| Shah Alam II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Padishah Al-Sultan Al-Azam | |||||
 Shah Alam after his blinding, by Khairallahc. 1793 | |||||
| Mughal Emperor | |||||
| First reign | 10 October 1760 –31 July 1788 | ||||
| Predecessor | Shah Jahan III | ||||
| Successor | Jahan Shah | ||||
| Second reign | 16 October 1788 –19 November 1806 | ||||
| Predecessor | Jahan Shah | ||||
| Successor | Akbar II | ||||
| Born | Mirza Ali Gauhar (1728-06-25)25 June 1728 Shahjahanabad,Delhi Subah,Mughal Empire (present-dayOld Delhi, Delhi, India) | ||||
| Died | 19 November 1806(1806-11-19) (aged 78) Shahjahanabad, Delhi Subah,Maratha Empire | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouses | |||||
| Issue |
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| House | House of Babur | ||||
| Dynasty | Timurid dynasty | ||||
| Father | Alamgir II | ||||
| Mother | Zinat Mahal | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam(Hanafi) | ||||
| Seal | .jpg) | ||||
| Military career | |||||
| Battles / wars | Third Battle of Panipat Bengal War Battle of Delhi (1764) Battle of Buxar Battle of Delhi (1771) Battle of Purana Qila Battle of Delhi (1783) Capture of Delhi (1788) Siege of Delhi (1804) | ||||
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Shah Alam II (Persian pronunciation:[ʃɑːhʔɑː.ˈlam]; 25 June 1728 – 19 November 1806), also known by his birth nameAli Gohar, orAli Gauhar, was the seventeenthMughal emperor and the son ofAlamgir II.[16] Shah Alam II became the emperor of a crumblingMughal Empire. His power was so depleted during his reign that it led to a saying in thePersian language,Sultanat-e-Shah Alam, Az Dilli ta Palam, meaning, 'The empire of Shah Alam is from Delhi to Palam',Palam being a suburb of Delhi.[17][18]
Shah Alam faced many invasions, mainly byAhmed Shah Abdali, which led to theThird Battle of Panipat (1761) between theMaratha Confederacy, and the Afghans led by Abdali. In 1760, the invading forces of Abdali were driven away by the Marathas, led bySadashivrao Bhau, who deposedShah Jahan III, the puppet Mughal emperor ofImad-ul-Mulk, and installed Shah Alam II as the rightful emperor (1760 – 1772).[19][20]
Shah Alam II was considered the only and rightful emperor, but he was unable to return to Delhi until 1772, under the protection of theMaratha generalMahadaji Shinde. He also fought against theEast India Company at theBattle of Buxar (1764). In 1788, when he was a prisoner ofGhulam Qadir, he was blinded.
Shah Alam II authored his ownDiwan of poems and was known by the pen-nameAftab. His poems were guided, compiled and collected by Mirza Fakhir Makin.[21]
Shah Alam also composed the famous bookAjaib-ul-Qasas, which is considered one of the earliest and most prominent books of prose inUrdu.
Ali Gohar was born toShahzada (Prince)Aziz-ud-Din, son of the deposed Mughal EmperorJahandar Shah, on 25 June 1728. Alongside his father, he grew up in semi-captivity in the Salatin quarters of theRed Fort. However, unlike the majority of Mughal princes growing up in similar circumstances, he is not recorded to have become a decadent prince by the time his father became emperor, and therefore was naturally given high appointments in the course of his father's reign.
Upon his father's accession, he became theWali al-Ahd (Crown Prince) of the empire, and became his father's principal agent, though almost all power lay in the WazirImad-ul-Mulk's hand. His quarrels with that amir, and fear for his own life, caused him to flee from Delhi in 1758.
Prince Ali Gauhar, afterwards Emperor Shah Alam II, had been the heir apparent of his fatherAlamgir II. Prince Ali Gauhar's father had been appointedMughal Emperor byVizierImad-ul-Mulk and MarathaPeshwa's cousinSadashivrao Bhau.[22]
Prince Ali Gauhar organized a militia and made a daring escape from Delhi. He appeared in the Eastern Subah in 1759, hoping to strengthen his position by attempting to regain control overBengal,Bihar andOdisha.
