Crown of Bahadur Shah II (circa 1825-50)
Here is the crown of Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor who lived from 1775 – 1862. The Mughals were the most powerful Indian dynasty since the (quasi-mythical) empire of Ashoka the Great and they ruled over almost the entirety of the subcontinent for three centuries, however the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century were a bad time for them and their empire had blown apart into feuding principalities (and the remainder of Mughal lands was truly run by the East India Company).
Bahadur Shah II (August Schoefft, ca. 1854, oil on canvas)
Bahadur Shah II was an apt poet, calligrapher, and artist, however he was poor emperor. His father Akbar Shah II had preferred that a more warlike younger son, Mirza Jahangir, should take the throne, but the East Indian Company exiled bellicose prince so that Bahadur Shah II became Emperor in 1837.
The Red Fort in Delhi India
Although Bahadur truly only ruled the Red Fort—the Mughal palace in Dehli, he was chosen as the nominal head of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 which had started as a mutiny by sepys (Indian troops fighting for the British) but grew into a powerful rebellion to throw the East India Company out of power in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, northern Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi. The rebellion did succeed in getting rid of the East India Company which was dissolved in 1858. The British army crushed the revolt and turned authority over India directly to the British crown. After the emperor and his sons were captured, a British calvalry captain named Hodson had Bahadar Shah II’s sons beheaded and then presented the severed heads to the emperor as a mocking Nowrūz day gift. Upon being presented with this ghastly present, the emperor famously and nonsensically said, “Praise be to Allah, that descendents of Timur always come in front of their fathers in this way.” He was then exiled to Rangoon and the Mughal dynasty was extinguished. His emerald and gold crown today belongs to the Queen of England who keeps it in her royal collection.
Capture of the King of Delhi by Captain Hodson (steel engraving)
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3 comments
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September 30, 2013 at 9:53 AM
Beatrix
An interesting note on how this headpiece was worn-
On 3 January 1861, Sir Charles Wood, Secretary of State for India, wrote to Prince Albert from the India Office, enclosed a memorandum regarding Tytler’s relics, mentioning in particular-
‘an article of head dress which has been brought here … It cannot however be called a crown. It is a very rich skull-cap worn on the head of the Emperor, & round the lower part of which the turban was wound – & in the turban jewels were placed.’
I thought it seemed rather modest & restrained by itself for a Mughal emperor.
Combined with a turban & yet more jewels would be more like the Mughal’s fondness for ‘over the top’ excess.
September 30, 2013 at 8:06 PM
Wayne
Thanks for the historical context Beatrix (and for the fashion tip for Mughal emperors)! I found some of those opulent earlier Mughal crowns you mention in miniature paintings, but I couldn’t find in any left in the world. Sic transit gloria mundi.
October 1, 2013 at 1:34 PM
Neomys Sapiens
The comment of the Emperor upon sight of his’ sons severed heads was not exactly nonsensical, as quite a few of ruling and aspiring members of that family met a similar demise. Most of the beheading and presenting was done by their own relatives, although. (Accession of Aurangzeb in 1658, who incidentally was the last meaningful ruler from the dynasty. His brother Dara Shikoh’s head was presented to his father in similar fashion. And I think that this sort of incident has occured even more often.
By the way, a really really nice blog and a regular read of mine!