Ram Singh I

Mirza Raja Ram Singh I was the elder son of Mirza Raja Jai Singh I and was the ruler of Amber (now part of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation), and head of the Kachwaha Rajput clan. He was also subehdar of Kashmir.

Ram Singh I
Raja of Amber
Reign1667–1688
Coronation10 September 1667
PredecessorJai Singh I
SuccessorBishan Singh
Born1640
Amber, Rajputana
Died30 April 1688 (aged 47–48)
Kohat, Pakhtunkhwa, Mughal Empire
Issue
  • 8 sons and 3 daughters, including:
  • Kunwar Kishan Singh (died 1682)
  • Kunvri Shivanshi (1667–1672)
Names
Mirza Raja Ram Singh Bahadur
DynastyKacchwaha
FatherJai Singh I
MotherAnand Kunwar Chauhan [1]
ReligionHinduism

He was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1667[2] to invade the Ahom kingdom of present-day Assam,[3] but the loss at the ultimate Battle of Saraighat and the subsequent retreat[4] led to his recall and disgrace.[5]

Shivaji and Ram Singh

When Shivaji went to Agra in the Mughal court, on 12 May 1666, he was made to stand alongside relatively low-ranking nobles,[6] Shivaji took offence and stormed out of court and was promptly placed under house arrest. Ram Singh was granted custody of Shivaji and his son.[7]

Shivaji's house arrest situation was precarious. Aurangzeb's court deliberated whether to execute him or keep him as a servant. Jai Singh, having assured Shivaji of his personal safety, tried to influence Aurangzeb's decision.[8] However, Aurangzeb intended to kill Shivaji and ordered Faulad Khan to transfer Shivaji from Ram Singh's custody to Radanaza Khan's house. Kunwar Ram Singh refused to deliver over Shivaji because his father, Jai Singh, had promised Shivaji's safety and that he should be slain first to kill Shivaji. Aurangzeb made him to sign security bond for Shivaji.[9]

Shivaji devised a strategy for emancipation. He ordered the majority of his troops home and urged Ram Singh to withdraw his pledges to the emperor for the safe custody of himself and his son.[10] Shivaji escaped and left Agra on August 17, 1666, by putting himself in one of the enormous baskets and his son Sambhaji in another.

After Shivaji's escape, Ram Singh was accused of assisting Shivaji's escape and was punished, first by being barred from entering court and subsequently by being demoted.[11]

Ahom Campaign

Ram Singh was forced to fight 100,000 Ahoms with 8,000 men. Ram Singh was eventually defeated and with his troops further reduced he could only helplessly retreat until the governor of Bengal sent some troops to aid him. Ram Singh grew sick of war and finally, in 1676 he was allowed to leave and return to his province. He was later posted in Kohat where he died in 1688.[12]

See also

Notes
  1. Jaipur that was: Royal Court and the Seraglio. p. 56.
  2. "Learning of the loss of Kamrup on 19th December 1667, Aurangzeb decided to at once retrieve imperial prestige and regain lost dominion" (Sarkar 1992:211)
  3. "(Aurangzeb) commissioned Ram Singh of Amber, son of the distinguished general Mirza Rajah Jai Singh, and a commander of 4000, to lead an invasion of Assam." (Sarkar 1992:211)
  4. "Weakened by repeated defeats and consequent losses and losing all hopes of recovering imperial grace by defeating the Ahom monarch, Ram Singh left Kamrup in early April 1671 and returned to Rangamati." (Sarkar 1992:227)
  5. "Aurangzeb at once demoted the Rajput general by 2000 and ordered his recall. Accordingly, he made over charge to Abu Nisar Khan and had audience with the Emperor on 25 June 1676." (Sarkar 1992:228)
  6. Gordon, Stewart (1994). Marathas, Marauders, and State Formation in Eighteenth-century India. Oxford University Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-19-563386-3.
  7. Jain, Meenakshi (1 January 2011). THE INDIA THEY SAW (VOL-3). Prabhat Prakashan. pp. 299, 300. ISBN 978-81-8430-108-3.
  8. Gordon, Stewart (1 February 2007). The Marathas 1600–1818. Cambridge University Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-521-03316-9.
  9. Shivaji and his times : Sarker, Jadunath : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. Internet Archive. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  10. Sarkar, Jadunath (1994). A History of Jaipur: C. 1503–1938. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-250-0333-5.
  11. Shivaji and his times : Sarker, Jadunath : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. Internet Archive. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  12. Sarkar, Jadunath (1994). A History of Jaipur:1503-1938. Orient Longman. pp. 146–147. ISBN 9788125003335. Ram Singh was sent to Assam as a punishment for secretly helping Shivaji....He (Ram Singh) had only 8,000 troopers under his standard....The Ahoms, being a nation in arms, mustered 100,000

References
  • Sarkar Jadunath (1984, reprint 1994). A History of Jaipur, New Delhi: Orient Longman, ISBN 81-250-0333-9.
  • Sarkar, J. N. (1992), "Chapter VIII Assam-Mughal Relations", in Barpujari, H. K. (ed.), The Comprehensive History of Assam, vol. 2, Guwahati: Assam Publication Board, pp. 148–256
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.