The term Sayyid Brothers refers to Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha (b.1668) and Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha (b.1666), who were powerful Mughal Army generals of the Mughal Empire during the early 18th century.
The Sayyid Brothers became highly influential in the Mughal Court after Aurangzeb's death and turned king-makers in the anarchy following the death of emperor Aurangzeb in 1707 CE, and created and dethroned Mughal Emperors at their will during the 1710s.. Aurangzeb's son Bahadur Shah I defeated his brothers to capture the throne with the help of Sayyid Brothers, and Nizam-ul-Mulk, another influential administrator in the Mughal court. Bahadur Shah I died in 1712, and his successor Jahandar Shah was assassinated on the orders of the Sayyid Brothers.
In 1713, Jahandar's nephew Farrukhsiyar became the emperor with the Brothers' help. His reign marked the ascendancy of the Brothers, who monopolized state power and reduced the Emperor to an effective figurehead. The Brothers conspired to send Nizam-ul-Mulk to Deccan, away from the Mughal Court, to reduce his influence. In 1719, the Brothers blinded, deposed and murdered Farrukhsiyar. They then established his first cousin Rafi ud-Darajat as the next ruler in February 1719; when he died of lung disease in June, they made his elder brother Rafi ud-Daulah (Shah Jahan II). After Rafi ud-Daulah also died of lung disease in September 1719, Muhammad Shah (r. 1719 -1748) ascended the throne at the age of seventeen with Sayyid Brothers as his regents from 1719 to 1722.
Muhhamad Shah, in order to take back control of his rule, got the Brothers killed with the help of Nizam-ul-Mulk; Hussain Ali Khan was murdered at Fatehpur Sikri in 1722, and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was poisoned to death in 1724.[1]
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The Syeds of Barha are descendents of Abul Farah, of Wasit in Iraq; Several hundred years ago, at a date which cannot be fixed exactly, Abul Farah and his twelve sons came from Wasit to Mughal Empire, settling at first in four villages near Patiala, in the sarkar of Sirhind and subah of Delhi. From these villages the four branches, into which they are divided, derive their names. Then crossing the Yamuna, they formed a settlement on the eastern side of the upper Doaba, half way between Mirat and Saharanpur, in a sandy, unproductive piece of country, possibly at that time very sparsely inhabited. The etymology of the name Barha is disputed; perhaps it is from the word bara (twelve), with some allusion to the number of their villages. Some of their descendants settled in Delhi, but some returned to their villages. The Sayyids who remained in Delhi came to be called shahrwala, and those who lived outside were called bahirwala or bahira, which was corrupted to Barha, which was further corrupted when some of them moved to the south to the city of Gulbarga and came to be known as Barey.
From the time of Akbar the Great, the Syed caste were famous as military leaders, and by their bravery had acquired a hereditary right to lead the vanguard of the Mughal troops.
Syed Hassan Ali Khan and Syed Hussain Ali Khan, two of the numerous sons of Syed Mian were men of about 46 and 44 years of age respectively in 1712. [2]
During the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1697, Syed Hassan Ali Khan the elder brother was Faujdar of Sultanpur, Nazarbar in Baglana, and was appointed Subedar of Khandesh in 1698 with an objective of halting Maratha expansion in the region, after that, of Hoshangabad also in Khandesh, then again of Nazarbar coupled with Thalner in sarkar Asir of the same province. Subsequently he obtained charge of Aurangabad during the final campaign of the Mughal Emperor against the Maratha in the year 1705 and was known to have attended the funeral of Aurangzeb in the year 1707.
The younger brother, Hussain Ali Khan, who is admitted by every one to have been a man of much greater energy and resolution than his elder brother, had in the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb reign held charge first of Ranthambore, in Ajmer, and then of Hindaun-Bayana, in Agra.
The two Syed brothers, who now come into such prominence, were not the mere upstarts, men of yesterday. Besides the prestige of Syed lineage and the personal renown acquired by their own valor, they were the sons of Syed Mian was chosen by Aurangzeb as the first Subedar of Bijapur in the Deccan and then Subedar of Ajmer. Their father, Syed Abdullah Khan titled Syed Miyan, had risen in the service of Ruhullah Khan, Aurangzeb's Mir Bakhshi, and finally, on receiving the rank of an imperial Mansabdar, attached himself to the eldest Prince Muazzam.
After Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah, the eldest of Emperor Bahadur Shah's sons, had been appointed in 1106 H. (1694-5) to the charge of the Multan province, Hassan Ali Khan and his brother followed him there. In an expedition against a refractory Baloch zamindar, the Syeds were of opinion that the honors of the day were theirs. Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah thought otherwise, and assigned them to his then favorite administrator Isa Khan Mian. The Syeds quit the service in dudgeon and repaired to Lahore, where they lived in comparative poverty, waiting for employment from Munim Khan, the nazim of that place. When Emperor Aurangzeb died and Prince Muhammad Mu'azzam Shah Alam, reached Lahore on his march to Agra to contest the throne, the Syeds presented themselves, and their services were gladly accepted. In the battle of Jajau or Jajowan on the 18th Rabi I, 1119 H. (June 18, 1707), they served in the vanguard and fought valiantly on foot, as was the Syed habit on an emergency. A third brother, Syed Nur ud-Din Ali Khan, was left dead on the field, and Hussain Ali Khan was severely wounded. Though their rank was raised and the elder brother received his father's title of Abdullah Khan, they were not treated with such favor as their exceptional services seemed to deserve, either by the new Emperor or his vizier.
The two Syeds managed to quarrel with Khanazad Khan, the vizier Munim Khan's second son, and though the breach was healed by a visit to them from the vizier in person, there is little doubt that this difference helped to keep them out of employment. Hussain Ali Khan is also said to have offended Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah. The morning after the battle of Jajau, the Prince visited their quarters to condole with them on the death of their brother, Syed Nur ud-Din Ali Khan, and in so doing launched out into praises of their valor. Hussain Ali Khan met these overtures in an aggressive manner, saying that what they had done was nothing, many had done as much, their valor would be known when their lord was deserted and alone, and the strength of their right arm had seated him on the throne. Prince Mu'izz ud-Din Jahandar Shah was vexed by this speech, and refrained from making any recommendation to his father in their favor. Nay, he did his best to prevent their obtaining lucrative employment, and we read of their being obliged to rely upon the Emperor's bounty for their traveling expenses, which were necessarily great, as they were kept in attendance on the Court while it was constantly on the march.
In Shaban 1120 H. (Oct. 1708) Abdullah Khan had been named to the subah of Ajmer, then in a disturbed state owing to the Rajput rising, a condition of things with which Syed Shuja'at Khan seemed hardly capable of dealing. Syed Abdullah Khan had barely more than reached Delhi, in order to raise new troops and make other preparations, when the Emperor, Bahadur Shah, changed his mind and Shuja'at Khan was received again into favor and maintained in his Government. At length, by the favor of Prince Azim-ush-shan, Abdullah Khan on the 21st Dhu al-Qida 1122 H. (10th Jan. 1711) became that Prince's deputy in the province of Allahabad. About two years earlier (11th Muharram 1120 H., 1 April 1708), the same patron had nominated the younger brother Hussain Ali Khan, to represent him in another of his Governments, that of Bihar, of which the capital was at Azimabad Patna.
When Prince Farrukhsiyar first arrived at Azimabad, Hussain Ali Khan was away on an expedition, apparently the recapture of Rohtas fort of Bihar, which about this time had been seized by one Muhammad Raza Rayat Khan. The Syed had felt annoyed on hearing that Farrukhsiyar had issued coin and caused the khutba to be read in his father, Prince Azim-ush-shan's, name, without waiting to learn the result of the impending struggle at Lahore. Thus on his return to his head-quarters his first impulse was to decline altogether that Prince's overtures. In truth, no attempt could well look more hopeless than that upon which Prince Farrukhsiyar wished to enter. The Prince's mother now hazarded a private visit to the Syeds mother, taking with her little grand-daughter. Her arguments rested on the fact that the Syeds position was due to the kindness of the Prince's father. That father, two brothers, and two uncles had been killed, and the Prince's own means were insufficient for any enterprise. Let Hussain Ali Khan then choose his own course, either let him aid Prince Farrukhsiyar to recover his rights and revenge his father's death, or else let him place the Prince in chains and send him a prisoner to Emperor Jahandar Shah. Here the Prince's mother and daughter bared their heads and wept aloud. Overcome by their tears, the Syeda called her son within the harem. The little girl fell bareheaded at his feet and implored his aid. His mother told him that “whatever was the result he would be a gainer: if defeated, his name would stand recorded as a hero till Judgment Day; if successful, the whole of Hindustan would be at their feet and above them none but the Emperor”. Finally she exclaimed, “If you adhere to Emperor Jahandar Shah, you will have to answer before the Great Judge for disavowing your mother's claim upon you.”
