THE MUGHAL EMPEROR SHAH ALAM II (1759-1806), after Dip Chand, Murshidabad or Patna c. 1760. Shah Alam was the son of Alamgir II. He had fared no better than his predecessors in ruling the disintegrating empire and the actions of his reckless vizier Ghaziuddin led to another major sacking of Delhi and looting of the palace by the Afghans under Ahmad Shah Abdali. The emperor was murdered by his vizier in 1759. In the meantime his eldest son Mirza Ali Gauhar fled Delhi hoping to raise support in the east from Avadh and Bengal and also the East India Company's forces. Enthroned at Allahabad in 1759 under the name Shah Alam II, he became a pensioner of the Company. Opaque waterrolour and gold, 19.5 x 14.7 cm. British Library, London, Add.Or.5694.
Mughal-Library