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After the death of Aurangzeb, there was a fierce battle for succession, and the steady downward spiral of the empire's fortunes began. The intercenine warfare weakened
the center, allowing empires such as the Sikh and Maratha empires to grow on the periphery. Mughal governors such as the Nawab of Awadh and the Nizam of Hyderabad, saw
their chance to assert their independence as well. Finally, the European colonial powers also saw an opportunity to expand their influence. The Portuguese had arrived as traders
even before the Mughals, and the British East India Company had been created near the end of Akbar's reign. Now, as the Mughal empire started to fragment, the European
powers began flexing their muscle, leading to the colonization of most of the country.
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Shah Alam I (1707-1712) |
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Shah Alam I, 1707-12, Gold mohur, Surat
Weight: 11.04 gm. Diameter: 21 mm Die axis: 2 o'clock
Legend /
Legend
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Shah Alam I, 1707-12, Silver rupee, Lahore
Weight: 11.51 gm. Diameter: 22 mm Die axis: 7 o'clock
Legend, with AH date 1121 (=1709-10 CE) /
Legend, with regnal year 4
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Jahandar Shah (1712) |
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Jahandar Shah (1712) Silver rupee, Surat
Weight: 11.50 gm. Diameter: 24 mm Die axis: 11 o'clock
Legend, with AH date (11)24 (=1712-13 CE) /
Legend with RY date 1
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Farrukhsiyar (1713-1719) |
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Farrukhsiyar, 1713-19, Gold mohur, Shahjahanabad
Weight: 10.90 gm. Diameter: 21 mm Die axis: 11 o'clock
Legend /
Legend with RY date 5 (=1717)
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Farrukhsiyar, 1713-19, Silver rupee, Shahjahanabad
Weight: 11.40 gm. Diameter: 24 mm Die axis: 7 o'clock
Legend, with AH date (11)29 (=1716-17) /
Legend with RY date 6
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Shah Jahan II (1719) |
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Shah Jahan II, 1719, Silver rupee, Shahjahanabad
Weight: 11.35 gm. Diameter: 22 mm Die axis: 4 o'clock
Legend, including AH date 1131 /
Legend, including mint name Dar-ul-Khilafat Shahjahanabad, and regnal year 1 (ahd)
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Rafi-ud-Daula Shah Jahan II had a short reign of less than a year, as a result of which his coins are very scarce.
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Muhammad Shah (1719-1748) |
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Muhammad Shah, 1719-48, Gold mohur, Shahjahanabad
Weight: 10.87 gm. Diameter: 21 mm Die axis: 9 o'clock
Legend, including AH date 115x /
Legend, including RY 24
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Muhammad Shah, 1719-48, Gold pagoda, Imtiazgarh
Weight: 3.34 gm. Diameter: 11 mm Die axis: 11 o'clock
Legend, including RY 8 (= c. 1727 CE) /
Legend, including mint name
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In the south, coins were minted according to the local pagoda standard.
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Muhammad Shah, 1719-48, Silver rupee, Gwalior
Weight: 11.32 gm. Diameter: 28 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock
Legend, with king's title badshah ghazi, including AH date 11xx (1140 or 1141) /
Legend, including mint name Gwalior, and regnal year 10 ( = 1727-28 CE)
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Muhammad Shah, 1719-48, Silver rupee, Murshidabad
Weight: 11.61 gm. Diameter: 20 mm Die axis: 8 o'clock
Legend, with king's title badshah ghazi, including AH date 11xx (1159 or 1160) /
Legend, including regnal year 29
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Muhammad Shah, 1719-48, Silver rupee, Shahjahanabad
Weight: 11.37 gm. Diameter: 21 mm Die axis: 10 o'clock
Legend, with king's title badshah ghazi, including AH date 11xx (1159 or 1160) /
Legend, including regnal year 29
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Ahmad Shah Bahadur (1748-1754) |
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Ahmad Shah, 1748-54, Gold pagoda, Imtiazgarh
Weight: 3.30 gm. Diameter: 11-12 mm Die axis: 5 o'clock
Legend, including RY 3 (= c. 1751 CE) /
Legend, including mint name
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Ahmad Shah, 1748-54, Silver rupee, Khambayat (Cambay)
Weight: 11.54 gm. Diameter: 22 mm Die axis: 2 o'clock
Legend, including AH date 11xx (1161) /
Legend, including mint name Khambayat, and regnal year 1
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Alamgir II (1754-1759) |
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Alamgir II, 1754-59, Gold pagoda, Imtiazgarh
Weight: 3.27 gm. Diameter: 11 mm Die axis: 8 o'clock
Legend, no date /
Legend
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Alamgir II, 1754-59, Silver rupee, Shahjahanabad
Weight: 11.37 gm. Diameter: 21-22 mm Die axis: 6 o'clock
Legend, with king's title badshah ghazi alamgir /
Legend, including mint name Dar-ul-khilafat Shahjahanabad, and regnal year 1 ( = 1754-55 CE)
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Shah Alam II (1759-1806) |
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Shah Alam II, 1759-1806, Silver rupee, Shahjahanabad
Weight: 11.22 gm. Diameter: 21-22 mm Die axis: 12 o'clock
Legend, naming Shah Alam, including AH date 1196 ( = 1781-82 CE)
and Shahjahanabad mintmark parasol /
Legend, including mint name Dar ul Khilafat Shahjahanabad (Delhi), and regnal year 23
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Shah Alam II was largely a British puppet, with a very limited degree of control in the limited area around Delhi.
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Shah Alam II, 1759-1806, Silver rupee, Shahjahanabad
Weight: 11.30 gm. Diameter: 21-22 mm Die axis: 7 o'clock
Legend, naming Shah Alam, including AH date 1197 ( = 1782-83 CE)
and Shahjahanabad mintmark parasol /
Legend, including mint name Dar ul Khilafat Shahjahanabad (Delhi), and regnal year 25
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