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Bahadur Shah Zafar Biography

Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal emperor of India. This

biography of Bahadur Shah Zafar provides detailed information

about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.

Quick Facts

Also

Known As

Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah

Zafar, Bahadur Shah II

Famous

asLast Mughal Emperor

Nationality Indian

Born on 24 October 1775 AD

Zodiac

SignScorpio

Born in Delhi

Died on 07 November 1862 AD

Place of

deathRangoon

Father Akbar II

Mother Lal Bai

Spouses Zeenat Mahal, Ashraf Mahal, Akhtar Mahal, Taj

Mahal

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Bahadur Shah Zafar, also known as Bahadur Shah II, was the

last Mughal emperor of India who reigned from 1837 to 1857 for

a period of 20 years. As the second son of Akbar Shah II and

Lal Bai, he was not his fathers original choice to ascend thethrone. However, circumstances ultimately led to his ascension

to the throne after his fathers death. Even as an emperor he did

not rule over a large empire; his empire barely extended beyond

Delhi's Red Fort. By that time the East India Company was

gaining political power in India and the emperor was no longer

accorded any real power over the country which had by now

fragmented into hundreds of kingdoms and principalities. Hewas not a very ambitious ruler and thus the British believed that

he posed no real threat to them. However, Zafar did play a

prominent role during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, fighting for

Indias independence from British Rule. Though most famous for

being the last Mughal emperor, Zafar was also a very talented

Urdu poet and musician in his own right. He had written a large

number of ghazals and his court was home to several Urduwriters of great repute including Mirza Ghalib, Dagh, Mumin,

and Zauq.

Childhood & Early Life

He was born on October 24, 1775, as one of the 14 sons

of Mughal emperor Akbar II. His mother was a Hindu

Rajput, Lal Bai. His full name was Mirza Abu ZafarSirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar.

As a young boy he received education in Urdu, Persian

and Arabic. Being a prince, he was also trained in the

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military arts of horsemanship, swordsmanship, shooting

with bow and arrow and with fire-arms.

He developed a love for poetry from two of his teachers,

Ibrahim Zauq and Asad Ullah Khan Ghalib. He was not

much ambitious from childhood and had more interest in

Sufism, music and literature than in the political matters of

the country.

Acsension & Reign

He became the 17th Mughal emperor on 28 September

1837 after the death of his father. In fact, he had not been

his fathers preferred choice to succeed him. Akbar II was

planning to name Mirza Jahangir, son of his wife Mumtaz

Begum as the successor but could not do so after Mirza

Jahangir got into serious conflict with the British.

Zafar was not an ambitious person and did not exercise

much power even after becoming the emperor. T he British,

who were by now gaining much political control over India,

did not consider him to be a threat.

His empire barely extended beyond Delhis Red Fort; hehad power only over a limited area of land though he had

the authority to collect some taxes and to maintain a small

military force in Delhi.

As an emperor he saw to his best that all his subjects

belonging to different religions were treated fairly. He

believed in the equality of religions and felt it was his duty

to protect the religious rights of the Hindus along with theMuslims.

During his reign, he ensured that the major Hindu festivals

like Holi and Diwali were celebrated in the court. He was

very sensitive towards the religious sentiments of Hindus

and did not support the extremist views of some Orthodox

Muslim sheikhs.

He was a devout sufi, a poet and a dervish. He was a

noted Urdu poet who composed several ghazals which

were known for their emotional and intense content. He

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was a prolific writer and even though much of his poetry

collections were destroyed in the Indian Rebellion of

1857, the remainder of his poems was later complied into

Kulliyyat-i-Zafar.

In 1857, as the Indian rebellion against the British was

spreading, Sepoy regiments seized Delhi. Rebelling Indian

kings felt that Zafar would be the most suitable person to

be the Emperor of India under whom the smaller kingdoms

would be united in the fight against the British.

He gave his public support to the rebellion and even

appointed his son Mirza Mughal as the commander in

chief of his forces. Mirza Mughal was very inexperienced,

and did not lead the army competently. The citysadministration was in disarray and the army was in a

chaos.

When it became apparent that the British would emerge

victorious, Bahadur Shah sought refuge at Humanyuns

Tomb at the outskirts of Delhi. However, British officials

led by Major William Hodson discovered his hiding place

and forced him to surrender on 20 September 1857.

Many male members of Zafars family including his sons

Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan were killed by the

British, while the surviving members, including Bahadur

Shah himself, were imprisoned or exiled.

Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled to Rangoon, Burma, in

1858, along with his wife Zeenat Mahal and some of the of

the remaining members of the family.

Personal Life & Legacy

He had four wives, Begum Ashraf Mahal, Begum Akhtar

Mahal, Begum Zeenat Mahal, and Begum Taj Mahal. Of all

his wives, Zeenat Mahal was the closest to him. He had

several sons and daughters from his wives and

concubines.

After his surrender to the British forces, he was sentenced

to exile in Rangoon, Burma. He was accompanied by his

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wife Zeenat Mahal into exile. He died on November 7,

1862 at the age of 87.