Violations of Courtly Space and Courtly Protocol in the Reign of Ahmad Shāh

Abstract

This paper focuses on the abbreviated reign of Ahmad Shāh (r. 1748-1754). This was a reign beset by financial troubles and the threat of invasion, when not undermined by independent-minded Mughal nobles. A short reign, a young king, and the prominent influence of figures such as eunuchs and royal women have easily fit into conventional narratives of decline,  both as written by contemporaries, as well as modern historians such as Jadunath Sarkar. This contribution considers how, within this context, courtly spaces also become an important location of contestation and commentary. Examining both akhbārāt and chronicles, it will examine how the larger tensions and instability of this reign both shaped courtly negotiations as well as were expressed through commentary on Ahmad Shāh’s court. It will trace these questions across their diverse archival manifestations, in accounts of an emperor represented as shirking the responsibility of the court audience; of a powerful eunuch and a Queen Mother who became the centers of state affairs, whose holding of audiences come under criticism; and of the violation of the space of the court by protesting palace guards seeking the payment of their stipends. Weaving together these different expressions of critique, by means of the perceived misuse or violation of prior courtly practice, this contribution will explore the continued relevance, both practical and symbolic, of the court within the context of a dynastic center under pressure.