Read PART 1 : Mughal history from Babur to Aurangzeb
After Aurangzeb's death, his son Azam Khan (r. 14 March to 20 June 1707) ruled for a brief period of 3 months before he and his remaining 3 brothers were killed by their elder brother Shah Alam I. After assuming the throne Shah Alam I took on the title of Bahadur Shah I (r. 19 June 1707 to 27 Feb 1712). Aurangzeb's cruel reign sparked multiple rebellions; The Sikhs under Banda Bahadur, the Rajputs and Kam Baksh (Aurangzeb's 6th son). All these rebellions were crushed. Banda Bahadur and 100s of Sikhs died a tortuous death. Bahadur Shah I converted to Shia Islam and created quite a controversy amidst conventional Sunnis. He even repealed Aurangzeb's religious policies. Bahadur Shah died due to health issues in 1712.
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| A bronze placard of a Royal procession in India, depicted at Victoria Memorial Kolkata |
Jahandar Shah (r. 29 March 1712 to 11 Feb 1713)- the first puppet Mughal ruler
Contemplating a War of Succession between the powerful prince Azim-us-Shan (2nd son of Bahadur Shah I) and his weaker but older brother Jahandar Shah; Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung, a nobleman, taking advantage of the situation, masterminded a plot to topple prince Azim in favour of Jahandar. Azim was defeated and killed, furthermore Jahandar also eliminated his younger brothers Rafis-us-Shan and Jahan Shan with the help of Zulfiqar and thereby assumed the throne just like his father had done.
However, since he lacked the capability and experience, Jahandar found no favour among his courtiers. This made him suspicious and therefore he appointed purely those who supported him rather than people based on their credibility. Zulfiqar himself, assumed the post of wazir. The incapable Jahandar was forced to depend on Zulfiqar who wielded absolute power while himself stayed as Padshah only in name.
On a positive side, wazir Zulfiqar brought an amicable settlement with the Rajputs, Sikhs and Marathas thereby bringing peace after a longtime.
Farrukhsiyar (r. 11 Jan 1713 to 28 Feb 1719) was Azim-us-Shan's son who was based in faraway Bengal. As Jahandar increasingly fell out of favour with the nobles, Farrukhsiyar became their next best choice. Taking support of the nobles, he assembled a rebel army and defeated imperial army to become the next sovereign of the Mughal throne. Jahandar escaped for dear life and sought shelter from Zulfiqar. Sadly for him Zulfiqar instead handed him over to Farrukhsiyar in the hope of gaining his favour. But the new Mughal emperor ordered the execution of both Zulfiqar and Jahandar Shah. Farrukhsiyar avenged his father's death by meting Jahandar a particularly brutal execution. The new emperor thereafter made his own contributions towards explicit suppressions against Jats, Sindhis and Sikhs.
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| Pieces of Mughal era crockery displayed at Purana qila museum gives us a glimpse of the lifestyle during this period |
4 Mughal emperors in a year
Among the nobles who had supported Farrukhsiyar were the Sayyid brothers; and they had charge of the strongest part of the army. In the course of time the brothers asserted themselves and became de facto rulers of the Mughal Empire. Then taking help from Ajit Singh of Marwar and the Marathas, they executed Farrukhsiyar.
đź’ˇThe Sayyid brothers, better known as Sayyids of Barha belonged to the Barha dynasty, ie. An Indian Muslim Shi'ai dynasty. They are said to be Sayyid descendants of the 7th-8th ce caliph, Ali. Their martial prowess is exemplary in a manner that they always led their armies from the vanguard (facing the enemy head-on from the front). The Sayyid brothers were pro-hindus and therefore took under their fold hindu rulers like; Marathas and Ajit Singh of Marwar.
