75-691: Shahaji Bhonsale ( Marathi pronunciation: [ʃəˈɦaːdʑiː ˈbʱos(ə)le] ; 18 March 1594 – 23 January 1664) was a 17th century Indian military leader who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate , the Bijapur Sultanate , and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a member of the Bhonsle dynasty , Shahaji inherited the Pune and Supe jagirs (fiefs) from his father Maloji , who previously served
150-587: A Bijapur campaign to support the rebellion of the Nayakas against the Vijayanagara king Sriranga III , Shahaji was arrested for acting against the interests of Bijapur. While the forces of Bijapur and Golconda laid siege to the Jinjee fort, Shahaji had started acting independently of Bijapur commander Mustafa Khan and started negotiating with the Nayakas of Jinjee, Madurai , and Tiruchirapalli . He even sought service with
225-703: A Hindu, and the Bijapur government kept changing. In 1644, the Bijapur labelled Shahaji a rebel - an August 1644 letter from the Bjiapur asks Kanoji Nayak Jedhe, the Deshmukh of Bhor , to assist government representatives in defeating Dadoji Kondadev, who was campaigning in the Kondana area. The government also instructed another Deshmukh, Khopde, to seize Shahaji's estates, but these orders were apparently withdrawn before implementation. A similar situation arose in 1646. In 1648, during
300-666: A Mughal officer; this prompted the latter to desert the Mughals. Appeased with the submission, Shah Jahan departed the Deccan in 1632 for northern India, leaving the Mughal noble Mahabat Khan to govern the Deccan. With the departure of Shah Jahan, and Fath Khan now acting as the sole head of the Sultanate, the Adil Shahi ruler sought to lay claim to the Sultanate and deputed an army against Daulatabad,
375-488: A Sanskrit poem in the collection, when Jayarama requested leave from Shahaji's court to go on a pilgrimage to Kashi and other places, Shahaji told him to take whatever wealth he desired before leaving. Jayarama credits Shahaji with reviving the Sanskrit language and states that Shahaji himself composed a part of a stanza in Sanskrit; his sons Sambhaji and Ekoji also composed lines to test Jayarama's poetic skills. Poets cited in
450-606: A civil war broke out which was eventually won by his sister, Chand Bibi . She ascended the throne as regent for the new infant sultan and her grand-nephew, Bahadur Nizam Shah , then repelled an invasion by the Mughal Empire with reinforcements from the Bijapur and Golconda Sultanates . After the death of Chand Bibi in July 1600, Ahmadnagar was conquered by the Mughals and the Sultan was imprisoned. Despite Ahmadnagar city being incorporated into
525-511: A decade, spanned the eclipse days of the kingdom; it was characterised by internal strife and political pressure from the Mughal Empire . He played a key role in the kingdom's collapse by defecting to the Mughal Empire, and killed the ruler Burhan Nizam Shah III in the name of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan . His political career came to an end with the Siege of Daulatabad , after which he submitted to
600-574: A few years of its construction. It was modelled along the great cities of the Persianate world, given the Shi'i leanings of the dynasty. A number of palaces such as the Farah Bakhsh Bagh, Ahmadnagar Fort, Hasht Bihisht Bagh, and Manjarsumbah are in and around Ahmadnagar city. There exist tombs of nobles like Salabat Khan and Changiz Khan, and also of saints like Shah Sharif and Bava Bangali. Malik Ambar
675-543: A fresh campaign against Ahmadnagar. In 1629, Shahaji led a 6,000-strong cavalry force against the Mughals in the Khandesh region but was defeated. In 1630, Shahaji's in-laws and patrons were murdered as a result of factional politics in the Ahmadnagar court, leading to Shahaji's defection to the Mughals along with a 2,000-strong cavalry unit. The Mughals sent him to occupy Junnar and Sangamner and gave these districts to him as
750-459: A grand wedding ceremony in Bangalore. He also presented his entire family, including his two sons by his second wife, at the Bijapur court. Jijabai and Shivaji returned to Pune shortly after. Shahaji's elder son Shambuji (also called Sambhaji) and another son Venkoji from his other wife Tukabai stayed with him in Bangalore. Shahaji beautified Bangalore by commissioning several gardens and also built
