StephaineShrader at 11:42, 16 November 2025

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{{Short description|Mughal general and noble (c. 1649–1710)}}
{{For|other people with similar names|Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung (disambiguation)}}

{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Ghazi ud Din Khan Feroze Jung I.jpg
| name = Mir Shihab-ud-Din Siddiqi
| spouse = Safiya Khanum
| birth_place = [[Bukhara]]
| office1 = [[Subahdar]] of [[Berar Subah|Berar]]
| office2 = [[Subahdar]] of [[Gujarat Subah|Gujarat]]
| office3 = [[Subahdar]] of [[Ajmer Subah|Ajmer]]
| death_place = [[Ahmedabad]], [[Gujarat Subah]]
| death_date = {{death date|1710|12|8|df=yes}}
| birth_date = 1649
| termstart1 = 1698
| termend1 = ?
| term3 = {{date|12 April 1708|dmy}}-? <br /> {{date|15 June 1708}}-?
| parents = [[Kilich Khan|Abid Khan]]
| children = {{plainlist|
*[[Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I|Chin Qilich Khan]]
*Hamid Khan Bahadur
*Rahimuddin Khan}}
| caption = Portrait of Ghaziuddin Bahadur Khan Firuz Jang I, {{circa|1675}}, from [[LACMA]]
| title =
| honorific_prefix = Ghaziuddin Khan Bahadur, Firuz Jang, Farzand-i Arjomand
| honorific_suffix =
| resting_place = [[Madrasa Ghaziuddin Khan]], [[Old Delhi]]
| monarch1 = [[Aurangzeb]]
| monarch2 = [[Bahadur Shah I|Bahadur Shah]]
| monarch3 = [[Bahadur Shah I|Bahadur Shah]]
| battles = [[Siege of Bijapur]] (1685-1686)<br/>[[Siege of Golconda]] (1687)<br/>[[Battle of Sironj]] (1704)
| awards = [[Mahi Maratib]]
| termend2 = 8 December 1710
| term_end =
| termstart2 = 1708
| preceded2 = Ibrahim Khan
}}
'''Mir Shihab-ud-Din Siddiqi''' ({{Circa|1649}}-{{death date|1710|12|8|df=yes}}), known by his title '''Ghaziuddin Khan''', was a leading military general and noble of [[Central Asian]] origin in the [[Mughal Empire]].

He was a favoured member of emperor [[Aurangzeb|Aurangzeb's]] court, and the father of [[Chin Qilich Khan]], the founder of [[Hyderabad State]]. Under Aurangzeb, he distinguished himself in key battles over the [[Deccan]], and held the governorship of [[Berar Subah]]. He briefly served as the governor of [[Gujarat Subah]] during the reign of Aurangzeb's successor [[Bahadur Shah I|Bahadur Shah]], and died in office. He is buried in a [[madrasa]] complex he founded, known as [[Madrasa Ghaziuddin Khan]], which is located in [[Old Delhi]].

== Early life ==
Ghaziuddin Khan was born in [[Bukhara]] (in present-day [[Uzbekistan]]) as Mir Shihab ud-Din Siddiqi, in the year 1649.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=General Ghazi al-Din Bahadur Khan Firuz Jang I (recto), Calligraphy (verso) {{!}} LACMA Collections |url=https://collections.lacma.org/node/246400 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223070131/https://collections.lacma.org/node/246400 |archive-date=2023-02-23 |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=collections.lacma.org}}</ref> He was the eldest son of [[Kilich Khan|Abid Khan]], who had emigrated to Mughal India earlier than him and later became a favoured noble of emperor Aurangzeb. Ghaziuddin Khan's grandfather was a prominent intellectual of Bukhara named Alam Shaikh, who traced his descent to renowned saint [[Shihab al-Din 'Umar al-Suhrawardi|Shihabuddin Suhrawardi]] (d. 1234).{{Sfn|Faruqui|2009|p=7}}<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Chandra |first=Satish |title=Parties and politics at the Mughal Court, 1707-1740 |date=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-565444-7 |edition=4th |location=New Delhi |pages=46–49 |oclc=50004530}}</ref>

