ram obtaining intimation of his intentions, contrived to get him in his power, and eventually poisoned him. This is the origin of the feuds between the houses of Ghoor and Ghizny. Seif-ood-Deen Soory, the fifth son, who had accompanied his brother, escaped the snare, and fled to Ferooz-kooh, where, putting himself at the head of his brother's army, he marched towards Ghizny to revenge his death, as we have seen in the history of that kingdom.. Ghizny fell, and Sooltan Beiram fled to India. He returned again in the winter, when the troops of Seif-ood-Deen were mostly gone to Feroozkooh and Ghoor, from whence they could not easily return, on account of the roads and deep snow. Seif-ood-Deen Soory, as before related, was betrayed into the hands of Sooltan Beiram by the inhabitants, and with his vizier suffered an ignominious death. This act of cruelty induced Baha-ood-Deen Sam, the sixth brother, to invade Ghizny, with an army from Feroozkooh and Ghoor; but he died suddenly, of the small-pox. The seventh brother, Alla-ood-Deen Hoossein (entitled the Incendiary), however, took ample vengeance, and destroyed Ghizny. He carried his animosity so far as to destroy every monument of the Ghizny emperors, with the exception of those of Mahmood, Musaood, and Ibraheem; but he defaced all the inscriptions, even of their times, from every public edifice. On returning to Ghoor, he appointed his nephews, Gheias-ood-Deen and Moyiz-ood-Deen Sam, (the sons of Baha-ood-Deen Sam, who had shortly before died of the small-pox,) to the government of a province of Ghoor, called Sunja *; but finding the revenues of that province did not support them in the style they wished, they made encroachments on their neighbours. This circumstance having reached the ears of Alla-ood-Deen, he sent a force against them, and seizing them both, confined them in a fort of Joorjistan. Alla-ood-Deen Hoossein, elate with his new acquisition, refused to pay to Sooltan Sunjur Suljooky the tribute annually given by his father. He over-ran the provinces of Bulkh and Herat; but was eventually defeated, and taken prisoner; notwithstanding which, Sooltan Sunjur SulA. D. 1156. jooky restored him to his kingdom, and A. H. 551. he died a natural death in the year 551. Alla-ood-Deen was succeeded by his son Mullik Seif-ood-Deen, who on his accession released his two cousins from their confinement in Joorjistan, and again conferred on them the government of Sunja. In little more than a year, he commenced a war with the Ghiza Toorkmans, and on the day of battle fell by the hand of one of his own soldiers. He was succeeded by his eldest cousin, Gheiasood-Deen, who appointed his brother, Moyiz-oodDeen Mahomed Ghoory†, his general. This illustrious captain, in the name of his brother, subdued Khorassan, and a great part of India; and Gheiasood-Deen annexed those countries to his own dominions. His death happened, as will afterwards appear, in the year 599. On the accession of Gheias-ood-Deen to the * This place is not down in any of the maps I have consulted. He is generally called in history Mahomed Ghoory, by which name he will henceforward be recognised. throne of Ghizny and Ghoor, he appointed his brother, Moyiz-ood-Deen Mahomed, governor of Tukeeabad: the latter continued from that period to make incursions upon Ghizny, which had reverted into the hands of some of the descendants of the house of Subooktugeen. In the year A. H. 567. A. D. 1171. 567, Gheias-ood-Deen marched in person A. H. 572. against the officers of Sooltan Khoosrow Mullik, the last of the Ghiznevides, and recovered Ghizny from them. He gave the government to his brother Mahomed, who in the year 572 led an army towards Mooltan, and having subdued that province, marched to Oocha. * The Raja was besieged in his fort; but Mahomed Ghoory, finding it would be difficult to reduce the place, sent a private message to the Raja's wife, promising to marry her if she would deliver up her husband. The base woman returned for answer, that she was rather too old herself to think of matrimony; but that she had a beautiful and young daughter, whom if he would promise to espouse, and leave her in free possession of her wealth, she would in a few days remove the Raja. Mahomed Ghoory accepted the proposal; and this Princess, in a few days, found means to assassinate her husband, and to open the gates to the enemy. Mahomed only partly performed his promise, by marrying the daughter, upon her embracing the true faith; but he made no scruple to depart from * It was at this place that Alexander was so severely wounded after scaling the walls, and where he so narrowly escaped with his life. Quint. Curt. lib. ix. cap. iv. v. his engagements with the mother; for instead of trusting her with the country, he sent her to Ghizny, where she afterwards died of sorrow and disappointment. Nor did the daughter long survive, for in the space of two years she also fell a victim to grief. A. H. 574. Mahomed Ghoory, having conferred the government of Mooltan and Oocha upon one Ally Kirmany, returned to Ghizny. In the A. D. 1178. year 574, he again marched to Oocha and Moultan, and from thence continued his route through the sandy desert to Guzerat. The Prince Bhim-dew (a lineal descendant from Brahma Dew of Guzerat, who opposed Mahmood Ghiznevy,) advanced with an army to resist the Mahomedans, and defeated them with great slaughter. They suffered many hardships in their retreat, before they reached Ghizny. A. II. 575. A. D. 1179. A. H. 576. In the year following, Mahomed Ghoory having recruited his forces, marched towards Pishawur, which in a short time was brought under subjection. He proceeded, in the course of the next year, towards Lahore, where he made war with Sooltan Khoosrow Mullik, the last of the Ghiznevides, who being reduced at that time, by wars both with the Indian princes and the Afghans, was unable to oppose him in the field. Mahomed Ghoory, finding he could not take Lahore by force, offered to treat with Khoosrow Mullik, who having gladly availed himself of the circumstance, gave his son Mullik Shah into his hands as an hostage for the performance of part of the treaty. Mahomed Ghoory now returned to Ghizny; but in the next year marched towards Deebul, in the province of Sind, and overran the whole country as far as the sea-coast, returning laden with rich spoil. A. H. 580. In the year 580, he again invaded Lahore, where Khoosrow Mullik, shutting himsel up in the fort, as before, sustained a long siege, from which Mahomed was at length compelled to desist. compelled to desist. In this expedition he repaired the fort of Sealkote, wherein he left a garrison to command the countries between the rivers Ravy and Chunab, placed by him under the government of Hoossein Firmully, while he himself retired to Ghizny. This fort, as we have before related, being successfully besieged, and taken by Khoosrow Mullik, occasioned the third expedition of Mahomed Ghoory to Lahore, of which he made himself master in the year 582, by the stratagem mentioned in the conclusion of the history of Ghizny. He sent Khoosrow Mullik and his family prisoners to his brother Sooltan Gheias-ooddeen at Feroozkooh, who confined them in a fort in Joorjistan, where they were some time after put to death, during the subsequent war with Khwaruzm Shah, and the dynasty of Ghizny then became wholly extinct. A. H. 582. A. D. 1186. Mahomed Ghoory, having settled the province of Lahore, confided the government to Ally Kirmany, governor of Mooltan, and retired to Ghizny. In the year 587, he marched again to Hindoostan, and proceeding towards A. H. 587. |