Alamgir II

Title & tenure

17th Mughal Emperor (1754–1759)

In office: 3 June 1754 – 29 November 1759

Predecessor:

Ahmad Shah Bahadur

Successor:

Shah Jahan III

Biography

Alamgir II was installed on the throne by the powerful vizier Imad-ul-Mulk after the deposition of Ahmad Shah Bahadur, and spent his reign as a largely powerless figurehead while the empire was repeatedly invaded and the decisive Third Battle of Panipat loomed.

Key events

• Installed by vizier Imad-ul-Mulk in 1754 following the deposition of Ahmad Shah Bahadur
• His reign saw repeated invasions of Delhi by Ahmad Shah Durrani and growing Maratha influence over Mughal affairs
• Assassinated on the orders of his own vizier, Imad-ul-Mulk, in 1759

Legacy

Alamgir II's assassination by his own chief minister further underlined how completely real power had shifted away from the Mughal throne by the mid-18th century, on the eve of the decisive Third Battle of Panipat (1761) between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Durrani.

How it ended

Assassinated on the orders of his vizier, Imad-ul-Mulk, in November 1759.