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{{Short description|Mughal emperor from 1806 to 1837}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{short description|Nineteenth Mughal Emperor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2017}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox royalty
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Akbar II
| name         = Akbar II<br/> اکبر دوم
| title =
| title       = King of Delhi<br/>[[Padishah|Badshah]]
| image = Akbar Shah II of India.jpg
| image       = Akbar Shah II of India.jpg
| succession = 19th [[Mughal emperors|Mughal Emperor]]
| caption      = Portrait of Akbar Shah II, {{circa|1827}}
| reign = 19 November 1806 – 28 September 1837
| succession   = [[Mughal emperor]]
| coronation = 19 November 1806 at the [[Red Fort]], [[Delhi]]
| reign       = {{Nowrap|19 November 1806 – 28 September 1837}}
| predecessor= [[Shah Alam II]]
| coronation   = 19 November 1806
| successor =[[Bahadur Shah II]]
| predecessor = [[Shah Alam II]]
| birth_date = {{birth-date|22 April 1760}}
| successor   = [[Bahadur Shah II]]
| birth_place =[[Mukundpur]], <br> [[Maratha Empire]]
| birth_name  = Mirza Akbar
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1837|09|28|1760|04|22|df=yes}}
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1760|04|22|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Delhi]], [[Mughal Empire]]
| birth_place = [[Mukundpur]], [[Rewa (princely state)|Rewa State]], [[Maratha Confederacy]]
|spouse 1 = Lal Bai  
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1837|09|28|1760|04|22|df=yes}}
|spouse 2 = Selaa'h-un-Nissa
| death_place = Delhi, [[Subah of Delhi]], [[Mughal Empire]]
|spouse 3 = Gumani Khanum
| spouse       = Mumtaz Mahal<ref name="Majumdar1939">{{cite book | editor = Jatindra Kumar Majumdar | date = 1939 | title = Raja Rammohun Roy and the Last Moghuls: A Selection from Official Records, 1803–1859 | publisher = Art Press | pages = xxxiii| isbn = 9788170410645}}</ref><br>Anwar Mahal<ref name="Congress1958">{{cite book | author = Indian History Congress | date = 1958 | title = Proceedings, Volume 20 | publisher = Indian History Congress | pages = 316}}</ref><br>Lal Bai<ref name="Husain2006">{{cite book | author = Syed Mahdi Husain | date = 2006 | title = Bahadur Shah Zafar and the War of 1857 in Delhi | publisher = Aakar Books | pages = 36 | isbn = 9788187879916}}</ref>
| issue = 14 sons including  
| issue       = 14 sons, including: <br/>{{Unbulleted list|
Mirza Firuz Bakht <br/>[[Bahadur Shah II]]<br/> Mirza Buland Bakht <br/>
|Mirza Firuz Bakht
[[Mirza Jahangir]]<br/>[[Mirza Jahan Shah]]<br/>[[Mirza Nali]]<br>[[Mirza Babur]]<br/>[[Mirza Salim]]<br/>[[Mirza Nazim Shah]]<br/>[[Mirza Jahan Khushru]]<ref name="GREAT ESCAPE OF MIRZA JAHAN KHUSRO SON OF AKBAR SANI – HAJI MUHAMMED ISHAQUE DESCENDANT OF GREAT MUGHALS"> {{cite web| url=http://blog.chughtaimuseum.com/?p=10834| title=
|[[Bahadur Shah Zafar|Bahadur Shah II]]
GREAT ESCAPE OF MIRZA JAHAN KHUSRO SON OF AKBAR SANI – HAJI MUHAMMED ISHAQUE DESCENDANT OF GREAT MUGHALS}}</ref>
|Mirza Buland Bakht
<br/>8 daughters
|[[Mirza Jahangir]]
| full name ='Abu Nasir Mu'in ud-din Muhammad Akbar Shah II
|[[Mirza Jahan Shah]]
| father = [[Shah Alam II]]
|Mirza Taimoor Shah<ref>{{cite book|title= Records of the Delhi Residency and Agency, Vol. 1| year= 1911| url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.10807|page=341}}</ref>
| mother = Qudsia Begum
|Mirza Kayqubad<ref>{{cite book|title= Records of the Delhi Residency and Agency, Vol. 1| year= 1911| url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.10807|page=342}}</ref>
| religion = [[Islam]]
|Mirza Kaykaus<ref>{{cite book|title= Records of the Delhi Residency and Agency, Vol. 1| year= 1911| url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.10807|page=342}}</ref>
| image_size =  
|[[Mirza Nali]]
| house = [[Mughal dynasty|Mughal]]
|[[Mirza Babur]]
| burial_place = [[Zafar Mahal (Mehrauli)|Zafar Mahal]]
|[[Mirza Salim]]
|[[Mirza Nazim Shah]]
|Mirza Jahan Khushru<ref name="GREAT ESCAPE OF MIRZA JAHAN KHUSRO SON OF AKBAR SANI – HAJI MUHAMMED ISHAQUE DESCENDANT OF GREAT MUGHALS"> {{cite web| url=http://blog.chughtaimuseum.com/?p=10834| title=GREAT ESCAPE OF MIRZA JAHAN KHUSRO SON OF AKBAR SANI – HAJI MUHAMMED ISHAQUE DESCENDANT OF GREAT MUGHALS| date=15 April 2020}}</ref>
|Mirza Shujaat Shah<ref>{{cite book|title= Records of the Delhi Residency and Agency, Vol. 1| year= 1911| url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.10807|page=342}}</ref>
|8 daughters
}}
| full name   = Sultan Ibn Sultan Sahib al-Mufazi Wali Ni'mat Haqiqi Khudavand Mujazi Abu Nasir Mu'in al-Din Muhammad Akbar Shah Pad-Shah Ghazi
| father       = [[Shah Alam II]]
| mother       = Qudsia Begum
| signature    = Seal of Mughal emperor Akbar Shah II.jpg
| signature_type = Seal
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam]] {{small|([[Hanafi]])}}
| dynasty      = [[Timurid dynasty]]
| era dates    = 18th and 19th centuries
| regnal name  = Akbar Shah II
| house       = [[Mughal dynasty]]
| burial_place = [[Moti Masjid (Mehrauli)|Moti Masjid]], Delhi, India
}}
}}
{{Mughal}}


