Muhammad Shah

 

Mughal Emperor (Padishah)
Muhammad Shah
Regnal Details
Reign	September 1719 - 18 April 1748
Coronation	1719
Predecessor	Shah Jahan II
Successor	Ahmad Shah
Regent(s)	Syed Brothers (1719-1720) Asaf Jah (1737-1739) Nadir Shah (1739)
Wazir(s)	Qutb-ul-Mulk (1719-1720) Amir Khan (1720-1721) Nizam-ul-Mulk (1721-1724) Itimad-ud-Daulah (1724-1748)
Personal Details
Full name	Abu Muzaffar Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad Shah Badshah Ghazi
Born	1702, Ghazni
Died	18 April 1748, Delhi (aged 45)
Burial	Delhi
Father	Jahan Shah
Mother	Qudsiya Begum
Spouse(s)	Malika-uz-Zamani Malika-e-Jahan Udham Bai Safia Begum
Issue	Shahryar Shah Ahmad Shah Taj Muhammad Hazrat Begum
Dynasty	Timurid
Religion	Islam (Sunni Hanafi)
Military Career
Allegiance	Mughal Empire
Rank	Emperor
Wars/Battles	Battle of Hasanpur (1720) Raid on Delhi (1736) Battle of Karnal (1739) Rohilla Expedition (1745)

    Emperor Muhammad Shah ruled over the Mughal Empire from 1719 to 1748. At his accession, the Mughal empire, at least on paper, was one of the strongest empires on the globe. Ceaseless Maratha raids, the selfishness of the nobility, excessive decentralization, the invasion of Nadir Shah, and above all a weak and pleasure-loving monarch led to the effective dissolution of the empire towards the end of Muhammad Shah's reign. Several provincial dynasties were founded during his reign, such as in Bengal, Awadh, and the Deccan, and though they remained nominal allegiance to the emperor during his lifetime, they became increasingly autonomous and owed little o no allegiance to his successors. The emperor died in 1748.

    Despite a lackluster career politically, Muhammad Shah's reign was notable in a number of other ways. He was culturally aesthete and patronized culture, arts, poetry, dance, and science. Great personages like Chiraman and Shah Waliullah received support from the emperor. Urdu flourished and gave rise to the golden age of poetry in that language in the years to come. New discourses on music and dance began to spread and became eponymous with the Mughal culture, such as the raag and mujra. Astrology and astronomy also received a great boost in his reign, with Jai Singh completing an observatory in Delhi in the emperor's honor. It was also the last time generally in the 18th century that the people of India enjoyed their lives with ease and comfort, for after his death a period of anarchy followed in the region with the Sikhs, Marathas, Afghans, and the British vying for control.

The approximate extent of the Mughal Empire on Muhammad Shah's accession (some lands had already been ceded to the Marathas) [1]

Remnants of the Mughal Empire at the end of Muhammad Shah's reign (the Western provinces including Punjab were lost in 1751-1752) [1]

Footnotes and References:

[1] Joppen, Charles. Historical Atlas of India: For the Use of High Schools, Colleges, and Private Students.

Image Credits: Wikipedia

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