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Azim Shah

Shailen Bhandare wrote:

Azeem ush-Shan was the second son of Shah Alam Bahadur and was a favourite to succeed his father among his other sons,namely Jahandar Shah (the eldest), Rafi ush-Shan (the third) and Jahan Shah (the youngest). When Shah Alam Bahadur died at Lahore on 20 Muharram AH1124 (27th February 1712), his other sons made a combine against Azeem ush-Shan under a plot hatched by Zulfiqar Khan, who supported Jahandar Shah as the contender. The armies of the combine met with that of Azeem ush-Shan on the banks of the River Ravi on 7 Safar AH1124 (15th March 1712) and a bloody battle was fought for three days during which Azeem ush-Shan was killed when he was drowned in the river. The combine of his three brothers was thus successful, but fighting soon erupted among them leading to the elimination of Rafi ush-Shan and Jahan Shah. Jahandar Shah succeeded to the throne with Zulfiqar Khan's support and in return he was made the Wazeer.

Coins in the name of Azeem ush-Shan were, however, struck for a very brief time, in faraway provinces of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The culprit behind their issue was Farrukhsiyar, the son of Azeemush-Shan, and the Governor of these provinces. He received the news of Shah Alam Bahadur's death on 7 Safar AH1124 (15th March 1712) when he was near Patna. On 13 Safar 1124 (21st March 1712), unaware that Azeem ush-Shan had already been killed, Farrukhsiyar proclaimed him the emperor and struck coins in his name. The news of Azeemush-Shan's death ultimately reached him on 29 Safar. Thereafter he decided to crown himself and pose as a challenge to Jahandar Shah. His ambitions were finally realized on 19th January 1713, when he was proclaimed the Emperor at Dehli after defeating Jahandar Shah at Agra with the help of his trusted ministers, the Sayyad Brothers. The issue of coins in the name of Azeemush-Shan thus presents a very interesting story of intrigue, victory and defeat in the Mughal court. They were struck for a very short spell – a little more than sixteen days! They constitute perhaps the rarest of an instance of a name of a transient 'emperor' to have appeared on Mughal coins.