825-498: A jagir. In 1632, Malik Ambar's son Fatah Khan placed a puppet ruler on the Ahmednagar throne and allied with the Mughals. As a reward, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan granted him the jagir that had been earlier allotted to Shahaji. Shahaji then left the Mughal service and began to plunder the region around Pune . When the Mughals sent an army against him, he took shelter with Hussein Shah
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#1733085479770900-490: A leading Adil Shahi commander who was also of Ethiopian extraction. The marriage took place in 1609 and was celebrated grandly. It had the effect of strengthening ties with the Bijapur Sultanate at a time when Mughal political pressure bore down on both kingdoms. Fath Khan's eldest son was named Abdul Rasul. Following the death of his father in 1626, Fath Khan succeeded him as Peshwa (prime minister) and regent of
975-406: A letter. However, in 1639, Shahaji appears to have been involved in a conflict against the Bijapur government. Records show that the Bijapur ruler Muhammad Adil Shah ordered the Deshmukh of Lakshmeshwara to support commander Sidi Mooflah in arresting the "relations, dependents, servants and horses" of Shahaji. However, few further details are available about this episode. Shahaji's relations with
1050-518: A new city called Khadki (later Aurangabad ). After the death of Malik Ambar in May 1626, his son Fath Khan surrendered to the Mughals in the siege of Daulatabad in 1633 and handed over the young Nizam Shahi ruler Hussain Shah, who was sent as a prisoner to the fort of Gwalior. But soon, Shahaji , with the assistance of Bijapur, placed an infant scion of the Nizam Shahi dynasty, Murtaza Nizam Shah III on
1125-442: A number of years to ascertain accurately the average yield of lands. He abolished the revenue farming. At first, revenue was fixed as two-fifths of the actual produce in kind, but later the cultivators were allowed to pay in cash equivalent to approximately one-third of the yield. Although an average rent was fixed for each plot of land but actual collections depended on the conditions of crops and they varied from year to year. Under
1200-474: A palace called Gowri Mahal, which, according to popular tradition, was located in the present-day Basavanagudi extension. Shahaji appointed several Brahmins from the Pune region to the Bangalore administration. Meanwhile, Dadoji Kondadev revived the taxation system in Pune and remitted surplus revenue to Shahaji's treasury in Bangalore. Amid the rise of Muslim orthodoxy in Bijapur, the relationship between Shahaji,
1275-613: A son. Later when Maloji and Umabai settled in Devagiri , Umabai went on to give birth to two sons, first of whom was Shahaji and second one was Sharifji, born two years later. Both were named after the Pir's own titles. Shahaji was betrothed to Jijabai , the daughter of Lakhuji Jadhav , the Maratha Deshmukh of Sindkhed in the service of Ahmadnagar's Nizamshahi Sultanate, when both of them were children. Like his father Maloji, Shahaji served in
1350-413: Is available about Shahaji's life from 1648 to 1660. He appears to have moved out of Bangalore, where his son Ekoji was stationed. Shahaji himself was stationed at Kanakagiri , and his son Sambhaji was killed during a revolt by the chief ( Rajah ) of Kanakagiri in 1654. During this period, Shahaji participated in Bijapur's war against Golconda. Meanwhile, Shivaji, who now administered Shahaji's jagir in
1425-696: Is credited with the construction of the Janjira Fort in the Murud Area of present-day Maharashtra India. After its construction in 1567 AD, the fort was key to the Sidis withstanding various invasion attempts by the Marathas, Mughals, and Portuguese to capture Janjira. Farah Bagh (also called as Faria Bagh ) is situated in Ahmednagar , Maharashtra . It is a palace build by Nizam Shahi rulers in Ahmednagar. Farah Bagh
1500-589: The Battle of Bhatvadi in 1624, Shahaji and some other Maratha leaders defected to the Mughals, but shortly before the battle they returned to Ahmadnagar. Malik Ambar's army defeated a combined Mughal- Bijapur force in the battle. Subsequently, a quarrel arose between Shahaji and his cousin Kheloji Bhonsle, and in 1625 Shahaji shifted his allegiance to Bijapur, likely because he was dissatisfied with Ahmadnagar rewarding his relatives more than him. He retained his jagir in
