67-482: Bahadur Shah II (born Mirza Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad (24 October 1775 – 7 November 1862), usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah Zafar ( Persian pronunciation: [ba.hɑː.ˈduɾ ʃɑːh za.ˈfaɾ] ; Zafar lit. ' Victory ' ), was the twentieth and last Mughal emperor and a Hindustani poet . He was the second son and the successor to his father, Akbar II , who died in 1837. He
134-420: A Sufi pir and emperor gave him spiritual powers. In an incident in which one of his followers was bitten by a snake, Zafar tried to cure him by giving a " seal of Bezoar " (a stone antidote to poison) and some water on which he had breathed to the man to drink. The emperor had a staunch belief in ta'aviz or charms, especially as a palliative for his constant complaint of piles, or to ward off evil spells. During
201-519: A decade before he succeeded the throne, Major Archer said that "Zafar is a man of spare figure and stature, plainly apparelled, almost approaching to meanness." His appearance is that of an indigent munshi or teacher of languages". As a poet, Zafar imbibed the highest subtleties of mystical Sufi teachings. He was also a believer of the magical and superstitious side of the Orthodox Sufism. Like many of his followers, he believed that his position as both
268-476: A grandson, Mirza Abu Bakr ). Their whereabouts was reported by spies to Major Hodson , who sent them a message saying that the party had no hope of escape and should surrender. They refused to surrender. The next morning, Hodson went to the tomb with one hundred Indian sowars (cavalrymen) and demanded the unconditional surrender of the Emperor and princes. The situation became known to people of nearby villages, and
335-566: A large collection did survive, and was compiled into the Kulliyyat-i-Zafar. The court that he maintained was home to several renowned Urdu scholars, poets and writers including Mirza Ghalib , Daagh Dehlvi , Momin Khan Momin , and Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq (who was also Bahadur Shah Zafar's mentor). After Zafar's defeat, he said: ہندوں میں بُو رہے گی جب تلک ایمان کی Hinduyoñ meñ bū rahe gī jab talak īmān kī As long as there remains
402-434: A pardon for himself. Respecting Hodson 's guarantee on his surrender, Zafar was not sentenced to death but exiled to Rangoon , Burma. His wife Zeenat Mahal and some of the remaining members of the family accompanied him. At 4 am on 7 October 1858, Zafar along with his wives, two remaining sons began his journey towards Rangoon in bullock carts escorted by 9th Lancers under command of Lieutenant Ommaney. In 1862, at
469-413: A period of illness, he told a group of Sufi pirs that several of his wives suspected that someone had cast a spell over him. He requested them to take some steps to remove all apprehension on this account. The group wrote some charms and asked the emperor to mix them in water and drink it, which would protect him from the evil. A coterie of pirs, miracle workers and Hindu astrologers were always in touch with
536-690: A region, the Mughals always sought to occupy a strategic fortress in some region, which would serve as a nodal point from which the Mughal army would emerge to take on any enemy that challenged the empire. This system was not only expensive but also made the army somewhat inflexible as the assumption was always the enemy would retreat into a fortress to be besieged or would engage in a set-piece decisive battle of annihilation on open ground. The Hindu Marathas were expert horsemen who refused to engage in set-piece battles, but rather engaged in campaigns of guerrilla warfare upon
603-851: A spot was selected at the "back of Zafar's enclosure" for his burial. Zafar died on Friday, 7 November 1862 at 5 am. Zafar was buried at 4 pm near the Shwedagon Pagoda at 6 Ziwaka Road, near the intersection with Shwedagon Pagoda road, Yangon. The shrine of Bahadur Shah Zafar Dargah was built there after recovery of his tomb on 16 February 1991. Davies commenting on Zafar, described his life to be "very uncertain". Bahadur Shah Zafar had four wives and numerous concubines. His wives were: He had twenty two sons including: He had at least thirty-two daughters including: Many individuals claim to be descendants of Bahadur Shah Zafar, living in places throughout India, such as Hyderabad , Aurangabad , Delhi , Bhopal , Kolkata , Bihar, and Bangalore . However,
670-441: A substantial crowd gathered, many of whom were equipped with whatever arms (farm-knives, sickles and axes) they normally kept. Resistance at this point was never the plan of the Emperor, who had come to the tomb of his illustrious forebear to pray and grieve, and perhaps in the hope that the sanctity of the tomb would provide a sanctuary for himself and his surviving family. Hodson sent two Indian aides (Rajab Ali and Ilahe Bakhsh) into
