Notes on the early & Political life of Shah Alam II
Ali Gauhar was the son of Alamgir II. He became the Mughal Emperor and took up the title of Shah Alam II. At the time of the death of his father, he was in Bihar. Although he was declared the Mughal Emperor, he did not venture to proceed to Delhi for 12 years. He reached Delhi in January 1772 with the help of the Marathas. During that peiord, he tried to conquer Bihar and Bengal but failed. He was defeated in 1764 in the Battle of Buxar and made a prisoner along with the Nawab Wazir of Awadh.
In 1765, he gave the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to the English East India Company and the latter promised to pay him an annual tribute of 26 lacs. Throughout his long life, Shah Alam II remained a puppet in the hands of his ministers, the Marathas and the British. The Rohilla Leaders Najib-ud-Daulah and later his son Zabita Khan and Grandson* Ghulam Qadir exercised their authority at Delhi.
In July 1788, Ghulam Qadir ransacked the palace. The floors of the houses of the grandees in the city were dug out. The princesses were turned out and their jewellery was snatched by Ghulam Qadir. Ghulam Qadir also blinded Shah Aalam and deposed him and put Bidar Bakhat on the Mughal Throne. However, the Marathas brought out Shah Aalam from his captivity and restored him to the throne. Ghulam Qadir was defeated and hanged. In 1803, the English captured Delhi and Shah Alam II became a pensioner of the English East India Company and he died in 1806.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
It is said about Shah Alrm II he was a religious man. He was affectionate as a father and humane as a master. As a prince, he was weak, indolent, irresolute and easily swayed by self-interested men. To these weaknesses were added idleness, superstitiousness, sloth, indolence and excess of the harem after his return to Delhi. He was indecisive in his measures and did not trust his able ministers. These failings aggravated the situation and the Mughal Empire hastened to its doom.