1575-625: The Karnataka region. Not much is known about Shahaji's activities during 1642-1645; he likely stayed at his jagir in Bangalore and may have been involved in Bijapur's recapture of the Ikkeri fort in 1644. He likely also stayed at Kolar and Doddaballapura and spent summers at Nandi . Sometime between 1642 and 1644, Shahaji's wife Jijabai and his son Shivaji visited him in Bangalore. During this period, Shahaji arranged Shivaji's marriage to Soyrabai and held
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#17330854797701650-567: The Mughal emperor and became his pensioner. Fath Khan's original name was Aziz Malik. He was the eldest of Malik Ambar's two sons, the younger being Changiz Khan. Patrilineally, Fath Khan was of Ethiopian descent. Among the sociocultural groups and identities active in the politics of the Deccan Sultanates , Fath Khan was not perceived to fall under the grouping of habshi ( lit. ' Abyssinian ' ) like his father, but instead bore
1725-515: The Pune region, which was disputed between Ahmadnagar and Bijapur. A letter dated 10 January 1626 indicates that he still held the position of Sar Lashkar . Ibrahim Adil Shah II , Shahaji's patron in Bijapur, died in September 1627. Adil Shah, a Muslim , was tolerant towards Hindus like Shahaji and saw Ahmadnagar as a buffer state between his kingdom and the Mughal Empire. After his death, an orthodox Muslim faction that advocated for an alliance with
1800-716: The Radha-Madhava-Vilasa Champu include Sbuddhi-Rav, a native of Ghatampur , who compares Shahaji to Krishna holding up the Govardhan Hill to protect the people. Other prominent personalities in Shahaji's court included Prabhakarabhatta (the purohit ), Naropant Hanumanthe, and his sons Janardana-pant and Raghunath-pant. Shahaji's tomb is located at Hodigere, near Channagiri in Karnataka. In popular culture Ahmadnagar Sultanate The Sultanate of Ahmednagar
1875-489: The Siege of Daulatabad around March 1633. The siege concluded in June the same year, when Fath Khan surrendered to Mahabat Khan and was imprisoned. He was then brought to Agra along with Husayn Nizam Shah, where he surrendered before Shah Jahan. The surrender was meant to signify the final Mughal annexation of the Sultanate, but in reality Nizam Shahi resistance continued through 1636, chiefly led by Shahaji Bhonsle. Fath Khan
1950-430: The jagirs of Pune and Supe , Ellora, Dheradi, Kannrad and some more villages in the districts of Jafrabad, Daulatabad and Ahmadabad by Sultan Murtuza Nizamshah of Ahmadnagar. According to Shiva Digvijay , a text considered to be a modern forgery by historians such as Jadunath Sarkar and Surendra Nath Sen, Maloji's wife Umabai allegedly prayed in the tomb of Sufi Pir Shah Sharif of Ahmadnagar to be blessed with
2025-506: The Ahmadnagar Sultanate, appointed by the ruler Burhan Nizam Shah III . His appointment was not well received by Deccani and Habshi groups at court, resulting in defections to the Mughal Empire. Fath Khan sought the support of an influential Ethiopian noble named Hamid Khan; however, the latter aspired to build his own power base. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ascended the throne around this time and placed significant pressure on
2100-463: The Ahmadnagar Sultanate. During the Mughal invasion of the Deccan , Shahaji joined the Mughal forces and served under Emperor Shah Jahan for a short period. After being deprived of his jagirs , he defected to the Bijapur Sultanate in 1632 and regained control over Pune and Supe. In 1638, he received the jagir of Bangalore after Bijapur's invasion of Kempe Gowda III's territories. Afterwards, he became
2175-489: The Bijapur ruler improved in the subsequent years, and in 1641, he supported the Bijapur government in suppressing a revolt by the Hindu chiefs. He joined an army led by the Bijapur general Afzal Khan that captured the fort of Basavapatna from Keng Nayak. The Bijapur army captured several other forts, including Vellore , during this campaign. A letter from Bijapur dated 30 January 1642 expressed appreciation for Shahaji's services in
