Bahadur Shah II facts for kids
Bahadur Shah II (born October 24, 1775 – died November 7, 1862) was the very last emperor of the Mughal Empire in India. He ruled from 1837 to 1858. He was also known as Bahadur Shah Zafar, and he was a talented Urdu poet.
His Life and Rule
Bahadur Shah was the son of Emperor Akbar Shah II. He became the Mughal Emperor after his father passed away on September 28, 1837.
At this time, the Mughal Empire was very small. It barely went beyond the walls of the Red Fort in Delhi. The East India Company was actually in charge of most of India. They gave Bahadur Shah a pension, but he didn't have much real power.
The 1857 Rebellion
In 1857, a big rebellion broke out in India. Many Indian freedom fighters, like Rani Lakshmi Bai, Tatya Tope, and Mangal Pandey, fought against the East India Company and the British army. This event is sometimes called India's First War of Independence.
Bahadur Shah joined the rebellion, hoping to restore the Mughal Empire's power. He led a small army, but they were eventually defeated. The British captured the Red Fort, and Bahadur Shah had to escape to Humayun's Tomb. On September 20, he was found and captured there.
After the rebellion, the British sent him away from Delhi. He was imprisoned in Rangoon (now Yangon), in Burma, where he later died.
A Poet King
Bahadur Shah Zafar was well-known for his poetry. He wrote in the Urdu language and used the pen-name Zafar. His poems were collected in a book called Kuliyaat-e-Zafar.
Images for kids
-
Emblem of the emperor in the first year of his reign
-
Purported photograph of Zinat Mahal Begum, his consort
-
Sons of Bahadur Shah Zafar. On the left is Jawan Bakht, and on the right is Mirza Shah Abbas.
-
A panorama showing the imperial procession to celebrate the feast of the Eid ul-Fitr, with the emperor on the elephant to the left and his sons to the right (24 October 1843)
See also
In Spanish: Bahadur Shah II para niños
