Mughal Emperors

1.1 How many Mughal emperors were there?

Counts of Mughal emperors differ, because some rulers held the throne for only a few months. The table in section 9 lists eighteen. The first is Babur in 1526. The last is Bahadur Shah II in 1857. The dynasty lasted 331 years. Exam questions usually test the main names, so learn the short reigns too.

1.2 How did the dynasty begin?

Babur won the First Battle of Panipat in 1526. He defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last Sultan of Delhi. Babur ruled for just over four years. He died in December 1530 and left his son Humayun a young and fragile empire.

1.3 Why does the list have a gap?

Humayun lost his throne in 1540. The Afghan leader Sher Shah of Sur defeated him at Kannauj. Humayun then spent about 15 years in exile. He recovered Delhi in 1555. He died in January 1556 after a fall down the stairs of his library. Sher Shah and his heirs ruled in between, but they were not Mughals.

2.1 Why is Akbar's reign the longest?

Akbar took the throne in 1556, when he was only 13. He ruled until 1605, for about 49 years. This is the longest reign of any Mughal emperor. He extended Mughal power over most of the Indian subcontinent. He is remembered for religious tolerance and for building a stronger government.

2.2 What did Jahangir and Shah Jahan add?

Jahangir ruled from 1605 to 1627. His reign is known for Mughal painting and for the court influence of Nur Jahan. Shah Jahan ruled from 1628 to 1658. He built the Taj Mahal. His son Aurangzeb defeated him and confined him in Agra Fort until his death in January 1666.

2.3 Why does the strong phase end with Aurangzeb?

Aurangzeb ruled from 1658 to 1707, for nearly 49 years. Only Akbar ruled longer. Under him the empire reached its greatest extent. Long wars in the Deccan then deepened an economic crisis. After his death in 1707 the empire slowly broke down.

2.4 Which reign-length trap do examiners like?

Shah Jahan is not the third longest ruler. Akbar Shah II reigned about 31 years, from 1806 to 1837. That is a little longer than Shah Jahan’s 30 years, from 1628 to 1658. Shah Alam II, from 1759 to 1806, also ruled longer than Shah Jahan.

3.1 Who won the fight for Aurangzeb's throne?

Aurangzeb died in March 1707. His sons Azam Shah and Muazzam then fought for the throne. Muazzam was the elder brother. Azam Shah died at the Battle of Jajau in June 1707. Some lists count his few months as a reign. Muazzam took the title Bahadur Shah and ruled until February 1712.

3.2 What problems did Bahadur Shah I face?

Bahadur Shah I faced opposition from the Marathas and the Rajputs. In 1710 to 1712 he drove the Sikhs into the hills of Punjab. He did not capture their leader, Banda Singh Bahadur. The empire stayed whole.

3.3 Who really ruled under Jahandar Shah?

Bahadur Shah’s death set off a struggle among the princes. Jahandar Shah won it and ruled from 1712 to 1713. Britannica calls him a weak prince. His vizier, Zulfiqar Khan, took charge of the empire with unusual power. Farrukhsiyar then won the throne.

3.4 Who were the Sayyid brothers?

Abd Allah Khan and Husayn Ali Khan came from the Baraha family. They are known as the Sayyid brothers. Farrukhsiyar owed his victory and throne to them. He ruled from 1713 to 1719. The brothers became vizier and held the real power. In early 1719 they imprisoned Farrukhsiyar, and he was later killed.

4.1 Why did so many rulers follow each other in 1719?

After the Sayyids removed Farrukhsiyar in early 1719, they put two others on the throne. Both died of illness within months. In September they made Muhammad Shah emperor. Four emperors therefore appear in the one year.

4.2 Who were Rafi ud-Darajat and Shah Jahan II?

The Sayyids installed Rafi ud-Darajat and then Shah Jahan II, who is also called Rafi ud-Dawlah. Both died of consumption in 1719. Do not confuse Shah Jahan II with Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal.

4.3 Who came next?

Muhammad Shah took the throne in September 1719 and ruled until his death in 1748. The Sayyids had chosen him, but he later broke free of them.