2250-461: The Golconda government. Shahaji was brought to the capital Bijapur in chains and forced to surrender the forts of Kondana and Bangalore. While texts written under Maratha patronage such as Shiva-Bharat state that Shahaji was arrested because of a rebellion conducted by his son Shivaji, Bijapur records do not support this claim. Whatever the case, Shahaji was pardoned within a year. Little information
2325-477: The Mughal Empire, much of the former kingdom still remained in the possession of influential officials of the Nizam Shahi dynasty. Malik Ambar and other Ahmadnagar officials defied the Mughals and declared Murtaza Nizam Shah II as sultan in 1600 at a new capital in Paranda . Malik Ambar became prime minister and vekīl-us-saltanat of Ahmadnagar. Later, the capital was shifted, first to Junnar and Ausa and then to
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2400-400: The Mughals against Ahmadnagar grew stronger in Bijapur. Amid these circumstances, Shahaji returned to Ahmadnagar in early 1628 under the patronage of Malik Ambar's son Fatah Khan . The power of Ahmadnagar had been declining after Malik Ambar's death in 1626, but Shahaji held a higher position there than the one he held in Bijapur. Meanwhile, the newly-crowned Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan launched
2475-473: The Mughals by recognizing their control over parts of the former Ahmadnagar territory. In 1636, the second faction emerged more powerful, and a peace treaty was signed between Bijapur and the Mughal Empire. As part of this treaty, Bijapur agreed to help the Mughals subjugate Shahaji, or depute him away from the Mughal frontier if he chose to serve Bijapur. The Mughals besieged the Mahuli fort where Shahaji and Murtaza,
2550-634: The Mughals defeated the Bijapur army led by Shahaji. In early 1635, the Mughal army forced Shahaji to retreat from the Daulatabad area, capturing his supply train and 3,000 of his soldiers. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan personally arrived in Deccan with a large army, compelling Shahaji to leave northern Maharashtra. Shahaji lost control of several cities, including Junar and Nashik, and retreated to Konkan. Bijapur had two political factions. The first, which Shahaji sided with, favoured resisting Mughal influence in Deccan. The second favoured establishing peace with
2625-536: The Mughals in the north, the Bijapur government directed its military to the southern frontier. An army led by the general Rustam-i-Zaman Ranadulla Khan invaded Mysore with Shahaji serving as a subordinate commander. During each campaigning season between 1637–1640, Bijapur forces crossed the Krishna and the Tungabhadra rivers, and entered Mysore. The Bijapuri forces defeated several Nayakas , local chiefs who administered
2700-406: The Nizam Shahi nobility. Fath Khan was promptly imprisoned by Burhan Nizam Shah and Hamid Khan at Junnar . However, he managed to escape and marched to Ahmadnagar with his army. He was then defeated by Hamid Khan and his forces, and imprisoned at Daulatabad by Hamid Khan and Burhan Nizam Shah. Following Fath Khan's imprisonment, the king Burhan Nizam Shah faced the desertion of key figures of
2775-477: The Pune region, began acting independently of the Bijapur government and started capturing territories of Bijapur vassals around Pune. Shivaji claimed to be a servant of the Bijapur government and justified his actions by arguing that he was governing these territories better than the deposed rulers did. However, the ruler of Bijapur doubted Shivaji's loyalty and Shahaji distanced himself from his son's actions. A letter from Bijapur, dated 26 May 1658, returns to Shahaji
2850-438: The Sultan and his forces, successfully defeating a much larger army led by Sheikh Muaddi Arab in a night attack, an army of 18,000 led by Azmut-ul-Dabir and an army led by Bahmani general Jahangir Khan. On 28 May 1490, Ahmad declared independence and established the Nizam Shahi dynasty's rule over a de facto independent Sultanate. Initially his capital was in the town of Junnar with its fort, later renamed Shivneri . In 1494,
