Samsam ud Daula Shah Nawaz Khan (28 February 1700 – 11 May 1758), was a historian and courtier of

Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asif Jah I Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi (11 August 16711 June 1748) also known as Chin Qilich Qamaruddin Khan, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah and Nizam I, was the first Nizam of Hyderabad. He began his career during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, w ...

, the first

Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...

. He compiled the history

Ma'asir al-umara ''Ma'asir al-Umara'', written by Samsam ud Daula Shah Nawaz Khan and his son Abdul Hai Khan, at Aurangabad, is a Persian-language biography of notables in the Mughal Empire during the time period approximately 1556–1780. Variants of the ti ...

Shah Nawaz Khan

Shah Nawaz Khan Shams ud Daula was born at

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

on 28 February 1700, and was originally called 'Abdur Razzak al Husain. Early in life, he went to Aurangbad where most of his relations resided.

Professional life

He was appointed diwan of

Berar Berar may refer to: *Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra, India, historically known as Berar * Berar Sultanate (1490–1596), one of the Deccan sultanates *Berar Subah (1596–1724), a subah (province) of the Mughal Empire *Berar Province ( ...

by '

Asaf Jah The Asaf Jahi is a Muslim dynasty that ruled the Hyderabad State. The family came to India in the late 17th century and became employees of the Mughal Empire. They were great patrons of Indo-Persian culture, language, and literature, and the fa ...

; but subsequently had to retire in disgrace into private life for having favoured the revolt of Nasir Jang. After passing five years in seclusion, he again found favour with Asaf Jah, and was reinstated in 1747 in the diwani of Berar. He enjoyed the highest honors under Nasir Jang, and became the

chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

under Sulabat Jang. Shah Nawaz played a conspicuous part in the struggles for supremacy between the English and the French; and was assassinated at Aurangbad on 11 May 1758.

Works

The father son duo of Shah Nawaz Khan and Abdul Hai Khan composed the Ma-'asiru-l Umra, a biographical dictionary of the illustrious men who flourished in Hindostan and the Dakhan from the time of Akbar to H. 1155. He was given the title of Shams ud Daula by

. They resided in the city of Aurangbad. Shah Nawaz Khan was a friend of the great poet Gholam Ali Azad Bilgrami. It was during this period of retirement that Shah Nawaz composed the Ma-'asiru-l Umra, a biographical dictionary of the illustrious men who flourished in

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( English: /ˈhɪndustæn/ or /ˈhɪndustɑn/, ; ) was a historical region, polity, and a name for India, historically used simultaneously for northern Indian subcontinent and the entire subcontinent, used in the modern day ...

and the Dakhan from the time of

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

to AH 1155.

Shams ud Daula Samsam Jang

Samsam ud Daula or Abdul Hai Khan, the son of Shah Nawaz Khan, was born in 1729, and was elevated to the rank of " Khan" in 1748 by Nasir Jang, who also bestowed on him the diwani of

. Sulabat Jung made him commandant of Daulatabad; but after the murder of his father Shah Nawaz Khan in 1757, Abdul Hai Khan was imprisoned at

Golkonda Golconda is a fortified citadel and ruined city located on the western outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparudra in the 11th century out of mud walls. It was ceded to the Bahmani ...

, till released in 1759 by Nizam 'Ali Khan, who treated him with marked distinction, and reinstated him in his paternal title of Shams ud Daula Samsam Jang. 'Abdul Hai Khan's title at first was Shams ud Daula Dilawar Jang, but he was called Shams ul Mulk, and his poetical name was " Sarim." Works He completed his father's manuscripts which had been collected and published by Mir Gholam Ali, and gave them to the world in their present form in 1779.

External links

The full Persian text was published by Asiatic Society of Bengal in the late nineteenth century, and is now available in three pdfs.
Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3

References