The Later Mughals (1707 to 1857)
The Mughal Empire declined after Aurangzeb died in 1707, and the later Mughals became weak rulers under powerful nobles, until the last emperor was exiled in 1858.
Rulers after Aurangzeb
| Ruler | Years | Key points |
|---|---|---|
| Bahadur Shah I (Muazzam, Shah Alam I) | 1707 to 1712 | Won the war of succession at Jajau (1707) against Azam Shah. Conciliatory to the Rajputs and Marathas. Shahu was freed from Mughal custody in 1707. Guru Gobind Singh killed in 1708. Called Shah-i-Bekhabar (the careless king) by Khafi Khan. |
| Jahandar Shah | 1712 to 1713 | First puppet emperor, under wazir Zulfiqar Khan. Abolished jizya. Encouraged ijara (revenue farming). |
| Farrukhsiyar | 1713 to 1719 | Made emperor by the Sayyid Brothers (Abdullah Khan and Husain Ali Khan), the "kingmakers". Executed Banda Bahadur (1716). Gave the 1717 farman to the English East India Company (duty-free trade in Bengal for a yearly payment of Rs 3,000). Blinded and killed by the Sayyids in 1719. |
| Muhammad Shah (Rangila) | 1719 to 1748 | Ended the Sayyid Brothers (1720). Nadir Shah invaded in 1739. Nizam-ul-Mulk left for the Deccan. Marathas, Rohillas and Sikhs grew. |
| Ahmad Shah | 1748 to 1754 | Ahmad Shah Abdali's first invasions. Deposed by the wazir Imad-ul-Mulk. |
| Alamgir II | 1754 to 1759 | Killed by Imad-ul-Mulk. Plassey was fought in his reign. |
| Shah Alam II | 1759 to 1806 | Fought at Buxar (1764). Gave the Diwani to the Company by the Treaty of Allahabad (1765). Blinded by Ghulam Qadir Rohilla (1788). Came under British protection after the Battle of Delhi (1803). |
| Akbar II | 1806 to 1837 | Pensioner of the Company. Gave Ram Mohan Roy the title "Raja" (1830) and sent him to England. |
| Bahadur Shah II (Zafar) | 1837 to 1857 | Last Mughal. Leader of the Revolt of 1857. Exiled to Rangoon, died 1862. |
The invasions
- Nadir Shah (Persia): defeated the Mughals at Karnal (13 February 1739), then sacked Delhi and carried away the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor. He was killed in 1747.
- Ahmad Shah Abdali (Afghanistan): invaded India several times between 1748 and 1767. His greatest victory was the Third Battle of Panipat (1761).
The Sayyid Brothers
Abdullah Khan (wazir) and Husain Ali Khan (Mir Bakhshi) controlled the throne from 1713 to 1720. Nobles of the Turani party, led by Nizam-ul-Mulk Chin Qilich Khan, opposed them. Husain Ali was killed in 1720 and Abdullah Khan was defeated at Hasanpur (1720) and died in prison.
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from standard sources such as NCERT, Bipan Chandra, Spectrum and official records. Historians differ on some dates, figures and interpretations, so check your exam syllabus and a standard textbook. Found a mistake? Tell us.