'''Akbar II''' (22 April 1760 – 28 September 1837), also known as '''Akbar Shah II''', was the nineteenth [[Mogul Empire|Mughal emperor]] of [[History of India|India]]. He reigned from 1806 to 1837. He was the second son of [[Shah Alam II]] and the father of [[Bahadur Shah II]].
'''Akbar II''' ({{langx|fa|اکبر دوم|rtl=yes}}, {{IPA|fa|ak.baɾ}}; 22 April 1760 – 28 September 1837), also known as '''Akbar Shah II''' ({{langx|fa|اکبر شاه دوم|rtl=yes}}), was the nineteenth [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] from 1806 to 1837. He was the second son of [[Shah Alam II]] and the father of [[Bahadur Shah II]], who would eventually succeed him and become the last Mughal emperor.


Akbar had little de facto power due to the increasing [[United Kingdom|British]] influence in India through the [[East India Company]]. He sent [[Ram Mohan Roy]] as an ambassador to Britain and gave him the title of Raja. During his regime, in 1835, the East India Company discontinued calling itself subject of the Mughal Emperor and issuing coins in his name. The Persian lines in the company's coins to this effect were deleted.
Akbar had little de facto power due to the increasing British influence in India through the [[East India Company]]. He sent [[Ram Mohan Roy]] as an ambassador to Britain and gave him the title of Raja. During his regime, in 1835, the East India Company discontinued calling itself subject of the Mughal Emperor and [[Khutba wa sikka|issuing coins in his name]]. The Persian lines in the company's coins to this effect were deleted.


