Editing Muhammad Azam Shah

{{Short description|Brief Mughal emperor in 1707}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Azam Shah
| image        = Prince Azam Shah.jpg
| caption      = Azam Shah holding a turban jewel {{circa|1679}}
| title        = [[Padishah]]<br />[[Imperial and royal titles of the Mughal emperors|Al-Sultan Al-Azam]]
| succession   = [[Mughal Emperor]]
| reign        = 14 March 1707 – 20 June 1707
| predecessor  = [[Aurangzeb]]
| successor    = [[Bahadur Shah I]]
| succession1  = [[Subahdar]] of [[Bengal Subah|Bengal]]
| reign1       = 1677–1680
| predecessor1 = [[Fidai Khan Koka|Fidai Khan II]]
| successor1   = [[Shaista Khan]]
| reg-type1    = [[Mughal emperor|Badshah]]
| regent1      = [[Aurangzeb]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Jahanzeb Banu Begum]]|1669|March 1705|end=died}}
| spouse-type  = Consort
| spouses      = {{ubl|{{marriage|[[Ramani Gabharu|Rahmat Banu Begum]]|1668|1684|end=died}}
|{{marriage|[[Shahar Banu Begum]]|1681}}}}
| spouses-type = Wives
| issue        = {{ubl|[[Bidar Bakht]]
|Jawan Bakht
|Sikandar Shan
|Wala Jah
|Zih Jah
|Wala Shan
|Ali Tabar
|Gitti Ara Begum
|Iffat Ara Begum
|Najib-un-Nisa Begum}}
| full name    = Mirza Abu'l Fayaz Qutb-ud-Din Mohammad Azam Shah<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JM5wDwAAQBAJ&q=Mohammad+azam+shah&pg=PR8 |title=Studies in Indo-Muslim History by S.H. Hodivala Volume II: A Critical Commentary on Elliot and Dowson's History of India as Told by its Own Historians (Vols. V-VIII) & Yule and Burnell's Hobson-Jobson |isbn=9780429757778 |last1=Garg |first1=Sanjay |year=2018 |publisher=Routledge}}</ref>
| house        = [[Mughal dynasty|House of Babur]]
| father       = [[Aurangzeb]]
| mother       = [[Dilras Banu Begum]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1653|6|28|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Shahi Qila, Burhanpur]], [[Mughal Empire]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1707|06|20|1653|6|28|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Agra Subah]], [[Mughal Empire]]
| place of burial = [[Khuldabad]], Maharashtra, India
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam]] {{small|([[Hanafi]])}}
| dynasty      = [[Timurid dynasty]]
}}
{{Mughal}}

'''Mirza Abu'l Fayaz Qutb-ud-Din Mohammad Azam''' (28 June 1653 – 20 June 1707), commonly known as '''Azam Shah''', was briefly the seventh [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] from 14 March to 20 June 1707. He was the third son of the sixth Mughal emperor [[Aurangzeb]] and his chief consort [[Dilras Banu Begum]].

Azam was appointed as the [[heir-apparent]] (''Shahi Ali Jah'') to his father on 12 August 1681 and retained that position until Aurangzeb's death.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sir Jadunath Sarkar|title=Anecdotes of Aurangzib|year=1925|publisher=M.C. Sarkar & Sons|pages=21}}</ref> During his long military career, he served as the viceroy of [[Berar Subah]], [[Malwa]], [[Bengal]], [[Gujarat]] and the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]. Azam ascended the [[Peacock Throne|Mughal]] throne in [[Ahmednagar]] upon the death of his father on 14 March 1707. However, he and his three sons, [[Bidar Bakht]], Jawan Bakht and Sikandar Shan, were later defeated and killed by Azam Shah's older half-brother, Shah Alam (later crowned as [[Bahadur Shah I]]), during the [[Battle of Jajau]] on 20 June 1707.