737-418: A syncretistic mixture of Hinduism and Islam. Akbar allowed freedom of religion at his court and attempted to resolve socio-political and cultural differences in his empire by establishing a new religion, Din-i-Ilahi , with strong characteristics of a ruling cult. He left his son an internally stable state, which was in the midst of its golden age, but before long signs of political weakness would emerge. Akbar
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#1733086255922804-473: A territory of more than 4 million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles). Mughal power rapidly dwindled during the 18th century and the last emperor, Bahadur Shah II , was deposed in 1857, with the establishment of the British Raj . The Mughal Empire was founded by Babur , a Timurid prince and ruler from Central Asia . Babur was a direct descendant of Timur , the 14th century founder of
871-686: Is Zafar! For his burial Not even two yards of land were to be had, in the land of his beloved. Zafar was portrayed in the play 1857: Ek Safarnama set during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by Javed Siddiqui . It was staged at Purana Qila , Delhi ramparts by Nadira Babbar and the National School of Drama repertory company in 2008. A Hindi-Urdu black-and-white movie, Lal Quila (1960), directed by Nanabhai Bhatt , showcased Bahadur Shah Zafar extensively. A television show, Bahadur Shah Zafar , aired on Doordarshan in 1986. Ashok Kumar played
938-588: The Indian Rebellion of 1857 , where they gave their last stand against the invading British forces in India. The Mughal dynasty was founded by Babur ( r. 1526–1530 ), a Timurid prince from the Fergana Valley (modern-day Uzbekistan ), was a direct descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan . The Mughal emperors had significant Indian Rajput and Persian ancestry through marriage alliances as emperors were born to Rajput and Persian princesses. During
1005-635: The Timurid dynasty ( House of Babur ), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were the supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent , mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India , Pakistan , Afghanistan and Bangladesh . They ruled many parts of India from 1526, and by 1707, and ruled most of the subcontinent. Afterwards, they declined rapidly, but nominally ruled territories until
1072-667: The Timurid empire on his father's side, and Genghis Khan on his mother's side. Ousted from his ancestral domains in Turkestan by Shaybani Khan , the 40-year-old prince Babur turned to India to satisfy his ambitions. He established himself in Kabul and then pushed steadily southward into India from Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass . Babur's forces occupied much of northern India after his victory at Panipat in 1526. The preoccupation with wars and military campaigns, however, did not allow
1139-481: The Afghan wars. Shortly after his arrival, the emperor appointed Bakht Khan commander-in-chief and left Mirza Mughal in charge of supplies. A few weeks later, following another reshuffle of offices, Mirza Mughal was given charge of administering the city of Delhi. By the middle of September 1857, the disorganized rebellion had run its course as far as the city of Delhi was concerned. British forces had reclaimed control of
1206-593: The British and he was not his father's preferred choice as his successor. One of Akbar Shah's queens pressured him to declare her son, Mirza Jahangir , as his successor. However, the East India Company exiled Jahangir after he attacked their resident in the Red Fort , paving the way for Bahadur Shah to assume the throne. Bahadur Shah Zafar ruled over a Mughal Empire that had by the early 19th century been reduced to only
1273-453: The Emperor secured but clearly in no condition to be transported to the city, Hodson set out for the city with a small party of troopers. Riding on horses, they soon caught up with the party carrying the princes. As they approached the gates of the city, Hodson found that a crowd of townsmen had gathered in the expectation of witnessing the return of the Emperor and the princes. Also, a crowd of curious villagers and armed civilians had followed in
1340-407: The Emperor to rest under a shady tree and accept refreshments. The Emperor was then sent back to Delhi, carried in a palanquin with an escort of Sikh sowars from Hodson's Horse . Meanwhile, the remaining ninety troopers collected the arms of the motley crowd of villagers, jihadis and courtiers, who surrendered their weaponry without dissent at the bidding of their Emperor. Shortly afterwards, with
