Muhammad Shah

2021-08-12T04:07:21Z

2409:4053:88:9756:7279:A7EA:18AF:1754:

{{Short description|13th Emperor of the Mughal Empire (reigned 1719-1748)}}
{{About||the ruler of Persia |Mohammad Shah Qajar|the Afghan warlord and later Nawab of Sardhana|Jan-Fishan Khan|other similarly named persons and places|Muhammad Shah (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2009}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image = Muḥammad Sháh on horseback.jpg
| alt = Muhammad Shah
| caption = Muhammad Shah
| succession = 13th [[Mughal emperors|Mughal Emperor]]
| reign = 27 September 1719 – 26 April 1748
|coronation = 29 September 1719 at [[Red Fort]]
|predecessor= [[Shah Jahan II]]
|reg-type1 =Viziers
|regent1 ={{ubl|[[Syed Brothers|Syed Abdullah Khan Barha]] (1719 - 1720)|Amir Khan (1720 - 1722)|[[Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I|Nizam-ul-Mulk]] (1722 - 1748)}}
|regent = [[Syed Brothers]] (1719–1720)
|successor = [[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]]
|birth_name = Roshan Akhtar<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica" />
|birth_date = 7 August 1702
|birth_place = [[Ghazna]], [[Afghanistan]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|1748|4|26|1702|8|7|df=yes}}
|death_place = [[Battle of Manupur (1748)|Battle of Manupur]]
|spouse=[[Badshah Begum]]
|spouse-type =Consort
| issue = Shahriyar Shah Bahadur [[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]] Taj Muhammad Badshah Begum Jahan Afruz Banu Begum [[Hazrat Begum]]
|full name =Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah
|father = [[Jahan Shah (Mughal prince)|Jahan Shah]]
|mother = Fakhr-un-Nissa Begum<ref name="malik">{{cite book|last1=Malik|first1=Zahir Uddin|title=The reign of Muhammad Shah, 1719-1748|date=1977|publisher=Asia Pub. House|location=London|isbn=9780210405987|page=407}}</ref>
| religion = [[Islam]]
|spouses=[[Sahiba Mahal]] [[Qudsia Begum]] Fatehpuri Mahal<ref name="malik"/> Roshanabadi Mahal<ref name="malik"/>
|spouses-type=Wives
|house= [[Mughal dynasty|Mughal]]
| place of burial = Mausoleum of Muhammad Shah, Nizamuddin Awliya, [[Delhi]]
|}}
{{Mughal}}

'''Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah''' ({{lang-fa|{{Nastaliq|ناصرالدین محمد شاه}}}})<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica">{{cite web|title=Muhammad Shah|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad-Shah|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=18 September 2017|language=en}}</ref> (born '''Roshan Akhtar''' ({{lang-fa|{{Nastaliq|روشن اختر}}}}))<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica" /> (7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748)<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica" /> was the thirteenth [[Mughal emperor]], who reigned from 1719 to 1748.<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |pages=193}}</ref> He was son of [[Jahan Shah I|Khujista Akhtar]], the fourth son of [[Bahadur Shah I]]. With the help of the [[Sayyid brothers]], he ascended the throne at the young age of 17. He later got rid of them with the help of [[Asaf Jah I]] – Syed Hussain Ali Khan was murdered at Fatehpur Sikri in 1720 and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was fatally poisoned in 1722.<ref name="Shaharyar_Begums_2000">{{cite book|title=The Begums of Bhopal|author=Shaharyar M. Khan|edition=illustrated|publisher=I.B.Tauris|year=2000|isbn=978-1-86064-528-0|page=18}}</ref> Muhammad Shah was a great patron of the arts, including musical, cultural and administrative developments. His pen-name was '''Sadā Rangīla''' ''(Ever Joyous)'' and he is often referred to as "Muhammad Shah Rangila", also sometimes as "Bahadur Shah Rangila" after his grand father Bahadur Shah I.<ref name="google">{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com.pk/search?aq=f&sugexp=chrome,mod=15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Sitar#hl=en&q=muhammad+shah+music&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbm=bks&source=og&sa=N&tab=wp&ei=9z_IT93OIcXh4QSmykw&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=7d73d82afbf6b9e8&biw=1024&bih=667|title=Sitar - Google Search|access-date=17 January 2014}}</ref>

Although he was a patron of the arts, Muhammad Shah's reign was marked by rapid and irreversible decline of the Mughal Empire. The Mughal Empire was already decaying, but the [[Nader Shah's invasion of India|invasion by Nader Shah]] of Persia and the subsequent [[sack of Delhi|sacking of Delhi]], the Mughal capital, greatly accelerated the pace. The course of events not only shocked and mortified the Mughals themselves, but also other foreigners, including the [[British Raj|British]].