==Early life==
===Birth===
Qutb-ud-Din Muhammad Azam was born on 28 June 1653 in [[Burhanpur]]<ref name=Sarkar1912>{{cite book |last1=Sarkar |first1=Sir Jadunath |title=History of Aurangzib Vol. I |date=1912 |publisher=M.C. Sarkar & Sons |location=Calcutta |page=71 |url=https://jambudveep.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/history-of-aurangzeb-vol-1.pdf}}</ref> to Prince Muhi-ud-Din (later known as 'Aurangzeb' upon his accession) and his first wife, [[Dilras Banu Begum]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Mughal World: Life in India's Last Golden Age |last=Eraly |first=Abraham |year=2007 |publisher=Penguin Books India |page=147}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Parties and politics at the Mughal Court, 1707–1740 |last=Chandra |first=Satish |year=2002 |page=50 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref name=Koch>{{cite book |last=Koch |first=Ebba |title=King of the world: the Padshahnama |year=1997 |publisher=Azimuth Ed |pages=104}}</ref><ref name=Nath>{{cite book |last=Nath |first=Renuka |title=Notable Mughal and Hindu women in the 16th and 17th centuries A.D. |year=1990 |publisher=Inter-India Publ. |location=New Delhi |page=148}}</ref> His mother, who died four years after giving birth to him, was the daughter of [[Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi]] (titled Shah Nawaz Khan) and a princess of the prominent [[Safavid dynasty]] of [[Persia]].<ref name=Annie>{{cite book |title=Captive princess: Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb |last=Annie Krieger-Krynicki |year=2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=1}}</ref> Therefore, Azam was not only a Timurid from his father's side, but also had in him the royal blood of the Safavid dynasty, a fact which Azam was extremely proud of and after the death of his younger brother, Prince [[Sultan Muhammad Akbar|Muhammad Akbar]], the only son of Aurangzeb who could boast of being of the purest blood.<ref name="Sarkar1916">{{cite book |last1=Sarkar |first1=Sir Jadunath |title=History of Aurangzib: First half of the reign, 1658–1681 |date=1916 |publisher=M.C. Sarkar & sons |page=54}}</ref>

Azam's other half-brothers, Shah Alam (later [[Bahadur Shah I]]) and [[Muhammad Kam Bakhsh]] were the sons of Aurangzeb's Hindu wives.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sir Jadunath Sarkar|title=Studies in Aurangzib's reign: (being Studies in Mughal India, first series)|year=1933|publisher=Orient Longman|page=43}}</ref> According to [[Niccolao Manucci]], the courtiers were very impressed by Azam's royal Persian ancestry and the fact that he was the grandson of Shah Nawaz Khan Safavi.<ref>{{cite book|last=Krynicki|first=Annie Krieger|title=Captive Princess : Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195798371|page=102}}</ref>

===Character===
[[File:Darbarscene.jpg|250px|thumbnail|Crown Prince Azam, stands before his father, Emperor Aurangzeb]]
As Azam grew up, he was distinguished for his wisdom, excellence, and chivalry.<ref>{{cite book|last=Elliot|first=Henry Miers|title=The History of India: 1959 Volume 30 of The History of India: As Told by Its Own Historians; the Muhammadan Period; the Posthumous Papers of H. M. Elliot, Sir Henry Miers Elliot|year=1959|publisher=Susil Gupta (India) Private|page=48}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Sarkar|first1=Sir Jadunath|title=History of Aurangzib: mainly based on Persian sources, Volume 5|date=1974|publisher=Orient Longman|page=219}}</ref> Aurangzeb used to be extremely delighted with his son's noble character and excellent manners, and thought of him as his comrade rather than his son. He often used to say, "between this pair of matchless friends, a separation is imminent."<ref>{{cite book|last=Saqi Musta'idd Khan, Jadunath Sarkar|title=Maasir-i-'Alamgiri: A History of the Emperor Aurangzib-'Alamgir|year=1947|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal|page=320}}</ref> Azam's siblings included his older sisters, the princesses: [[Zeb-un-Nissa]], [[Zinat-un-Nissa]], [[Zubdat-un-Nissa]] and his younger brother, Prince Muhammad Akbar.