Akbar II is credited with starting the [[Hindu–Muslim unity]] festival [[Phool Walon Ki Sair]].{{citation needed|date=May 2017}} His grave lies next to the [[dargah]] of 13th century Sufi saint [[Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki]] at [[Mehrauli]].
Akbar II was credited with starting the [[Hindu–Muslim unity]] festival [[Phool Walon Ki Sair]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dec 8 |first1=TNN / |title=Akbar, Dara Shikoh had set examples of Hindu-Muslim unity {{!}} Varanasi News – Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/akbar-dara-shikoh-had-set-examples-of-hindu-muslim-unity/articleshow/17526760.cms |website=The Times of India |date=8 December 2012 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Akbar and his religious policy |url=http://www.ijssh.org/vol6/660-B00018.pdf}}</ref> His grave lies next to the [[dargah]] of 13th-century Sufi saint [[Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki]] at [[Mehrauli]].


==Early life==
== Early life ==
[[File:Shah Alam II (1759-1806), the blind mughal Emperor, seated on a golden throne..jpg|thumb|upright|left|The crown prince seated next to his blinded father [[Shah Alam II]] (c. 1800)]]
[[File:Shah Alam II (1759-1806), the blind mughal Emperor, seated on a golden throne..jpg|thumb|upright|left|The crown prince seated next to his blinded father [[Shah Alam II]] (c. 1800)]]
Prince Mirza Akbar was born on 22 April 1760 to Emperor [[Shah Alam II]] at [[Mukundpur]], [[Satna]], while his father was in exile. On 2 May 1781, at the [[Red Fort]], the prince was made [[Crown prince]] with the title of ''[[Wali Ahd]] Bahadur'', after the death of his elder brother. In 1782, he was appointed the viceroy of Delhi until 1799. When the [[Rohilla]] leader [[Ghulam Kadir|Ghulam Qadir]] captured Delhi in 1788, the young Prince Mirza Akbar was forced to [[nautch]] dance along with other Mughal princes. He witnessed how the members of the imperial Mughal family were humiliated, as well as starved. When [[Mahmud Shah Bahadur|Shah Jahan IV]] fled, Mirza Akbar was titular Emperor with the title of ''Akbar Shah II'', and was to remain acting emperor even after the reinstatement of his father [[Shah Alam II]], till January 1789.


Prince Mirza Akbar was born on 22 April 1760 to Emperor [[Shah Alam II]] at [[Mukundpur]], [[Satna]], while his father was in exile. On 2 May 1781, at the [[Red Fort]], the prince was made [[Crown prince]] with the title of ''Wali Ahd Bahadur'', after the death of his elder brother. In 1782, he was appointed the viceroy of [[Delhi]] until 1799. When the [[Rohilla]] leader [[Ghulam Kadir|Ghulam Qadir]] captured [[Delhi]] in 1788, the young Prince Mirza Akbar was forced to [[nautch]] dance along with other Mughal princes and princesses. He witnessed how the members of the imperial Mughal family were humiliated, as well as starved. When [[Mahmud Shah Durrani|Mahmud Shah]] fled, Mirza Akbar was titular Emperor with the title of ''Akbar Shah II'', and was to remain acting emperor even after the reinstatement of his father [[Shah Alam II]], till January 1788.
== Reign ==
 