==Early life==
Muhammad Shah was born in 1702 in [[Ghazna]] (in modern-day [[Afghanistan]]) to Prince [[Jahan Shah I|Khujista Akhtar]], during the reign of the [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]]. His grandfather [[Bahadur Shah I]] defeated and eliminated his own brother [[Muhammad Azam Shah]] on 19 June 1707 at the [[Battle of Jajau]]. During another war of succession, following the death of Bahadur Shah, his father was killed, and the 12-year-old prince and his mother were imprisoned by his uncle [[Jahandar Shah]] but spared from death. The prince was handsome and quick to learn, and his mother took good care of his education. After the overthrow of [[Farrukhsiyar]] in 1719 by the [[Sayyid Brothers]], two Mughal Emperors briefly ascended the throne, but the [[Sayyid Brothers]] eventually chose the 17-year-old Muhammad Shah as emperor.

==Reign==
On 29 September 1719, Muhammad Shah was given the title ''Abu Al-Fatah Nasir-ud-Din Roshan Akhtar Muhammad Shah'' and [[Peacock Throne|enthroned]] in the [[Red Fort]]. His mother was given an allowance of 15 thousand rupees monthly for her needs, but the [[Sayyid Brothers]] kept the new emperor under strict supervision.

The [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] [[Grand Vizier]] [[Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha]] and his brother the Mughal commander and chief Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha were well aware that [[Asaf Jah I]] and his companions [[Zain ud-din Ahmad Khan]] intended to dissolve their administration. The Sayyid Brothers quickly nominated an amateur, Prince [[Muhammad Ibrahim (Mughal emperor)|Muhammad Ibrahim]], who proclaimed himself Mughal Emperor, but he was quickly defeated by the new loyalists of the young Muhammad Shah on 13 November 1720.

[[File:Chitarman II, Emperor Muhammad Shah with Falcon Viewing his Garden at Sunset from a Palanquin ca 1730 Metmuseum.jpg|thumb|left|The Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah with his [[Falcon]] visits the imperial garden at sunset on a palanquin.]]

On 9 October 1720, Syed Hussain Ali Khan Barha, the commander and chief of the most elite [[Mughal Army]], was assassinated in his encampment in Toba Bhim. The Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah took direct command of his forces. Asaf Jah I was then dispatched to gain complete control of six Mughal provinces in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]], and [[Muhammad Amin Khan Turani]] was assigned as the [[Mansabdar]] of 8,000. He was sent to pursue the Mughal Grand Vizier Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha, who was defeated at the [[Battle of Hasanpur]] by Turani, Mir Muhammad Amin Irani and Muhammad Haider Beg. He was captured by Muhammad Shah on 15 November 1720 and executed two years later. Previously the emperor had to fight Muhammad Ibrahim, but young Muhammad Shah defeated him on 13 November 1720. The fall of the Sayyid Brothers marked the beginning of the end of the Mughal Empire's direct control over its dominions in the Deccan.

In the year 1721, young Muhammad Shah married the daughter of the previously deposed Mughal Emperor [[Farrukhsiyar]].

On 21 February 1722, Muhammad Shah appointed the Asaf Jah I as Grand Vizier. He advised Muhammad Shah to be "as cautious as [[Akbar]] and as brave as [[Aurangzeb]]". Asaf Jah I resigned his post as the Grand Vizier when Muhammad Shah expressed negligence towards his administration. Asaf Jah I appointed commander Ewaz Khan as the master of the garrison at [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]], and much of his logistical duties were carried out by Inayatullah Kashmiri.<ref name="google2">{{cite book|title=Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813|author=Mehta, J.L.|year=2005|publisher=New Dawn Press, Incorporated|isbn=9781932705546|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC}}</ref> Asaf Jah I left the imperial court in disgust. In 1723 he set out on an expedition to the Deccan, where he fought [[Mubariz Khan]], the Mughal [[Subedar]] of the Deccan, who kept the ravaging [[Marathas]] at bay. Taking advantage of Mubariz Khan's conventional weaknesses, Asaf Jah I defeated and eliminated his opponent during the [[Battle of Shakar kheda]]. Asaf Jah I then established the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]] in 1725.

[[File:Chitarman II, Emperor Muhammad Shah with four courtiers, smoking huqqah, ca. 1730, Bodleian Library, University of Oxford.jpg|thumb|300px|The imperial [[Divan|Diwan]] of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah]]

