The Grand Vizier of Hindustan (Persian: ) was the highest ranking minister in the Mughal Empire and the chief adviser to the emperor himself. The position acted as the de facto head of government of the Mughal Empire and had responsibility for leading the ministers of the Empire. This is the list of grand viziers (vazīr-e azam) of the Mughal Empire.
History The seniormost official under the Mughals, or the Prime Minister, held different titles such as Vakil, Vakil-us-Sultanat, Wazir, Diwan, Diwan-i-Ala and Diwan Wazir under different Mughal emperors. Under Babur and Humayun, the institution of the wazirat was not fully developed owing to a lack of an entrenched nobility and political upheaval. Nonetheless, individuals under both rulers did rise to positions equivalent to the position of prime minister and under Humayun reforms were first attempted to clarify the roles of Vakil and Wazir.
In the early years of Akbar's reign, the position of prime minister was first officially held by Bairam Khan as Vakil-us-Sultanat, and he exercised considerable influence over the emperor. Over time the power of the Vakil gradually declined, and during the reign of his successor Jahangir the role of Wazir replaced the Vakil as the most important officer in government. Mughal wazirs were specifically appointed from the ahl-i-qalam(men of the pen) as distinct from the ahl-i-saif(men of the sword). With the abolishment of the post of Wakil, the post was divided into the two offices of Wazir and Mir Bakhshi, where the chief Wazir was the head of the finance department, while the Mir Bakhshi was the head of the military department. These two offices were made jointly responsible for the administration by a system of signatures and counter-signatures. Until the death of Aurangzeb, the post of Wazir was never a threat to the monarchy as the Wazir could not act too independently. However, after the death of Aurangzeb, the pre-mughal tradition in India of the Wazir being the premier noble at the court and leading counsellor of the king apart from being the head of the financial administration had been re-established.
List of grand viziers
Portrait Name Term of office Notable events EmperorMir Khalifa21 April 152617 May 15401st Battle of Panipat Battle of KhanwaBabur (15261530) & Humayun (15301540)Qaracha Khan1540?He was a governor of Qandahar and Humayun appoint him as Grand-Vizier of the Mughal State.Humayun (15301556) Bairam Khan 1556 March/April 1560Akbar-i-Azam(1556-1605) Munim Khan15601561Ataga KhanNovember 156116 May 1562He was assassinated by Adham KhanMunim Khan15621567None15671573 Muzaffar Khan Turbati 1573 1579No Vakil was appointed after his appointment to governorship in Bengal from 1579 until 1589None Todar Mal(de-facto)15791589Abdul Rahim1589? Abu'l-Fazl ? 22 August 1602Mirza Koka?1605 Sharif Khan 1605 1611Jahangir(1605-1627) I'timad-ud-Daula 1611 1622 Asaf Khan 1622 1627/28 Wazir Khan 1627 1628Shah Jahan(1628-1658) Azam Khan 1628 1628 Afzal Khan 1628 1639 Islam Khan 1639 1645 Sa'dullah Khan 1645 1656 Taj Mahal completed Mu'azzam Khan 1656 1657Alamgir I(1658-1707) Jafar Khan 1657 1658 Fazil Khan 1658 1663 Jafar Khan 1663 1670None (Asad Khanas deputy vizier)16701675 Asad Khan 1675 1707 Mughal–Maratha Wars Anglo-Mughal War Mun'im Khan 1707 1711Bahadur Shah I(1707-1712) Hidayatullah Khan 1711 1712Jahandar Shah(1712-1713) Zulfiqar KhanJohn F. Richards, The New Cambridge History of India: The Mughal Empire (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993), p. 262 1712 1713 Qutb-ul-Mulk 1713 1720 Mughal throne occupied by a series of puppet rulers under the Syed brothers.Farrukhsiyar(1713–1719) Amin Khan 1720 1721Muhammad Shah(1719-1748) Nizam-ul-Mulk 1721 1723 Roshan-ud-Daula 1724 1733 Itimad-ud-Daula 1733 1748Battle of Bhopal Nader Shah's invasion of Mughal Empire Battle of Karnal First invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani Battle of Manupur (1748) Shuja-ud-Daula 1748 1753Second invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani Third invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani Battle of Lahore (1752)Ahmad Shah Bahadur(1748-1754) Intizam-ud-DaulaKhwaja, Sehar. "Fosterage and Motherhood in the Mughal Harem: Intimate Relations and the Political System in Eighteenth-Century India." Social Scientist 46, no. 5-6 (2018): 39-60. Accessed August 7, 2020. doi:10.2307/26530803. 1753 1754 Imad-ul-Mulk 1754 1760Black Hole of Calcutta Battle of PlasseyAlamgir II(1754-1759) Shuja-ud-Daula 1761 1775Third Battle of Panipat Battle of Buxar Treaty of AllahabadShah Alam II(1760-1806)Majad-ud-Daula Abdul Ahad Khan Kashmiri(defacto since 1773) 17751779Mirza Najaf Khan 1779 1782Afrasiyab Khan17821784Mahadaji Shinde17851794Daulat Rao Shinde17941803
See also Mughal emperors Mughal Empire
References