Asaf Jah I, Nizam-ul-Mulk

Asaf Jah I, born Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan, was a Mughal general and minister who became the first Nizam of Hyderabad. He rose under Aurangzeb, stayed neutral when the emperor's sons fought for the throne in 1707, and spent his later career taking the Deccan out of Delhi's effective control. He never held office in Punjab, and the sources used here do not tie him to Sikh history directly. He belongs in this record as a marker of how the Mughal centre was losing its provinces in the decades when the Khalsa was rising in Punjab.

Key moments

• 11 August 1671: born at Agra, grandson of a noble who came from Samarkand and joined Aurangzeb's service.
• 1707: after Aurangzeb's death he stays out of the war of succession, which Bahadur Shah I wins.
• 12 January 1713: Emperor Farrukhsiyar appoints him Viceroy of the Deccan, with the title Nizam-ul-Mulk, administrator of the realm, and authority over six provinces.
• 1720: defeats Sayyid forces and helps Emperor Muhammad Shah rid himself of the Sayyid brothers.
• 1722 to 1724: Grand Vizier at Delhi. His attempts to reform court corruption make enemies and he leaves for the south.
• 1724: defeats the Mughal governor Mubariz Khan at Shakar Kheda and rules the Deccan under the title Asaf Jah. Outlook notes that he never openly declared independence from Delhi.
• 1739: during Nader Shah's invasion he brings troops to Karnal but is refused command; after the sack of Delhi he is reported to have gone to Nader Shah and persuaded him to end the killing.
• 1 June 1748: dies after catching a cold at Burhanpur, and is buried at Khuldabad. He left a 17-clause will advising his successors on governance and loyalty to the emperor.

He is remembered as the founder of the Asaf Jahi dynasty. His Nizams ruled Hyderabad until September 1948, when Indian troops began Operation Polo on 13 September and the Nizam's army surrendered on 17 September.