House Timurid Name Rafi ud-Darajat Parents Rafi-ush-Shan | Regent Syed Brothers (1719) Dynasty Timurid Spouse Inayat Banu Begum Siblings Shah Jahan II | |
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Reign 28 February – 6 June 1719 Born 30 November 1699 ( 1699-11-30 ) Similar People Shah Jahan II, Farrukhsiyar, Bahadur Shah I, Timur | ||
Rafi-ul Darjat (1 December 1699 – 13 June 1719), the youngest son of Rafi-us-Shan and the nephew of Azim ush Shan, was the 10th Mughal Emperor. He succeeded Furrukhsiyar on 28 February 1719, being proclaimed Badshah by the Syed Brothers.
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Role of the Syed Brothers
As Rafi-ul Darajat owed his throne to the Syed Brothers they took full advantage of this. They wanted him to be a puppet ruler and so took steps to curtail his power. The previous emperor Furrukhsiyar was deposed by the Syed Brothers as he had tried to maintain his independence.
Rival claim to throne
The reign of Rafi Ul-Darjat was one of turbulence. On 18 May 1719, less than three months after his own accession, Rafi Ul-Darjat's uncle, Nekusiyar, assumed the throne at the Agra Fort as he thought he was more eligible for the post.
The Syed Brothers were extremely determined to defend the emperor they had raised to the throne and punish the offender. They swiftly succeeded. Only three months after Nekusiyar's enthronement, the fort surrendered and Nekusiyar was captured. He was respectfully received by the Amir Ul-Umara and confined at Salimgarh where he died in 1723.
Death
Before dying, Rafi-ud-Darajat requested to enthrone his elder brother. Accordingly, on 6 June 1719, after a reign of 3 months and six days, he was dethroned. Two days later his brother, Rafi ud-Daulah, was enthroned. Rafi Ul-Darjat died of Lung Cancer or was murdered at Agra, 13 June 1719 . His remains were interred near the shrine of Sufi saint, Khawaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, at Mehrauli in Delhi.