Rafi-ud-Darajat (r. 2 Feb to 6 June 1719) was placed on the Mughal throne by the Sayyid brothers. Barely did he serve 3 months as regent, when he got usurped by his uncle Nekusiyar, better known as Timur II (r. 18 May to 13 Aug 1719). The badishahgar (kingmakers, namely Sayyid bros) irked by Nekusiyar's impudence for declaring himself a regent, captured and imprisoned him at Salimgarh fort (ie. located within Red fort complex Delhi).
đź’ˇRafi-ud-Darajat was the great grand-son, whereas Nekusiyar was grand-son of Aurangzeb.
Rafi-ud-Daulah, better known as Shah Jahan II (r. 6 June to 17 Sept 1719) was Rafi-ud-Darajat's brother. Just like his brother, Rafi-ud-Daulah also died of tuberculosis on 17 Sep 1719 cutting short his reign. He was succeeded by Muhammad Shah (r. 27 Sept to 26 April 1748).
đź’ˇMuhammad Shah was son of Khujita Akhtar, the 4th son of Bahadur Shah I
The fall of the Barha Sayyid brothers and the loss of Deccan
It was during this time that Asaf Jah I, once Aurangzeb's favorite general and now Viceroy of the Deccan, began asserting himself to break free from the clutches of the badishahgar Sayyids. Suspecting intrigue between Asaf Jah and Muhammad Shah, the Sayyid brothers swiftly attempted to install a new puppet emperor, namely, Jahangir II (r. 15 Oct to 13 Nov 1720). However, several loyalists of Muhammad Shah discredited the new claimant, and Jahangir II lost to Muhammad Shah in the battle of Hasanpur (13 Nov 1720). Thereafter with the aid of Asaf Jah I, the Sayyid brothers were murdered thereby successfully breaking their stronghold over the Mughal Empire.
With the fall of the Sayyid brothers, the Deccan territories would gradually slip out of Mughal control. By 31 July 1724, Asaf Jah I declared himself the 1st Nizam of Hyderabad (Deccan territories).
In the years to follow, Asaf Jah I sensed hostilities from the Mughal court seemingly to suppress his independence. As a retaliation he encouraged his ally, the Marathas to invade central and northern Mughal territories. So in 1737, under Bajirao I, the Marathas annexed Gujarat, Malwa and Bundelkhand and thereafter raided the Mughal capital Delhi.
Nadir Shah of Persia invades Delhi (1738- 1740)
After invading Kandahar in 1738, Nadir Shah now turned his attention to India. The wealth of Delhi and the steady decline of the Mughal Empire got his attention. In the Battle of Karnal (24 Feb 1739) that followed, Nadir Shah won a decisive victory against the Mughals. The Mughal capital of Delhi was thereafter occupied by the Persian forces. On 22 March 1739 the city's inhabitants were massacred in cold-blood and their wealth looted. Some 30,000 men, women and children had perished that day and into the next.
Amongst a trove of other fabulous wealth, the greatest losses were; the Peacock throne that sat in the Diwan-i-khas (Red fort), Daria-i-noor and Koh-i-noor jewels. Not to mention that Muhammad Shah had to also hand over his daughter Jahan Afruz as a trophy bride for Nadir Shah's son.
Revolts against the Mughal Empire arose from every quarter. Muhammad Shah is said to have died of grief on 26 April 1748. He was succeeded by his son Ahmad Shah Bahadur (r. 29 April 1748 to 2 June 1754). Ahmad Shah inherited an impoverished empire that was decentralising into various rivalling factions. Plus his own vices resigned him in the company of the women in his harem rather than the affairs of his dwindling empire. This resulted in his Grand Vizier, Imad-ul-Mulk gaining an upper hand and subsequently becoming the de facto ruler. Ahmad Shah no doubt did his best to remove Imad-ul-Mulk from the Imperial court, but got himself arrested instead. This Grand Vizier then sought the help of Marathas in humiliating Ahmad Shah even further. The Marathas army under Raghunathrao (brother of Nanasaheb Peshwa I) and Malhar Rao Holkar defeated the Mughal army in the Battle of Sikandarabad (1754). Thereafter everything went downhill! Ahmad Shah Bahadur and his mother were both imprisoned at Salimgarh fort and later blinded. After spending the remaining part of his life in prison he died in 1775.
