Mirza Azim-ush-Shan (15 December 1664 – 18 March 1712) was the second son of the 8th Mughal Emperor Shah Alam I and his wife Amrit Kanwar from the Rathore Dynasty of Kishangarh. He was the great grandson of Shah Jahan and the grandson of Aurangzeb during whose reign he was the imperial subahdar (governor) of Bengal Subah from the year 1697 to his death in 1712.
Reign
thumb|left|Coin of Azim-us-Shaan
In 1697, Azim-ush-Shan was appointed the viceroy of Bengal Subah, Bihar and Odisha by Emperor Aurangzeb. Shortly afterwards, he took successful military initiative against Rahim Khan. Azim gave the East India Company permission to build Fort William in Calcutta (presently Kolkata) in 1696. Using Mughal permission, the Dutch also built Fort Gustavas in Chinsura and the French built Fort Orleans in Chandernagore (presently Chandannagar). known as Sahiba Niswan, a Kashmiri lady, and the sister of Khwajah Inayatullah entitled Shaista Khan. She was the mother of Emperor Farrukhsiyar. Upon Farrukhsiyar's accession on 11 January 1713, she occupied an eminent position in the imperial harem. She died at Delhi in February 1729, having outlived her son for nearly ten years. She was the mother of Prince Humayun Bakht Mirza, and Prince Ruh-ud-daula Mirza. Azim-ush-shan is said to have been very fond of her. On 24 May 1709, she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. She died at Daulatabad on 15 July 1709, and was buried there, near the tomb of Burhan ud-din.
His fourth wife was Gitti Ara Begum, the daughter of Prince Muhammad Azam Shah. The marriage took place on 1 November 1709. She died at Delhi on 12 June 1724 at age over forty years.
Ancestry
See also
- Azimabad, former name of Patna, after prince Azim-ush-Shan
- List of rulers of Bengal
- History of Bihar
- History of Odisha