Page:The Oriental Biographical Dictionary.djvu/61

Amir 49 Amir Amir Khan, ty^^ J^"*'? the famous chief of the Pindaris and ancestor to the present Nawab of Tonk. He was originally in the service of Jaswant Kao Holkar, who hecomiag insane in 1806 and incapable of the adminis- tration of his own affairs, this Muhammadan chief endea- Youred to establish an ascendancy at his coiu't, but soon left it with the army he commanded to pursue the sepa- rate object of his own ambition, and became the chief of the Pindaris. Treaty was ratified with him by the British Government on the 19th December, 1817- He had on various pretexts avoided the ratification of the engage- ments which his agent had concluded with the resident of Dehli, but the movement of troops to his vicinity, and their occupation of positions which left him only the op- tion between engaging in an unequal conflict and signing this treaty, induced him to adopt the safer course. He was confirmed in the possession of all the territories he held from the Holkar famil)', but compelled to surrender his large trains of artilleiy to the English Government, and to disband that great body of plunderers which had been for more than two years the scourge of Malwa and Eajputana. Amir Khan died A. D. 1834, 1250 A. H. Amir Khan, ^^l^^/ot^ whose proper name was Mir Kh&n, but was changed by the emperor 'Alamgir by adding an alif to it rate Amir Khan. On a spot of seven bighas of ground, he had built his house close to the place called Guzar Tijara including the mahalla of Chhipitola. In the first year of the emperor 'Alamgir he was appointed gover- nor of the fort of Shahjahanabad, and in the 1 1th year of the reign of the emperor he was appointed Siibadar of Kabul. Amir Khan Sindhi, t^*'^ title of Mir Abdul Karim, son of Amir Khan the son of Mir Abul Kasim Namkin. He was employed in various offices during the reign of 'Alamgir, BahSdur Shah and Farrukh-siyar, and died some time before the accession of Muhammad Shah to the throne of Dehli. Amir Khoand, '^^^J'^J^^, vide Mir Khund or Khawind Shah. Amir Khusro, J^"*'^^-'"'? Khusro (Amir). Amir Mahmud, ^j-^^ji"^^ a native of Fa- reomud, sumamed Fakhr-uddin and commonly called Ibn- Yemin, was the son of Amir Yemin-uddin entitled Malik- ul Fuzla, i. e., the prince of the learned. Amir Mahmfid was an excellent poet and died on Saturday the 29th of January, 1368 A. D., Jumada II, 769 A. H., in Persia. He is mentioned in Dr. Sprenger's Catalogue, p. 67, to have died in 749 liijri corresponding with 1348 A. D., and in the Tazkira Daulat Shahi it is mentioned, that he died in 745 A. H., 1344 A. D. He has left a Diwan. Amir Mirza, !3-)'"'°-rJ:'°' v'^^ (Nawab) was the son of George Hopkins Walters, a pensioned European Officer, who with his family, consisting of a wife, two daughters and one son, had established himself in Lakhnau as a merchant, many years ago. After his death his family through the intrigues of one Bakhsh Ali Khan, embraced the Muhammadan religion, and the younger daughter not long after was consigned to the Seraglio of king Nasir- uddin Hydar and became one of the queens of that mon- arch, under the title of Wilayeti Mahal, or the King's European consort. The elder daughter also received the name and title of Ashraf-un-nisa Begam. She remained unmarried all her life. The brother Joseph Walters re- ceived the name of Amir Mirza. He was brought up as a Musalman of the Shi'a sect, and always took a pride in showing himself as an orthodox follower of the Crescent. After Wilayeti Mahal's death, her elder sister Ashraf- un-nisa Begam succeeded to her estate, consisting of Government Securities valued at 1,14,00,000 rupees besides 13 jewellery, moveable and immoveable property of consider- able value. In 1832 Ashraf-un-nisa died, and was suc- ceeded by Amii- Mirza her brother, who, squandered almost the whole property by his reckless prodigality. Amir Mirza died on the 10th of January, 1870, in his 66th year. Amir Mo'izzi, C£>*'* J^^} a celebrated poet of Samarkand who served under Sultan Malik Shah and Sultan Sanjar Saljuki, and was honored with the title of Malik-ush- Shua'ra, or the Royal Poet. He was accidentally killed by an arrow shot by the latter prince. His Diwan con- tains 15,000 verses. His death happened in the year 1147 A. D., 642 A. H. His proper name was Amir Ali. Amir Shahi, c5jl>>>^«(^*^^'h'"l, of Sabzwar, a poet who iiomdshed in the time of Shahrukh Mirza about the year 1436 A. D. Vide Shahi (Amir). Amir Taimur, ejL?='-^="^ Jj-^'^i^^ , styled Sahib Kiran, because he reigned more than 30 years. He is also called Timarlang (Tamerlane) from some defect in his feet ; was bom at Kush in ancient Sogdania on Tuesday the 9th April, 1336, A.D. 27th Sha'ban, 736 A. H. Some say he was the son of a shepherd, and others, that he was descended in a right line from Kajuli Bahadur, son of Tiimana Khan, of the same lineage with Changez Khan the celebrated conqueror of Persia. His father's name was Amir Tm'a- ghai and mother's Takina Khatun ; however, his ob- scurity was soon forgotten in the glory of his exploits. Distinguished by his corn-age and unbounded ambition, he gained a number of faithful adherents, and seized the city of Balkh, the capital of Khurasan, and having put to death Amir Husain the ruler of that place, whose sister he had married, he ascended the throne on Wednesday the 10th of April, 1370 A. D., 12th Eamzan, 771 A. H. He then subdued Kandahar, Persia, and Baghdad, and second-' ed by an enthusiastic army, he penetrated to India, took Dehli on Tuesday the 17th December, 1398 A. D., 7th Rabi' II, 801 A, H., with its immense treasures, and return- ed to pu.nish Baghdad that shook off his yoke. The offend- ing city was given up to pillage, and 80,000 of her inhabi- tants put to the sword. Now master of the faii'er part of Asia, he interfered, at the request of the Greek emperor, in the affairs of Baiazid (Bajazet) emperor of the Turks, and commanded him to abandon the siege of Constanti- nople. The message roused the indignation of Baiazid ; he marched against the new enemy, and was defeated by him in Plu-ygia, after a battle of 3 days, on Friday the 21st of July, 1402 A. D., 19th Zil-hijja, 804 A. H. Baiazid fell into the hands of the emperor, and was carried about in mockery in an iron cage. To these conquests Taimiir added Egypt and the treasures of Cairo, and then fixed the seat of his empire at Samarkand, where he received the homage of Manuel PaloBologus, emperor of Constan- tinople, and of Henry III, King of Castile, by their ambas- sadors. Taimur was preparing fi-esh victories by the invasion of China, when death stopped his career on Wednesday the 18th of February, 1405 A. D., 17th Sha'- ban, 807 A. H., in the 36th year of his reign, aged 71 j^ears, and was buried at Samarkand. He was the first who founded the dynasty of the Mughul emperors of Dehli. ' After his death he received the title of " Firdaus Makiini," i.e., " May paradise be his place of residence." He had four sons, viz., Jabangir Mirza, Umar Shaikh Mirza, Miran Shah and Shahrukh Mirza. Tamerlane on his death-bed named his grandson Pir Muhammad son of Jabangir Mirza, the universal heir of all his dominions ; but the contempt with which his will was treated after his death, was equal to the veneration which had been paid to his authority during his life. The Sultan Khalil, another of his grandsons, immediately took possession of the capital of Samarkand, and proclaimed himself emperor. Pir Muhammad did not Kve long enough to assert his rights, but was assassinated six months after the death of