đź’ˇImad-ul-Mulk was the grandson of the 1st Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizam ul-mulk Asaf Jah
Imad-ul-Mulk alongwith Marathas weaken Mughal positions further
Imad-ul-Mulk raised to the throne 55 year old Alamgir II (r. 3 June 1754 to 29 Nov 1759), the second son of Jahandar Shah as the new puppet emperor. In 1757 The Marathas under Balaji Baji Rao encamped in the villages by the Jamuna, right across the Red fort. They then set ablaze all vessels in the river thereby stopping the food supply to Delhi. After a 5 month siege the Mughals had to concede defeat. Alamgir II alongwith his family escaped to neighbouring Bharatpur state, while the Marathas entered Delhi. They plundered and pillaged the city giving the musselmans a taste of their own medicine; Mosques and shrines built by the Mughals were desecrated. In 1758 they even occupied Lahore. Imad-ul-Mulk on the other hand lined his pockets with the Imperial revenues leaving Alamgir II and his family in the lurch.
When Alamgir II returned to Delhi, he began to consolidate his territories by seeking help from various nawabs, Nizams and faujdars (commanders) to unite them against the Marathas. Imad-ul-Mulk realising his own interests would be at stake, plotted with the Maratha, Sadashivrao bhau to neutralise Alamgir II and important members of his family. In Nov 1759 Alamgir II was assassinated.
After the death of Alamgir II, the Maratha confederacy and Imad-ul-Mulk hastily appointed Shah Jahan III (r. 10 Dec 1759 to 10 Oct 1760) to the throne. However, a Mughal military commander named Najib ad Dawlah strove to break free from Imad-ul-Mulk's stronghold. So he formed a firm alliance of principal Mughal nobles alongwith Ahmad Shah Abdali another Maratha adversary, and recaptured Delhi. Thereafter they appointed Shah Alam II (r. 10 Oct 1760 to 31 July 1788) as regent to the Mughal throne. The Marathas were unable to hold out this time as they were attacked from the south by Hyder Ali of Mysore. Shah Alam II who had been in exile for a long time now appointed his own Grand Vizier named Shuja-ud-Dawla, while Imad-ul-Mulk fled.
đź’ˇShah Jahan III was the son of Muhammad Kam Baksh, Aurangzeb's youngest son, while Shah Alam II was Alamgir II's son.
British East India company gain an upper hand in Bengal
As more and more provinces came into their own, the Mughal Empire shrunk to the size of a suburb in Delhi making it the butt of ridicule. The East India company that had been asserting themselves during this period. Shah Alam II with the help of the French and his own militia made an attempt to recapture the eastern Subahs in 1761. He succeeded in advancing as far as Patna (in present day Bihar state) but were dispersed in though not without a fight.
In 1764, Shah Alam II got involved in another conflict with the British; namely, The Battle of Buxar which led to his defeat. This resulted in a treaty that authorised the British East India company to become the Imperial tax collectors of their Eastern Subahs (Bengal, Bihar and northern Odisha). A 'dual rule' existed; the British enjoyed the revenue collected while the Mughal emperor appointed a Nawab to look after the administration of the provinces. In 1770, the Bengal famine struck, bringing with it death and destruction.