5.1 What kind of ruler was Muhammad Shah?

Britannica calls Muhammad Shah an ineffective, pleasure-seeking ruler. He reigned from 1719 to 1748. During his reign the provinces slowly slipped out of imperial control.

5.2 How did he get rid of the Sayyid brothers?

In 1720 Husayn Ali Khan was assassinated and Abd Allah Khan was defeated at Hasanpur. This freed Muhammad Shah from Sayyid control.

5.3 What happened in 1739?

Nader Shah of Persia invaded India. He crushed the larger Mughal army at Karnal on 24 February 1739. The Mughal lines fell apart after about two hours. The Persians then entered Delhi and looted it. They carried off Shah Jahan’s famed Peacock Throne.

5.4 Why did the raid matter?

Britannica says the damage to Mughal prestige was huge. The decline soon became terminal.

6.1 How did Ahmad Shah Bahadur fall?

Ahmad Shah Bahadur was Muhammad Shah’s son. He became emperor in 1748. The vizier Imad-ul-Mulk deposed him in 1754.

6.2 What did Alamgir II do?

Imad-ul-Mulk raised Alamgir II to the throne in 1754. Alamgir II was always the puppet of more powerful men. In January 1757 agents of Ahmad Shah Durrani occupied Delhi. In November 1759 Imad-ul-Mulk had Alamgir II murdered.

7.1 Who was Shah Alam II?

He was born Ali Gauhar and was the son of Alamgir II. The vizier Imad-ul-Mulk forced him to flee Delhi in 1758. He found refuge with Shuja-ud-Daula, the nawab of Awadh. After his father’s murder in 1759 he proclaimed himself emperor. Britannica gives his reign as 1759 to 1806, but he was emperor in name only.

7.2 What happened at Buxar?

The East India Company beat a combined Indian army at Buxar on 22 October 1764. Shah Alam II and Shuja-ud-Daula were on the losing side.

7.3 What did the Treaty of Allahabad give the Company?

In 1765 the Treaty of Allahabad followed. Shah Alam II gave the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Diwani meant the right to collect revenue. The Company could now use the revenues of the richest Mughal provinces.

7.4 What happened to him after that?

In 1771 an agreement with the Marathas returned Delhi to Shah Alam II. In 1788 Ghulam Qadir, a Rohilla chief, seized Delhi and blinded him. He spent his last years under the protection of the Maratha chief Sindhia and then the British. He died in November 1806.

8.1 What was Akbar Shah II's position?

Akbar Shah II ruled from 1806 to 1837. He was the father of Bahadur Shah II. By then the emperor had no real power.

8.2 Who was Bahadur Shah II?

Bahadur Shah II, known as Zafar, ruled from 1837 to 1857. He was a poet, musician and calligrapher. His rule was limited to a small area around Delhi, and he depended on British pensions.

8.3 What was his role in 1857?

Rebel soldiers from Meerut rode through the night of 10 May and reached Delhi early on 11 May 1857. They entered the Red Fort and forced him to accept nominal leadership of the revolt. After the British regained Delhi in September, he took shelter at Humayun’s Tomb. William Hodson arrested him there toward the end of September 1857.

8.4 What happened to him?

The British tried him in court. He was spared the death penalty and sent into exile. He reached Rangoon in October 1858. He died there on 7 November 1862, aged 87. His exile ended the Mughal line.

The numbering counts every ruler who held the title, even briefly. Some lists leave out the very short reigns, so their totals are lower.

10.1 What did CAPF 2017 ask about the Treaty of Allahabad?

CAPF (ACs) 2017 asked which statement on the treaty was not correct. The false statement said Banaras went to Shah Alam II. In fact, the districts of Kora and Allahabad went to him. The Company received the Diwani.

10.2 What did CDS II 2017 ask about the Sayyid brothers?

CDS II 2017 asked which statement on the Sayyids was not true. The false one said they brought Jahandar Shah to power. They actually raised Farrukhsiyar in 1713.

10.3 What should I remember?

Link each end to one name. Farrukhsiyar means the Sayyids made him and then unmade him. Muhammad Shah means Nader Shah in 1739. Shah Alam II means Buxar and the Diwani. Bahadur Shah II means 1857, Rangoon and the end.