==Career==

=== Reign of Aurangzeb ===
Mir Shihab-ud-Din arrived in Mughal India around 1670, during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Koch |first=Ebba |title=The Delhi College : traditional elites, the colonial state, and education before 1857 |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |others=Margrit Pernau |isbn=978-0-19-567723-2 |location=New Delhi |pages=36–37 |chapter=The Madrasa of Ghaziu' d-Din Khan at Delhi |oclc=75615171}}</ref> Accepted into the court, he was soon deployed as a commander in several military campaigns of the [[Deccan]]. He received the title '<nowiki/>''Ghaziuddin Khan Bahadur''<nowiki/>' in 1684 due to his successes fighting against the [[Marathas]]. He additionally received the title '''Firuz Jang''<nowiki/>' (victorious in battle) in 1685.<ref name=":1" /> He also distinguished himself in 1681 by performing a dangerous mission during the rebellion of Aurangzeb's fourth son, prince [[Muhammad Akbar (Mughal prince)|Muhammad Akbar]].{{Sfn|Faruqui|2012|p=298}}

In 1685, he participated in the [[Siege of Bijapur]],<ref name=":0" /> and was credited with the campaign's success. He was particularly recognised for leading a difficult expedition during this campaign, to relieve a trapped and starving army led by prince [[Muhammad Azam Shah|Azam]], Aurangzeb's third son. For his action he was rewarded with the ''[[Mahi Maratib]]'' (fish standard), and received the title '<nowiki/>''farzand-i arjomand''' (distinguished son).<ref name=":3" />{{Sfn|Faruqui|2012|p=298}} A year later, he captured the city of [[Adoni]].<ref name=":3" />

In 1687, he fought in the [[Siege of Golconda]] and capture of Hyderabad,<ref name=":0" /> in which campaign his father Abid Khan died.<ref name=":3" /> During this campaign, he alerted the emperor Aurangzeb of collusion between his second son, prince [[Bahadur Shah I|Muazzam]], and the enemy (the [[Golconda Sultanate]]). He also played a significant part in the subsequent arrest of Muazzam and his four sons.{{Sfn|Faruqui|2012|p=298}} According to historian [[Satish Chandra (historian)|Satish Chandra]], Ghaziuddin Khan lost his eyesight in 1686 due to [[bubonic plague]] in Hyderabad; however, [[Ebba Koch]] asserts that he lost his eyesight in 1690, and attributes this to a plague during the Siege of Bijapur. After he was blinded, he was allowed to continue his career in the Mughal military and administration.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" />

Beginning in the late 1680s, the nobles of Aurangzeb's court were split into two rival factions: Ghaziuddin Khan and his son [[Chin Qilich Khan]] (later Nizam of Hyderabad) were leaders of one group, while the other group was headed by [[Asad Khan (Mughal noble)|Asad Khan]] (''wazir'' or chief minister of the empire) and his son [[Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung|Zulfiqar Khan]]. Key members of the first faction were Ghaziuddin Khan, his son Chin Qilich Khan, his cousin [[Muhammad Amin Khan Turani|Muhammad Amin Khan]], and two other sons of his, Hamid Khan Bahadur and Rahimuddin Khan.{{Sfn|Faruqui|2012|p=297}}<ref name=":3" />

In 1698, Ghaziuddin Khan was appointed governor of [[Berar Subah]], a province of the empire. He held this governorship for the rest of Aurangzeb's reign,<ref name=":3" /> and played an active role in defending the province from Maratha assaults.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Richards |first=John F. |title=The Mughal empire |date=2010 |publisher=Cambridge Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-521-56603-2 |edition=Transferred to digital print |series=The new Cambridge history of India / general ed. Gordon Johnson 1, The Mughals and their contemporaries |location=Cambridge |pages=236}}</ref> In 1704, Feroze Jung [[Battle of Sironj|routed a Maratha army]] that was besieging [[Sironj]].<ref>Jadunath Sarkar, [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.513883/page/383/mode/1up History of Aurangzib Volume V], p .384</ref>