During this time, the Mughal-Maratha Wars (1728–1763)<ref>{{cite book |title= Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A-E |author= Tony Jaques |volume= 1 |series= Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity Through the Twenty-first Century |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group |page=xxxix |year= 2007 |isbn= 978-0313335372}}</ref> would cause irreparable devastation to the inhabitants of the ill-administered [[Mughal Empire]]. Despite efforts to counter the rise of rebellions in 1724, by the [[Nawab of Awadh]] [[Saadat Ali Khan I|Saadat Ali Khan]] and the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] [[Subedar]] in [[Bangalore]], Dilawar Khan (r.1726–1756), who established a well-protected bastion in the [[Malabar Coast]]. [[Muhammad Ali Khan]] the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] [[Faujdar]] of [[Rangpur, Gujarat|Rangpur]] and his stern ally Deena Narayan were ambushed out of [[Cooch Behar State|Koch Bihar]] by Upendra Narayan a [[Hindu]] [[Bihari people|Bihari]] and Mipham Wangpo (r.1729–1736) the ruler of [[Bhutan]]. Ali Muhammad Khan Rohilla had established the barons of [[Rohilakhand]]. The [[Nawab of Bhopal]], [[Yar Muhammad Khan Bahadur]], also ratified by the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah in 1728, countered ceaseless raids by the Marathas in Malwa and nearly began to lose half of his territories in the year 1742.

Muhammad Shah eventually learned the skills of statesmanship after removing his three incompetent advisors, namely Koki Jee (his foster sister), Roshan-ud-Daula (his mercantile friend) and Sufi Abdul Ghafur of [[Thatta]] (his spiritual teacher).

In the [[Punjab region]], the [[Sikhs]] were at war with Mughal [[Subedar]]s, and the hit-and-run tactics of the Sikh warriors caused devastation. In [[Ajmer]], Ajit Singh carved out a vast territory and allied himself with the renegade [[Maratha]]s. While in the Deccan the Marathas had ruined Mughal fortifications and were already on the warpath. All this greatly contributed to the decline of the Mughal Empire.

In 1737, the [[Maratha]]s under [[Baji Rao I]] annexed [[Gujarat]], [[Malwa]] and [[Bundelkhand]], and raided the Mughal capital [[Delhi]].

In 1739, [[Nader Shah]] of [[Persia]], lured by the wealth and weakness of the Mughals, took advantage of a rebellion on his eastern borders near [[Kandahar]] and initiated a campaign against the Mughal Empire capturing [[Ghazni]], [[Kabul]], [[Lahore]], and [[Sindh]]. He then advanced against Muhammad Shah and defeated him at the [[Battle of Karnal]]. The Persians, having crushed the Mughal armies in less than three hours,<ref name="Later Mughal">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ak5oFjTys8MC&q=battle+of+karnal+less+than+three+hours&pg=RA1-PA349|title=Later Mughal|access-date=26 May 2014|last1=Irvine|first1=William|year=1971}}</ref> marched upon and [[Sack of Delhi|sacked Delhi]], hoarding priceless treasures that were taken back to Persia. This event weakened the Mughals significantly, paving the path for more invaders and eventually the [[East India Company]].

In 1748, [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] of [[Afghanistan]] invaded the Mughal Empire. Heir apparent [[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]], [[Grand Vizier]] [[Qamaruddin Khan]] and his son [[Muin ul-Mulk (Mir Mannu)|Muin ul-Mulk]], [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung II|Intizam-ud-Daula]] and [[Safdarjung]] were sent with 75,000 men after the defeat of Shahnawaz Khan in Lahore. At the [[Battle of Manupur (1748)]], Durrani's 12,000 men were defeated, and he was forced to retreat. There was a great rejoicing for this event throughout the Mughal Empire.

===Cultural developments===
[[File:Zaban urdu mualla.png|thumb|The phrase {{transl|ur|''Zuban-i Urdū-yi Muʿallá''}} (literally "Language of the exalted [[Golden Horde|Horde]]", contextually the exalted Urdu Language) written in [[Nastaʿlīq script]]]]
[[File:Lashkari Zaban in Nastaliq script.png|thumb|''Lashkari Zabān'' ("military camp language" or "[[Battalion|Battalionese language]]") title in Nastaʿlīq script]]
[[File:Sketch from the book Aasar us Sanadeed, depicting Bagh e Naazir as it appeared in mid-19th century.jpg|thumb|[[Baagh e Naazir]] was built by Muhammad Shah the year 1748.]]

While [[Urdu]] (derived from ''Zuban-i Urdū-yi Muʿallá'' or in local translation ''[[Lashkari language|Lashkari Zaban]]'', shortened to ''Lashkari'') was already in use before Muhammad Shah's reign, it was during his reign that it became more popular among the people and he declared it as the court language, replacing Persian. During Muhammad Shah's reign, [[Qawwali]] was reintroduced into the Mughal imperial court and it quickly spread throughout [[South Asia]]. Muhammad Shah is also known to have introduced religious institutions for education such as [[Maktab (education)|Maktab]]s. During his reign, the [[Quran]] was translated for the first time in simple [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Urdu]]. Also, during his reign, the formal Turkic dress, normally worn by the high Mughal nobility since Mughals originally hailed from [[Samarqand]], was replaced by the [[Sherwani]].