[[File:Silver Rupee from the Bombay Presidency, struck in the name of Mughal emperor Akbar II, photographed from a personal collection in West Bengal, India, September 17, 2024.jpg|thumb|Silver Rupee from the Bombay Presidency, struck in Ahmedabad, in the name of Mughal emperor Akbar II.]]
==Reign==
[[File:Silver Rupee of Bhopal State struck in the name of Mughal emperor Muhammad Akbar II, minted in Daulatgarh, having the trident symbol in horizontal position.jpg|thumb|Silver Rupee of the [[Bhopal State]], struck in the name of Mughal emperor Akbar II, minted in Daulatgarh, having the trident symbol in horizontal position.]]
[[File:Silver Rupee of Bharatpur state, struck in the name of Mughal emperor Akbar II, Mahe Indrapur Mint.jpg|thumb|Silver Rupee of [[Bharatpur State]], struck in the name of Mughal emperor Akbar II, Mahe Indrapur Mint.]]
[[File:Jade bowl of akbar shah national museum india.JPG|thumb|Jade bowl inscribed with the name of the emperor]]
[[File:Jade bowl of akbar shah national museum india.JPG|thumb|Jade bowl inscribed with the name of the emperor]]
[[File:Tombs of Shah Alam and Akbar II, c1890s.jpg|thumb|The tombs of Akbar II and his father Shah Alam II in [[Mehrauli|Zafar Mehal, Mehrauli]], Delhi|alt=]]
[[File:Tombs of Shah Alam and Akbar II, c1890s.jpg|thumb|The tombs of Akbar II and his father Shah Alam II in [[Mehrauli|Zafar Mehal, Mehrauli]], Delhi|alt=]]
Line 51: Line 68:
Emperor Akbar II presided over an empire titularly large but in effect limited to the [[Red Fort]] in Delhi alone. The cultural life of Delhi as a whole flourished during his reign. However, his attitude towards East India Company officials, especially [[Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings|Lord Hastings]], to whom he refused to grant an audience on terms other than those of subject and sovereign, although honourable to him, increasingly frustrated the British, who regarded him as merely their pensioner. The British therefore reduced his titular authority to 'King of Delhi' in 1835 and the East India Company ceased to act as the mere lieutenants of the Mughal Empire as they did from 1803 to 1835. Simultaneously they replaced Persian text with English text on the company's coins, which no longer carried the emperor's name.
Emperor Akbar II presided over an empire titularly large but in effect limited to the [[Red Fort]] in Delhi alone. The cultural life of Delhi as a whole flourished during his reign. However, his attitude towards East India Company officials, especially [[Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings|Lord Hastings]], to whom he refused to grant an audience on terms other than those of subject and sovereign, although honourable to him, increasingly frustrated the British, who regarded him as merely their pensioner. The British therefore reduced his titular authority to 'King of Delhi' in 1835 and the East India Company ceased to act as the mere lieutenants of the Mughal Empire as they did from 1803 to 1835. Simultaneously they replaced Persian text with English text on the company's coins, which no longer carried the emperor's name.


The British encouraged the Nawab of [[Oudh]] and the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]] to take royal titles in order to further diminish the Emperor's status and influence. Out of deference, the Nizam did not, but the [[Nawab of Awadh]] did so.
The British encouraged the Nawab of [[Oudh]] and the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]] to take royal titles to further diminish the Emperor's status and influence. Out of deference, the Nizam did not, but the [[Nawab of Awadh]] did so.


He is also known to have bestowed the title ''Nawab'' upon the [[Nawab of Tonk]] and [[Nawab of Jaora]].
He is also known to have bestowed the title ''Nawab'' upon the [[Nawab of Tonk]] and [[Nawab of Jaora]].


Akbar II appointed the Bengali reformer [[Ram Mohan Roy]], to appeal against his treatment by the East India Company, conferring on him the title of Raja. Ram Mohan Roy then visited England, as the Mughal envoy to the Court of St. James. Ram Mohan Roy submitted a well-argued memorial on behalf of the Mughal ruler, but to no avail.
Akbar II appointed the Bengali reformer Ram Mohan Roy, to appeal against his treatment by the East India Company, conferring on him the title of Raja. Ram Mohan Roy then visited England, as the Mughal envoy to the [[Court of St James’s]]. Ram Mohan Roy submitted a well-argued memorial on behalf of the Mughal ruler, but to no avail.


The grave of Akbar II lies next to the [[dargah]] of the 13th century, Sufi saint, [[Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki]] at [[Mehrauli]], [[Delhi]], in a marble enclosure, along with that of [[Bahadur Shah I]], ([[Shah Alam I]]) and [[Shah Alam II]].
The grave of Akbar II lies within a marble enclosure adjoined to the [[Moti Masjid (Mehrauli)|Moti Masjid]] near the [[dargah]] of the 13th century Sufi saint, [[Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki]] at [[Mehrauli]], Delhi. The Mughal emperors [[Bahadur Shah I]], ([[Shah Alam I]]) and [[Shah Alam II]] are also buried here.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Dadlani |first=Chanchal B. |title=From stone to paper : architecture as history in the late Mughal Empire |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-300-23317-9 |location=New Haven [CT] |pages=63 |oclc=1024165136}}</ref>