=== War of Succession ===
{{Further|Mughal war of succession (1707–1709)}}
In the early 1700s, as emperor Aurangzeb's death loomed, Ghaziuddin Khan (along with Chin Qilich Khan and Muhammad Amin) decided to stay neutral in any potential war of succession among the princes. Ghaziuddin Khan and other members of the family also began to stockpile arms, in anticipation of aggression from the princes. Historian Munis Faruqui describes their policy as one of 'armed neutrality', and notes that previously in Mughal history, nobles had never been allowed to stay neutral in succession conflicts.{{Sfn|Faruqui|2009|pp=13-14}}{{Sfn|Faruqui|2012|pp=309-310}}

The succession struggle was kicked off when the aged emperor died in 1707, at the imperial camp in Ahmadnagar; the prince [[Muhammad Azam Shah|Azam Shah]] subsequently crowned himself emperor there. Ghaziuddin Khan was repeatedly asked to join Azam Shah in the coming battle against prince [[Muhammad Mu'azzam|Muazzam]], to no success. Ghaziuddin remained in [[Daulatabad Fort|Daulatabad]], making no move to join Azam. Seeking to stay on good terms with the noble, Azam Shah styled him governor of [[Ahmadnagar Subah|Aurangabad]] and [[Viceroy of the Deccan]], sending him several gifts.<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |last=Chandra |first=Satish |title=Parties and politics at the Mughal Court, 1707-1740 |date=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-565444-7 |edition=4th |location=New Delhi |pages=51–52 |oclc=50004530}}</ref>{{Sfn|Faruqui|2009|pp=13-14}}

=== Reign of Bahadur Shah ===
Aurangzeb's second son, prince Muazzam, emerged victorious in the war of succession and was crowned as emperor Bahadur Shah. Ghaziuddin Khan and his family were pardoned and rewarded by the emperor despite their lack of support in the war, possibly due to their military value.{{Sfn|Faruqui|2009|pp=13-14}} Ghaziuddin Khan was made governor of [[Gujarat Subah]] by the emperor, replacing Ibrahim Khan. Ghaziuddin Khan began attempts to stabilise the province, by appointing fifty spies to report on rebel [[Rajputs]] and Marathas (who occupied the northern and southern frontiers of the province respectively). However, his efforts were cut short by his death in 1710, marking the close of his tenure at a mere two years.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sheth |first=Sudev |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/9781009330213/type/book |title=Bankrolling Empire: Family Fortunes and Political Transformation in Mughal India |date=2023-11-30 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-009-33021-3 |edition=1 |pages=159–160 |chapter=Interlude: Cultivating Financial Crisis under Aurangzeb, 1660s–1719 |doi=10.1017/9781009330213.005}}</ref>

During Bahadur Shah's reign, Ghaziuddin Khan was also dispatched to combat recalcitrant Rajput ''rajas'', for which purpose he was made the absentee governor of [[Ajmer Subah|Ajmer]] on 12 April 1708 (he was dismissed shortly after and reappointed on 15 June).<ref name=":322">{{Cite book |last=Chandra |first=Satish |title=Parties and politics at the Mughal Court, 1707-1740 |date=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-565444-7 |edition=4th |location=New Delhi |pages=76 |oclc=50004530}}</ref>

== Death ==
[[File:Tomb_of_Ghaziuddin_Khan.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Ghaziuddin Khan, in the [[Madrasa Ghaziuddin Khan|Ghaziuddin Madrasa complex]]]]
Ghaziuddin Khan died in [[Ahmedabad|Ahmadabad]], capital of Gujarat Subah, on 8 December 1710. His body was brought to Delhi, where it was buried at a [[madrasa]] complex he had founded during his lifetime ([[Madrasa Ghaziuddin Khan]]), located near Delhi's Ajmeri Gate. Following his death, the Mughal state confiscated his assets, as per custom.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Irvine |first=William |year=1898 |title=The Later Mughals (1707-1803), Chapter IV |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7WYyAQAAMAAJ&dq=firuz+jang+gujarat&pg=PA163 |journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal |volume=67 |issue=2 |page=163}}</ref>

