The Most Humiliated Mughal Ruler

After his powers hugely diminished, his title humiliated, and his coin minting right snatched away, the 18th Mughal emperor had died on the 28th of September 1837 after living a life filled with shame and disgrace.

A portrait of Akbar II and his sons; Image Source- Royal Collection Trust

Akbar II was born to Shah Alam II on the 22nd of April, 1760. Although he shared his name with the great Mughal ruler Akbar, he shared none of the might or authority. When he was anointed at Red Fort with the title Wali Ahd Bahadur, The Mughal Empire was a faint force in the entire geopolitical scenario of India. Its territorial extent was largely usurped, economic power snatched away and military power crippled.

The reason for this sorry state of affairs was obviously the interference of a private mega-corporation-conglomerate called the British East India Company. This was a privately run trading company with an army of its own. In modern connotation, it would be something close to Amazon or Microsoft with a private army. At one point, the private army of the British East India Company was larger than the state army of Britain.

Throughout the entirety of the 18th century, this mega-conglomerate was busy spreading its tentacles over the Indian subcontinent. Just like any capitalist body, the British East India Company were busy asset-stripping India, a country which at that time produced 23% of the world GDP (larger than the entirety of Europe put together). Through the Battle of Plassey (1757) and the Battle of Buxar (1764), the British got exclusive taxation rights or diwani over the most profitable provinces of the Mughal Empire – Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

Thus, this was the contextual background under which Akabar II ascended the titular throne of the titular Mughal Empire. Soon after he ascended the throne, Delhi was captured by Ghulam Qadir, who was a Rohilla leader (a community of Pashtun ancestry). The glorious king of the Mughal Empire was made to dance along with his prince and princesses in front of the raiders. Embarrassment was forced down his throat when he witnessed his royal bloodline starved and humiliated.

Akbar II's reign was fairly limited and his decrees had no power outside the borders of Delhi. His authority was further diminished by the British as his relationship with the company was rather salty. After refusing to meet Lord Hastings, the British reduced his titular title "King of Delhi". During his reign, the British no longer regarded themselves as a subject under the Mughal rule. This was evident when English text replaced Persian in the Company's coins. It no longer issued coins in the name of the King.

After playing such a dominant political card, the British encouraged sectarianism within the Mughal Empire by pushing the Nizam of Hyderabad and Nawab of Oudh to take royal titles. This would be the final blow to the power, prestige, might and authority of Akbar II for refusing an audience to Lord Hastings. As a response to this, Akbar II granted the title of "Raja" to Ram Mohan Roy and sent him as the Mughal envoy to the Company. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was then an employee of the British East India Company and Akbar II thought that Ram Mohan Roy was in an ideal position to argue on his behalf. Raja Ram Mohan Roy made some compelling arguments on behalf of the King but it was not paid any heed to.

After living a life filled with misery, humiliation, embarrassment and shame, Akbar II breathed his last on the 28th of September 1837. His grave can still be found in Mehrauli near the grave of the Sufi saint Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki.