed Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Eraly Abraham 2000 Emperors of the peacock throne the saga of the great Mughals Rev ed ed New Delhi Penguin books pp 510 513 ISBN 9780141001432 World Heritage Sites Ellora Caves Khuldabad Archaeological Survey of India Archived from the original on 6 May 2015 Retrieved 15 April 2015 Muhammad Azam ShahTimurid dynastyBorn 28 June 1653 Died 8 June 1707Regnal titlesPreceded byAurangzeb Mughal Emperor1707 Succeeded byBahadur Shah I Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Muhammad Azam Shah amp oldid 1151846339, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