At these words Hussain Ali Khan took up the women's veils and replaced them on their heads swearing a binding oath that he would espouse the Prince's cause. The next night Prince Farrukhsiyar presented himself at the Khan's house, saying that he had come either to be seized and sent to Emperor Jahandar Shah or to enter into an agreement for the recovery of the throne. The Syed bound himself finally to fight on Prince Farrukhsiyar's behalf. He wrote at once to his elder brother, Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha, at Allahabad, inviting him to join the same side, and Prince Farrukhsiyar addressed a farman to him making many promises, and authorizing him to expend the Bengal treasure, then at Allahabad, on the enlistment of troops. It is quite clear that at this time, or soon afterwards, the two chief places in the Empire, those of Vizier and of Amir ul Umara were formally promised to the two brothers as their reward in case of success. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha, on being superseded at Allahabad, gives in his adhesion to Prince Farrukhsiyar.
At first Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha's intention was to submit to Emperor Jahandar Shah, the de facto Emperor, to whom he sent letters professing his loyalty and offering his services. Three months before the death of Emperor Bahadur Shah, he had gone out towards Jaunpur to restore order. In this he was not successful and the pay of his soldiers fell into arrears. The men raised a disturbance, and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha's only anxiety was to escape from them and take shelter within the fort of Allahabad. He promised publicly that as soon as he reached the city, all the collections then in the hands of his agents should be made over to the troops. On the return march, word came of Emperor Bahadur Shah's death.While Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was still in expectation of a favorable reply to his letter to Emperor Jahandar Shah, he was surprised to learn that his Government had been taken from him, and that the deputy of the new governor was on his way to take possession. The province had been granted to a Gardezi Sadaat of Manikpur, subah Allahabad, one Raji Muhammad Khan, who had risen to notice in the recent righting at Lahore, and through the reputation thereby acquired, had been appointed Mir Atish or general of artillery. The new governor nominated as his deputy his relation, one Syed Abdul Ghaffar (a descendant of Syed Sadar Jahan, Sadar-us-Sadur, Pihanwi).
Syed Abdul Ghaffar obtained contingents from one or two zamindars and collected altogether 6,000 to 7,000 men. When he drew near to Karra Manikpur,Abul Hasan Khan, a Syed of Bijapur, who was Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha's Bakhshi, advanced at the head of 3,000 men to bar his progress. At the Battle of Sarai Alam Chand on August 2, 1712 with Abul Hasan Khan's victory for Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha it became clear now that the Syeds were allied against the Emperor for the new contender Prince Farrukhsiyar.
Prince Farrukhsiyar, meanwhile, had marched out with an army along with Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha from Patna to Allahabad to join Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha as soon as possible. Emperor Jahandar Shah learning of the defeat of his General Syed Abdul Ghaffar sent his own son Prince Azzu-ud-Din along with Generals Lutfullah Khan and Khwaja Hussain Khan Dauran to face this army. The Second Battle of Khajwah was fought in Fatehpur District, Uttar Pradesh on November 28, 1712.Prince Farrukhsiyar decisively defeated Prince Azzu-ud-Din forcing Emperor Jahandar Shah and his Vizier the Great Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung to take the field. At the Battle of Agra 1713 fought on January 10, 1713, Prince Farrukhsiyar won decisively and became the Emperor of the Mughal Empire succeeding his uncle Jahandar Shah.
After his victory at the Battle of Agra 1713 Emperor Farrukhsiyar on the way from Agra to Delhi, and after arrival at Delhi, conferred many new appointments and new titles on his generals and noblemen. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was awarded titles Nawab Qutb-ul-mulk, Yamin-ud-daulah, Syed Abdullah Khan Bahadur Zafar Jung, Sipah-salar, Yar-i-wafadar and became Vizier or Prime Minister. Syed Hussain Ali Khan was appointed first Bakhshi with the titles of Umdat-ul-mulk, Amir-ul-Umara, Bahadur, Feroze Jung, Sipah Sardar.