1407-504: The Maratha general Mahadaji Shinde and maintained suzerainty over Mughal affairs in Delhi. The East India Company became the dominant political and military power in mid-nineteenth century India. Outside the region controlled by the company, hundreds of kingdoms and principalities fragmented their land. The emperor was respected by the company, who provided him with a pension. The emperor permitted
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#17330862559221474-497: The Marathas. The Indian campaign of Nader Shah of Persia culminated with the Sack of Delhi and shattered the remnants of Mughal power and prestige, as well as capturing the imperial treasury, thus drastically accelerating its decline. Many of the empire's elites now sought to control their own affairs and broke away to form independent kingdoms. The Mughal emperor, however, continued to be
1541-421: The Mughal supply lines. The Marathas were unable to take the Mughal fortresses via a storm or formal siege as they lacked the artillery, but by constantly intercepting supply columns, they were able to starve Mughal fortresses into submission. Successive Mughal commanders refused to adjust their tactics and develop an appropriate counter-insurgency strategy, which led to the Mughals losing more and more ground to
1608-469: The age of 87, he reportedly acquired an illness. In October, his condition deteriorated. He was "spoon-fed on broth" but he found that difficult too by 3 November. On 6 November, the British Commissioner H.N. Davies recorded that Zafar "is evidently sinking from pure desuetude and paralysis in the region of his throat". To prepare for his death Davies commanded for the collection of lime and bricks and
1675-534: The areas surrounding Delhi and were massed on the ridge overlooking the city for a final assault on the city, which was being rapidly abandoned by its citizens, who fled mainly to their villages in the countryside. As the British took control of the city, Emperor Bahadur Shah II (aged 82) left the Red Fort and took refuge in Humayun’s Tomb , which at that time lay outside Delhi . With him were Mirza Mughal and two other princes (another son, Mirza Khizr Sultan , and
1742-402: The authority of the emperor, accepting him only as 'King of Delhi' and removing all references to him from their coinage. After the Indian rebellion which he nominally led from 1857–58, the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar , was deposed by the British, who then assumed formal control of a large part of the former empire, marking the start of the British Raj . Titular emperors Over
1809-1702: The beginning of the verse, umr-e-darāz māṅg ke ("I asked for a long life") was not written by Zafar, and does not appear in any of the works published during Zafar's lifetime. The verse was allegedly written by Simab Akbarabadi. لگتا نہیں ہے جی مِرا اُجڑے دیار میں کس کی بنی ہے عالمِ ناپائیدار میں بُلبُل کو پاسباں سے نہ صیاد سے گلہ قسمت میں قید لکھی تھی فصلِ بہار میں کہہ دو اِن حسرتوں سے کہیں اور جا بسی اتنی جگہ کہاں ہے دلِ داغدار میں اِک شاخِ گل پہ بیٹھ کے بُلبُل ہے شادماں کانٹے بِچھا دیتے ہیں دلِ لالہ زار میں عمرِ دراز مانگ کے لائے تھے چار دِن دو آرزو میں کٹ گئے، دو اِنتظار میں دِن زندگی کے ختم ہوئے شام ہوگئی پھیلا کے پائوں سوئیں گے کنج مزار میں کتنا ہے بدنصیب ظفر دفن کے لئے دو گز زمین بھی نہ ملی کوئے یار میں लगता नहीं है जी मेरा उजड़े दयार में किसकी बनी है आलम-ए-नापायेदार में बुलबुल को पासबाँ से न सैयाद से गिला क़िस्मत में क़ैद लिखी थी फ़स्ल-ए-बहार में कह दो इन हसरतों से कहीं और जा बसें इतनी जगह कहाँ है दिल-ए-दाग़दार में इक शाख़-ए-गुल पे बैठ के बुलबुल है शादमाँ काँटे बिछा दिये हैं दिल-ए-लालाज़ार में उम्र-ए-दराज़ माँगके लाए थे चार दिन दो आरज़ू में कट गए, दो इन्तज़ार में दिन ज़िन्दगी के ख़त्म हुए शाम हो गई फैला के पाँव सोएँगे कुंज-ए-मज़ार में कितना है बदनसीब "ज़फ़र″ दफ़्न के लिए दो गज़ ज़मीन भी न मिली कू-ए-यार में lagtā nahī̃ hai jī mirā ujṛe dayār mẽ kis kī banī hai ālam-e-nā-pāedār mẽ bulbul ko pāsbā̃ se na sayyād se gilā qismat mẽ qaid likkhī thī fasl-e-bahār mẽ kah do in hasratõ se kahī̃ aur jā basẽ itnī jagah kahā̃ hai dil-e-dāġdār mẽ ik shāx-e-gul pe baiṭh ke bulbul hai shādmā̃ kā̃ṭe bichā diye hãi dil-e-lālāzār mẽ umr-e-darāz māṅg ke lāe
1876-450: The city of Delhi and the surrounding territory as far as Palam . The Maratha Empire had brought an end to the Mughal Empire in the Deccan during the 18th century and the regions of India formerly under Mughal rule had either been absorbed by the Marathas or had declared independence and become smaller kingdoms. The Marathas installed Shah Alam II in the throne in 1772, under the protection of
