Later Mughals and their Rule - How they helped British

THE LATER MUGHALS

The Mughals who ascended to the throne after the death of Aurangzeb were known as later Mughals.

Bahadur Shah, Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Shah Alam II and Bahadur Shah Zaffar were some of the important later Mughal rulers.

Their impact on Later Mughal Rule was strong in Indian History:

Inefficient Rulers : After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 A.D., there was no emperor in the Mughal dynasty who could check these revolts and reunite the Mughal Empire. The unity of Mughal Empire began to shaken, because his successors were weak and they were puppets in the hands of their nobles.

Rise of Independent States

The later Mughals were very weak. So it was very difficult for them to control the distant provinces of the empire. So most of the governors had established independent states. Bengal, Hyderabad, Oudh were the three major independent state.

East India Company and the Later Mughals :

Mughal emperor Shah Alam II joined hands with the Nawab of Oudh and Bengal in the war against the East India Company. But they were defeated in the battle of Buxar and became ready to give the right of Diwani (right to collect revenue) in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to the English.

Akbar II : Akbar II ascended to the throne of Delhi after the death of his father, Shah Alam. By this time, the English Company had controlled almost whole of Delhi. The emperor was almost a prisoner of the British.

Bhadur Shah Zafar : After the death of Akbar II in 1837 A.D., his son Bahadur Shah II succeeded the throne. He took part in the Rising of 1857 and was imprisoned and sent to Rangoon. This brought the actual end of Mughal Dynasty in 1857.