Mughal Court After Aurangazeb

The collapse of the Moghul Empire after Aurangzeb's death had been on of the most gruesome, venal and horrifying spectacles in history. Immediately after Aurangazeb's death, his surviving sons, betraying each other at every possible turn, engaged in brutal fratricide. Eventually, the 64-year old eldest son Muazzam survived the mayhem and was installed as Emperor Bahadur Shah. It was the events that followed the death of Bahadur Shah that made the earlier blood baths and treachery appear mundane. Bahadur Shah died on 28 February 1712. Immediately after his death, his sons squared up to battle for the coveted throne. The two youngest brothers were won over by the eldest, Jahander Shah, into jointly opposing the second son, Azim-as-Shan, who had the stonger force. 

A battle took place in which Azim's forces lost. Azim-us-shan drowned in the River Jhelum when his elephant was shot and went berserk, plunging in the quicksand. Jahandar then treacherously turned on the brothers who had supported him. He first blinded his mother for favoring a rival son and then poured molten lead into the eardrums of his unfortunate brother. Later, Jahander had him strangled while the other brother was put to death by more conventional method. Emperor Jahander did not live long to enjoy the fruits of his treachery. Within a few months of proclaiming himself Emperor, the increasingly influential Barha Sayyed brothers, Abdullah and Hussain Ali, assassinated him. The Sayyed brothers then propped up the murdered Azim-us-Shan's son, Farukhsiyar, on the throne, who promptly paraded the streets of the capital with the severed head of his uncle, Emperor Jahandar, trailing behind him on a donkey.

Then began Farrukhsiyars seven-year rule from 9th January 1713 during which he started plotting the downfall of Sayyed brothers. He made treacherous deals with Sayyed Brothers opponents. The Sayyed Brothers, on discovering his treachery, blinded the monarch on 25 February 1719, but felt it expedient to continue propping him up as a monarch. Even this did not prevent Farrukhsiyar from engaging in further deceit until, on 19 April 1719, while he was in a camp leading a force towards the Deccan, Sayyed Abdullah personally strangled the Moghul Emperor to death.

 Two sons of the murdered Emperor Jahandar - the first drugged to his eyeballs and the second a tnasvestite whose main pastime was to dance kathak with his accompanying eunuchs. Both these youths died within months of being crowned and a fourth emperor, Mohammad shah, was installed on the throne in 1720. Surprisingly Mohammad Shah held on till 1748 and his main achievement was to turn tables on the Sayyed brothers. Hussain Ali was assasinated in 1722 and Abdullah locked in prison where he was poisoned to death in 1724.