Mohammad Shah was a patron of the performing arts, almost at the cost of administrative priorities, paving the way for the disintegration of governance. While Mughal political power did decline in his reign, the Emperor encouraged the arts, employing master artists such as Nidha Mal (active 1735–75) and Chitarman, whose vivacious paintings depict scenes of court life, such as [[Holi]] celebrations, hunting and hawking.<ref>[http://sites.asiasociety.org/princesandpainters/decline-of-power-pursuit-of-pleasure-muhammad-shah-1719-1748/ Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi, 1707–1857], Asia Society exhibition</ref> The Mughal court of the time had musicians such as Naimat Khan, also known as [[Sadarang]], and his nephew Firoz Khan (Adarang), whose compositions popularised the musical form of [[Khyal]].Naimat Khan composed Khyal for his disciples and he never performed Khyal.<ref name="Misra1991">{{cite book|author=Susheela Misra|title=Musical Heritage of Lucknow|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=utw9AAAAMAAJ&q=sadarang+never+performed+khyal|year=1991|publisher=Harman Publishing House}}</ref> This key component of [[Indian classical music]] evolved, ascended and received princely patronage at the court of Muhammad Shah.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/lifeofmusicinnor00neum  The life of music in north India: the organization of an artistic tradition], Daniel M. Neuman</ref>

===Scientific developments===
During the reign of Muhammad Shah, a significant scientific work known as the [[Zij-i Muhammad Shahi]] was completed by [[Jai Singh II of Amber]] between the year 1727 and 1735; it consisted of 400 pages.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=740AqMUW8WQC&q=zij-i-muhammad+shahi&pg=PA278|title=Forms of Knowledge in Early Modern Asia: Explorations in the Intellectual History of India and Tibet, 1500–1800|first=Sheldon|last=Pollock|date=14 March 2011|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0822349044|via=Google Books}}</ref>

==Later Mughal-Maratha wars==
{{See also|Later Mughal-Maratha Wars}}

[[File:Elephants pushing cannons drawn by bullocks.jpg|thumb|[[Elephant]]s pushing [[Mughal artillery]] [[cannon]]s drawn also by bullocks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://warfare.uphero.com/Moghul/18thC/Elephants_pushing_cannons_drawn_by_bullocks_Kota-mid-18thC.htm |title=Elephants pushing cannons drawn by bullocks, Kota |access-date=24 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223222411/http://warfare.uphero.com/Moghul/18thC/Elephants_pushing_cannons_drawn_by_bullocks_Kota-mid-18thC.htm |archive-date=23 December 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]

After [[Asaf Jah I]] left Delhi, the Marathas, who had already expanded up to the river [[Narmada River|Narmada]], invaded the rich province of Malwa in the beginning of 1723. The Mughal Emperor entrusted its defence to its governor, who failed him. By winter of the same year, they reached [[Ujjain]], the capital of Malwa.
In 1725, the governorship of Gujarat was transferred to [[Sarbuland Khan]]. Enraged by the authority of the Mughal Emperor, the Marathas invaded Gujarat but were routed by Sarbuland Khan and his forces. This was mainly because most of the Maratha forces, including their leader [[Baji Rao I]], were at the time fighting the Asaf Jah I in Hyderabad. The war with Hyderabad, however, proceeded favourably for the Marathas.

In 1728, during February, the Asaf Jah I was decisively defeated at the [[Battle of Palkhed]].
In the year 1728, the Marathas led by Baji Rao I and his brother [[Chimnaji Appa]] invaded the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] province of [[Malwa]] and challenged the Mughal [[Subedar]] [[Girdihar Bahadur]], who led a fairly large [[Mughal Army]] during the [[Battle of Amjhera]]. Both Girdihar Bahadur and his trusted cousin [[Daya Bahadur]] were defeated and killed. On 29 November, Chimnaji Appa went on to besiege the remnants of the [[Mughal Army]] of [[Malwa]] during a failed [[Siege of Ujjain]].<ref name="books.google.com.pk">{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A-E|author=Jaques, T.|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313335372|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3amnMPTPP5MC}}</ref>

In the year 1731, Asaf Jah I the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]] had managed to secure the defections of influential Maratha leaders, such as [[Trimbak Rao Dabhade]] and [[Sanbhoji]] who threatened to abandon the Marathas and join the forces with the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah instead. This move was considered unacceptable by Baji Rao I and his brother Chimnaji Appa who led a large well armed Forces of [[Maratha]]s to intercept Trimbak Rao Dabhade and Sanbhoji during the [[Battle of Dabhoi]], where the defecting factions were all defeated, overrun and killed.<ref name="books.google.com.pk"/> Baji Rao I then attacked [[Gujarat]] with full force and finally drove out Sarbuland Khan by 1735.

[[File:Mahout on an elephant; gouache on paper.jpg|thumb|left|An elephant and its mahout in service of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah.]]