==Personal life==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2022}}
Azam was first married on 13 May 1668 to an [[Ahom people|Ahom]] princess, [[Ramani Gabharu]], whose name was changed to Rahmat Bano Begum.  She was the daughter of the [[Ahom kingdom|Ahom king]], Swargadeo Jayadhwaj Singh, and the marriage was a political one.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

On 3 January 1669, Azam married his cousin, Princess [[Jahanzeb Banu Begum]], the daughter of his eldest uncle Crown Prince [[Dara Shikoh]] and his beloved wife Nadira Bano Begum.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Jahanzeb was his chief wife and his favorite wife, whom he loved dearly. She gave birth to her eldest son on 4 August 1670. His grandfather Aurangzeb named him 'Bidar Bakht'. Aurangzeb, throughout his life, always loved the three of Azam and Jahanzeb (who was his favorite daughter-in-law) and Prince Bidar Bakht, a brave and successful general. Bidar Bakht was also Aurangzeb's favorite grandson.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Azam's third marriage was fixed with Iran Dukht Rahmat Bano (Pari Bibi), daughter of Aurangzeb's maternal uncle [[Shaista Khan]]. However, the marriage could not take place due to the sudden death of Pari Bibi in [[Dhaka]] in 1684. In her memory, a [[mazar (mausoleum)]] was constructed in [[Lalbagh Fort|Fort Aurangabad]] (now Lalbagh Fort) in Dhaka.

As part of a political alliance, Azam later married his third (and last) wife, Shahar Bano Begum (Padshah Bibi), in 1681. She was a princess of the [[Adil Shahi dynasty]] and the daughter of the ruler [[Ali Adil Shah II]]. Despite Bijapur and his other marriages, Azam's love for Jahanzeb remained unchanged. Because when she died in 1705, he was filled with great sadness and despair, which darkened the rest of his life.

==Siege of Bijapur==
[[File:Brooklyn Museum - Shahzadeh A'zam and Shahzadeh Bidarbakht.jpg|thumb|left|Muhammad Azam with his son, Prince Bidar Bakht]]
{{Main|Siege of Bijapur}}
In 1685, Aurangzeb dispatched his son Muhammad Azam Shah with a force of nearly 50,000 men to capture [[Bijapur Fort]] and defeat [[Sikandar Adil Shah]], the ruler of Bijapur, who refused to be a vassal. The Mughals led by Muhammad Azam Shah could not make any advancements upon Bijapur Fort mainly due to the superior usage of cannon batteries on both sides. Outraged by the stalemate, Aurangzeb himself arrived on 4 September 1686 and commanded the [[Siege of Bijapur]] after eight days of fighting and the Mughals were victorious.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

==Subahdar of Bengal==
Prince Azam was appointed the governor (''[[Subahdar]]'') of [[Berar Subah]], [[Malwa]] and [[Bengal]] from 1678 to 1701 upon the death of his predecessor, Azam Khan Koka.<ref name=bpedia/> He successfully captured the [[Kamrup region]] in February 1679. He founded the incomplete [[Lalbagh Fort]] in Dacca. During his administration, Mir Maula was appointed ''[[Diwan (title)|Diwan]]'' and Muluk Chand as ''Huzur-Navis'' for revenue collection.<ref name=bpedia/> Prince Azam was recalled by Aurangzeb and left Dacca on 6 October 1679.<ref name=bpedia>{{cite book |last=Karim |first=Abdul |year=2012 |chapter=Muhammad Azam, Prince |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Muhammad_Azam,_Prince |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> Under [[Maratha Empire|Marathas]] Bengal went under administration of the [[Nawabs of Murshidabad]].

