Last Mughal ruler
- The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II.
- He was also known as Zafar, who died in a British prison in Burma in 1862.
- He was remembered for his role in the Great Revolt of 1857, which was considered the first War of Independence.
- He ruled from 1837 to 1857, when the British East India Company deposed him during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Bahadur Shah Zafar was born in 1775 into the Mughal dynasty, which had ruled much of the Indian subcontinent for over three centuries. He was a poet and a scholar, and he was known for his refined manners and his love of music.
However, Bahadur Shah Zafar was also a weak and ineffective ruler. He was unable to prevent the decline of the Mughal empire, which was already in a state of decline when he came to power.
In 1857, a group of Indian soldiers, known as sepoys, rebelled against the British East India Company. The sepoys were dissatisfied with their treatment by the British, and they were also motivated by religious and political factors.
The rebellion spread quickly, and soon much of northern India was in open revolt. Bahadur Shah Zafar was proclaimed emperor of India by the rebels, but he had little real power.
The British eventually suppressed the rebellion, and Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled to Rangoon, Burma, where he died in 1862.
