Mirza Najaf Khan
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Mirza Najaf Khan (1722? - 1782) was a Persian adventurer in the court of Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. He had royal lineage, having been a Safavi prince, when that dynasty was deposed by Nader Shah in 1735. He came to India around 1740 and may even have come a year earlier with Nader Shah. His sister married into the family of the Nawab of Awadh. He also held the title of Deputy Wazir of Awadh. His main contribution in history was as commander in chief of the Mughal army from 1772 till his death in April 1782.
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[edit] New Mughal Army
The Mughal army he created was on the European model backed by traditional Mughal cavalry. Historian H.G. Keene in his "The Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan" says that in 1781 the army of Mirza Najaf Khan was the most formidable military force in India aside from the British army in Bengal.
The new Mughal army created by Mirza Najaf Khan was based on sound principles of order and administration, qualities he tried to enforce in the corrupted Mughal kingdom. The Mughal soldiers were paid a premium salary in order to get the best and oddly for the times they were paid regularly and on time. The whole army had no more than 85,000 to 90,000 soldiers with a large train of artillery. As with many other Indian states, French adventurers found their way into this army as well and their expertise welcomed. At a time of over weaning ambition and corruption, Mirza Najaf Khan was a man determined to serve his sovereign and realm to the best of his abilities.
[edit] Threats
His army had to face threats from the Rohillas, the Jats, the Marathas and especially the Sikhs whose raids against their opponents, the Mughals included the plunder of Delhi, were causing the Mughal kingdom much grief at the time. After a series of defeats suffered by Mughal commanders and Sikh victories, Mirza Najaf Khan personally took the field. He decisively defeated them and their Rohilla ally Zabita Khan, in 1779. Part of the problem faced by the Mughals against any enemy were the constant intrigues against the kingdom by treacherous as well as treasonous wazirs. Just as Nadir Shah had been invited to invade India by the Nizam Ul Mulk, in 1739 so Shah Alam's wazir Nawab Majad-ud-daulah regularly got the Sikhs to cause trouble so that the Mughal army commanded by his rival Mirza Najaf Khan was kept busy.
Nevertheless Mirza Najaf Khan remained loyal. The years 1772 to 1782 were the last hurrah of the Mughal Empire.
[edit] Death
Mirza Najaf Khan died on April 26, 1782, after 42 years in India. He left behind an adopted son Najaf Quli Khan, who had converted from Hinduism. Within 6 years of his death, the Mughal army ceased to exist and Mughal emperor rendered powerless. He is buried in a separate enclosure at Safdar Jung's tomb in Delhi.