<gallery>
<gallery>
Line 64: Line 81:
File:Akbar Shah II rides an elephant in a huge procession 1835 San Diego Museum of Art.jpg|Akbar Shah II rides an elephant in a huge procession 1835
File:Akbar Shah II rides an elephant in a huge procession 1835 San Diego Museum of Art.jpg|Akbar Shah II rides an elephant in a huge procession 1835
File:Akbar Shah II and his four sons.jpg| Akbar Shah II and his four sons
File:Akbar Shah II and his four sons.jpg| Akbar Shah II and his four sons
File:Durbar Procession of Mughal Emperor Akbar II (reigned 1806-1837), with British Resident Charles Metcalfe 181644.JPG|Durbar Procession of Mughal Emperor Akbar II, with British Resident Charles Metcalfe, by Udey Ram
File:Painting of Cavalry in Durbar Procession of Mughal Emperor Akbar II.png|Cavalry in Durbar Procession of Mughal Emperor Akbar II
File:Mounted standard-bearers of Akbar Shah II.png|Mounted standard-bearers in the procession of Akbar II
</gallery>
</gallery>


==Descendants==
== Descendants ==
[[File:India 1835 2 Mohurs (rev).jpg|thumb|275px|An East India Company Double [[Mohur]], struck in 1835, featuring [[Ali]] the lion ([[Nad-e-Ali]]) and the sacred tree of [[Karbala]]]]
[[File:India 1835 2 Mohurs (rev).jpg|thumb|275px|An East India Company Double [[Mohur]], struck in 1835, featuring [[Ali]] the lion ([[Sher-e-Ali]]) and the sacred tree of [[Karbala]]]]


After the mutiny, cousins of [[Mirza Mughal]], son of [[Bahadur Shah Zafar]], son of Akbar II, escaped to neighbouring areas in fear of capture by the British. Prince [[Mirza Mughal]], the heir apparent was himself killed in battle. Many surviving princes settled in various provinces of India, but some settled in [[Burma]] and [[Bengal]] since a large number of imperial family members, along with Emperor [[Bahadur Shah II]] were exiled to Rangoon in [[Burma]].
After the mutiny, cousins of [[Mirza Mughal]], son of [[Bahadur Shah Zafar]], son of Akbar II, escaped to neighbouring areas in fear of capture by the British. Prince [[Mirza Mughal]], the heir apparent was himself captured and executed by the British near [[Delhi Gate, Delhi|Delhi gate]]. Many surviving princes settled in various provinces of India, but some settled in [[Burma]], [[Bengal]] and [[Deccanis|Deccan]] since a large number of imperial family members, along with Emperor [[Bahadur Shah II]] were exiled to Rangoon in [[Burma]].


==See also==
== See also ==
* [[Akbar I]]
* [[Akbar I]]
* [[Mirza Nali]]
* [[Mirza Nali]]
Line 77: Line 97:
* [[Mirza Zafar]]
* [[Mirza Zafar]]


==References==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==Bibliography==
== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite journal|last=Whitehead|first=Richard Bertram|author-link=R. B. Whitehead|date=1929|title=Akbar II as Pretender: A Study in Anarchy|journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland|issue=2|pages=259–272|issn=0035-869X|jstor=25193883}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Whitehead|first=Richard Bertram|author-link=R. B. Whitehead|date=1929|title=Akbar II as Pretender: A Study in Anarchy|journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland|volume=61 |issue=2|pages=259–272|doi=10.1017/S0035869X00082149 |issn=0035-869X|jstor=25193883|s2cid=163201364 }}


{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Commons category-inline}}


{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Timurid dynasty]]||1760||1837}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Shah Alam II]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Mughal Emperor]]|years=1806–1837}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Bahadur Shah II]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Mughal Empire}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Akbar Shah Ii}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akbar Shah Ii}}
[[Category:18th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Mughal emperors]]
[[Category:Emperors of the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:1760 births]]
[[Category:1760 births]]
[[Category:1837 deaths]]
[[Category:1837 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:People from Satna district]]
[[Category:People from Satna district]]
[[Category:19th-century Mughal Empire people]]