He later became the governor of [[Gujarat]] from 1701 to 1706.

==Accession==

In the third week of February 1707, in a bid to prevent a war of succession, Aurangzeb separated Azam and his younger half-brother, Kam Baksh, whom Azam particularly loathed. He sent Azam to Malwa and Kam Baksh to Bijapur. A few days before his death, he wrote farewell letters to Azam. The next morning, Azam who had tarried outside [[Ahmednagar]] instead of proceeding to Malwa, arrived at the imperial camp and conveyed his father's body for burial at his tomb at [[Daulatabad, Maharashtra|Daulatabad]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Eraly |first=Abraham |title=Emperors of the peacock throne : the saga of the great Mughals |year=2000 |publisher=Penguin books |location=New Delhi |isbn=9780141001432 |edition=[Rev. ed.]. |pages=510–513}}</ref> Azam Shah proclaimed himself Emperor and seized the throne. In the political struggles following the disputed succession, he and his son Prince Bidar Bakht were defeated and killed in the [[Battle of Jajau]] on 20 June 1707 against elder half-brother, [[Bahadur Shah I|Prince Muhammad Mu'azzam]], who succeeded their father to the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] throne.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uq.net.au/~zzhsoszy/ips/misc/mughal.html |title=Mughal dynasty}}</ref>  Azam Shah was killed by a musket shot, which is believed to have been fired by [[Isa Khan Munj|Isha Khan Main]], a ''zamindar'' of the [[Lakhi Jungle (jungle)|Lakhi Jangal]] in the [[Subah of Lahore|Lahore Subah]]. His grave along with that of his wife, lies in the [[dargah]] complex of Sufi saint, [[Zainuddin Shirazi|Sheikh Zainuddin]], at [[Khuldabad]] near [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]], which also houses the [[tomb of Aurangzeb]] to the west.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Heritage Sites – Ellora Caves – Khuldabad |url=http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_ellora_khuldabad.asp |publisher=[[Archaeological Survey of India]] |access-date=15 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506105651/http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_ellora_khuldabad.asp |archive-date=6 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Ancestry==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2019}}
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; |boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Muhammad Azam Shah'''
|2= 2. [[Aurangzeb|Muhi-ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb, Mughal Emperor]]
|3= 3. [[Dilras Banu Begum]]
|4= 4. [[Shah Jahan|Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Shah Jahan I, Mughal Emperor]]
|5= 5. [[Mumtaz Mahal]]
|6= 6. [[Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi]]
|7= 7. Nauras Banu Begum
|8= 8. [[Jahangir|Nur-ud-din Muhammad Jahangir, Mughal Emperor]]
|9= 9. [[Jagat Gosain]]
|10= 10. [[Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan]]
|11= 11. Diwanji Begum
|12= 12. Mirza Rustam [[Safavid dynasty|Safawi]]
|13=
|14= 14. Mirza Muhammad Sharif
|15=
}}

==Full title==

''Padshah-i-Mumalik Abu'l Faaiz Qutb-ud-Din Muhammad Azam Shah-i-Ali Jah Ghazi''

== Movies ==
* He was portrayed by Trishan Singh in the 2025 Hindi film ''[[Chhaava]]''.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[Timurid dynasty]]||28 June 1653||8 June 1707}}
{{S-reg|}}
{{S-bef
| before = [[Aurangzeb]]
}}
{{S-ttl
| title = [[Mughal Emperor]]
| years = 1707
}}
{{S-aft
| after = [[Bahadur Shah I]]
}}
{{S-end}}{{Mughal Empire}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad Azam Shah}}
[[Category:Emperors of the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:1653 births]]
[[Category:1707 deaths]]
[[Category:Subahdars of Bengal]]
[[Category:Subahdars of Gujarat]]
[[Category:17th-century Mughal Empire people]]
[[Category:18th-century Mughal Empire people]]