Very soon however,Najib-ud-Daula forced the usurperImad-ul-Mulk to flee from the capital by gathering a largeMughal Army outside Delhi. He used the army to depose the recreantShah Jahan III.Najib-ud-Daula and Muslim nobles then planned to defeat the Marathas by maintaining correspondence with the powerfulAhmad Shah Durrani. After Durrani decisively defeated the Marathas, he nominated Ali Gauhar as the emperor under the name Shah Alam II.[23]
In 1760, after Shah Alam's militia gaining control over pockets inBengal,Bihar and parts ofOdisha, Prince Ali Gauhar and his Mughal Army of 30,000 intended to overthrowMir Jafar andImad-ul-Mulk after they tried to capture or kill him by advancing towardsAwadh andPatna in 1759. But the conflict soon involved the intervention of the assertiveEast India Company.
The Mughals clearly intended to recapture their breakawayEastern Subah led by Prince Ali Gauhar, who was accompanied by aMilitia consisting of persons like Muhammad Quli Khan, Kadim Husein, Kamgar Khan, Hidayat Ali, Mir Afzal andGhulam Husain Tabatabai. Their forces were reinforced by the forces ofShuja-ud-Daula,Najib-ud-Daula and Ahmad Khan Bangash. The Mughals were also joined byJean Law and 200 Frenchmen and waged a campaign against the British during theSeven Years' War.[24]
Prince Ali Gauhar successfully advanced as far as Patna, which he later besieged with a combined army of over 40,000 in order to capture or kill Ramnarian, a sworn enemy of the Mughals. Mir Jafar was in terror at the near demise of his cohort and sent his own sonMiran to relieve Ramnarian and retake Patna. Mir Jafar also implored the aid ofRobert Clive, but it was MajorJohn Caillaud, who dispersed Prince Ali Gauhar's army in 1761 after four major battles includingBattle of Patna,Battle of Sirpur,Battle of Birpur andBattle of Siwan.
After negotiations assuring peace Shah Alam II was escorted by the British to meetMir Qasim the newNawab of Bengal, who was nominated after the sudden death of Miran. Mir Qasim soon had the Mughal Emperor's investiture asSubedar of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, and agreed to pay an annual revenue of 2.4 milliondam. Shah Alam II then retreated toAllahabad and was protected by theShuja-ud-Daula,Nawab of Awadh from 1761 until 1764. Meanwhile, Mir Qasim's relations with the East India company began to worsen. He initiated reforms that withdrew the tax exemptions enjoyed by theEast India Company, he also ousted Ramnarian and createdfirelock manufacturing factories at Patna with the sole purpose of improving the newly reformedMughal Army.
Angered by these developments, the East India Company sought to oust Mir Qasim. Court intrigues encouraged by the East India Company forced Mir Qasim to leave Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. Mir Qasim on his part encouraged Shuja-ud-Daula theNawab of Awadh and Shah Alam II to engage the British.
![Imad-ul-Mulk was the regent imposed by the Maratha Confederacy in 1757, who assassinated Alamgir II and prominent members of the imperial family, within the Maratha controlled city of Delhi; Shah Alam II managed to escape to safety with the Nawab of Awadh.[25]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGh%25C3%25A1z%25C3%25AD_al-D%25C3%25ADn_X%25C3%25A1n_%25CA%25BFIm%25C3%25A1d_al-Mulk.jpg)
Shah Alam II was acknowledged as the emperor by theDurrani Empire. His rule extended to the24 Parganas of theSundarbans,[26]Mir Qasim,Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad (andBihar),[26]Raja ofBanares,[27]Nizam of Hyderabad,Nawab of Ghazipur,Sahib of Punjab,Hyder Ali'sMysore,[27]Nawab of Kadapa andNawab of Kurnool,Nawab of the Carnatic ofArcot andNellore,[28]Raja of Kashmir,Nawab of Junagarh,Rohilkhand of Lower Doab,Rohilkhand of Upper Doab, andNawab of Bhawalpur.
TheBattle of Buxar was fought on 22 October 1764 between the combined armies ofMir Qasim, theNawab of Bengal;Shuja-ud-Daula theNawab of Awadh; theMughal Emperor Shah Alam II and the forces under the command of theEast India Company led byHector Munro.[29] The battle fought atBuxar, a town located on the bank of theGanges river then within the territory ofBengal, was a decisive victory for the East India Company.