Latest revision as of 12:26, 4 March 2026


Akbar II
اکبر دوم
King of Delhi
Badshah
Portrait of Akbar Shah II, c. 1827
Mughal emperor
Reign19 November 1806 – 28 September 1837
Coronation19 November 1806
PredecessorShah Alam II
SuccessorBahadur Shah II
BornMirza Akbar
(1760-04-22)22 April 1760
Mukundpur, Rewa State, Maratha Confederacy
Died28 September 1837(1837-09-28) (aged 77)
Delhi, Subah of Delhi, Mughal Empire
Burial
Moti Masjid, Delhi, India
SpouseMumtaz Mahal[1]
Anwar Mahal[2]
Lal Bai[3]
Issue14 sons, including:
Names
Sultan Ibn Sultan Sahib al-Mufazi Wali Ni'mat Haqiqi Khudavand Mujazi Abu Nasir Mu'in al-Din Muhammad Akbar Shah Pad-Shah Ghazi
Era dates
18th and 19th centuries
Regnal name
Akbar Shah II
HouseMughal dynasty
DynastyTimurid dynasty
FatherShah Alam II
MotherQudsia Begum
ReligionSunni Islam (Hanafi)
SealAkbar II اکبر دوم's signature

Akbar II (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., fa; 22 April 1760 – 28 September 1837), also known as Akbar Shah II (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.), was the nineteenth Mughal emperor from 1806 to 1837. He was the second son of Shah Alam II and the father of Bahadur Shah II, who would eventually succeed him and become the last Mughal emperor.

Akbar had little de facto power due to the increasing British influence in India through the East India Company. He sent Ram Mohan Roy as an ambassador to Britain and gave him the title of Raja. During his regime, in 1835, the East India Company discontinued calling itself subject of the Mughal Emperor and issuing coins in his name. The Persian lines in the company's coins to this effect were deleted.

Akbar II was credited with starting the Hindu–Muslim unity festival Phool Walon Ki Sair.[9][10] His grave lies next to the dargah of 13th-century Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki at Mehrauli.

Early life[edit | edit source]

The crown prince seated next to his blinded father Shah Alam II (c. 1800)

Prince Mirza Akbar was born on 22 April 1760 to Emperor Shah Alam II at Mukundpur, Satna, while his father was in exile. On 2 May 1781, at the Red Fort, the prince was made Crown prince with the title of Wali Ahd Bahadur, after the death of his elder brother. In 1782, he was appointed the viceroy of Delhi until 1799. When the Rohilla leader Ghulam Qadir captured Delhi in 1788, the young Prince Mirza Akbar was forced to nautch dance along with other Mughal princes. He witnessed how the members of the imperial Mughal family were humiliated, as well as starved. When Shah Jahan IV fled, Mirza Akbar was titular Emperor with the title of Akbar Shah II, and was to remain acting emperor even after the reinstatement of his father Shah Alam II, till January 1789.

Reign[edit | edit source]

Silver Rupee from the Bombay Presidency, struck in Ahmedabad, in the name of Mughal emperor Akbar II.
Silver Rupee of the Bhopal State, struck in the name of Mughal emperor Akbar II, minted in Daulatgarh, having the trident symbol in horizontal position.
Silver Rupee of Bharatpur State, struck in the name of Mughal emperor Akbar II, Mahe Indrapur Mint.
Jade bowl inscribed with the name of the emperor
The tombs of Akbar II and his father Shah Alam II in Zafar Mehal, Mehrauli, Delhi

Emperor Akbar II presided over an empire titularly large but in effect limited to the Red Fort in Delhi alone. The cultural life of Delhi as a whole flourished during his reign. However, his attitude towards East India Company officials, especially Lord Hastings, to whom he refused to grant an audience on terms other than those of subject and sovereign, although honourable to him, increasingly frustrated the British, who regarded him as merely their pensioner. The British therefore reduced his titular authority to 'King of Delhi' in 1835 and the East India Company ceased to act as the mere lieutenants of the Mughal Empire as they did from 1803 to 1835. Simultaneously they replaced Persian text with English text on the company's coins, which no longer carried the emperor's name.

