Nawab Muzaffar-Jang Diler Himmat Khan | |
Nawab of Farrukhabad Muzaffar Jang | |
Succession: | Nawab of Farrukhabad |
Reign: | 1771-1796 |
Predecessor: | Ahmad Khan Bangash |
Successor: | Imdad Hussain Khan Bangash |
Birth Name: | Diler Himmat Khan |
Birth Date: | September 1757 - September 1758 |
Death Date: | 22 October 1796 |
Spouse-Type: | Begum |
Issue: | Rustam Ali Khan Bangash, Imdad Hussain Khan, seven daughters (see Issue) |
House: | Bangash |
Father: | Ahmad Khan Bangash |
Religion: | Islam |
Nawab Diler Himmat Khan, commonly known by his regnal name Muzaffar Jang (1771-1796) was the fourth Nawab or ruler of Farrukhabad, a kingdom in Medieval India. He succeeded his father Ahmad Khan Bangash as the ruler in 1771.[1] [2] [3] [4]
Diler Himmat Khan was born to Nawab Ahmad Khan Bangash and his fourth wife, Khair-un-nissa in September 1757 - September 1758. His father was a leading noble in the Mughal Empire and ruled Farrukhabad as his ancestral domain.[5] Diler Himmat Khan's mother, Khair-un-nissa was the adopted daughter of Yakut Khan, one of Ahmad Khan's salves and reportedly a descendant of Khan Jahan Khan Lodi, the principal Afghan noble during the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.[6] [7] Diler's birth was much rejoiced at and he was given the title of Muzaffar Jang by his father.[5] [2]
On his father's death in 1771, Diler Himmat Khan succeeded him as the Nawab of Farrukhabad.[1] [5] Early in his reign, he was forced to seek the aid of the ruler of Awadh, Shuja-ud-Daula in 1773 to expel the Marathas who had attacked Farrukhabad. According to a "Hamilton", this Maratha army was actually a small raiding party. Hamilton held Muzaffar Jang in low opinion, stating him to be a weak and ignorant young man.[8] [3] [4] However, he became a tributary of Awadh in 1774 after the First Rohilla War. The British Governor-General of India, Lord Cornwallis considered Muzaffar Jang to be "either a madman or an idiot".[9] Muzaffar Jang died on 22 October 1796, allegedly poisoned by his eldest son Rustam Ali Khan.[10] [5]
Diler Himmat Khan had four consorts. He had nine children, of whom two were sons and seven were daughters. They are as follows in chronological order-[5]