Previous Year Question
Arrange the following into chronological order and select the correct answer from the codes given below:
A. Muhammad Shah
B. Jahandar Shah
C. Alamgir II
D. Ahmad Shah
Codes:
A, C, D, B
B, A, D, C
C, A, B, D
D, B, C, A
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire entered a period of intensified succession struggles and court factionalism. During this period, several Mughal emperors occupied the throne for relatively short periods.
Among these four rulers, Jahandar Shah came first. He ruled during 1712–1713 CE. His reign was extremely brief, and Farrukh Siyar defeated him and acquired the throne.
Next among the given names was Muhammad Shah. He ruled from 1719–1748 CE. Among the four rulers, he had the longest reign. During his reign, Nadir Shah invaded India in 1739 CE and occupied Delhi.
After the death of Muhammad Shah, his son Ahmad Shah became the Mughal emperor. He ruled from 1748–1754 CE. During this period, Mughal central authority weakened further and pressure from the invasions of Ahmad Shah Abdali increased.
After Ahmad Shah, Alamgir II ruled from 1754–1759 CE. By this time, the actual political authority of the Mughal emperor had become very limited and the influence of court nobles and other powers had increased.
Thus, the sequence is — Jahandar Shah (1712–13) → Muhammad Shah (1719–48) → Ahmad Shah (1748–54) → Alamgir II (1754–59).