Subah of Lahore

The Subah of Lahore was a subdivision of the Mughal Empire encompassing the central Punjab region. Parts of which now fall in Pakistan and the India.

Subah of Lahore
‍
Subdivision of Mughal Empire
1580–1756
CapitalLahore
Historical eraEarly modern period
• Region first occupied by Babur
1519
• Established
1580
• Disestablished
1756
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Mughal Empire
Durrani Empire
Today part of

Geography

The subah of Lahore was bordered on the north by the Kashmir Subah, to the west by the Kabul Subah, to the south by the Delhi Subah and Multan Subah and to the north east by semi-autonomous hill states.[1]

History

Establishing Mughal control

In 1519, Babur first crossed the Indus river and took control of the entire Sind Sagar Doab up to Bhera and Khushab and by 1524 he had sacked Lahore. He then appointed representatives to key positions in his newly occupied territories, including Mir Abdul Aziz at Lahore.[2] He went on to take several key hill forts such as Kutila, Harur and Kahlur.[1] By 1526 the whole region from the Indus to the Sutlej was under his control.

After Babur's death, his son Kamran annexed the region up to the Sutlej, an act acquiesced by Humayun based in Delhi. Now lacking resources from the strategically important region, Humayun struggled in his conflict against Sher Shah Suri and fled to Kabul.[1] The region now became part of the Sur Empire.

Sher Shah instituted a policy of populating the region from Nilab to Lahore with Afghans from Roh.[3] Next he launched campaigns against the Gakkhars, about whom he suspected of being friendly with the Mughals.[3] During this period, Sher Shah constructed the Rohtas Fort near Jhelum. Following the death of Sher Shah's successor, Islam Shah. In 1556, the Sur Empire fragmented into four separate and hostile divisions. The Punjab region came under the control of Sikandar Suri who also controlled Delhi and Agra. However Mughal forces under Humayun defeated Sikandar at the Battle of Panipat in 1556 and re-established the Mughal Empire across the Punjab and northern India.

Over the next twenty four year, the Mughals gradually consolidated power in the Punjab. Campaigns followed to subdue local Zamindars, the Hill forts, and remnants of the Afghan establishment. The Gakkhars were co-opted and assimilated into the Mughal polity under Kamal Khan, son of Rai Sarang.[1] In 1566 and 1581 Mirza Hakim, half-brother of Akbar launched unsuccessful campaigns to occupy Lahore.

In 1580, Akbar re-organised his territories into twelve subahs, one of which was the Lahore Subah.

Decline

Following the death of Bahadur Shah in 1712, the Mughal Empire was ruled by a succession of rulers influenced by powerful and competing nobles. The erosion of imperial authority soon impacted the provinces where local rulers began to declare independence. The loss of territory, and failure to exert to military influence over the provinces led to a loss of revenue and financial crisis across the empire.[1] In the Lahore Subah, the tenure of governors increased and began to be seen as a hereditary post.[4] Between 1713 and 1745, the role of governor was held by just two people, father and son, Abdul Samad Khan and Zakariyah Khan.[1]

The death of Zakariyah Khan further hastened the end of Mughal rule in the subah. A conflict between the emperor Muhammad Shah and his wazir, Qamruddin, led to a delay in appointing a replacement governor.[1] Eventually, Qamruddin was made governor of both the Lahore and Multan subahs, and he nominated first Mir Momin Khan and later Yahya Khan to deputise for him as governor in the two subahs.[1]

The absence of a strong administration since Zakariyah Khan's death hindered Yahya Khan. He was forced to deal with increased raiding by Sikhs and a rebellion by Hayatullah Khan, son of the late Zakariyah Khan.[1] On 21 March 1747 Hayatullah Khan successfully defeated Yayha Khan in battle. The ousting of Yahya Khan was the first instance of a legitimate appointed governor being displaced in the subah. When his attempts to legitimise his position with the Mughal central government failed, Hayatullah Khan allied himself with Ahmad Shah Durrani, Emir of the Durrani Empire. In response, the Mughal government offered to legitimise him and grant him the subahs of Kabul, Kashmir, Thatta, Lahore and Multan if he defeated Durrani, an offer he accepted. In January 1748, Hayatullah Khan was defeated by the Afghans and fled to Delhi.[1]

