210 BOORHAN NIZAM SHAH I. Mookumil The nobles The King ascends the throne in his seventh year. Khan Deccany minister and regent. His son, entitled Azeezool-Moolk, commander of the household troops. are offended with Azeez-ool-Moolk, and resolve to remove his party-they endeavour to obtain possession of the King's younger brother Raja-Joo, but their plan is defeated - they quit Ahmudnuggur with eight thousand men, and join the King of Berar, who is induced to lead an army to attack the Nizam Shahy dominions. The enemy is defeated in the battle of Ranoory by the troops of the young King of Ahmudnugguris pursued, and compelled to quit Berar.Applies to the King of Kandeish to mediate a peace. - Mookumil Khan demands the cession of the town of Patry in exchange for some other place. — The King of Berar not only declines compliance, but fortifies the town.- Mookumil Khan some time afterwards makes a night-attack on Patry, and occupies it. The King espouses Ameena, a dancing girl, and takes to drinking wine. - Mookumil Khan resigns his office of minister, which is conferred on Sheikh Jafur Deccany. — The King marries the Princess Muryum, sister of Ismael Adil Shah. The fort of Sholapoor promised to be obtained for the King of Ahmudnuggur by Assud Khan of Belgam, the ambassador - but the cession is not acceded to by the King of Beejapoor. The King's first wife assumes superiority over the Princess Muryum. The latter complains to her brother, who remonstrates, and threatens the King of Ahmudnuggur. Formidable confederacy against the King of Beejapoor. The allies march to take Sholapoor· are defeated. The King of Berar is encouraged by the King of Beejapoor to attack Patry-it is taken and retaken, and subsequently rased to the ground. Boorhan Nizam Shah is attacked by the kings of Berar and Kandeish- they are both defeated, with the loss of three hundred elephants they apply for aid to Bahadur Shah of Guzerat. Boorhan Nizam Shah obtains the aid of Ameer Bereed, King of Bidur, and a body of troops from Beejapoor.- Ameer Bereed attacks and discomfits two divisions of the Guzerat army near Beer- but Boorhan Nizam Shah is eventually compelled to retreat, first to Purenda, and then to Joonere. - Bahadur Shah of Guzerat, after being proclaimed King at Ahmudnuggur, retires to Dowlutabad. Boorhan Nizam Shah removes Sheikh Jafur from the office of Peshwa, and confers it on a Hindoo named Kawur Sein. Obtains peace. The confederates retire to their own capitals, Boorhan Nizam Shah is constrained to read the Khootba in the name of Bahadur Shah of Guzerat. Bahadur Shah, after subduing Malwa, arrives at Boorhanpoor in Kandeish. - Boorhan Nizam Shah is invited to meet him. Difficulties occur, which are removed through the address of the ambassador Shah Tahir. Description of the meeting. Disputes concerning territorial limits occur between the kings of Ahmudnuggur and Beejapoor - mediated by ambassadors. · Boorhan Nizam Shah supports the Sheea persuasion avails himself of the jealousy of the King of Beejapoor against his minister Assud Khan of Belgam to wage war with him is eventually compelled to retreat -renews the war in concert with the King of Golconda and Ramraj.— The King of Ahmudnuggur makes three campaigns, but with little success. His death his body sent to Kurbula. BOORHAN NIZAM SHAH ascended the throne of his father at Ahmudnuggur, in the seventh year of his age. Mookumil Khan Deccany, an able statesman and general, who held both the offices of Peshwa and Ameer Joomla † in the lifetime of the late king, was appointed Vakeel or Protector; while his son, Meean Jumal ood-Deen, received the title of Azeez-ool-Moolk, and had the office *Minister of the foreign department. of Sur-Nobut * assigned to him. The father and son having thus placed the royal household under their control obtained the fullest power over all the affairs of government. Nearly three years elapsed, during which the pride and insolence of Azeez-ool-Moolk had grown so intolerable to the other nobles, such as Roomy Khan, Kurreem Khan, and Meer Khan, that becoming envious of his authority, they strove to subvert his influence; and having gained over to their interests Beeby Eisha, (nurse to the young King's mother, who enjoyed much of her