This Letter of acknowledgement and direction from Emperor H.M. Abu’l-Muzaffar Siraj ud-din Muhammad Bahadur Shah II The Delhi archives 201/60 show there were more than a thousand princes in the royal family. Most of these princes retreated from danger.

 

Correspondence between these princes and the Emperor showed a prevailing pattern of dependence upon the Emperor’s approval prior to taking any action. Certainly a military uprising would not have been an independent act. Prior to the Hindustan Upraising of 1857, there was a letter between Mirza Firuz Shah and his grandfather, Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II. This letter, sent three years earlier, in November of 1855, gave specific instructions to his grandson.

 

Mirza Firuz Shah was supposed to show himself to the public and declare himself in charge of Central Hindustan. As a result of the letter from his grandfather, Mirza Firuz Shah follows through on this plan. The letter also warned Mirza Firuz Shah of a certain woman in his grandson’s household who may inadvertently leak information. His grandfather mentions some ladies of the household by name and one is Mirza Firuz Shah’s daughter. This acknowledgement is sent the date on 1855, Oct 28