The Rajput States had been in veiled revolt from the imperial authority for 50 years. Emperor Bahadur Shah had been unable, owing to more pressing affairs, to reduce the Raja's effectually. During the confusion which arose on that monarch's death, Ajit Singh, after forbidding slaughtering cows by Muslims for food and the call for prayer from the Alamgiri Mosque, besides ejecting the imperial officers from Jodhpur and destroying their houses, had entered the imperial territory and taken possession of Ajmer. Early in Emperor Farrukhsiyar's reign it was determined that this encroachment must be put an end to; and as the Raja's replies to the imperial orders were not satisfactory, it was necessary to march against him.
Hussain Ali Khan left Delhi on January 6, 1714. After a brief campaign Raghunath, a munshi in the service of Maharaja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur came to negotiate peace.Hussain Ali Khan thus advanced to Mairtha, where he halted until the terms of peace had been arranged. The terms were that the Raja should give one of his daughters in marriage to the Emperor, in the mode which they styled Dola that the Raja's son, Abhay Singh, should accompany Hussain Ali Khan to Court, and that the Raja in person should attend when summoned. Zafar Khan Roshan ud-Daulah arrived at Court on the 5th Jamadi I, 1126 H. (18 May 1714), with the news.
During Hussain Ali Khan's absence, Ubaidullah Khan better known as Mir Jumla III became more and more powerful. Emperor Farrukhsiyar had made over his seal to this favorite, and was often heard to say openly:
On his side, Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was immersed in pleasure and found little or no leisure to devote to State affairs. Nor, being a soldier who had come into office without much preparation for civil affairs, was he very competent to deal with the details of administration, for which, moreover, he had no natural taste.
Everything was left to his man of business, Ratan Chand, a Hindu of the Baniya caste, and a native of a village near the Syeds home at Jansath. He had been recently created a Raja with the rank of 2,000 zat. The chief dispute centered upon the question of appointments to office, the fees paid by those receiving appointments being a recognized and most substantial source of emolument. Ratan Chand, in addition to these customary fees, exacted large sums, which were practically bribes or payments for the grant of the appointment.
By Mir Jumla's independent action in bringing forward candidates and affixing the seal to their warrants of appointment, without following the usual routine of passing them through the Vizier's office, the emoluments of both Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha and of his head officer were considerably curtailed. It is a matter of little wonder, therefore, that Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha felt aggrieved at the unusual powers placed in the hands of a rival such as Mir Jumla. This noble was much more accessible than the Vizier, and was not given to the extortionate practices of Ratan Chand. Naturally, men in search of employment or promotion sought his audience-hall rather than that of Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha.
The Vizier suffered, in this way, both in influence and in income. Moreover, Mir Jumla allowed no opportunity to pass without depreciating the Syed brothers, and brought forward arguments of every sort to prove that they were unfitted for the offices that they held.
The Syed brothers could never be certain from day to day that some new plot was not being hatched for their destruction. The Rajputana campaign was the means of unmasking one of these schemes. Secret letters had been, dispatched to Maharaja Ajit Singh, urging him to strenuous resistance, and inviting him, if he could, to make away with Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha. These letters came into Hussain Ali Khan's possession and through them he acquired proof of Emperor Farrukhsiyar's double-faced dealings. In the interval of Hussain Ali Khan's absence, Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha had found the greatest difficulty in maintaining his position at Court. All the power was in the hands of Mir Jumla. Every day messages came from Emperor Farrukhsiyar, couched in various forms, but all urging him to resign the office of Vizier. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha now wrote letters to his brother enjoining him to return to Delhi with all possible speed. In response to these calls, Hussain Ali Khan, as we have seen, reached the capital again on the 5th Rajab 1126 H. (16 July 1714).
