| Conflict: | Safdarjung's rebellion |
| Date: | 10 May 1753 |
| Place: | Delhi |
| Result: | Mughal-Rohillas alliance victory[1] [2] [3] |
| Combatant1: | Oudh State Kingdom of Bharatpur |
| Combatant2: | Mughal Empire Rohilla Afghans |
| Commander1: | Safdar Jung Suraj Mal Sayyid Salabat Khan Zulfiqar Jang |
| Commander2: | Ahmad Shah Bahadur Intizam-ud-Daulah Imad-ul-Mulk Najib ad-Dawlah |
The Safdarjung's rebellion took place on 10 March 1753.
Safdar and Intizam had been hostile to one another since March 1753. The emperor did not have the power to control any of them. However the emperor and his mother eventually asked Safdar to retire to Oudh, Safdar tried to delay his departure but on 26 March he left Delhi. However instead of going to Oudh, he camped outside Delhi with his army, unable to decide whether to betray the emperor or leave for his own state.
Initially both sides refused to take action against the other and Safdar could not make up his mind to attack Delhi, but the arrival of reinforcements under Surajmal and Salabat Khan gave him enough confidence to become the aggressor. Safdar encouraged the Jats to plunder Old Delhi.[4] On 9 May the Jats sacked Old Delhi, and burned several areas. Civilians fled to New Delhi, which was fortified, while the Jats plundered up to the gates and were able to extract lakhs of rupees from the suburbs.[1] The emperor dismissed Safdar Jang as wazir on 13 May and appointed Intizamin his place, with Imad as Mir Bakshi. Safdar Jang reacted by appointing a eunuch emperor and proclaiming him Akbar Ādilshāh. He also declared himself as wazir and Sarbuland Khan Mir Bakshi.[1]
From 9 May to 4 June many skirmishes took place, which Safdar was winning, but on 2 June the Rohillas under Najib Khan came to the emperors' aid. Safdar's major attack on the walls of Delhi on the 5th also failed. From 5 June to 7 November, Safdar slowly suffered losses and was pushed back as far as Ballabgarh by the emperor's army. The biggest casualty for Safdar was the death of Rajendra Gossain from a musket shot. Safdar, heartbroken, could not bear the loss of his favourite general, and refused to personally enter the battlefield. The Jats and Qizilbashes on Safdar's side continued to fight the Marathas and Badakshis of the Imperial army. Safdar's men began to get demoralised by their leader's behaviour and started to defect to the emperor's side. Many reinforcements from several states also came to the emperor's aid. Safdar was pushed back, and the Marathas took advantage and attacked Safdar's rear, plundering his camp. Surajmal also started negotiations with the wazir. The emperor, out of desperation, called on Sawai Madho Singh of Jaipur to negotiate with all the warlords gathered in Delhi. Madho Singh's involvement resulted in a peace treaty between the emperor and Safdar. The emperor gifted Madho with the fort and district of Ranthambore, as a gift for acting as his peacemaker. Safdar and the other parties all left the capital, leaving the emperor heavily indebted, which ultimately led to his dethronement six months later.[1]
The emperor's army and allies were 80,000 in number. This cost at least 24 lakhs/month and this huge army was kept standing in Delhi for seven months. This resulted in a debt of 1 crore 68 lakhs for the emperor. Apart from this, the Mughal army had not been paid for two years and the emperor, after selling his jewellery, could only raise two lakhs.[1]
Imad-ul-Mulk, the de facto ruler of Delhi, called for help from the Marathas and instigated an attack on Jat territory.[5] The Marathas under Raghunath Rao and the Mughals under Imad laid siege to the Kumher fort on 1 January 1754. Suraj Mal fought with bravery and strong resistance. The Marathas were unable to capture Kumher fort and agreed to 30 lakhs as compensation. Imad and Raghunath Rao also took two crores from Surajmal they were supposed to give to the emperor as Peshkash.[6] [7]