Bahadur Shah (Urdu: بہادر شاه اول—Bahādur Shāh Awwal) (14 October 1643 – 27 February 1712), also known as Muhammad Muazzam and Shah Alam[1] was the seventh Mughal emperor of India, ruled from 1707 until his death in 1712. In his youth, he conspired to overthrow his father Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, and ascend to the throne a number of times. Shah's plans were intercepted by the emperor, who imprisoned him several times. In 1663, he was also imprisoned by Marathas for seven years. From 1696 to 1707, he was governor of Akbarabad (later known as Agra), Kabul and Lahore.
After Aurangzeb's death his eldest son by his chief consort, Muhammad Azam Shah, declared himself successor, however was shortly defeated in the Battle of Jajau and overthrown by Bahadur Shah. During the reign of Bahadur Shah, the Rajput states of Jodhpur and Amber were annexed for a short time. Shah also sparked an Islamic controversy in the khutba by inserting the declaration of Ali as wali. His reign was disturbed by several rebellions, the Sikhs under the leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur, Rajputs and fellow Mughal Kam Bakhsh. Bahadur Shah was buried in the Moti Masjid at Mehrauli in Delhi.Bahadur Shah was born as Mu'azzam on 14 October 1643 in Burhanpur as the third son of the sixth Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb by his wife Nawab Bai.
During the reign of Shah Jahan
During his grandfather's reign Muazzam was appointed vizer of Lahore from 1653-1659.[2] After the humiliating defeat of Shaista Khan at hands of the Maratha Shivaji, Muazzam replaced him as the governor of Deccan. Shivaji raided the outskirts of Mughal Deccan's capital Aurangabad while the indolent Mu'azzam did little to prevent it. Enraged at this, Aurangzeb sent his most able commander Raja Jai Singh to defeat Shivaji.[3]
During the reign of Aurangzeb
Emperor Awrangzib Receives Prince Mu'azzam.
After Raja Jai Singh I failed to defeat Shivaji, Mu'azzam was given the charge of Deccan in May 1667 and was assisted by Maharaja Jaswant Singh.[4]
In 1670, Mu'azzam organised an insurgency to overthrow Aurangzeb and proclaim himself the Mughal emperor. This plan may have been hatched at the instigation of the Marathas, and Mu'azzam's own inclinations and sincerity are difficult to gauge. Anyway, Aurangzeb learned about the plot and sent Mu'azzam's mother Begum Nawab Bai (a Muslim Rajput princess by birth) to dissuade Mu'azzam from rebellion. Nawab Bai brought Mu'azzam back to the Mughal court, where he spent the next several years under Aurangzeb's supervision. However, Mu'azzam revolted in 1680 on the pretext of protesting Aurangzeb's treatment of Rajput chiefs. Once again, Aurangzeb followed his previous policy to dissuade Mu'azzam with gentleness and then to place him under greater vigilance.[5]
For the next seven years, from 1681 to 1687, Mu'azzam was a "grudgingly obedient son