Muhammad Azam Shah

Mirza Muhammad Azam Shah
Azam Shah stands before his father, Aurangzeb
Titular Mughal Emperor of India
Reign	14 March 1707 - 19 June 1707
Predecessor	Aurangzeb
Successor	Bahadur Shah I
Spouse	Rehmat Banu Begum Jani Begum Bibi Pari Padshah Bibi
Issue
7 sons and 3 daughters
Full name
Padshah-i-Mumalik Abu'l Faiz Qutb-ud-Din Muhammad Azam Shah-i-Ali Jah Ghazi
House	Timurid
Father	Aurangzeb
Mother	Dilrus Banu Begum
Born	July 8, 1653(1653-07-08) Burhanpur
Died	June 19, 1707(1707-06-19) (aged 53) Jajuwan
Religion	Islam

Shahzadeh A'zam and Shahzadeh Bidarbakht

Mirza Muhammad Azam Shah was Emperor of the Mughal Empire and a son of Emperor Aurangzeb and Dilrus Bano Begum. He was a brother of Zeb-un-Nissa, Bahadur Shah I, and Sultan Muhammad Akbar. Like his brothers, Azam Shah married a daughter of Sultan Dara Shikoh.^[1][2]

He served as the Governor (Subahdar) of Berar Subah, Malwa, Bengal and Gujarat. He was granted the title of Shahi Ali Jah on 12th August 1681. Out of line with primogeniture succession, he deceptively ascended to the Mughal throne at Ahmednagar upon the death of his father on 14th March 1707. Azam Shah and his two sons, Sultan Muhammad Bidar Bakht Mirza and Shahzada Wala Jah Bahadur, were later defeated and executed by Azam Shah's elder brother, Prince Shah Alam (later crowned Bahadur Shah I), at Jajuwan on 19th June 1707.^[3]

History

Siege of Bijapur

In the year 1685 the Mughal Emperor 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 September 4, 1686 and commanded the Siege of Bijapur after eight days of fighting the Mughals were victorious.

Subahdar of Bengal

Prince Azam was appointed the Governor (Subahdar) of Berar Subah, Malwa and Bengal from 1678-1701 upon the death of his predecessor, Azam Khan Koka.^[4] He successfully captured the Kamarupa region in February 1679. He founded the incomplete Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka. During his administration, Mir Maula was appointed Diwan and Muluk Chand as Huzur-Navis for revenue collection.^[4] Prince Azam was recalled by Aurangzeb and left Dhaka on 6 October 1679.^[4] Berar Subah and Malwa were annexed into the Maratha Empire; Bengal went under administration of the Nawabs of Murshidabad.

He later became the Governor (Subahdar) of Gujarat from 1701-1706.

Death of Aurangzeb

Upon the death of Aurangzeb on 3 March 1707, Azam Shah proclaimed himself Emperor and seized the throne. In the political struggles following the disputed succession, he was defeated and killed on 19 June 1707 at the battle of Jajuwanby by his elder brother, Prince Muhammad Mu'azzam, who succeeded their father to the Mughal throne.^[5]

