Bahadur Shah (Persian: بہادر شاه اول‎, romanized: Bahādur Shāh Awwal) (14 October 1643 – 27 February 1712), also known as Muhammad Mu'azzam (Persian: محمد معظم‎) and Shah Alam (Persian: شاه عالم‎), was the eighth Mughal emperor in 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. Shah's plans were intercepted by the emperor, who imprisoned him several times. 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, but was shortly defeated in one of the largest battles of India, the Battle of Jajau and overthrown by Bahadur Shah. During the reign of Bahadur Shah, the Rajput states of Jodhpur and Amber were annexed again after they declared independence a few years previously. 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 under Durgadas Rathore and fellow Mughal Kam Bakhsh but all of them were successfully quelled. Bahadur Shah was buried in the Moti Masjid at Mehrauli in Delhi. Early life Bahadur Shah was born as Shazada Mu'azzam mirza on 14 October 1643 in Burhanpur as the second son of the sixth Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb by his wife Nawab Bai. During the reign of Shah Jahan During his grandfather's reign, Mu'azzam was appointed vizer of Lahore from 1653 to 1659. Muazzam was replaced by Shaista Khan 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 capture Shivaji and he was successful. During the reign of Aurangzeb Emperor Awrangzib Receives Prince Mu'azzam. After Raja Jai Singh I signed a treaty with Shivaji at Purandar, Mu'azzam was given the charge of Deccan in May 1667 and was assisted by Maharaja Jaswant Singh. 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. Aurangzeb learned about the plot and sent Mu'azzam's mother Begum Nawab Bai 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. For the next seven years, from 1681 to 1687, Mu'azzam was a "grudgingly obedient son". Reign War of succession Without appointing a crown prince, Aurangzeb died in 1707 when Mu'azzam was governor of Kabul and his younger half-brothers (Muhammad Kam Bakhsh and Muhammad Azam Shah) were the governors of the Deccan and Gujarat respectively. All three sons intended to win the crown, and Kam Bakhsh began minting coins in his name. Azam prepared to march to Agra and declare himself successor, but was defeated by Mu'azzam at the Battle of Jajau in June 1707. Azam and his son, Ali Tabar, were killed in the battle. Mu'azzam ascended the Mughal throne at age 63 on 19 June 1707, with the title of Bahadur Shah I. Death According to historian William Irvine, the emperor was in Lahore in January 1712 when his "health failed". On 24 February he made his final public appearance, and died during the night of 27–28 February; according to Mughal noble Kamwar Khan, he died of "enlargement of the spleen". On 11 April, his body was sent to Delhi under the supervision of his widow Mihr-Parwar and Chin Qilich Khan. He was buried on 15 May in the courtyard of the Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in Mehrauli, which he built near the dargah of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki. He was succeeded by his son Jahandar Shah who ruled until 1713.

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