Soon after theBattle of Buxar, Shah Alam II, a sovereign who had just been defeated by the British, sought their protection by signing theTreaty of Allahabad in the year 1765. Shah Alam II was forced to grant theDiwani (right to collect revenue) ofBengal (which includedBihar andOdisha) to theEast India Company in return for an annual tribute of 2.6 million rupees to be paid by the company from the collected revenue. Tax exemption status was also restored to the company. The company further secured the districts of Kora and Allahabad which allowed theEast India Company to collect tax from more than 20 million people. The East India Company thus became the Imperial tax collector in the former Mughal province ofBengal (which includedBihar and NorthernOdisha). The Company appointed a deputy,Nawab Muhammad Reza Khan to collect revenue on their behalf.
Shah Alam II's absence from Delhi was due to the terms of the treaty he had signed with the British. But his son and heir apparent PrinceMirza Jawan Bakht andNajib-ul-Daula, represented the emperor for the next 12 years in Delhi.
TheGreat Bengal famine of 1770 was a massive catastrophe that signalled the end of theMughal Empire and disorder in theIndian Subcontinent. By the time the famine occurred it became very clear that theMughal Empire was no longer a major political power, not only in the general world but also withinSouth Asia.
Shah Alam II resided in the fort of Allahabad for six years.Warren Hastings, the head of East India Company got appointed as the first Governor of Bengal in 1774. This was the period of "Dual rule" where East India Company enacted laws to maximise collection of revenue and the Mughal Emperor appointed Nawab looked after other affairs of the province. East India Company later discontinued the tribute of 2.6 million Rupees and later also handed over the districts ofAllahabad andKora to theNawab of Awadh. These measures amounted to a repudiation of the company's vassalage to the emperor as Diwan (tax collector). In 1793 East India Company was strong enough and abolished Nizamat (local rule) completely and annexed Bengal. Weakened Shah Alam II agreed to the consultation of the East India Company, who advised him never to trust theMarathas.
In the year 1771 theMarathas underMahadaji Shinde returned to northern India and even capturedDelhi. Shah Alam II, was escorted by Mahadaji Shinde and left Allahabad in May 1771 and in January 1772 reached Delhi. Along with the Marathas they undertook to win the crown lands of Rohilkhand and defeatedZabita Khan, capturing thefort of Pathargarh with its treasure.
The emperor returned to the throne in Delhi in 1772, under the protection of theMaratha generalMahadaji Shinde.[30] The emperor became a client of the Maratha whosePeshwa demanded tribute, which the Moguls are known to have paid so as to avoid any further conflict with the Confederacy.
After killingGhulam Qadir and restoring Shah Alam II to the throne, aMaratha garrison permanently occupiedDelhi in 1788 and ruled on north India for next two decades until they were usurped by theEast India Company in theSecond Anglo-Maratha War.[31]
One of his first acts was to strengthen and raise a newMughal Army, under the command ofMirza Najaf Khan. This new army consisted of infantrymen who successfully utilised bothFlintlocks andTalwars in combat formations,[32] they used elephants for transportation and were less dependent on artillery and cavalry.Mirza Najaf Khan is also known to have introduced the more-effectiveFirelock muskets through his collaboration withMir Qasim, theNawab of Bengal.[33]
Shah Alam II, was well supported byJean Law de Lauriston and 200Frenchmen during his campaign to regain the Eastern Subahs (during theSeven Years' War). The brainchild of the campaign wasGhulam Husain Tabatabai, who had gained much administrative and military experience from both the French and theDutch.
After Shah Alam II's defeat in theBattle of Buxar, theFrench once again reached out to emperor underPierre André de Suffren in the year 1781, who initiated a plan to captureBombay andSurat from theMaratha Confederacy and theBritish, with the co-operation ofMirza Najaf Khan, this action would eventually lead toAsaf Jah II to join Shah Alam II and the French and assist Hyder Ali to captureMadras from theEast India Company.[34] The internal conflicts within the Mughal imperial court would not allow the emperor to make such a bold move against the British.
Jats rose in retaliation of religious intolerance pursued byAurangzeb.[35] TheJat kingdom ofBharatpur waged many wars against Mughal Delhi and in the 17th and 18th century carried out numerous campaigns in Mughal territories including Agra.[36] Mughals were defeated by theMarathas in 1757; and Mughal possessions and territories were annexed by the Jats led by Suraj Mal.