In the year 1736, [[Siddi]]'s of [[Murud-Janjira]] set out to recapture [[Raigarh]] from the forces of Baji Rao, on 19 April 1736, Chimnaji attacked the gathering forces in the encampments of the Siddi's during a battle near Riwas, when the confrontation ended, 1500 Siddi's including their leader Siddi Sat were killed. Peace was concluded in September 1736, but the Siddi's were confined to [[Janjira State|Janjira]], [[Gowalkot]] and [[Anjanvel]].

In the year 1737, [[Asaf Jah I]] the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]] led a large [[Mughal Army]] to assist the [[Nawab of Bhopal]] Yar Muhammad Khan Bahadur but was instead besieged inside the city of [[Bhopal]] by 80,000 Marathas led by Baji Rao I. The [[Battle of Bhopal]] continued until [[Safdarjung]] and his relief forces were driven away by [[Malhar Rao Holkar]]. With the following peace negotiations, Asaf Jah I agreed to the peace treaty ratified by the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah that granted [[Malwa]] to the [[Maratha]]s.<ref name="books.google.com.pk"/>
In the year 1737 the Maratha chieftain Baji Rao I attacked the Mughal imperial capital at [[Delhi]], and defeated a well trained [[Mughal Army]] led by [[Amir Khan Bahadur]], but was forced to withdraw when the Mughal sent substantially well armed reinforcements fought major skirmishes with the Marathas on the outskirts of Delhi. [[Baji Rao I]] and his Marathas fled southeast to Badshshpur, where he corresponded with the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah, who ratified peace by agreeing the handover of Malwa to the [[Maratha]]s.<ref name="books.google.com.pk"/>

Among the loyal tributaries of the [[Mughal Empire]] was [[Meenakshi (Nayak queen)|Meenakshi]], the queen of the [[Madurai Nayaks]] in [[Dindigul Fort]], she had assisted Mughal forces in the [[Carnatic region|Carnatic]] several times against the Marathas.

{{Campaignbox
| title = [[Later Mughal-Maratha Wars (1728-1763)|Later Mughal-Maratha Wars]]
| name = Campaignbox Later Mughal-Maratha Wars
| listclass = hlist
| battles =
* [[Battle of Amjhera (1728)]]
* [[Battle of Palkhed]]
* [[Battle of Jaitpur (1729)]]
* [[Battle of Delhi (1737)]]
* [[Battle of Bhopal]]
* [[Battle of Damalcherry Pass (1740)]]
* [[Siege of Trichinopoly (1741)]]
* [[First Battle of Katwa (1742)]]
* [[Siege of Trichinopoly (1743)]]
* [[Second Battle of Katwa (1745)]]
* [[Battle of Burdwan (1747)]]
* [[Battle of Malthan (1751)]]
* [[First Battle of Sikandarabad (1754)]]
* [[Battle of Sindkhed (1757)]]
* [[Battle of Mangrol (1761)]]
* [[Battle of Rakshasbhuvan]]
}}

In the year 1740, [[Dost Ali Khan]] to [[Nawab of the Carnatic]] and [[Chanda Sahib]] faced the task of expelling the Marathas under [[Raghoji I Bhonsle]], authorised by [[Chattrapati Shahu|Shahu]]. Dost Ali Khan lost his life on 20 May 1740 at the [[Battle of Damalcherry]] in defence of [[Arcot]] and its populace, which was eventually looted and plundered. Chanda Sahib along with his garrison was captured and imprisoned in [[Satara (city)|Satara]]. [[Chanda Sahib]] and his forces ferociously defended their rightful reams during the [[Siege of Trichinopoly (1741)|Siege of Trichinopoly]] and almost all the territories of the Nawab of the Carnatic despite being outnumbered substantially by the Marathas, their daunting efforts soon attracted the attention of the curious [[French East India Company]] official named [[Joseph François Dupleix]].<ref name="google4">{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: P-Z|author=Jaques, T.|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313335396|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tW_eEVbVxpEC}}</ref> dissatisfied by the Maratha occupation of the territories of the [[Nawab of the Carnatic]], [[Asaf Jah I]] led an expedition to liberate the Carnatic he was joined by [[Muhammed Saadatullah Khan II|Sadatullah Khan II]] and [[Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan]] together they recaptured [[Arcot]] and initiated the [[Siege of Trichinopoly (1743)]], which lasted five months and forced the [[Maratha]]s led by [[Murari Rao Ghorpade]] to evacuate the Carnatic.<ref name="google4"/>

In the year 1747, the Marathas led by [[Raghoji I Bhonsle]], began to raid, pillage and annex the territories of the [[Nawab of Bengal]] Alivardi Khan. During the Maratha invasion of [[Orissa, India|Orissa]], its [[Subedar]] Mir Jafar completely withdrew all forces until the arrival of [[Alivardi Khan]] and the [[Mughal Army]] at the [[Battle of Burdwan]] where Raghoji I Bhonsle and his Maratha forces were completely routed. The enraged Nawab of Bengal Alivardi Khan then dismissed the shamed [[Mir Jafar]]. However, four years later [[Orissa, India|Orissa]] was ceded over to the Marathas by the Mughal Emperor.<ref name="books.google.com.pk"/>