Preceded by Aurangzeb

Mughal Emperor 1707

Succeeded by Bahadur Shah I

References

1. ^ H.M. Padshah-i-Mamalik Abu'l Faiz Qutb ud-din Muhammad 'Azam Shah-i-'Ali Jah Ghazi, Emperor of India. b. at Burhanpur, 8th July 1653 n.s., son of H.M. Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram, Abu'l-Muzaffar Muhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur 'Alamgir Padshah Ghazi [Khuld Makan], Emperor of India, by his first wife, Nawab Dilrus Banu Rabia-i-Durani Begum Sahiba, elder daughter of Mirza Badi uz-Zaman Safawi,known as Shah Nawaz Khan, educ. privately.
2. ^ 15th May 1668, Nawab Rahmat Banu Begum Sahiba (d. suddenly at Dacca, bur. Lalabagh), née Rajkumari Ramani Gabharu, daughter of Sri Sri Swargadeva Sri Raja Jayaddhwaj Singha, Raja of Assam. m. (second) 27th July 1668 (nikah) and at the Mansion of Shahzadi Jahan Ara Begum, Delhi, 15th January 1669 (zifaf), Nawab Jahan Zeb Banu Begum Sahiba [Jani Begum](d. at the Bagh-i-Shahi, Ahmadabad, March 1705, bur. Mausoleum of Qutb ud-din, Shahjahanabad, Delhi), daughter of Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba, Jalal ul-Kadir, Sultan Muhammad Dara Shikoh, Shah-i-Buland Iqbal, by his wife, Nawab Nadira Banu Begum Sahiba, daughter of Sultan Parviz Mirza. m. (third) Piari Khanum [Bibi Pari] alias Irandukht (d. ca. 1678, bur. Dacca), daughter of Amir ul-Umara, Nawab Shaista Khan [Mirza Abu Talib], sometime Subadar of Bihar, Patna, Allahabad, Malwa, the Deccan and of Gujarat. m. (fourth) at Ajmer, 7th August 1681, Nawab Shahr Banu Begum Sahiba alias Bijapuri Mahal Sahiba [Padshah Bibi] (b. at Bijapur, 1663), daughter of H.M. Ghulam-i-Hyder-i-Safdar Sultan 'Ali 'Adil Shah II, Sultan of Bijapur, by his wife, Khurshid Khanum.
3. ^ He was k. in battle at Jajuwan, 19th June 1707 n.s. (bur. Mausoleum of Humayun, Delhi), having had issue, seven sons and three daughters: 1) Sultan Muhammad Bidar Bakht Mirza, Bidar Shah Bahadur. b. at Agra, 16th August 1670 (s/o Jahan Zeb Banu). Acting Subadar of Agra and Khandesh 1704, Subadar of Malwa 3rd August 1704 - March 1706, and Gujarat 1st April 1706-8th February 1707. Granted the title of Bidar Shah Bahadur, March 1707. m. (first) at Sholapur, 3rd December 1686, Nawab Shams un-nisa Begum Sahiba [Poti Begum], daughter of Nawab Qamar ud-din Mukhtar Khan Alam Bahadur Shahi, sometime Master of the Household and Faujdar of Agra. m. (second) Nawab Sirchuk Nur Begum Sahiba, daughter of Shrimant Sardar Santaji [Santa] Bhonsle, the Maratha Senapati. He was k. in battle with his father at Jajau, 19th June 1707 (bur. Mausoleum of Humayun, Delhi), 2) Shahzada Jawan Bakht Bahadur. b. on or before 28th December 1671 (s/o Jahan Zeb Banu). He d. young, before 1707. 3) Shahzada Sikandar Shan Bahadur. b. at Hasan Abdal, 1st August 1675 (s/o Jahan Zeb Banu). He d. at Delhi, 13th April 1677. 4) Shahzada Wala Jah Bahadur. b. at Aurangabad, 5th August 1683 (full-brother of Wala Tabar) (s/o a concubine). He was k. in battle with his father at Jajowan, 8th June 1707. Copyright© Christopher Buyers 5) Shahzada Zi Jah Bahadur. b. before 18th January 1684 n.s. He d. young, before 1707. 6) Shahzada Wala Shan Bahadur. b. ca. 3rd August 1684. He d. young, before 1707. 7) Shahzada Muhammad 'Ali Mirza, Wala Tabar Bahadur. b. ca. 1697 (full-brother of Wala Jah) (s/o a concubine). He was blinded and imprisoned on the orders Emperor Farrukh-siyar at the Tripoli Gate Prison of the Red Fort, 21st January 1714. He d. at Delhi, 1734. 1) Nawab Giti Ara Begum Sahiba. b. before 28th November 1685 n.s. m. 1st November 1709 n.s., as his third wife, Sultan Azhar ud-din Muhammad 'Azim Mirza, 'Azim us-Shan Bahadur (b. 16th December 1664; d. drowned in the Ravi, near Lahore, 18th March 1712), Subadar of Bengal, son of H.M. Sahib-i-Qiran-i-Mu'azzam Shah 'Alamgir Sani Abu'n Nasir Sayyid Qutb ud-din 'Abdu'l-Muzaffar Muhammad Mu'azzam Shah 'Alam Bahadur Shah I Padshah Ghazi, Emperor of India, by his first wife, Maharaj Kumari Amrita Bai Sahiba, daughter of Umdai Rajahai Buland Makan Maharaja Shri Rup Singh Sahib Bahadur, Raja of Kishangarh. She d. 12th June 1724 n.s. - see below. 2) Shahzadi 'Iffat Ara Begum Sahiba. 3) Shahzadi Najib un-nisa Begum Sahiba? (d/o Jahan Zeb Begum).
4. ^ ^{a b c} Abdul Karim, Muhammad Azam (Prince), Banglapedia: The National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Retrieved: 2011-05-24
5. ^ Mughal dynasty

Persondata
Name	Muhammad Azam Shah
Alternative names
Short description	Mughal emperor
Date of birth	8 July 1653
Place of birth	Burhanpur, Mughal Empire
Date of death	19 June 1707
Place of death	Jajuwan, Mughal Empire