Muhammad Shah

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For the ruler of Persia, see Mohammad Shah Qajar.

Muhammad Shah (محمد شاه) (1748 – 1702) also known as Roshan Akhtar was a Mughal emperor of India between 1719 and 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar Jehan Shah, the 4th son of Bahadur Shah I. Ascending the throne at the age of seventeen with the help of the Saiyid Brothers, he later got rid of them through revolutions.

During his reign, the Mughal empire eventually broke up into a loosely-knit collection of several regional states, each with its own ruler, thus declining the authority of the emperor into a greater extent.

In February 1739, the Persian emperor, Nader Shah decided to conquer India. Due to poor tactics, Muhammad Shah's army was easily defeated, and Nader Shah triumphantly entered Delhi within the span of one month, where he had the Khutba read in his name. In the violence that followed, more than 30,000 civilians were killed by the Persian troops, forcing Muhammad Shah to beg for mercy.

In response, Nader Shah agreed to withdraw, but Muhammad Shah paid the consequence - handing over the keys of his royal treasury and losing even the Peacock Throne to the Persian emperor. It is also said that he was castrated with an axe.

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Last updated on Monday March 03, 2008 at 03:04:24 PST (GMT -0800)
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