During one massive assault, Jats laid siege to Agra in 1761, after 20 days on 12 June 1761 theMughal forces atAgra surrendered to the Jats.[35] Jats plundered the city and carried the bounty, including the two greatsilver doors to the entrance of the famousTaj Mahal. which were carried off and melted down bySuraj Mal in 1764.[37]
Suraj Mal's sonJawahar Singh, further extended the Jat power inNorthern India and captured the territory inDoab,Ballabgarh andAgra.[38] Jats kept the Agra fort and other territories closer to Delhi under their control from 1761 till 1774 CE.[35]
Sikhs had been in perpetual war against Mughal intolerance, specially after beheading of the Sikh Guru -Guru Teg Bahadur by the Mughals. Simmering Sikhs rose once again in the year 1764 and overran theMughalFaujdar of Sirhind,Zain Khan Sirhindi, who fell in battle and ever since the Sikhs perpetually raided and took the bounties from the lands as far asDelhi practically every year.
The Marathastook Delhi in 1771 before Shah Alam II arrived.Mirza Najaf Khan had restored a sense of order to the Mughal finances and administration and particularly reformed theMughal Army. In 1777Mirza Najaf Khan decisively defeatedZabita Khan's forces and repelled the Sikhs after halting their raids.
In 1778, after a Sikh incursion into Delhi, Shah Alam ordered their defeat, theMughalGrand Vizier, Majad-ud-Daula marched with 20,000 Mughal troops against the Sikh army into hostile territories, this action led to the defeat of theMughal Army atBattle of Muzzaffargarh and later at Battle of Ghanaur, due to the mounted casualties Shah Alam II reappointedMirza Najaf Khan, who soon died of natural circumstances leaving the Mughal Empire weaker than ever.
In the year 1779, Mirza Najaf Khan carefully advanced his forces who successfully routed the treasonousZabita Khan and his Sikh allies who lost more than 5,000 men in a single battle and never returned to threaten theMughal Empire during the commander Mirza Najaf Khan's lifetime. Najaf Khan as prime minister, granted sovereign rights to the Sikhs as agreement.[39]
In the year 1783,Farzana Zeb un-Nissa had saved Delhi from a possible invasion by a force of 30,000 Sikh troops, underJassa Singh Ahluwalia,Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, andBaghel Singh,
The Mughal Empire disintegrated to such an extent that Shah Alam II was only left with Delhi city to rule. In 1783,Jassa Singh Ahluwalia andBaghel Singh laid siege to the city. After entering Red fort,Jassa Singh Ahluwalia sat on the Mughal throne on behest of Baghel Singh and a title of Badshah Singh was given to him.Begum Samru requestedBaghel Singh to show mercy on Shah Alam II. Baghel Singh accepted and stated his demands such as 30,000 of his troops to stay in Delhi and the Mughal Empire would pay for their maintenance. Other demands were the construction of at least 5 Gurdwaras and annual tax payment of 13.5%. The demands were agreed upon by Shah Alam II with a written agreement. Since Sikhs refused to accept authority of the Mughal court due to politics,Mahadji Shinde was given the regency with an agreement that Sikhs will not plunder the crown lands and they will be paid 1/3 of the Delhi revenue annually instead.[40]
After the defeats atMuzaffargarh and later at Ghanaur,Majad-ud-Daula was arrested by the orders of Shah Alam II, who then recalledMirza Najaf Khan. This led to the formerGrand Vizier's arrest for causing miscalculations and collaborating with the enemies of the emperor. The traitor was imprisoned and a sum of two milliondam in stolen revenue recovered from him. It was Shah Alam II's poor judgement and vacillation that led to his own downfall.Mirza Najaf Khan had given the Mughal Empire breathing space by having a powerful, well managed army in its own right. In 1779 the newly reformedMughal Army decisively defeatedZabita Khan, the rebels lost 5,000 men including their leader and therefore did not return during the lifetime ofMirza Najaf Khan[citation needed]. Upon the general's death, Shah Alam's bad judgement prevailed. The dead man's nephew, Mirza Shafi whose valour had been proven during various occasions, was not appointed commander in chief. Shah Alam II instead appointed worthless individuals whose loyalty and record were questionable at best[citation needed]. They were soon quarrelling over petty matters. Even the corrupt and treasonous former Grand Vizier, Majad-ud-Daula was restored to his former office, he later colluded with the Sikhs and reduced the size of theMughal Army from over 20,000 to only 5,000 thus bringing the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II at the mercy of his enemies.[41][self-published source]
The respect toward the house ofTimur is so strong that even though the whole subcontinent has been withdrawn from its authority, that no ordinary prince ever intends to take the title of sovereign...and Shah Alam II is still seated on the Mughal throne, and everything is still done in his name.