confidence,) it was agreed that she should deliver over to them RajaJoo †, the infant brother of the King, whom they determined to raise to the throne; so that by deposing Boorhan Nizam Shah they might free themselves from the despotic sway of the minister and his son. Beeby Eisha, accordingly, having one day dressed the young prince in girl's clothes, and put him in her own palky, took him with her towards the city. She was scarcely gone when the Queenmother sending for the child found he was missing. Commander of the household troops. The Oriental scholar will be at first surprised that the son of a Mahomedan king should be called Raja-Joo; but the circumstance is explained by his father being descended from a bramin, who became a convert to the faith of Islam. The family claimed the office of hereditary register of the village of Patry in Berar, which it lost on embracing the Mahomedan religion. The kings of Ahmudnuggur, however, never gave up their pretensions to this office: they subsequently went to war on that account, and their contests with the King of Berar, in disputing the point, led to the loss of the kingdom by the family of Imad Shah. Great consternation spread among the attendants both within and without the palace. Some, conjecturing that he might have fallen into a fountain or well, went to search for him, while others, having followed Beeby Eisha, and overtaking her before she reached the city, brought both her and the child back. This old lady having been always regarded as a grandmother to the princes, was frequently in the habit of taking them with her to town, where they sometimes remained for two or three days, so that on this occasion she pretended that she was carrying the young prince only on a visit in a few days, however, the secret being disclosed, that she had done so in concert with the nobles, the minister took measures to watch the princes more narrowly. So much attention was paid to the education of Boorhan Nizam Shah, that in his tenth year he read poetry with facility and proper emphasis, and wrote exceedingly well. The author has seen a treatise on the duties of kings, in the royal library at Ahmudnuggur copied by that monarch at that tender age. The enemies of the Peshwa (Mookumil Khan) were soon after induced to quit Ahmudnuggur with their followers, to the number of eight thousand men. They entered the service of Alla-ood-Deen Imad-oolMoolk, ruler of Berar, whom they excited to attack the dominions of Boorhan Nizam Shah. Imadool-Moolk, deeming the conquest an object of easy attainment, marched with a large army from Elichpoor towards the Nizam Shahy frontier; while Mookumil Khan, aided by the forces of Khwaja A.H. 916. Jehan Deccany* of Purenda, and attended by the young King, opposed the enemy near the town of Ranoory, in the year 916, when ImadA. D. 1510. ool-Moolk sustained a total defeat; flying from the field without halting till he reached Elichpoor, and leaving in the hands of the Nizam Shahies all his baggage, horses, and elephants. In this battle Boorhan Nizam Shah, on account of his tender years, rode on horseback with his tutor Ajdur Khan, and was seated before him on the same saddle. Imad-ool-Moolk, finding himself pursued, left Elichpoor and fled to Boorhanpoor, where he solicited the aid of the ruler of Kandeish to mediate a peace. Some learned men were accordingly sent to Mookumil Khan, who represented that it was contrary to the law of the prophet for the faithful to wage war against each other, a peace was concluded, and both parties returned to their respective dominions. It is said that the ancestors of the Nizam Shahy kings were natives of the town of Patry; but for some cause, one of them, a Coolcurny †, quitting his birth-place, removed to Beejanuggur and settled. When the family attained regal power, It will be observed, that Khwaja Jehan Deccany still held Purenda and its neighbouring territory in subjection to Ahmudnuggur, but independent of any other sovereign. + Coolcurny is the hereditary village accountant. exertions made by this Hindoo family to recover the office shows the importance the people of India attach to privileges of this nature, though the perquisites of the office might, in themselves, be of little intrinsic worth. 1 |