Shah Jahan II (; June 1696 – 17 September 1719), born Mirza Rafi-ud-Daulah, was briefly the twelfth

Mughal emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

in 1719. After being chosen by the

Sayyid brothers The Sayyid brothers were Hassan Ali Khan Barha, Abdullah Khan II and Hussain Ali Khan Barha, Syed Hussain Ali Khan, two powerful Mughal Empire, Mughal nobles who were active during the decline of the Mughal Empire. They were Punjabi Muslims bel ...

, he succeeded figurehead emperor Rafi-ud-Darajat on 6 June 1719. Shah Jahan II also served as a figurehead to the Sayyid brothers and would serve as emperor until his death of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

on 17 September 1719.

Personal life

Shah Jahan II was born as Rafi ud-Daulah. He was the second son of Rafi-ush-Shan and a grandson of Bahadur Shah Shah Jahan II's exact date of birth is not known but he is believed to have been eighteen months older than his brother Rafi ud-Darajat. Whether he married or not, whether he had any child or not is also unknown.

Reign

Shah Jahan II ascended the throne on 6 June 1719 after the death of his younger brother Rafi ud-Darajat due to

. His coronation took place at Diwan-i-Khas of the

Red Fort The Red Fort, also known as Lal Qila () is a historic Mughal Empire, Mughal fort in Delhi, India, that served as the primary residence of the Mughal emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1639, fo ...

. He took the title Shah Jahan II. Just like his younger brother, Shah Jahan II was chosen by the kingmaker

and wielded no power. His name was read in the khutbah for the first time on 13 June. His first appearance at the Diwan-i-Am was on 11 June. Without the presence of one of the Sayyid brothers, he was not allowed to meet any noble or to attend the ''

jummah Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...

''.

Death

Shah Jahan II suffered from tuberculosis just like his younger brother. He was physically and mentally unfit to perform the duties of a ruler. He died on 17 September 1719 at Bidyapur. He was buried beside Rafi ud-Darajat at the ''

dargah A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervi ...

'' of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki at

Mehrauli Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in South Delhi, Delhi, India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is close to Gurugram and next to Vasant Kunj. History Mehrauli is one of the seven medieval cities that ...

in Delhi. Muhammad Hadi Kamwar Khan claimed that Shah Jahan II was poisoned by the Sayyid brothers, but historian William Irvine disputed this, saying that the Shah's diarrhoea was due to opium withdrawal, that Kamwar Khan had much to be upset about since his prospects were ruined by Shah Jahan's death, and that the Sayyids had nothing to gain from his death.

Aftermath

He was succeed by Muhammad Shah.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Mughal dynasty genealogy
{{Mughal Empire 1690s births 1719 deaths Emperors of the Mughal Empire Murdered Indian monarchs 18th-century murdered monarchs People murdered in 1719 18th-century murders in India 18th-century Mughal Empire people