%2c_the_blind_mughal_Emperor%2c_seated_on_a_golden_throne..jpg)
Nawab Majad-ud-Daula was followed by a known enemy of the Mughals, the grandson ofNajib Khan,Ghulam Qadir, with his Sikh allies forced Shah Alam II to appoint him as theGrand Vizier of theMughal Empire. Ghulam Qadir ravaged the palaces in search of the Mughal treasure believed to be worth Rs. 250 million. Unable to locate such a sum and angered by the Mughal Emperor's attempts to eliminate him and hisSikh allies, Ghulam Qadir himself blinded Shah Alam II with an Afghani knife on 10 August 1788.[41] Ghulam Qadir behaved with brutality to the emperor and his family. Three servants and two water-carriers who tried to help the bleeding emperor were beheaded and according to one account, Ghulam Qadir would pull the beard of the elderly Mughal Emperor. After ten weeks, during which Ghulam Qadir stripped the princesses of the royal family naked and forced them to dance naked before him (after which they jumped into Yamuna river to drown) and the honour of the royal family and prestige of theMughal Empire reached its lowest ebb,Mahadaji Shinde intervened and killed Ghulam Qadir, taking possession of Delhi on 2 October 1788. He restored Shah Alam II to the throne and acted as his protector.[42]Mahadaji Shinde sent the ears and eyes of Ghulam Qadir to Shah Alam.[43]
Thankful for his intervention, he honouredMahadji Shinde with the titles ofVakil-ul-Mutlaq (Regent of the Empire) andAmir-ul-Amara (Head of the Umara). He made a deal with thePeshwa granting tribute toPune in return for the protection providedMahadji Shinde of the Maratha Confederacy.
After killing Ghulam Qadir and restoring Shah Alam II to the throne, aMaratha garrison permanently occupiedDelhi in 1788 and ruled in north India for the next two decades until they were usurped by theEast India Company following theSecond Anglo-Maratha War in 1803.[31]
The French threat in Europe and its possible repercussions in India caused the British to strive to regain the custody of Shah Alam II. The British feared that the French military officers might overthrow Maratha power and use the authority of the Mughal emperor to further French ambition in India.
Shah Alam II also corresponded withHyder Ali and later with his sonTipu Sultan during their conflicts with theEast India Company during theAnglo-Mysore Wars and was very well informed about the expansionist agenda of the British.
After theBattle of Delhi (1803), during theSecond Anglo-Maratha War, on 14 September 1803 British troops entered Delhi ending the Maratha rule on the Mughals, bringing Shah Alam, then a blind old man, seated under a tattered canopy, under British protection. The Mughal Emperor no longer had the military power to enforce his will, but he commanded respect as a dignified member of the House ofTimur in the length and breadth of the country.[citation needed] TheNawabs andSubedars still sought formal sanction of theMughal Emperor on their accession and valued the titles he bestowed upon them. They struck coins and read thekhutba (Friday sermons) in his name. The Marathas in 1804 underYashwantrao Holkar tried to snatch Delhi from the British inSiege of Delhi (1804), but failed.
Shah Alam II died of natural causes on 19 November 1806. His grave lies in a marble enclosure adjoined to theMoti Masjid, next to thedargah of the 13th century Sufi saintQutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, inMehrauli,Delhi. Also in the enclosure are the tombs ofBahadur Shah I (also known asShah Alam I), andAkbar Shah II.[44]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Shah Alam II Born: 1728 Died: 1806 | ||
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| Preceded by | Mughal Emperor 1759–1806 | Succeeded by Mahmud Shah Bahadur in 1788 |
| Preceded by Mahmud Shah Bahadur in 1788 | Succeeded by | |
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