The Mirzás.*

(See Vol. V. pp. 189, 315, 325, 330.)

[The Mirzás were the sons of Muhammad Sultán Mirzá. He was the son of Rashíd Sultán Waís Mirzá, son of Bábakrá, son of Mansúr, son of Bábakrá, son of 'Umr Shaikh, son of Sáhib Kirán Amír Tímúr. The mother of Sultán Mirzá was a daughter of Sultán Husain Mirzá, ruler of Khurásán. This Sultán (Husain) Mirzá brought up his grandson, Muhammad Sultán Mirzá, under his own protection. When Sultán Mirzá died, dissensions arose in his country, and Muhammad Sultán Mirzá went and presented himself to the Emperor Bábar, who treated him with great kindness. After the death of Bábar, the Emperor Humáyún kept up during his reign the same favour and patronage. Muhammad Sultán Mirzá had two sons. One, Ulugh Mirzá, met his death in a fight with the Hazáras. The other was named Sháh Mirzá. Ulugh Mirzá left two sons, Sikandar Mirzá and Muhammad Sultán Mirzá. Upon the death of Ulugh Mirzá, the Emperor Humáyún charged himself with the education of his sons, and by his favour Sikandar Mirzá received the title of Ulugh Mirzá, and Muhammad Sultán Mirzá that of Sháh Mirzá. When the Emperor Akbar suc­ceeded to the throne, Muhammad Sultán Mirzá had grown up. The Emperor exempted him from military service, and assigned him the pargana of 'Azampúr, in the sarkár of Sambal, for a maintenance. He had several sons. First, Ibráhím Husain Mirzá; second, Muhammad Husain Mirzá; third, Mas'úd Husain Mirzá; fourth, 'Ákil Husain Mirzá. The Emperor conferred upon each of these a suitable jágír, and raised them to the rank of nobility. They attended in the train of His Majesty, and performed the duties of service. When the Em­peror returned from his campaign against Jaunpúr, they were at their jágírs in Sambal. At the time of the Emperor's march to Lahore against Mirzá Hakím, the brothers Ulugh Mirzá and Sháh Mirzá combined with their uncles (nephews?) Ibráhím Husain Mirzá and Muhammad Husain Mirzá, and breaking out into rebellion, ravaged several parganas. This was an old failing in the family. Ulugh Mirzá and Sháh Mirzá, sons of Muhammad Sultán Mirzá, rose in rebellion during the reign of Humáyún, and did great damage. But on each occasion their offences were overlooked.

When these graceless men attacked the parganas, the jágírdárs of those parts resisted them, and the Mirzás, being unable to withstand the force brought against them, made off to join Khán-zamán and Sikandar Khán. There also their intractable tempers stood in the way of anything like union, so they turned back, with the intention of making an inroad into the Doáb, and went as far as the pargana of Ním-kahár. Here Yár Sháhí, the sister's son of Hájí Khán Sístání, jágírdár of that district, gave them battle; but although he made a good fight, he was defeated, and great booty fell into the hands of the Mirzás. They con­tinued their course, plundering as far as Dehlí. Tátár Khán, the governor of Dehlí, put the fort in a state of defence, and Mun'im Khán moved up from Ágra to oppose them. Unable to resist the forces brought against them, they hastened off to Málwa, which was in a defenceless state. At the town of Sonpat, they fell in with Mír Mu'ízzu-l Mulk, who was pro­ceeding to the Panjáb, and plundered his baggage. They then proceeded to Málwa, and took possession of that country. Kadam Khán, brother of Maghrib Khán Dakhiní, was in Hindia, and Muhammad Husain Mirzá laid siege to the place. After a time, he killed Kadam Khán, and got possession of Hindia. When intelligence of these doings reached the Em­peror at Lahore, he gave orders for arresting Muhammad Sultán Mirzá at 'Azampúr, and for keeping him a prisoner in the fort of Bayána.

In this same year, 947 H., the Emperor having proved victo­rious over 'Alí Kulí Khán-zamán and Bahádur Khán, returned to Ágra, and his victorious army had hardly taken breath, when the news came of the descent of the Mirzás upon Málwa. The Emperor immediately went off thither. When he reached Gágrún, he did not deem it necessary to prosecute a design which might as well be carried out by his officers; so he ap­pointed Shahábu-d dín Ahmad Khán, Sháh Bidágh Khán, and some others, to act in the province of Mandú. As these nobles came near to Ujjain, they learned that the Mirzás, having heard of the approach of the Emperor, had met together and gone off to Changíz Khán, the ruler of Gujarát. So these commanders, by the grace of God, and the good fortune of the Emperor, obtained possession of the province without opposi­tion or fighting.

In the year 975, when the Emperor had sent his forces to besiege the fort of Rantambhor, he received intelligence that the Mirzás had fled from Changíz Khán, and having come back into Málwa, had laid siege to Ujjain. So he sent against them Kalij Khán and some other amírs who had been named for service at Rantambhor. When these amírs approached Sironj, they were joined by Shahábu-d dín Ahmad Khán, the governor of that sarkár, and Sháh Bidágh Khán, governor of Sárangpúr. The Mirzás hearing of this imposing force, raised the siege of Ujjain, and turned towards Mandú. The garrison being thus relieved, came out, and having joined the army, the united forces went in pursuit of the rebels. They fled from Mandú to the Nerbadda, and lost many men in making the passage of that river. Just about this time, Jhajár Khán Habshí assassinated Changíz Khán, the ruler of Gujarát, in the tirpauliya. When the Mirzás were informed of this event, they thought the disturbances in Gujarát opened a favourable field for them, so they proceeded thither, and the Imperial amírs returned to their jágírs or to Court, ac­cording to orders. The Mirzás, having obtained possession of Chámpánír, marched against Broach, and laid siege to the fortress. After a time, they killed by treachery Rúmí Khán, who held the fort, and each of them brought a portion of the territories of Gujarát into his possession. Ibráhím Husain held Baroda and the surrounding territories. Muhammad Husain got Surát and its dependencies, and Sháh Mirzá held Chám­pánír, with its dependent districts.*]