Having occupied Lahore, the Afghans proceeded to Delhi however were defeated at Sirhind in March 1748. Having seen off the Afghans, the Mughals appointed Muinul Mulk, son of Qamruddin, as governor of Lahore and Multan subahs. Durrani launched a second invasion later in the year resulting in a peace agreement which gave the revenues of the Chahar Mahal, namely Sialkot, Gujrat, Pasrur and Aurangabad to the Afghans. He then faced a rebellion by first Nazir Khan, the Afghan appointed to collect the revenues of the Chahar Mahal, and later Hayatullah Khan, both at the instigation of the Safdar Jung the new Mughal wazir based in Delhi.[1] Despite successfully defeating both rebellions, Muinul Mulk was then attacked by Durrani for his failure to pay the revenues of the Chahar Mahal. Lacking support from the central government in Delhi, he again enlisted Sikh mercenaries who had aided him in his previous two campaigns.[1] The protracted conflict with Abdali led to widespread destruction across the subah and in 1752 Muinul Mulk was finally defeated by Afghan forces. The subah of Lahore was now annexed by the Afghans, however Muinul Mulk was left in place to govern until his death on 4 November 1753. The Mughals continued to claim authority in the subah and appointed their own governor Mir Momin Khan to challenge Afghan authority, even briefly re-occupying the subah in 1756, however they were quickly defeated.[1]

Administration

The subah was ruled by a governor, called a subedar. His duties involved maintaining the peace, subduing the northern hill states, hearing cases in court, supervising provincial officers and undertaking works of public utility.[1] Usually a single governor was appointed, however for a brief period during Akbar's reign he appointed two governors in case one came to court or fell ill.[5] Akbar further believed, following his experience with the Atka Khail in the Punjab, that it was necessary to regularly transfer governors to avoid them becoming too powerful. As such, for much of its history, governors only served short terms in the subah.[5]

A diwan was in charge of all financial affairs, and all faujdars, jagirdars, zamindars, amins, karoris and qanungoes, were required to refer revenue matters to the diwan.[1] In 1595 the diwan was made independent of the governor, and placed directly under the control of the diwan-i-ala in the central government.

A provincial bakshi controlled military affairs. He ensured that the mansabdars fulfilled their duties and issued certificates to that effect. The bakshi was also acted as the official news writer of the subah, reporting all affairs to the central government.[1]

In Lahore, the capital of the subah, a qazi was appointed, who heard cases, carried out investigations, and delivered judgments.[1]

Notable governors
Portrait of Ali Mardan Khan

The following is a list of notable governors of Lahore subah appointed by the central Mughal government.[5][6]

16th century

17th century

18th century

References
  1. Singh, Surinder (1985). The Mughal Subah of Lahore, 1581-1751: A Study of Administrative Structure and Practices. Panjab University.
  2. Shyam, Radhey (1978). Babur. Janaki Prakashan. p. 291.
  3. Prasad, Ishwari (1976). The Life and Times of Humayun. Central Book Depot. p. 92.
  4. Singh, Surinder (1985). The Mughal Subah of Lahore, 1581-1751: A Study of Administrative Structure and Practices. Panjab University.
  5. >Husain, A. (1970). Provincial Governors under Akbar (1580-1605). Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 32, 269-277. Retrieved August 1, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/44141074
  6. Ali, M. Athar. “Provincial Governors under Shah Jahan - An Analysis.” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 32, 1970, pp. 288–319., www.jstor.org/stable/44141077. Accessed 1 Aug. 2020.

Further reading
  • Irfan Habib (1999) [First published 1963]. The Agrarian System of Mughal India, 1556-1707 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-807742-8.
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