1943-419: The claims are often disputed. Bahadur Shah Zafar was a devout Sufi . He was regarded as a Sufi Pir and used to accept murids or pupils. The newspaper Delhi Urdu Akhbaar described him as "one of the leading saints of the age, approved of by the divine court." Before his accession, he lived like "a poor scholar and dervish ", differing from his three royal brothers, Mirza Jahangir, Salim and Babur. In 1828,
2010-404: The company to collect taxes from Delhi and maintain a military force in it. Zafar never had any interest in statecraft or had any "imperial ambition". After the Indian Rebellion of 1857 , the British exiled him from Delhi. Bahadur Shah Zafar was a noted Urdu poet , having written a number of Urdu ghazals . While some part of his opus was lost or destroyed during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 ,
2077-1133: The course of the empire, there were several claimants to the Mughal throne who ascended the throne or claimed to do so but were never recognized. Here are the claimants to the Mughal throne historians recognise as titular Mughal emperors. (4 years, 8 months and 6 days) (9 years, 4 months and 21 days) 22 February 1555 – 27 January 1556 (11 months and 5 days) (49 years, 8 months and 16 days) (21 years, 11 months and 25 days) (30 years, 6 months and 12 days) Alamgir عالمگیر (48 years, 7 months and 3 days) (3 months 6 days) Shah Alam I (4 years, 253 days) (0 years, 350 days) (6 years, 48 days) (0 years, 98 days) (0 years, 105 days) (28 years, 212 days) (6 years, 37 days) (5 years, 180 days) (0 years, 282 days) (27 years, 301 days) (0 years, 63 days) (18 years, 339 days) (30 years, 321 days) (19 years, 360 days) Mirza Mughal Mirza Mughal , born Muhammad Zahir ud-din Mirza (1817 – 23 September 1857),
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2144-520: The court, however, began to exceed the revenue being levied. Shah Jahan's eldest son, the liberal Dara Shikoh , became regent in 1658, as a result of his father's illness. Dara championed a syncretistic Hindu-Muslim religion and culture. With the support of the Islamic orthodoxy, however, a younger son of Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb , seized the throne. Aurangzeb defeated Dara in 1659 and had him executed. Although Shah Jahan fully recovered from his illness, there
2211-553: The court. At first the trial was suggested to be held at Calcutta , the place where Directors of East India company used to their sittings in connection with their commercial pursuits. But instead, the Red Fort in Delhi was selected for the trial. It was the first case to be tried at the Red Fort. Zafar was tried and charged on four counts: On the 20th day of the trial Bahadur Shah II defended himself against these charges. Bahadur Shah, in his defense, stated his complete haplessness before
2278-429: The cār din do ārzū mẽ kaṭ gae do intizār mẽ din zindagī ke xatm hue shām ho gaī phailā ke pāõ soeṅge kūñj-e-mazār mẽ kitnā hai badnasīb zafar dafn ke lie do gaz zamīn bhī na milī kū-e-yār mẽ My heart has no repose in this despoiled land Who has ever felt fulfilled in this futile world? The nightingale complains about neither the sentinel nor the hunter Fate had decreed imprisonment during
2345-472: The emperor. On their advice, he would sacrifice buffaloes and camels, buried eggs and arrested alleged black magicians, and wore a ring that they told him would cure his indigestion. He also donated cows to the poor, elephants to the Sufi shrines and horses to the khadims or clergy of Jama Masjid . In one of his verses, Zafar explicitly stated that both Hinduism and Islam shared the same essence. This philosophy
2412-483: The empire heavily in both militarily and financially. A further problem for Aurangzeb was the army had always been based upon the land-owning aristocracy of northern India who provided the cavalry for the campaigns, and the empire had nothing equivalent to the janissary corps of the Ottoman Empire. The long and costly conquest of the Deccan had badly diminished the "aura of success" that surrounded Aurangzeb, and from
2479-623: The empire's decline, but he ultimately had to seek the protection of outside powers. In 1784, the Marathas under Mahadaji Shinde won acknowledgement as the protectors of the emperor in Delhi, a state of affairs that continued until after the Second Anglo-Maratha War . Thereafter, the East India Company became the protectors of the Mughal dynasty in Delhi . After 1835 the Company no longer recognised