Destruction, humiliation, Downfall and death
Shah Alam II made grave miscalculations by appointing individuals whose capability and loyalty were questionable at best. This brought him in close confrontation with Ghulam Qadhir, a grandson of Najib-ud-Daulah, the Mughal military commander who had challenged the authority of Imad-ul-Mulk (mentioned earlier). Ghulam Qadhir allied with the Sikhs and forced Shah Alam II to appoint him as Grand Vizier. Thereafter he ravaged the palaces in search of the Mughal treasure, but found none. When Shah Alam II, irked by his behaviour showed resistance, Ghulam blinded him with an Afghan knife on 10 Aug 1788. Two servants attempting to save the bleeding emperor were instantly beheaded. For 2½ months Ghulam Qadhir plundered whatever that was left of Delhi. In yet another horrendous incident the royal princesses were dishonored after which they committed suicide by jumping in the Yamuna. Learning of the horrific incidents, Mahadji Shinde came to the rescue on 2 Oct 1788 and killed the brute, Ghulam Qadhir. Shah Alam II was grateful and conferred upon Mahadji Shinde the title of Vakil-ul-Mutlaq (Regent of the Empire). Thereafter a Maratha garrison (Mahadji Shinde faction comprising Nagpur, Gwalior and Indore states) was permanently stationed in Delhi, and stayed there until the Anglo-Maratha war (1803).
In 1793 the British, under Robert Clive, succeeded in the complete annexation of Bengal-Bihar provinces. In 1803 post the Anglo-Maratha war they entered Delhi thereby bringing Shah Alam II, now a blind old man under a tattered canopy completely under their control. Shah Alam II died in 1806 of old age.
Akbar II (r. 19 Nov 1806 to 1835) was Shah Alam II's 2nd son. The British East India company installed him as the king of Delhi while the complete power rested in their hands. In 1885 the British bored with the pretence of calling itself as 'protector of the Mughal emperor', discontinued issuance of any Mughal coins. Akbar II survived merely on a pension provided by the British.
Bahadur Shah Zafar (r. 28 Sept 1837 to 21 Sept 1857) : The last Mughal emperor of India
To the great comfort of the British, Bahadur Shah II (his regnal name) displayed no interest in the affairs of the state. He lived off the pension provided by the British East India company, managing his own affairs and writing poetry and ghazals.
The Indian Rebellion against the British East India company of 1857 began to spread like wildfire. On 12 May the same year, when sepoys of the rebellion reached his court requesting for assistance, Bahadur Shah II initially declined, but yielded later. The sepoys then hunted down 52 Britishers, kept them hostage in the palace and later executed them, much against the emperor's will. The situation in the city was chaotic and worrisome.
It is quite possible that Bahadur Shah II was a consenting party to this mayhem as it could provide him an opportune moment to break free from the shackles of his colonial masters, the British. Or maybe he was innocent and the sepoys wishing to implicate him acted in such a manner. Or perhaps the sepoys expressed a will to reinstate the Mughal Empire.
What happened next was The Siege of Delhi (8 June to 21 Sept 1857). The sepoys unfortunately were disorganised, with no proper strategy in place, thus tipping the scales in favour of the British. This was indeed a major setback for The Indian Rebellion of 1857. The British once again recaptured Delhi. Bahadur Shah II was held accountable and captured alongwith his 3 sons from Humayun's tomb where they lay in hiding. The angry British eager to avenge the death of their countrymen, executed many civilians and mutineers without a trial.
Bahadur Shah II's 3 sons were executed and their heads presented to the 82 year Bahadur Shah Zafar.
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| Lal darwaja or Khooni darwaza, Delhi where Bahadur Shah Zafar's 3 sons were executed following the Indian Rebellion of 1857. |
đź’ˇPrior to the dastardly incident, Khooni darwaza was already infamous as executions were carried out by Jehangir on the 2 sons of Akbar's Navratana Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana. Later Aurangzeb hung his elder brother Dara Shikoh's head on display at this gate. It was also witness to the bloodshed during Nadir Shah's Sack of Delhi. The monument is presently sealed to the general public  |
| Bahadur Shah Zafar languishing in exile at Rangoon, Burma |
Bahadur Shah Zafar was himself tried and sent into exile to Rangoon, Burma which was also under British control. His health deteriorated and he died in 1862 at the age of 87.
... thus finally drawing the curtains down for Mughal rule in India!
In order to visit Mughal monuments, kindly refer my next blogpost~ Touring Delhi by metro (an easy & quick reference guide)
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