2925-452: The Sultanate as a result of mismanaged factional relations, Murtaza was murdered by his son Miran Hussain in 1588, who succeeded him and ascended the throne. His reign could however last only a little more than ten months as he was imprisoned. Ismail, a cousin of Miran Hussain was raised to the throne, but actual power was in the hands of Jamal Khan, the leader of the Habshi group in the court. He
3000-550: The Sultanates laden with insulting gestures. In response, four of the five Deccan Muslim sultans—namely Hussain Nizam Shah I and Ali Adil Shah I of Ahmadnagar and Bijapur to the west, Ali Barid Shah I of Bidar in the center, and Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali of Golconda to the east—united in the wake of shrewd marital diplomacy and convened to attack Rama Raya in late January 1565 at Talikota . Hussain
3075-540: The area after the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire. In December 1638, the Bijapur forces seized Bangalore , which was given as a jagir to Shahaji. Shahaji was also given charge of the Kolar , Hoskote , Doddaballapura , and Sira areas by Ranadulla Khan, in consultation with the Bijapur ruler Muhammad Adil Shah . Shahaji chose Bangalore as his headquarters because of its secure fortress and good climate. While Shahaji
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3150-407: The area controlled by Shahaji, not including his jagir of Pune and Indapur , yielded 7.5 million rupees in annual revenue. This estimate was based on the potential rather than the actual revenue; the area had been devastated by war and famine and the actual revenue collected was likely far less. The warring armies had destroyed several villages in the area to deny their enemies income, and most of
3225-541: The army of Malik Ambar , the prime minister of Ahmadnagar Sultanate . At the time of Maloji's death in 1622, 26-year old Shahaji was a minor commander in Malik Ambar's army. By 1625, he held the high military position of Sar Lashkar , as suggested by a letter sent from Pune on 28 July. Ahmadnagar was involved in conflicts against the northern Mughal Empire and other Deccan Sultanates , and Shahaji kept switching his loyalty between these states. For example, sometime before
3300-461: The chief general of Bijapur and oversaw its expansion. Shahaji brought the house of Bhosale into prominence and was the father of Shivaji , the founder of the Maratha Empire . In the 19th and 20th centuries, the princely states of Tanjore , Kolhapur , and Satara were ruled by Shahaji's descendants. Shahaji was the son of Maloji Bhosale , a Maratha warrior and nobleman who had been awarded
3375-566: The conflict. Between the years 1659 and 1662, Shahaji travelled to Pune as a mediator between Shivaji and Bijapur, meeting his son for the first time in 12 years. This was also Shahaji's last meeting with Shivaji, as Shahaji died in early 1664 in a hunting accident. At his court in Bangalore, Shahaji patronized several scholars, including Jayarama Pindye, who composed Radha-Madhava-Vilasa Champu and Parnala-Parvata-Grahan-Akhyana . Jayarama had heard about Shahaji's generosity to poets from traveling bhats (poets) who were returning to their homes in
3450-486: The control of his former jagir of Bangalore and assures him that he will not be punished for the rebellion of his son. Some writers have speculated that Shahaji and Shivaji collaborated to establish an independent kingdom, but no contemporary sources support this theory. The majority of historians believe that Shahaji did not support his son's rebellion. In 1659, the Bijapur government sent a 12,000-strong army led by Afzal Khan against Shivaji, but Shivaji emerged victorious in
3525-406: The court, due to the weakening position of the kingdom in the face of Mughal imperialism. In desperation, Burhan Nizam Shah freed Fath Khan on 18 January 1631, and reappointed him to his former position. Fath Khan's unpopularity contributed to further desertion, such as that of the noble Muqarrab Khan. Fath Khan put his opponent Hamid Khan to death. Aware of his precarious position in court, and facing
3600-432: The death of sultan Ali Adil Shah I earlier that year. In 1586, Ahmadnagar faced an invasion by Akbar of the Mughal Empire ; Mughal forces approached the capital, but were dispelled, choosing to withdraw to the recently-annexed Ellichpur , whereupon the city was sacked and razed. The Mughals were then fully expelled from Ahmadnagar territory, the invasion ultimately ending in Mughal humiliation. Amid falling stability in