== Family ==
Emperor Aurangzeb took an active interest in cultivating Ghaziuddin Khan and his family, perhaps in an effort to gain an ultra-loyal group of nobles. Upon Ghaziuddin's arrival in India, Aurangzeb arranged him a prestigious marriage to Safiya Khanum, daughter of renowned Mughal ''wazir'' [[Saadullah Khan (Mughal Empire)|Saadullah Khan]]. This honor was in addition to several promotions his father Abid Khan had received prior.{{Sfn|Faruqui|2012|pp=297-298}} The marriage took place in 1670; their first son was Chin Qilich Khan (born Mir Qamaruddin), who Aurangzeb personally named and mentored.{{Sfn|Faruqui|2009|p=7}} He went on to become a major noble of the court, later becoming the first [[Nizam of Hyderabad|Nizam]] and founder of [[Hyderabad State]].{{Sfn|Faruqui|2012|p=264}} Ghaziuddin Khan was first cousins with noble [[Muhammad Amin Khan Turani|Muhammad Amin Khan]], who was promoted to the high-ranking position of ''[[Government of the Mughal Empire#law|sadr-us-sudur]]'' during Aurangzeb's reign,{{Sfn|Faruqui|2009|p=12}} and later became ''[[Vizier|wazir]]'' (prime minister) of the empire.{{Sfn|Faruqui|2012|p=16}} Ghaziuddin Khan also had two other sons: Hamid Khan Bahadur and Rahimuddin Khan.<ref name=":3" />

==Patronage==
{{Main|Madrasa Ghaziuddin Khan}}

Around the turn of the 18th century, Ghaziuddin Khan founded a ''madrasa'' complex today located in Old Delhi, near the Ajmeri Gate. The ''madrasa'' was one of Delhi's three main ''madrasas'' during the reign of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah I. It shut down in the 1790s and reopened in 1792 through the patronage of Delhi's wealthy Muslim class. It went on to house colonial education institutions, namely Delhi College and then the [[Anglo Arabic Senior Secondary School|Anglo-Arabic school]]. Since 1948, the building has been in use by [[Zakir Husain Delhi College]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pernau |first=Margrit |title=The Delhi College |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-567723-2 |editor-last=Pernau |editor-first=Margrit |location=New-Delhi |pages=4–6 |chapter=Introduction}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Citation |last1=Razzack |first1=Azra |title=Founding of an Institution and Its Journey |date=2023-01-12 |work=The School at Ajmeri Gate |pages=29–C1.N250 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9788194831624.003.0002 |access-date=2023-06-17 |publisher=Oxford University PressDelhi |isbn=978-81-948316-2-4 |last2=Siddiqui |first2=M. Atyab |doi=10.1093/oso/9788194831624.003.0002 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Koch |first=Ebba |title=The Delhi College |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-567723-2 |editor-last=Pernau |editor-first=Margrit |location=New-Delhi |chapter=The Madrasa of Ghaziu'd-Din Khan at Delhi}}</ref> The ''madrasa'' complex exemplifies late Mughal architecture, and is one of the few surviving ''madrasas'' dating to the Mughal period.<ref name=":12" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
*{{cite book|last= Fanshawe |first=H.C. |title=Delhi: Past and Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJ4HFt5S8CcC|access-date=27 September 2013|year=1998|publisher=Asian Educational Services|isbn=978-81-206-1318-8}}
* {{Citation |last=Faruqui |first=Munis D |title=At Empire's End: The Nizam, Hyderabad and Eighteenth-Century India |date=2009 |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=5–43 |series= |doi=10.1017/S0026749X07003290 |issn=0026-749X |jstor=20488070|s2cid=146592706 }}
* {{Citation |last=Faruqui |first=Munis D |title=Princes of the Mughal Empire, 1504-1719 |year=2012 |publication-place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-52619-7 |oclc=808366461}}
* {{cite book |author=H.C. Fanshawe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJ4HFt5S8CcC&q=Paharganj&pg=PA69 |title=Delhi, past and present |publisher=Asian Educational Services |year=1998 |isbn=81-206-1318-X |ref=Fa}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghazi Ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung 01}}
[[Category:Mughal generals]]
[[Category:1640s births]]
[[Category:1710 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:Subahdars of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Subahdars of Berar]]
[[Category:People from Bukhara]]
[[Category:17th-century Mughal Empire people]]
[[Category:18th-century Mughal Empire people]]
[[Category:Banu Abu Bakr]]

Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung I - Revision history

StephaineShrader at 11:42, 16 November 2025