Rafi ud-Darajat

Rafi Ul-Darjat
10th Mughal Emperor of India
Reign 28 February - 6 June 1719
(&100000000000000000000000 years, &1000000000000009800000098 days)
Predecessor Farrukhsiyar
Successor Shah Jahan II
Spouse Inayat Banu Begum
Full name
Abu'l Barakat Shams-ud-Din Rafi-ul-Darajat Padshah Ghazi Shahanshah-i-Bahr-u-Bar
House Timurid
Father Rafi-ush-Shan
Mother Raziat-un-Nisa Begum
Born November 30, 1699(1699-11-30)
Died June 9, 1719(1719-06-09) (aged 19)
Burial Mausoleum of Khwaja Qutbuddin Kaki, Delhi
Religion Islam

Rafi-ul Darjat (30 November 1699 - 9 June 1719), the youngest son of Rafi-us-Shan and the nephew of Azim ush Shan, was the 11th Mughal Emperor. He succeeded Furrukhsiyar on 28 February 1719, being proclaimed Badshah by the Syed Brothers.

Contents

Reign

Role of the Syed Brothers

As Rafi-ul Darajat owed his throne to the Syed Brothers they took full advantage of this. They wanted him to be a puppet ruler and so took steps to curtail his power. The previous emperor Furrukhsiyar was deposed by the Syed Brothers as he had tried to maintain his independence.

Rival claim to throne

The reign of Rafi Ul-Darjat was one of turbulence. On 18 May 1719, less than three months after his own accession, Rafi Ul-Darjat's uncle, Nekusiyar, assumed the throne at the Agra Fort as he thought he was more eligible for the post.

The Syed Brothers were extremely determined to defend the emperor they had raised to the throne and punish the offender. They swiftly succeeded. Only three months after Nekusiyar's enthronement, the fort surrendered and Nekusiyar was captured. He was respectfully received by the Amir Ul-Umara and confined at Salimgarh where he died in 1723.

Death

Rafi Ul-Darjat fell sick because of lung disease. Before dying, he requested to enthrone his elder brother. Accordingly, on 6 June 1719, after a reign of 3 months and six days, he was dethroned. Two days later his brother, Rafi ud-Daulah, was enthroned. Rafi Ul-Darjat died five days later. His remains were interred near the shrine of Sufi saint, Khawaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, at Mehrauli in Delhi.

External links

Preceded by
Furrukhsiyar
Mughal Emperor
1719
Succeeded by
Shah Jahan II