Ahmad Shah Bahadur (Persian: احمد شاه بهادر), also known as Mirza Ahmad Shah (Persian: میرزا احمد شاه) or Mujahid-ud-Din Ahmad Shah Ghazi (Persian: مجاهدالدین احمدشاه غازی) was born to Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. He succeeded his father to the throne as the 13th Mughal Emperor in 1748 at the age of 22. When Ahmed Shah Bahadur came to power the Mughal Empire was collapsing, furthermore his administrative weaknesses eventually led to the rise of the usurping Feroze Jung III.
Ahmed Shah Bahadur inherited a much weakened Mughal state. He was emperor in title for six years, but left all affairs of state to rivalling factions. He was deposed by the Vizier Feroze Jung III and later blinded along with his mother. He spent the remaining years of his life in prison and died of natural causes in January 1775. |