Muhammad Shah

Muhammad Shah
Padishah
Al-Sultan Al-Azam
Emperor Muhammad Shah holding an emerald and a mouthpiece of a huqqa, by Nidha Mal, c. 1730
Emperor of Hindustan
Reign27 September 1719 – 26 April 1748
Coronation29 September 1719
PredecessorShah Jahan II
Jahangir II (titular)
SuccessorAhmad Shah Bahadur
Wazirs
BornRoshan Akhtar[1]
(1702-08-07)7 August 1702
Ghazni, Kabul Subah, Mughal Empire
Died26 April 1748(1748-04-26) (aged 45)
Delhi, Mughal Empire
Burial
Mausoleum of Muhammad Shah, Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi, India
Consort
(m. 1721)
Wives
Issue
Names
Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah Bahadur Ghazi
Regnal name
Muhammad Shah
HouseHouse of Babur
DynastyTimurid dynasty
FatherJahan Shah
MotherFakhr-un-Nissa Begum[2]
ReligionSunni Islam (Hanafi)
SealMuhammad Shah's signature

Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar;[1] 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748)[1] was the thirteenth Mughal emperor from 1719 to 1748.[4] He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the Sayyid Brothers of Barha, he ascended the throne at the young age of 16, under their strict supervision.[5]

He later got rid of them with the help of Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah ISyed Hussain Ali Khan was murdered at Fatehpur Sikri in 1720 and Sayyid Hassan Ali Khan Barha was captured in battle in 1720 and fatally poisoned in 1722.[6] Muhammad Shah was a great patron of the arts, including musical, cultural and administrative developments, he is thus often referred to as Muhammad Shah Rangila (lit.'Muhammad Shah "the colourful"').[7] His pen-name was "Sadrang" and he is also sometimes referred to as "Bahadur Shah Rangila" after his grand father Bahadur Shah I.

Muhammad Shah's reign was marked by rapid and irreversible decline of the Mughal Empire that was exacerbated by Nader Shah's invasion of India and the sacking of Delhi in 1739. The course of events not only shocked and mortified the Mughals themselves, but also other foreigners, including the British.

  1. ^ a b c "Muhammad Shah". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Malik, Zahir Uddin (1977). The reign of Muhammad Shah, 1719–1748. London: Asia Pub. House. p. 407. ISBN 9780210405987.
  3. ^ William Irvine. Later Mughals: 1719–1739, Volume 2. p. 271.
  4. ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 193. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  5. ^ Krishna (2022). The Wonder That Is Urdu. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 121. ISBN 9788120843011.
  6. ^ Shaharyar M. Khan (2000). The Begums of Bhopal (illustrated ed.). I.B.Tauris. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-86064-528-0.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference sn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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