3675-449: The foundation was laid for the new capital Ahmadnagar . After several attempts, he secured the great fortress of Daulatabad in 1499. After the death of Malik Ahmad in 1510, his son Burhan Nizam Shah I , a boy of seven, was installed on the throne. In the initial days of his reign, the control of the kingdom was in the hands of Mukammal Khan, an Ahmadnagar official and his son. Burhan converted to Nizari Isma'ili Shi'a Islam under
3750-467: The government infrastructure in the area largely destroyed. Shahaji's control over the area was very weak, but he managed to maintain an army of 2,000-10,000 men and provided services to the Ahmadnagar troops fleeing their state after the Mughal conquest. Meanwhile, in Daulatabad, the Mughals imprisoned the nominal king of Ahamadnagar. Shahaji installed 10-year old Murtaza of the Ahamadnagar royal family as
3825-491: The governor of Junnar and subsequently returned to Bijapur service. From 1630 to 1632, northern Maharashtra suffered from a severe famine, part of the Mahadurga famine . Bijapur sent an army to assist Ahmadnagar against the Mughals, who had besieged the Daulatabad fort , but the Mughals emerged victorious and captured Daulatabad in 1632, the capital of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Shahaji retreated and took control of an area in
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#17330854797703900-461: The king's 10-year-old son as ruler Husayn III . Publicly, Fath Khan claimed he was not responsible for Burhan's death. Fath Khan also struck coins and had the khutba read in Shah Jahan's name, symbolising Mughal sovereignty. Shah Jahan made further demands of the Nizam Shah's wealth, which were also granted. In return, Fath Khan received some of the jagirs (land grants) of Shahaji Bhonsle ,
3975-455: The kingdom, deputing multiple military campaigns. Burhan Nizam Shah hoped that Fath Khan could help forge peace with the Mughals, but Fath Khan instead opened negotiations with Shah Jahan, willing to cede the Berar and Balaghat regions. Fath Khan secretly resisted impending Mughal invasion by collaborating with local groups to block the roads, but his willingness to engage the Mughal emperor alarmed
4050-690: The north. He traveled from Nashik to Bangalore, and was introduced to Shahaji's court by a man named Shivaraya Gosvamin. Jayarama presented 12 coconuts before Shahaji, signifying his knowledge of 12 languages. Under Shahaji's patronage, Jayarama composed Radha-Madhava-Vilasa Champu ( c. 1660 or earlier), a multi-lingual collection of poems. The work names and cites poets in 35 languages, including Sanskrit , Prakrit , Persian , Kannada , Hindi , and Urdu . Jayarama compares Shahaji to Partha in heroism, Vikramarka in generosity, and Bhoja in learning. He makes grandiloquent claims, such as that "hundreds and thousands" of scholars and poets from all over
4125-445: The possibility that the Nizam Shah could turn against him once again, he imprisoned Burhan Nizam Shah, declaring him insane. He simultaneously put to death twenty-five leading members of the court, and reopened negotiations with Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, offering to recognize Mughal sovereignty. Shah Jahan responded asking Fath Khan to prove the sincerity of his claims, upon which Fath Khan put Burhan Nizam Shah to death, and installed
4200-473: The pretender to the Ahmadnagar throne, were residing. In October 1636, Shahaji surrendered Mahuli and Junnar to the Mughals and returned to the Bijapur service. As a result, the Mughals controlled a major part of present-day Maharashtra, including Pune and Indapur. Shahaji was allowed to retain his jagir in the Pune region but was barred from living in the area as part of the Mughal-Bijapur treaty. The jagir
4275-573: The reigns of successive rulers of the dynasty, architecture and art flourished in the kingdom. The earliest extant school of painting in the Deccan sultanates is from Ahmadnagar. Several palaces, such as the Farah Bakhsh Bagh, the Hasht Bihisht Bagh, Lakkad Mahal were built, as were tombs, mosques and other buildings. Many forts of the Deccan, such as the fort of Junnar (later renamed Shivneri ), Paranda , Ausa , Dharur , Lohagad , etc. were greatly improved under their reign. Daulatabad, which