2546-457: The fabulous wealth of the Mughal court, but the glittering court hid darker realities, namely that about a quarter of the empire's gross national product was owned by 655 families while the bulk of India's 120 million people lived in appalling poverty. After suffering what appears to have been an epileptic seizure in 1578 while hunting tigers, which he regarded as a religious experience , Akbar grew disenchanted with Islam, and came to embrace
2613-435: The garden tomb to negotiate with the Emperor. Bahadur Shah sent a response to Hodson offering the surrender of his immediate party on condition that his life would be spared. Hodson explicitly agreed to this. Agreement being reached, the Emperor, trusting to the word of Hodson as a British officer, emerged from the tomb and exchanged greetings in person with Hodson. Finding the old man extremely frail with exertion, Hodson told
2680-441: The harvest of spring Tell these longings to go dwell elsewhere What space is there for them in this besmirched heart? Sitting on a branch of flowers, the nightingale rejoices It has strewn thorns in the garden of my heart I asked for a long life, I received four days Two passed in desire, two in waiting. The days of life are over, evening has fallen I shall sleep, legs outstretched, in my tomb How unfortunate
2747-511: The highest manifestation of sovereignty. Not only the Muslim gentry, but the Maratha, Hindu, and Sikh leaders took part in ceremonial acknowledgements of the emperor as the sovereign of India. In the next decades, the Afghans , Sikhs , and Marathas battled against each other and the Mughals, revealing the fragmented state of the empire. The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II made futile attempts to reverse
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2814-505: The kingdom stretched to 3.2 million square kilometres, including parts of what are now India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. After his death in 1707, "many parts of the empire were in open revolt." Aurangzeb's attempts to reconquer his family's ancestral lands in Central Asia were not successful while his successful conquest of the Deccan region proved to be a pyrrhic victory that cost
2881-568: The late 17th century onwards, the aristocracy became increasingly unwilling to provide forces for the empire's wars as the prospect of being rewarded with land as a result of a successful war was seen as less and less likely. Furthermore, at the conclusion of the conquest of the Deccan, Aurangzeb had very selectively rewarded some of the noble families with confiscated land in the Deccan, leaving aristocrats unrewarded with confiscated land feeling strongly disgruntled and unwilling to participate in further campaigns. Aurangzeb's son, Shah Alam , repealed
2948-550: The lead role in it. In the 2001 Hindi historical drama series 1857 Kranti , on DD National , the character of Bahadur Shah Zafar was played by S. M. Zaheer . In the 2005 Bollywood film Mangal Pandey: The Rising , directed by Ketan Mehta , the character of Bahadur Shah Zafar was played by Habib Tanveer . List of emperors of the Mughal Empire The emperors of the Mughal Empire , who were all members of
3015-676: The new emperor to consolidate the gains he had made in India. The instability of the empire became evident under his son, Humayun , who was driven into exile in Persia by rebels. Humayun's exile in Persia established diplomatic ties between the Safavid and Mughal courts and led to increasing West Asian cultural influence in the Mughal court. The restoration of Mughal rule began after Humayun's triumphant return from Persia in 1555, but he died from an accident shortly afterwards. Humayun's son, Akbar , succeeded to
3082-403: The palace and who were discovered hiding in the city. The executions took place under a peepul tree in front of the palace, despite Zafar's protests. The aim of the executioners was to implicate him in the killings. Once he had joined them, Bahadur Shah II took ownership for all the actions of the mutineers. Though dismayed by the looting and disorder, he gave his public support to the rebellion. It
3149-479: The rebel troops. Their plea was initially refused but later granted, and Mirza Mughal, as the senior-most legitimate prince, was designated commander-in-chief. Though the emperor seems to have opposed the cold-blooded killing of the European prisoners, the princes also seem to have been involved in the act. Mirza Mughal had absolutely no training or experience for his new office. However, he energetically sought to organize
3216-509: The reign of Aurangzeb , the empire, as the world's largest economy and manufacturing power, worth over 25% of global GDP, controlled nearly all of the Indian subcontinent, extending from Dhaka in the east to Kabul in the west and from Kashmir in the north to the Kaveri River in the south. Its population at the time is estimated to be 158,400,000 (a quarter of the world's population), over
