Ahmad Shah Bahadur - Origins and Early Life

Origins and Early Life

Prince Ahmad was born in 1725 to the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah of a declining empire. As a prince he developed good manners and performed his religious duties well. At the same time he developed a weakness for women, though this was restricted under his father's supervision.

His real test came when, in 1748 Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded Indus River Valley. Prince Ahmad and Grand Vizier Asaf Jah I were dispatched by his father the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah to command a large Mughal Army of 75,000 to confront the advancing Durrani's. At Sirhind both forces fought a decisive battle and Prince Ahmad was victorious. He was thereupon conferred with the title Bahadur, by the Mughal Emperor.

This particular victory had a considerable impact on the tactical prowess of Ahmad Shah Bahadur, in fact when he became Mughal Emperor he is known to have introduced and organized the Purbiya artillerymen corps particularly in the year 1754 to combat the invading Durrani's and the rebellious Sikhs.

Read more about this topic:  Ahmad Shah Bahadur

Famous quotes containing the words origins, early and/or life:

    Lucretius
    Sings his great theory of natural origins and of wise conduct; Plato
    smiling carves dreams, bright cells
    Of incorruptible wax to hive the Greek honey.
    Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962)

    An early dew woos the half-opened flowers
    —Unknown. The Thousand and One Nights.

    AWP. Anthology of World Poetry, An. Mark Van Doren, ed. (Rev. and enl. Ed., 1936)

    ... such is the horrible idea that I entertain respecting a life of servitude, that if I conceived of there being no possibility of my rising above the condition of servant, I would gladly hail death as a welcome messenger.
    Maria Stewart (1803–1879)