4350-487: The remaining villages yielded taxes only when forced to do so. According to the newsletter, Shahaji's forces included a 3,000-man cavalry plus an additional 2,000-man contingent from Bijapur. By 1634, Shahaji had started raiding the area near the Mughal -controlled Daulatabad , prompting the Mughals to initiate a major campaign against him. In the ensuing battle of Parenda (1634), in which Maratha soldiers fought on both sides,
4425-579: The seat of the Nizam Shahis. Fath Khan wrote to Mahabat Khan seeking protection, who deputed a Mughal force to march to Fath Khan's aid. As the forces advanced, an Abyssinian officer of the Adil Shahis named Randola Khan persuaded Fath Khan to switch sides and oppose the Mughals, offering a lump sum. Fath Khan now resolved to defend the fort of Daulatabad from the Mughal army. Upon hearing of the treachery, Mahabat Khan himself arrived in Daulatabad and commenced
4500-439: The southern part of the Sultanate. This area included lands in the triangle formed by connecting the cities of Nashik , Pune , and Ahmadnagar . Unlike southern Maharashtra, which was directly administered by the Bijapur government, this region was politically unstable because of the constant warfare between Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and the Mughals. The political control of the region had changed at least ten times from 1600 to 1635 with
4575-566: The throne and he became the regent. In 1636, Aurangzeb , then Mughal viceroy of Deccan, finally defeated Shahaji and partitioned the sultanate between the Mughal Empire and the Sultanate of Bijapur . The revenue system introduced by Malik Ambar was based on the revenue system introduced in Northern India and some parts of Gujarat and Khandesh subahs by Raja Todarmal . Lands were classified as good or bad according to their fertility and he took
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#17330854797704650-409: The title muwallad ( lit. ' of mixed origins ' ). In his time and context, this signified the shedding of his father's status as a military slave, and typically meant greater acceptance into elite circles of the court. Malik Ambar trained Fath Khan to be his natural successor as de facto ruler of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. He arranged Fath Khan's marriage to the daughter of Yaqut Khan,
4725-642: The titular puppet ruler and appointed himself chief minister. Within a year, Shahaji's army captured Junnar and a large part of the northern Konkan region. Shahaji resided in Junnar and raised an army, which at its height numbered 12,000 soldiers. The strength of the army kept changing because of the changing loyalties of the various subordinate chiefs including Ghatge, Kate, Gaikwad, Kank, Chavan, Mohite, Mahadik, Pandhre, Wagh, and Ghorpade. Shahaji set up his capital at Shahabad and gained control of several large forts. A contemporary Brahmin newsletter from Bijapur states that
4800-439: The tutelage of Shah Tahir , a refugee from Persia and court official who was head of the largest branch of Nizari Shi'ism at that time. Burhan died in Ahmadnagar in 1553. He left six sons, of whom Hussain Nizam Shah I succeeded him. Beginning in the 1560s, the de facto ruler of nearby Vijayanagara Empire , Rama Raya , made a series of aggressive efforts to maintain hold over Kalyan and conducted diplomatic dealings with
4875-426: The world came to Shahaji's court to seek his patronage. In a Dingal -language poem, he describes a scene in which the king of Amber learns of Shahaji's greatness from poets and announces his intention to present gifts to Shahaji if Shahaji ever visited Amber; which according to scholar Sumit Guha is a purely imaginary scenario but shows how Bards were responsible for propagating a transregional reputation. According to
4950-588: Was a 17th-century political figure of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate , a historical principality spanning the Western Deccan region in the Indian subcontinent . He was the eldest son of Malik Ambar , the Peshwa (prime minister) of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. He succeeded his father as the Sultanate's de facto ruler after the latter's death in 1626, and served as Peshwa until his imprisonment in 1633. His tenure, lasting less than