3283-606: The religious policies of his father and attempted to reform the administration. "However, after his death in 1712, the Mughal dynasty sank into chaos and violent feuds. In the year 1719 alone, four emperors successively ascended the throne". During the reign of Muhammad Shah , the empire began to break up, and vast tracts of central India passed from Mughals to the Marathas hands. Mughal warfare had always been based upon heavy artillery for sieges, heavy cavalry for offensive operations and light cavalry for skirmishing and raids. To control
3350-453: The scent of Iman in the hearts of Hindus (Indians), تختِ لندن تک چلے گی تیغِ ہندوستان کی Takht-i-Landan tak chale gī tegh-i-Hindostān kī. So long shall the sword of Hindustan flash before the throne of London. As the Indian Rebellion of 1857 spread, Sepoy regiments reached the Mughal Court at Delhi. On 12 May 1857, Zafar held his first formal audience in several years. It
3417-436: The service of the East India Company rebelled against their British officers and streamed into Delhi. They made straight for the palace, apprised the Emperor of their grievances against their British superiors, affirmed their allegiance to him, and sought sanctuary and leadership. A few days later, after taking stock of the situation, Mirza Mughal and some of his half-brothers petitioned their father to be appointed in charge of
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#17330862559223484-570: The throne under a regent, Bairam Khan , who helped consolidate the Mughal Empire in India. Through warfare and diplomacy, Akbar was able to extend the empire in all directions and controlled almost the entire Indian subcontinent north of the Godavari river . He created a new ruling elite loyal to him, implemented a modern administration, and encouraged cultural developments. He increased trade with European trading companies. The Indian historian Abraham Eraly wrote that foreigners were often impressed by
3551-484: The troops, make arrangements for their billeting and provisioning, and bring a semblance of order to the edgy city. His inexperience soon became apparent, and he was upstaged a few weeks later by the arrival of a large force of mutineers from Bareilly , led by Bakht Khan , formerly an Indian officer ( Subedar ) in the service of the East India Company. Bakht Khan had earned a reputation as an artillery officer during
3618-736: The wake of the Princes as they travelled the few miles to the gates of Delhi. At the city gate, Hodson ordered the three princes to get off the cart. They were then stripped of their upper garments. The bare-chested princes were lined up in clear sight of the crowd. Hodson then took out his gun and himself shot the three unarmed and half-naked princes at point-blank range. After killing the princes, Hodson personally stripped their bodies of jewellery: their signet rings , turquoise arm-bands and bejewelled swords. He pocketed these valuables as trophies of war, although they had been obtained by killing disarmed prisoners of war under dubious circumstances. The bodies of
3685-456: The will of the sepoys. The sepoys apparently used to affix his seal on empty envelopes, the contents of which he was absolutely unaware. While the emperor may have been overstating his impotence before the sepoys, the fact remains that the sepoys had felt powerful enough to dictate terms to anybody. The eighty-two-year old poet-king was harassed by the mutineers and was neither inclined to nor capable of providing any real leadership. Despite this, he
3752-497: Was a Mughal prince. He played a significant role during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . He was one of the Mughal princes shot dead at one of the gates of Old Delhi , which gate thereafter came to be known as " Khooni Darwaza " ( lit. 'bloody gate' or 'murder gate'). Mirza Mughal was the fifth son of Bahadur Shah Zafar , the 20th and last Mughal emperor. His mother, Sharif-ul-Mahal Sayyidini, came from an aristocratic Sayyid family that claimed descent from Muhammad . His mother
3819-438: Was a succession war for the throne between Dara and Aurangzeb. Finally, Aurangzeb succeeded the throne and kept Shah Jahan under house arrest. During Aurangzeb's reign, the empire gained political strength once more, and it became the world's largest economy, over a quarter of the world GDP, but his establishment of Sharia caused huge controversies. Aurangzeb expanded the empire to include a huge part of South Asia. At its peak,