==Invasion of Nader Shah==
[[File:THE FIRST SIGHT THAT MET HIS GAZE WAS THE BODIES OF HIS MURDERED COUNTRYMEN..gif|thumb|[[Nader Shah]] finds his troops had been killed in rioting. From {{cite book |last=Surridge|first=Victor |date=1909 |title=Romance of Empire: India}}]]

On 13 February 1739 the Persians under the military genius [[Nader Shah]], the commander of the [[Afsharid]]s, had deposed the former [[Safavid dynasty]], then defeated Persia's arch rival, the [[Ottoman Empire]] several times, and had therefore secured the western front. Now his eyes turned upon the wealthy but weakened Mughal Empire. In the year 1739, Nader Shah [[Nader Shah's invasion of India|invaded the Mughal Empire]], and defeated Muhammad Shah during the [[Battle of Karnal]] in less than three hours,<ref name="Later Mughal"/> and then marched upon the Mughal capital [[Delhi]], and after a chain of events, he completely [[Sack of Delhi|sacked and looted it]], and occupied much of the northern regions of the Mughal Empire.

===Tensions with Persia===
Nader Shah wanted to subdue Afghan rebels led by the [[Ghilzai]] tribe particularly in the region around [[Kandahar]].<ref name="Mughal-Ottoman relations Muhammed Shah">{{cite book | last = Farooqi | first = Naimur Rahman | title = Mughal-Ottoman relations: a study of political & diplomatic relations between Mughal Empire and the Ottoman Empire, 1556–1748 | publisher = Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli | year = 1989
}} ASIN: B0006ETWB8. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=uB1uAAAAMAAJ&q=Muhammad+Shah&source=gbs_word_butt_r&cad=6 Google Books search].</ref>{{verify source|date=November 2011}} He therefore requested the assistance of the Muhammad Shah to close the frontiers around [[Kabul]] and the Indus Valley so that the rebels may not flee or seek refuge. Muhammad Shah gave a confirming reply to Nader Shah but didn't do any thing practically, because the local [[Subedar]]s and [[Faujdar]]s sympathised with the [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] and rejected Persian rule. The Afghan rebels eventually did flee to the Mughals.

Outraged by this, Nader Shah sent an ambassador to Muhammad Shah, demanding deliverance of the fugitives. The Mughal Emperor did not provide a positive response and kept the Persians marginalised from Delhi for an entire year. Nader Shah became furious with Muhammad Shah. He had now found himself two reasons of why to invade the Mughal Empire; one, that the Mughals didn't deliver the Afghan rebels to him, and two, he knew that the Mughals were weak, but still extremely wealthy.

===Invasion of the Mughal Empire===
On the basis of the above reasons, Nader Shah decided to invade the [[Mughal Empire]], by starting to attack from Afghanistan. In May 1738 he attacked Northern Afghanistan. In the same month, he captured [[Ghazni]], in June he captured Kabul and in September [[Jalalabad]] also fell to him. In November he surrounded the fortress of [[Peshawar]] and razed it to the ground after the [[Battle of Khyber pass]].

Finally in January 1739, he captured [[Lahore]], after completely subduing the forces of the Mughal [[viceroy]], [[Zakariya Khan Bahadur]] and his 25,000 elite [[Sowar]]s,<ref name="google5">{{cite book|title=Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-1: 1707-1803)|author=Chhabra, G.S.|year=2005|publisher=Lotus Press|isbn=9788189093068|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UkDi6rVbckoC}}</ref> by the river [[Chenab]] the [[Afsharid]] forces soon encountered bands of [[Sikh]] rebels whom [[Nader Shah]] predicted would clearly benefit after his invasion.<ref name="google5"/>

[[File:7 Muhammad Shah and Nadir Shah. 1740, Musee Guimet, Paris.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Muhammad Shah with the Persian invader [[Nader Shah]]]]

Now Nader Shah had captured territory all the way up to [[Attock]], and Muhammad Shah and his courtiers could not close their eyes from further danger. They finally understood that the Persian emperor was not the sort of enemy that could be bought off with the loot of a province. Furthermore, he had devastated the area he just conquered. The cities of [[Wazirabad]], Emanabad and [[Gujrat city|Gujrat]] were not only sacked but razed to the ground. Near [[Larkana]] the [[Afsharid]] forces completely routed the [[Mughal Army]] of the [[Nawab]] of [[Sindh]], [[Main Noor Mohammad Kalhoro]], and later captured him and his two sons.