The British encouraged the Nawab of Oudh and the Nizam of Hyderabad to take royal titles to further diminish the Emperor's status and influence. Out of deference, the Nizam did not, but the Nawab of Awadh did so.

He is also known to have bestowed the title Nawab upon the Nawab of Tonk and Nawab of Jaora.

Akbar II appointed the Bengali reformer Ram Mohan Roy, to appeal against his treatment by the East India Company, conferring on him the title of Raja. Ram Mohan Roy then visited England, as the Mughal envoy to the Court of St James’s. Ram Mohan Roy submitted a well-argued memorial on behalf of the Mughal ruler, but to no avail.

The grave of Akbar II lies within a marble enclosure adjoined to the Moti Masjid near the dargah of the 13th century Sufi saint, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki at Mehrauli, Delhi. The Mughal emperors Bahadur Shah I, (Shah Alam I) and Shah Alam II are also buried here.[11]

  • Akbar II holding audience on the Peacock Throne.
    Akbar II holding audience on the Peacock Throne.
  • Silver Rupee coin of Akbar II.
    Silver Rupee coin of Akbar II.
  • Akbar Shah II rides an elephant in a huge procession 1835
    Akbar Shah II rides an elephant in a huge procession 1835
  • Akbar Shah II and his four sons
    Akbar Shah II and his four sons
  • Durbar Procession of Mughal Emperor Akbar II, with British Resident Charles Metcalfe, by Udey Ram
    Durbar Procession of Mughal Emperor Akbar II, with British Resident Charles Metcalfe, by Udey Ram
  • Cavalry in Durbar Procession of Mughal Emperor Akbar II
    Cavalry in Durbar Procession of Mughal Emperor Akbar II
  • Mounted standard-bearers in the procession of Akbar II
    Mounted standard-bearers in the procession of Akbar II

Descendants[edit | edit source]

An East India Company Double Mohur, struck in 1835, featuring Ali the lion (Sher-e-Ali) and the sacred tree of Karbala

After the mutiny, cousins of Mirza Mughal, son of Bahadur Shah Zafar, son of Akbar II, escaped to neighbouring areas in fear of capture by the British. Prince Mirza Mughal, the heir apparent was himself captured and executed by the British near Delhi gate. Many surviving princes settled in various provinces of India, but some settled in Burma, Bengal and Deccan since a large number of imperial family members, along with Emperor Bahadur Shah II were exiled to Rangoon in Burma.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Jatindra Kumar Majumdar, ed. (1939). Raja Rammohun Roy and the Last Moghuls: A Selection from Official Records, 1803–1859. Art Press. pp. xxxiii. ISBN 9788170410645.
  2. ↑ Indian History Congress (1958). Proceedings, Volume 20. Indian History Congress. p. 316.
  3. ↑ Syed Mahdi Husain (2006). Bahadur Shah Zafar and the War of 1857 in Delhi. Aakar Books. p. 36. ISBN 9788187879916.
  4. ↑ Records of the Delhi Residency and Agency, Vol. 1. 1911. p. 341.
  5. ↑ Records of the Delhi Residency and Agency, Vol. 1. 1911. p. 342.
  6. ↑ Records of the Delhi Residency and Agency, Vol. 1. 1911. p. 342.
  7. ↑ "GREAT ESCAPE OF MIRZA JAHAN KHUSRO SON OF AKBAR SANI – HAJI MUHAMMED ISHAQUE DESCENDANT OF GREAT MUGHALS". 15 April 2020.
  8. ↑ Records of the Delhi Residency and Agency, Vol. 1. 1911. p. 342.
  9. ↑ Dec 8, TNN / (8 December 2012). "Akbar, Dara Shikoh had set examples of Hindu-Muslim unity | Varanasi News – Times of India". The Times of India.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "Akbar and his religious policy" (PDF).
  11. ↑ Dadlani, Chanchal B. (2018). From stone to paper : architecture as history in the late Mughal Empire. New Haven [CT]. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-300-23317-9. OCLC 1024165136.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

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