For the next two or three months the breach between the Emperor and the minister, although far from closed, was not sensibly widened. The Syeds, as was natural, looked on Farrukhsiyar's accession to the throne as the work of their hands, and resented the grant of any share of power to other persons. On the other hand, the small group of Farrukhsiyar's intimates, men who had known him from his childhood and stood on the most familiar terms with him, were aggrieved at their exclusion from a share in the spoil. The two men selected to confront the Syeds were Khwaja Asim Khan Dauran and Mir Jumla III. They were both promoted to the rank of 7,000 horse: they were placed, the former at the head of 5,000 Wala-shahi, and the latter of 5,000 Mughal troopers. Many of their relations were pushed forward into high rank, and counting these men's troops, each of the two nobles had at his command over ten thousand men. Among the signs of this favoritism was the order passed on the 12th Shaban September 2, 1713, permitting Mir Jumla to entertain 6,000 horsemen, who were to be specially paid from the imperial treasury. These were raised by Amanat Khan, his adopted son, from Mughals born in India, and some seventy lakhs of Rupees for their pay were disbursed from the treasury, the rules as to descriptive rolls of the men and branding of the horses being set aside. No order was issued by Farrukhsiyar without the advice and approval of the above two men.
In this exercise of authority Mir Jumla assumed the lead, till at length Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was only the nominal, while he was the real vizier. The two Syeds bowed for the time to the Emperor's will, and made no opposition to these usurpations.
Mir Jumla and Khan Dauran talked well, but evaded dealing with the kernel of the matter. Mir Jumla, having no real strength of character, knew that he was not fitted to enter the lists as a champion to fight the Syeds.He therefore made excuses and drew to one side. Khan Dauran was in reality a mere braggadocio, a big talker; and he was frightened that if he should ever be called on to take the lead, he may lose his life in the attempt to destroy the Syeds.
As for the Emperor, his own troops and those of his relations were unequal to an attack on the Syeds. The imperial and Wala-shahi troops comprised many low-caste men and mere artisans held commands. The Emperor had no proof of their fighting quality.So it was decided once more to resume friendly relations with the Syed brothers. Eventually Islam Khan V would negotiate a settlement whereby Mir Jumla was forced out of office in Delhi and sent to Bihar.
As Hussain Ali Khan would not come to Court until Mir Jumla had left, the latter received his audience of dismissal on December 16, 1714. Four days afterwards,December 20, 1714, Hussain Ali Khan entered the palace with his men, observing the same precautions as in the case of Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha. The Emperor and the Mir Bakhshi exchanged compliments, under which their real sentiments were easily perceived. Some months before this time Hussain Ali Khan had obtained in his own favor a grant of the Deccan provinces, in super session of Nizam-ul-Mulk Chin Kilich Khan (Mir Qamar ud-Din). He had then no intention of proceeding there in person, but meant to exercise the government through a deputy, Daud Khan Panni.
The Sayyid brothers becoming the sole authority of Muhgal politics reduced the status of the Turani and the Irani noblemen in the Muhgal court. This excited the jealousy of these nobles, who used to enjoy high status under Emperor Farukhshiyar. As a result they formed a force of counter-revolution against the Sayyid brothers. The leader of the Counter Revolution was Nizam-ul-Mulk. In order to subdue the counter-revolution, the Sayyid brothers shifted Nizam from Delhi. Nizam was appointed as the Subahdar of Malwa. In due course Nizam captured the forts of Asirgarh and Burhanpur in Deccan. Moreover Nizam also killed Alam Ali Khan, the adopted son of Hussain Ali, who was the Deputy Subahdar of the Deccan. Meanwhile in Delhi a plot was devised against the Sayyid brothers. Haider Khan ultimately killed Hussain Ali. Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha with a big army set out to avenge his brother`s murder. But Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was defeated at Hasanpur near Palwal (Haryana) and later he was poisoned to death. Thus the protracted career of the Sayyid brothers came to an end.
Their present day descendants are known as Saadat-e-Barha and still mainly reside in various parts of the Northern Indian subcontinent, particularly in Jansath. Some of them live in Rangmahal and Motimahal of Jansath, four Sons of late Mr Sarfaraz Ali Khan:- (late) Zaigham Ali Khan who was the chairman of jansath, (late) Alamdar Ali Khan was the pioneer of musaddas' and was highly respected by people of all communities, Azhar Ali Khan and Abbas Ali Khan who is actively involved in politics.
There are several different spellings and terms for the Saiyid Brothers.