ASKiIMAN™ MEDIEVAL / HISTORY
--:-- · -- --- ----

The Wizarat Struggle

Realm 102: Puppet Emperors, Kingmakers, and the Factional Void

WORLD O — 18TH CENTURY & MARATHA SUPREMACY

MICRO-REALM 01

The Wizarat's Ascent

  • Power shifts from Emperor to Wazir (Prime Minister).
  • Nobles act as independent power brokers.
  • Emperors reduced to mere figureheads.
  • Marks the institutional decay of the Mughal center.
MICRO-REALM 02

Jahandar Shah

  • Succeeds Bahadur Shah I (1712).
  • Frivolous, deeply influenced by concubine Lal Kunwar.
  • First truly puppet emperor of the dynasty.
  • Defeated and killed within a year by his nephew.
MICRO-REALM 03

Zulfiqar Khan

  • The first true 'Kingmaker'.
  • Powerful Irani noble who installed Jahandar Shah.
  • Attempted to establish friendly relations with Marathas/Rajputs.
  • Executed by Farrukhsiyar in 1713.
MICRO-REALM 04

Ijarah (Revenue Farming)

  • Introduced widely by Zulfiqar Khan to raise quick cash.
  • Right to collect taxes auctioned to highest bidder.
  • Devastated the peasantry and agricultural base.
  • Bypassed the traditional Mansabdari system.
MICRO-REALM 05

The Sayyid Brothers

  • Syed Abdullah Khan (Wazir) & Syed Husain Ali Khan (Mir Bakhshi).
  • The ultimate Kingmakers of Indian history.
  • Installed Farrukhsiyar in 1713.
  • Controlled the empire entirely from 1713 to 1720.
MICRO-REALM 06

Farrukhsiyar's Folly

  • Attempted to overthrow the Sayyid brothers who made him king.
  • Engaged in constant, cowardly conspiracies.
  • Dragged from his harem, blinded, and strangled (1719).
  • First Mughal Emperor assassinated by his own nobles.
MICRO-REALM 07

Factionalism

  • Court divided into bitter racial/regional blocs.
  • Turanis: Central Asian Sunni nobles (Nizam-ul-Mulk).
  • Hindustanis: Indian-born Muslims and Rajput allies (Sayyids).
  • Iranis: Persian Shias balancing between the two.
MICRO-REALM 08

The Maratha Alliance

  • Sayyid Husain Ali Khan seeks Maratha help against Farrukhsiyar.
  • Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath marches to Delhi (1719).
  • Secures formal farman for Chauth and Sardeshmukhi in Deccan.
  • First time Marathas assert power in the Mughal capital.
MICRO-REALM 09

Fall of the Sayyids

  • Installed Muhammad Shah in 1719.
  • Turani and Irani nobles conspire against them.
  • Husain Ali assassinated in camp (1720).
  • Abdullah defeated at Battle of Hasanpur; poisoned in prison.
MICRO-REALM 10

Muhammad Shah 'Rangila'

  • Survived the kingmakers to rule for 29 years (1719-1748).
  • Devoted to arts, music (Khayal), and pleasure.
  • Neglected administration entirely.
  • Oversaw the physical breakup of the Mughal Empire.