Muhammad Shah

Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad Shah, Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad Shah Irkhwaz, Abu Al-Fatah Nasir-ud-Din Roshan Akhtar Muhammad Shah (17 August 1702 – 26 April 1748), (محمد شاه) was the Mughal emperor between 1719 and 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. Ascending the throne at 17 with the help of the Sayyid Brothers, he later got rid of them with the help of Asaf Jah I. Hussain Ali Khan was murdered at Fatehpur Sikri in 1720, and Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha was fatally poisoned in 1722. Muhammad Shah was a great patron of the arts, including musical, cultural and administrative developments. His pen-name was Sada Rangila ("ever joyous") and he is often referred to as "Muhammad Shah Rangila".

Although he was a patron of the arts, Muhammad Shah's reign was marked by great decline. The Mughals had already been showing decline for years, but the invasion by Nader Shah of Persia and the subsequent sack and looting of the Mughal capital would greatly accelerate the pace at which it was going. The course of events not only shocked and mortified the Mughals themselves, but also more foreign invaders, including the British.