3886-608: Was a titular Emperor, as the Mughal Empire existed in name only and his authority was limited only to the walled city of Old Delhi ( Shahjahanbad ). Following his involvement in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 , the British deposed him and exiled him to Rangoon in British-controlled Burma in late 1858, after convicting him on several charges. The title of Empress of India was subsequently assumed by Queen Victoria . Bahadur Shah Zafar's father, Akbar II , had been imprisoned by
3953-471: Was also interested in elevating the way individuals view leaders with the stylings of his clothes and ensemble. Akbar's son, Jahangir , was addicted to opium , neglected the affairs of the state, and came under the influence of rival court cliques . During the reign of Jahangir's son, Shah Jahan , the splendour of the Mughal court reached its peak, as exemplified by the Taj Mahal . The cost of maintaining
4020-523: Was attended by several sepoys who were described as treating him "familiarly or disrespectfully". When the sepoys first arrived at Bahadur Shah Zafar's court, he asked them why they had come to him, because he had no means of maintaining them. Bahadur Shah Zafar's conduct was indecisive. However, he yielded to the demands of the sepoys when he was told that they would not be able to win against the East India Company without him. On 16 May, sepoys and palace servants killed fifty-two Europeans who were prisoners of
4087-529: Was descended from Abdullah Shah Ghazi who was from the Hasanid line of the Ahl al-Bayt . Following the death in 1856 of his elder step-brother Mirza Fakhru, Mirza Mughal became the eldest surviving legitimately born son of Bahadur Shah Zafar. However, the British refused to recognize anybody as heir to the throne of Delhi , and indicated that the monarchy would be abolished following Zafar's death. In May 1857, sepoys in
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#17330862559224154-493: Was implemented by his court which embodied a multicultural composite Hindu-Islamic Mughal culture. He celebrated many Hindu festivals like Rakhi, Holi, Diwali etc in the court. Zafar was also tolerant of Shia Muslims who regained their lost influence at the Mughal court under him. He was a prolific Urdu poet and calligrapher. He wrote the following Ghazal as his own epitaph. In his book, The Last Mughal , William Dalrymple states that, according to Lahore scholar Imran Khan,
4221-486: Was later believed that Bahadur Shah was not directly responsible for the massacre, but that he may have been able to prevent it, and he was therefore considered a consenting party during his trial. The administration of the city and its new occupying army was described as "chaotic and troublesome", which functioned "haphazardly". The Emperor nominated his eldest son, Mirza Mughal , as the commander in chief of his forces. However, Mirza Mughal had little military experience and
4288-521: Was rejected by the sepoys. The sepoys did not have any commander since each regiment refused to accept orders from someone other than their own officers. Mirza Mughal's administration extended no further than the city. Outside Gujjar herders began levying their own tolls on traffic, and it became increasingly difficult to feed the city. During the Siege of Delhi when the victory of the British became certain, Zafar took refuge at Humayun's Tomb , in an area that
4355-406: Was the primary accused in the trial for the rebellion. Hakim Ahsanullah Khan , Zafar's most trusted confidant and both his Prime Minister and personal physician, had insisted that Zafar did not involve himself in the rebellion and had surrendered himself to the British. But when Zafar ultimately did this, Hakim Ahsanullah Khan betrayed him by providing evidence against him at the trial in return for
4422-532: Was then at the outskirts of Delhi. Company forces led by Major William Hodson surrounded the tomb and Zafar was captured on 20 September 1857. The next day, Hodson shot his sons Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan , and grandson Mirza Abu Bakht under his own authority at the Khooni Darwaza , near the Delhi Gate and declared Delhi to be captured. Bahadur Shah himself was taken to his wife's haveli , where he
4489-510: Was treated disrespectfully by his captors. When brought news of the executions of his sons and grandson, the former emperor was described as being so shocked and depressed that he was unable to react. The trial was a consequence of the Sepoy Mutiny and lasted for 21 days, had 19 hearings, 21 witnesses and over a hundred documents in Persian and Urdu, with their English translations, were produced in
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