In February 1739, Nader Shah captured [[Sirhind]] and moved towards the field of [[Karnal]], a battle destined to be fateful to the Mughal rulers. On 13 February, the battle of Karnal was fought. Emperor Muhammad Shah had over a hundred thousand force against Nader Shah's 55,000 men but was still decisively defeated in less than three hours. In the event, the ''Khan Douran'' died and wrote a will that the Mughal and [[Afsharid]] emperors should not meet, but Nader Shah should be turned back from there at all costs. But the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah believed that he had no other choice but to surrender to Nader Shah on 26 February in the Afsharid encampments, thirteen days after the [[Battle of Karnal]]. The Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah handed over the keys of the Delhi gate and marched as a captive with Nader Shah to Delhi, which was then completely plundered.

After entering Delhi, [[Nader Shah]] claimed to occupy the [[Mughal Empire]] out of religious devotion and that if ''"the wretched Marathas of the Deccan"'' moved towards Delhi, he might ''"send an army of victorious [[Qizilbash]] to drive them to the abyss of Hell"''. In fact Nader Shah had delivered catastrophe from which the Mughal Empire itself never recovered and the subjects of the emperor were outraged by the ascendancy of the [[Afsharid]]s.<ref name="columbia">{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00islamlinks/ikram/part2_19.html#n02|title=part2_19|author=Frances Pritchett|publisher=columbia.edu|access-date=17 January 2014}}</ref><ref>Muhammad Latif, The History of the Panjab (Calcutta, 1891), p. 200.</ref>

[[File:1740 Seutter Map of India, Pakistan, Tibet and Afghanistan - Geographicus - IndiaMogolis-seutter-1740.jpg|thumb|Provinces of the Mughal Empire in the year 1740]]

At first, things were cordial among the two emperors. However rumours spread throughout Delhi that Nader Shah was assassinated. The masses attacked the Persian force and killed some soldiers. Nader Shah, furious, ordered to massacre the populace, and at least 30,000 people died. The Emperor and [[Asaf Jah I]] had to beg Nader Shah for mercy and thus he stopped the massacre and turned to looting the Mughal treasury.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QsDSGn8jLPAC&q=begged+nadir+shah+for+mercy&pg=PA298|title=Soul and Structure of Governance in India|isbn=9788177648317|access-date=26 May 2014|author1=Jagmohan|year=2005}}</ref> The famous Peacock Throne, the [[Daria-i-Noor]] diamond and unimaginable wealth was looted. In addition, elephants, horses and everything that was liked was taken. Muhammad Shah also had to hand over his daughter Jahan Afruz Banu Begum as a bride for Nader Shah's youngest son. [[Asaf Jah I]] retired to Deccan after installing his eldest son [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung II|Intizam-ud-Daula]] as a major commander in the [[Mughal Army]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Moghul Empire|author=H. G. Keene|author-link=Henry George Keene (1826–1915)| publisher=Allen &co Waterloo Place Pall Mall | year= 1866}} [http://www.new1.dli.ernet.in/scripts/FullindexDefault.htm?path1=/data2/upload/0055/654&first=1&last=302&barcode=4990010201502 Digital Library of India] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721192051/http://www.new1.dli.ernet.in/scripts/FullindexDefault.htm?path1=%2Fdata2%2Fupload%2F0055%2F654&first=1&last=302&barcode=4990010201502 |date=21 July 2013 }} Accessed 7 January 2012</ref>

After the whole event, Muhammad Shah was crowned as emperor by Nader Shah himself on 12 May, and he ceded the area west of river [[Indus]] to Nader Shah, although the [[Kalhora]] [[Nawab]]s of [[Sindh]] continued to fight the invading Afsharids. Nader Shah then took the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond and the other aforementioned famous treasures, and he and his Persian forces started to return to [[Afsharid Dynasty|Persia]].

===Aftermath===
Nader Shah's invasion destroyed what was left of the [[Mughal Empire]] and neared it to its end. After the invasion, the Mughals rapidly disintegrated. The weakness of the [[Mughal Army]] was clearly elaborated after this invasion. The [[Nawab]]s clearly could not even relieve their captured city of [[Delhi]], which was the seat of their authority. The Mughals were completely looted of their wealth, and rebellions and disloyalty became commonplace.

==Foreign relations==
Following Nader Shah's invasion, Persia's arch rival the Ottoman Empire, quickly exploited the void that was created at their Eastern borders as almost all Persian units were deployed in the [[Mughal Empire]]. During that period Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah closely observed the actions of the Ottomans, and also cooperated with the Ottoman ambassador Haji Yusuf Agha until the emperor's death in 1748 after the victory of the [[Mughal Army]] at the [[Battle of Manupur (1748)]] against yet another foe ([[Ahmad Shah Durrani]]).<ref name="Mughal-Ottoman relations Muhammed Shah" />

==Marriages==
[[File:Emperor Muhammad Shah LACMA AC1997.127.1.jpg|thumb|The Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah and his family]]

