Mirza Shah Abbas

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Mirza Shah Abbas
The portrait of Mirza Shah Abbas
Born	1845 Red Fort, Delhi, Mughal Kingdom
Died	25 December 1910 (aged 64–65) Rangoon, Burma Province, British Raj
Spouses	Aisha Begum Jumma Bibi Husaini Bibi Said Bibi
Issue	Mirza Muhammad Muazzim Mirza Muhammad Akhtar Mirza Muhammad Rahmat Mirza Muhammad Bidar Bakht Bilqis Zamani Begum Shamim Akhtar
Names Shahzada Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur
House	Mughal
Father	Bahadur Shah Zafar
Mother	Mubarrak-un-Nissa
Religion	Islam

Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur (1845 – 25 December 1910) was son of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.^[1] He was a younger brother of Prince Mirza Mughal and former Crown Princes Mirza Dara Bakht, Mirza Jawan Bakht, and Mirza Fath-ul-Mulk Bahadur. Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur (1845 – 25 December 1910)

Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur was one of the sons of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor. His life is significant in the context of the decline and eventual fall of the Mughal Empire, which was already in decline during the 19th century.

Family Background

Father: Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, was more of a symbolic figurehead than a ruler with actual political power. Under his reign, the British East India Company effectively controlled most of India, leaving Zafar as a ceremonial leader.

Brothers:

Mirza Mughal: One of the most prominent of Zafar’s sons, Mirza Mughal was a leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 but was executed by the British after the rebellion was crushed.

Mirza Dara Bakht: He was initially considered for succession but lived through the fall of the Mughal dynasty.

Mirza Jawan Bakht: Another potential heir, who faced challenges from the British during the rebellion and after.

Mirza Fath-ul-Mulk Bahadur: One of the many Mughal princes who saw their lives upended by the events of 1857.

Role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857

During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Bahadur Shah Zafar was reluctantly drawn into the uprising as the symbolic leader of the rebels. While some of his sons, like Mirza Mughal, took a more active role in the rebellion, Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur’s involvement was more limited. After the suppression of the rebellion by the British, the Mughal princes faced brutal consequences.

Aftermath and British Retaliation

Following the British victory, Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled to Rangoon, and several of his sons were executed, imprisoned, or exiled. Though Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur survived the immediate aftermath of the rebellion, he lived through a period of intense suppression of the Mughal family.

Later Life and Exile

Unlike some of his brothers who were executed, Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur lived until 1910, surviving the end of the Mughal Empire. By the time of his death, the Mughal dynasty had long ceased to be a political force, and the Indian subcontinent was firmly under British colonial rule.

Historical Significance

While Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur may not have been as politically prominent or active as some of his brothers, his long life stands as a testament to the resilience of the last remnants of the Mughal family in the face of British colonialism. His story, like that of the other Mughal princes, is deeply entwined with the fall of the dynasty and the end of an era in Indian history.

Living until 1910, Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur would have witnessed a significant portion of British India's colonial rule, a time of great social and political change. His experience reflects the broader experience of royal families whose influence and status were dramatically reduced under colonial rule. During the 1857 revolution, when the victory of the British seemed certain, Bahadur Shah Zafar took refuge in Humayun's tomb. The British army led by Major William Hudson surrounded the tomb from all sides. On 20 September 1857, Zafar surrendered to Hudson. The condition was that the lives of his family should be spared. Hudson arrested about 16 members of the Mughal emperor's family. According to some historians, these also included Jawan Bakht and Shah Abbas.

The next day Hudson demanded the unconditional surrender of three Mughal princes - Mirza Mughal, Mirza Khizr Sultan and Zafar's grandson Mirza Abu Bakht. Humayun's tomb was chosen as the place of surrender. The arrested Mughal family was taken away in bullock carts amid full security. The date was 22 September 1857. When the convoy reached near Delhi Gate, it was surrounded by thousands of Muslims. Everyone had tied a shroud on their head.

British historian William Dalrymple has written in his book 'The Last Mughal' quoting Hudson, 'Wherever I looked, I saw only Ghazi.' It is said that Hudson ordered those three princes to get down from the bullock cart. They were stripped naked and then shot at point blank range. The bodies were kept hanging outside a police station in Chandni Chowk for three days so that even the remaining voices of rebellion would be silenced by thinking about the consequences.Historians have described Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur Zafar's beloved son. Bakht's mother Zeenat Mahal was raising him in such a way that one day he would sit on the Mughal throne. However, the British policy was to hand over the rule to the eldest son, so Zeenat's offer was rejected. After being exiled to Rangoon, Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur became addicted to alcohol. Mirza Shah Abbas Bahadur

died of liver cirrhosis on 18 September 1884 at the age of just 43. Two years later, Zeenat Mahal also died. Mirza Shah Abbas died on 25 December 1910.

Attempts were made repeatedly to find out the condition of the descendants of the Mughals now. A Times of India report of 2005 tells that the descendants of the Mughals who ruled India for centuries are forced to live in slums. That report contained information about Sultana Begum, who was 60 years old at that time. Sultana is the granddaughter-in-law of the last Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar. According to the report, despite her royal heritage, she is struggling to meet her daily needs on a meager pension. She is living in a slum in Howrah, not only this, she has to share the kitchen with her neighbors and fill water from the outside tap.

A TOI report of 2010 tells that Ziauddin Tussi, the sixth generation after Zafar, also lives in extreme poverty. Tussi, who lives in a rented house, had demanded the then UPA government to release the properties of the Mughals to him. After a government job, he is living on pension.