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Contents: Foreword. Genealogical Tables. Author’s Preface. Part I: 1. The History of India (1707–1739). 2. The Reign of Farrukhsiyar (1713–1719). 3. The Reigns of Rafi‘uddarajat and Rafi‘uddaula. 4. The Reign of Muhammad Shah to 1740. Part II: 5. The History of Bengal and Azimabad. 6. The Nizamate of Mahabat-Janga. 7. The Nizamate of Mir Muh’d Ja‘far Khan (1757–1760). 8. The Nizamate of Mir Muh’d Qasim Khan (1760–1763). 9. The Second Nizamate of Mir Muh’d Ja‘far Khan (1763–1765). 10. The Nizamate of Najmuddaula (1765–1766). 11. The Nizamate of Saifuddaula (1766–1770). 12. The Nizamate of Mubarakuddaula (1770–1793). Part III: 13. The History of India (1740–1781). 14. The Reign of Ahmad Shah Bahadur (1748–1754). 15. The Reign of Alamgir II (1754–1759). 16. The Reign of Shahjahan III (1759–1760). 17. Mirza Jawanbakht’s Regency and the Reign of Shah Alam II. Indices.

Ghulam Husain Khan Tabataba’i’s Siyaru’l-muta’akhkhirin is divided into three unequal parts. The first part traces the history of the Mughal Empire from the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 to the latter part of Muhammad Shah’s reign, around 1740. The second part focuses on the history of Bihar and Bengal from the death of the governor Shuja‘uddaula in 1739 through the Nizamate of Sirajuddaula, who was deposed, and died in 1757. The third part returns to the history of the empire at large, picking it up at 1740 and continuing to 1780. Since Ghulam Husain Khan spent almost his entire life in Bihar and Bengal and had family ties to many of the rulers, he was a first-hand witness to many of the events of which he writes. He was also acquainted with many of the British employees of the East India Company and has insightful observations on the rule (and misrule) of the Company and the part it played in the impoverishment of the region. Of particular interest are Ghulam Husain Khan’s digressions on his own life. These rare glimpses into the personal lives of the author and those around him show how precarious one’s position was in an age of shifting fortunes as the power and prestige of the Mughal Empire were diminished and lives and livelihoods could depend upon the whim of an autocratic local ruler. Copious notes identifying persons and places as well as a glossary of non-English terms and genealogical and dynastic charts add to the value of the translation.