| Ahmad Shah Bahadur | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Reign | 26 April 1748- 2 June 1754 (6 years, 37 days) |
| Coronation | 4 May 1748 at Red Fort, Delhi |
| Predecessor | Muhammad Shah |
| Successor | Alamgir II |
| Spouse | Nawab Gouhar Afruz Banu Begum and another wife |
| Issue | |
| Hamid Shah Bahadur Bidar Bakht Mahmud Shah Bahadur Jahan Shah IV Tala Said Shah Bahadur Muhammad Jamiyat Shah Bahadur Muhammad Dilawar Shah Bahadur Mirza Rujbi Mirza Mughlu Muhtaram-un-Nisa Begum Dil Afruz Begum |
|
| House | Timurid |
| Father | Muhammad Shah |
| Mother | Kudsiya Begum |
| Born | 23 December 1725 Delhi, Mughal Empire |
| Died | 1 January 1775 (aged 49) Delhi, Mughal Empire |
| Burial | Mausoleum of Mariam Makani, Delhi |
| Religion | Islam |
Ahmad Shah Bahadur (1725–1775) was born to Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. He succeeded his father to the throne as the 13th Mughal Emperor in 1748 at the age of 22. His mother was Udhambai, (also known as Kudsiya Begum). When Ahmed Shah came to power the rule of the Mughal Empire was collapsing. During the reign of his father the city of Delhi (the Mughal capital) had been plundered and much of northern India had been ransacked by the invading army of Nadir Shah).
Ahmed Shah inherited a much weakened Mughal state and after ruling unsuccessfully for 6 years, he was deposed by the Vizier Ghazi ud-Din in 1754 and later blinded along with his mother. He spent the remaining years of his life in prison and died of natural causes in January 1775. His son Jahan Shah IV temporarily rose to power in 1788 and was handpicked by the renegade eunuch Ghulam Qadir Rohilla.
Contents |
Prince Ahmad was born in 1725 to the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah of a declining empire. As a prince he developed good manners and performed his religious duties well. At the same time he developed a weakness for women, though this was restricted under his father's supervision.
His real test came when, in 1748 Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded Indus River Valley. Prince Ahmad and Asaf Jah I was dispatched by his father the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah to command a large Mughal Army of 75,000 to confront the advancing Durrani's. At Sirhind both forces fought a decisive battle and Prince Ahmad was victorious. He was thereupon conferred with the title Bahadur, by the Mughal Emperor.
This particular victory had a considerable impact on the tactical prowess of Ahmad Shah Bahadur, in fact when he became Mughal Emperor he is known to have introduced and organized the Purbiya artillerymen corps particularly in the year 1754 to combat the invading Durrani's and the rebellious Sikhs.[1]
The Mughal Grand Vizier, Qamar-ud-din Khan died due to natural causes during the ensuing conflict in Sirhind. When this news was brought to the concerned Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah he became gravely sick and died soon afterwards. Upon hearing this Prince Ahmad, rushed to Delhi where he spent a week in sorrow. Afterwards, on 18 April 1748 he ascended the throne. On 29 April 1748 his coronation was held at Red Fort and he assumed the title Abu Nasir Mujahid-ud-Din Ahmad Shah Ghazi. He posted Safdarjung, Nawab of Oudh as Mughal Grand Vizier, gave an illiterate eunuch named Javed Khan the official title of Nawab Bahadur[2], together they became the most powerful men in the Mughal Empire, and proclaimed the son of Qamar-ud-din Khan, the former Mughal Grand Vizier, Moeen-ul-Mulk as the governor of Punjab.
The Emperor now began to enjoy his life with women in his harem. It is said that he didn't used to see the faces of men for several months. Thus the empire was controlled by his mother and Nawab Bahadur, who were both lazy. Under these circumstances the Mughal Empire began to break up. Hyderabad and Oudh were independent. The Rohilla and Bangish clans soon declared independence in Rohil Khand and the Doab respectively. In 1750, the malevolent Marathas annexed Gujerat from the Mughals, and fierce battles continued between the two sides it was during that havoc that the Raj Bovri Mosque complex was destroyed during a massive fray in 1753[3]. In response to the annexation of Gujerat, the Mughal Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur appointed and strengthened the Nawab of Junagadh Mohammad Bahadur Khanji I and bestowed various titles and authority to those loyal to the Mughal Empire in the region[4]. In 1748 a rebel flared up in Punjab by the Zamindars, sponsored by the vice-govarnor of Multan. Mueen-ul-Mulk was busy quelling it when news reached him that Ahmad Shah Abdali was planning an invasion.
In 1749, Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India in order to avenge his defeat earlier on. Thus Mueen-ul-Mulk gathered his force and also sent messages to Delhi for assistance. However, he soon found out that his foe's army was bigger and better than his. In addition, the Mughal Emperor had not given any support. Thus he offered peace to Ahmad Shah, who immediately accepted it. Under the terms of the treaty, Mueen-ul-Mulk gave the invader 5 million rupees and had some Durrani regiments escorted to Lahore. He did this primarily in fear of an attack from the imperial forces, since he had made peace without Delhi's consent. His fears soon justified when the Mughal Emperor sent Shahnawaz Khan to replace Mueen-ul-Mulk's lieutenant of Multan with the post of governor of Multan.
The weak but influential Mughal Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur maintained correspondence from distant loyal vassals and Nawabs such as Chanda Shahib, Nawab of Tinnevelly (and the southern most Muslim ruler in South Asia) and Muzaffar Jung.
Sunehri Masjid, stand outside the southwestern corner of Delhi Gate of Red Fort, opposite the Netaji Subhash Park. It was built by Qudsiya Begum, the wife of Ahmad Shah, in 1751.[5]
During the later reign of Ahmad Shah Bahadur, the nobles started fighting among themselves. The Emperor became tired of these quarrels and wanted to get rid of them. He took a few nobles into his confidence and declared war on the other ones. This resulted in many skirmishes which lasted for six months. Ghazi ud-Din, one of the nobles, aided by the Marathas, defeated Safdar Jung. At this the Emperor collected a large army and camped at Sikandarabad. On the other hand, Ghazi ud-Din and his Maratha allies destoyed Imperial Mughal Army at the Battle of Sikandarabad. The Emperor left his wives behind and fled to Delhi. Ghazi ud-Din also reached Delhi and arrested the Emperor and his mother. On 25 June 1754, he had Ahmad Shah's eyes gouged out.
Ghazi ud-Din's younger brother Salabat Jung continued his war against the overstretched Marathas in the Deccan and briefly annexed their heartlands at Puna. Salabat Jung later allied himself with Najib-ud-Daula and Shuja-ud-Daula against Ghazi ud-Din and his newly found Maratha ally Vishwasrao.
After his deposition, Ahmad Shah Bahadur was imprisoned at the Salimgarh Fort. He stayed there for the rest of his life and finally died in 1775 at the age of 50 during the reign of Emperor Shah Alam II. One of his sons, Bidar Bakhsh reigned briefly in 1788.
| Preceded by Muhammad Shah |
Mughal Emperor 1748–1754 |
Succeeded by Alamgir II |