Page:Aurangzíb and the Decay of the Mughal Empire.djvu/41

 CHAPTER II

THE FIGHT FOR THE THRONE

The inevitable destiny of a prince who had displayed such ability and energy in the campaigns in Afghánistán was to govern the ever-disturbed province of the Deccan. The record of what Aurangzíb did there in 1655-7 will find its place in a later chapter ; here it suffices to say that his dealings with the Muhammadan kingdoms of Golkonda and Bíjápúr added greatly to his renown both as a general and as a diplomatist. In the midst of his successes, he was called away to face the crisis of his life. In the autumn of 1657, as has already been related, his father, Sháh-Jahán, was reported to be sick unto death. A fratricidal struggle for the crown at once began, in which Aurangzíb took the principal part. It was no child's play, for all the four brothers were mature men of fixed characters and definite aims, and each had had experience in the art of war and in the government of provinces. Their father, remembering his own contumacy towards Jahángír, and ever