Description

Ghulam Husain Khan Tabataba'i's Siyaru'l-muta'akhkhirin is divided into three unequal parts. The first part traces the history of the Mughal Empire from the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 to the latter part of Muhammad Shah's reign, around 1740. The second part focuses on the history of Bihar and Bengal from the death of the governor Shuja'uddaula in 1739 through the nizamate of Sirajuddaula, who was deposed, and died in 1757. The third part returns to the history of the empire at large, picking it up at 1740 and continuing to 1780. Since Ghulam Husain Khan spent almost his entire life in Bihar and Bengal and had family ties to many of the rulers, he was a first-hand witness to many of the events of which he writes. He was also acquainted with many of the British employees of the East India Company and has insightful observations on the rule (and misrule) of the Company and the part it played in the impoverishment of the region. Of particular interest are Ghulam Husain Khan's digressions on his own life. These rare glimpses into the personal lives of the author and those around him show how precarious one's position was in an age of shifting fortunes as the power and prestige of the Mughal Empire were diminished and lives and livelihoods could depend upon the whim of an autocratic local ruler.