Emperor Muhammad Shah had four wives. His first wife and chief consort was his first-cousin, Princess [[Badshah Begum]], the daughter of Emperor [[Farrukhsiyar]] and his first wife, Gauhar-un-Nissa Begum.<ref name="Sarkar97">{{cite book|last1=Sarkar|first1=Jadunath|title=Fall of the Mughal Empire.|date=1997|publisher=Orient Longman|location=Hyderabad|isbn=9788125011491|page=169|edition=4th}}</ref> He married her after his accession on 8 December 1721 at Delhi,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Awrangābādī|first1=Shāhnavāz Khān|last2=Prashad|first2=Baini|last3=Shāhnavāz|first3=ʻAbd al-Ḥayy ibn|title=The Maāthir-ul-umarā: being biographies of the Muḥammadan and Hindu officers of the Timurid sovereigns of India from 1500 to about 1780 A.D.|date=1979|publisher=Janaki Prakashan|page=652|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xfG1AAAAIAAJ&q=muhmmad+shah+8+december+1721|language=en}}</ref> and gave her the title ''Malika-uz-Zamani'' (Queen of the Age)<ref name="malik"/> by which she was popularly known. On this occasion there was a great ceremony lasting for weeks. She bore him his first son, Shahriyar Shah Bahadur, who died young in 1726.<ref name="malik"/> She was his most influential wife and exercised her opinions on him. Later, Muhammad Shah took a second wife, Sahiba Mahal.

His third wife was a dancing girl, [[Udham Bai]], who bore him his future successor, [[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]] on 23 December 1725. Upon his birth, he was taken from her and was lovingly brought up by Badshah Begum, who considered him her own son. It was through Badshah Begum's efforts that Ahmad Shah was able to ascend the throne upon Muhammad Shah's death in 1748.<ref name=Latif>{{cite book|last=Latif|first=Bilkees I.|title=Forgotten|year=2010|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=9780143064541|page=49}}</ref>

Muhammad Shah married his fourth (and last) wife, Safiya Sultan Begum later on. Badshah Begum died on 14 December 1789 Muhammad Shah had three sons and three daughters. In 1748 when [[Ahmad Shah Abdali]] attacked and deposed Muhammad Shah, his son [[Anwer Ali]] escaped to his grand aunt Princess [[Jahanara Begum]] & hid in a place in Arrah, Bihar which was infested with bears which was later named as Bhaluhipur.

[[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] married [[Hazrat Begum]] the daughter of the deceased Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah and Sahiba Mahal in the year 1757.<ref name="google6">{{cite book|title=Students' Britannica India|author1=Hoiberg, D.|author2=Ramchandani, I.|year=2000|issue=v. 1-5|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica (India)|isbn=9780852297605|url=https://archive.org/details/studentsbritanni03hoib|url-access=registration}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Buzurjumid leading funeral procession - Khusrau u Shirin by Nizami (1726), f.95v - BL Or.2933.jpg|thumb|left|Funeral.]]

The victory of the [[Mughal Army]] during the [[Battle of Manupur (1748)]] came with a heavy price many fell in battle. Initially this was kept a secret. However, when the news reached the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah, he could not speak, suddenly became sick, and did not come out of his apartments for three days. During this period he fasted. His guards could hear him crying out loud and saying: ''"How could I bring about anyone as faithful as he? ([[Asaf Jah I]])"''. He died due to grief on 26 April 1748, his funeral was attended by visiting [[Imam]]s from [[Mecca]].<ref>name="Mughal-Ottoman relations Sharif of Mecca"</ref><ref name="google7">{{cite book|title=Mughal-Ottoman relations: a study of political & diplomatic relations between Mughal India and the Ottoman Empire, 1556-1748|author=Farooqi, N.R.|year=1989|publisher=Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uB1uAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
* In the 2010 historical TV series ''[[Maharaja Ranjit Singh (TV series)|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]]'' telecasted on [[DD National]], the character of Muhammad Shah is portrayed by Rishikesh Sharma.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Silver rupee of Muhammad Shah.jpg|A silver coin minted during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah.
File:Bombay Presidency rupee.jpg|A silver coin minted during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah from [[Bombay]].
File:French issued rupee in the name of Mohammed Sha 1719 1758 for Northern India trade cast in Pondicherry.jpg|French-issued [[rupee]] in the name of Muhammad Shah (1719-1748) for Northern India trade, cast in Pondichéry.
File:Koh-i-Noor new version copy.jpg|[[Koh-i-Noor]]
File:Darya-e Noor Diamond of Iran.png|Darya-e-Noor
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Battle of Karnal]]
*[[Koh-i-Noor]]
*[[Peacock Throne]]
*[[Battles involving the Mughal Empire]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Muhammad Shah}}

{{Wikiquote-inline}}

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{{succession box|title=[[List of Mughal emperors|Mughal Emperor]]|before=[[Shah Jahan II]]|after=[[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]]|years=1719–1748}}
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[[Category:1702 births]]
[[Category:1748 deaths]]
[[Category:Mughal emperors]]
[[Category:People from Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Timurid monarchs]]
[[Category:Indian monarchs]]

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Muhammad Shah