Azam Shah

Title & tenure

9th Mughal Emperor (14 March – 20 June 1707)

In office: 14 March 1707 – 20 June 1707

Predecessor:

Aurangzeb

Successor:

Bahadur Shah I

Biography

Azam Shah was the third son of Aurangzeb, who declared himself emperor at Ahmednagar immediately after his father's death, only to be challenged within weeks by his elder half-brother, Prince Muazzam, over the Mughal succession.

Achievements

• Briefly held the throne as the first claimant in the war of succession that followed Aurangzeb's death

Key events

• Proclaimed emperor on 14 March 1707, shortly after Aurangzeb's death
• Battle of Jajau (20 June 1707): defeated and killed by his brother's forces, ending his brief reign on the same day

Legacy

Azam Shah's reign lasted barely three months and is remembered chiefly as the opening chapter of the destructive wars of succession that plagued the Mughal Empire after Aurangzeb's death, accelerating its decline.

How it ended

Killed in battle at Jajau on 20 June 1707, fighting his brother Bahadur Shah I for the throne.