5025-559: Was a late medieval Indian Muslim kingdom located in the northwestern Deccan , between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur , ruled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty . It was established when Malik Ahmed, the Bahmani governor of Junnar, after defeating the Bahmani army led by general Jahangir Khan on 28 May 1490, declared independence and established the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Initially the capital
5100-494: Was a leading figurehead of the Deccan sultanates during the ensuing battle . Afterwards, Rama Raya was beheaded by Sultan Nizam Hussain himself. After the death of Hussain in 1565, his minor son Murtaza Nizam Shah I ascended the throne. During his minority, his mother Khanzada Humayun ruled as a regent for several years. Murtaza Shah annexed Berar in 1574, bringing the sultanate to its territorial zenith. Murtaza launched an unsuccessful campaign into Bijapur in 1580, following
5175-407: Was in the town of Junnar with its fort, later renamed Shivneri . In 1494, the foundation was laid for the new capital Ahmednagar . In 1636 Aurangzeb , then Mughal viceroy of Deccan, annexed the sultanate to the Mughal Empire . Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I was the son of Nizam-ul-Mulk Malik Hasan Bahri , originally a Hindu Brahmin from Vijayanagar originally named Tima Bhat. Ahmed's father
5250-473: Was made prime minister on the death of Mahmud Gawan and was made Malik Na'ib by Mahmood Shah Bahmani II . Soon after, he appointed Ahmed governor of Beed and other districts in the vicinity of Dowlutabad. After the death of his father, Ahmed assumed the titles of Nizam ul-Mulk Bahri from his father, the last signifying a falcon as Hasan had been falconer to the Sultan. Malik Ahmad the Bahmani governor of Junnar defended his province against incursions from
5325-465: Was placed under the nominal administration of his son Shivaji, with his subordinate Dadoji Kondadev as its manager. Shahaji was transferred to the southern part of the Bijapur Sultanate. Shahaji spent the last 20 years of his life in the south, where the Bijapur and the Golconda Sultanates were trying to capture territories from the declining Vijayanagara Empire . Having established peace with
5400-456: Was the centrepiece of a huge palacial complex completed in 1583. It were the special possessions of the royal household and Murtaza Nizam Shah often retired here to play chess with a Delhi singer whom he called Fateh Shah and also built for him a separate mahal called Lakad Mahal in the garden. The following is the list of the Nizam Shahi rulers of Ahmadnagar: Fath Khan Abdul Rasul (son) Fath Khan , also written as Fateh Khan ,
5475-468: Was the leader of the Mahdawi movement , and aggressively propagated the faith while in power. Ismail Nizam Shah's unpopular reign proved short. Jamal Khan was killed in the battle of Rohankhed in 1591 and soon Ismail was also captured and confined by his father Burhan, who ascended the throne as Burhan Nizam Shah II . He outlawed Mahdawia and reinstated Shi'ism as the state religion. Following Burhan's death,
5550-590: Was their secondary capital, was also heavily fortified and constructed in their reign. Literature was heavily patronised in the kingdom, as seen through manuscripts such as the Tarif-i Husain Shah Badshah-i Dakan . Sanskrit scholarship was also given a boost under their rule, as demonstrated by the works of Sabaji Pratap and Bhanudatta. The city of Ahmadnagar, founded by the Nizam Shahs, was described as being comparable to Cairo and Baghdad, within
5625-399: Was unable to retain control of this entire territory after the departure of the main Bijapur army, the Bijapur army's annual expeditions continued to bring more territories under his control. The rulers of Bijapur exercised little control over the Bangalore region, and Shahaji ruled the area almost independently. The ruler of Bijapur trusted him and even called him "the pillar of the state" in
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