King for 18 days. Image source: Wikipedia

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Bahadur Shah I had four sons. Out of the four, his second child Azim-us-Shan was the richest and the most successful.

His birth name was Muhammad Azimuddin. Azim-us-Shan was appointed Viceroy of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa by Aurangzeb in 1697. It is believed that Azim-us-Shan was the heir to be after Bahadur Shah's death.

However, Azim-us-shan had his own set of problems to take care of. The Prince was quite envious of Rahim Khan and launched a military expedition against him.

> When the English faced a threat in Bengal, they sought Azim-us-Shan's permission to construct fortified dwellings. They hoped that a fortified structure would protect their factories as well. Thus, Azim-us-Shan gave the English East India Company to build Fort William. The Dutch and the French followed suit by building their fortified structures.
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When the Europeans had settled in with their defences, Azim-us-Shan got into a conflict with Murshid Quli Khan. Both of them were tugging over the imperial financial control of the princely state of Bengal. Agitated with the constant disturbances and struggle for control, Aurangzeb ordered Azim-us-Shan to move to Bihar.

> Azim-us-Shan heeded his grandfather's orders and moved his capital to Rajmahal. After a few years, he shifted his capital to Pataliputra (Patna) and renamed it Azimabad.
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> It is said that when Bahadur Shah lay on his deathbed, Azim-us-Shan sat beside him. It was in those final moments that he was proclaimed king by the emperor. However, many people argue that Azim-us-Shan declared himself king, thus, opening the door for sibling rivalry and the fight for the throne.
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His three brothers united against him. It is always astounding to witness how the silliest of human errors can have the most devastating consequences. Despite being the richest and having the mightiest weapons and army, Azim-us-Shan lost the battle. Perhaps, it was fated that he wouldn't live long enough to be king.

The ruler who had only ascended the throne for 18 days now lay dead, and his other brothers were killed by Jahandar Shah, who crowned himself king.

Azim-us-shan had four wives, and Farrukhsiyar was his most prominent successor.

Most Dynastic successions end up in wars. Reason? Someone decided to proclaim themselves a king. The story of lesser-known Mughals is full of surprises till the very end.