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Islamic History Podcast · Islamic History Podcast

10-11: The Last Mughal

·37 min·2 clips
Bahadur Shah Zafar was buried in an anonymous grave in Rangoon with lime laid over the body.
1. Islamic History Podcast episode 10-11, The Last Mughal, centers on Bahadur Shah Zafar’s death in Rangoon in November 1862 and the fall of the Mughal dynasty. 2. Muttaki Ismail hosts the episode and frames it as part of season 10’s ongoing discussion of the Mughal Empire. 3. The episode asks how the Sepoy Rebellion spread in 1857 and why the British ultimately crushed it. 4. William O'Shaughnessy’s telegraph work is introduced, including an 1839 demonstration near Calcutta and Lord Dalhousie’s 27-mile line in 1851. 5. The telegraph network is said to have reached over 4,000 miles by 1854 and connected Calcutta, Agra, Bombay, Gujarat, and Madras. 6. The speaker says that network strengthened British control and became critical during the Sepoy Mutiny. 7. The rebellion is traced to Meerut on Sunday, 10 May 1857, after 85 imprisoned sepoys were freed. 8. The cause of the mutiny is linked to cartridges believed to contain pork or beef fat, which made them offensive to both Muslims and Hindus. 9. The rebels moved to Delhi, entered the Red Fort, and pressed Bahadur Shah II to support them. 10. Bahadur Shah II first said he lacked the army, money, and authority, but he eventually relented under pressure. 11. Bakht Khan arrived in Delhi in July 1857 and was appointed commander-in-chief of the rebellion. 12. The British held a forested ridge outside Delhi and later attacked the city through the Kabul and Kashmiri gates on 14 September 1857. 13. The episode states that John Nicholson was killed near the Kashmiri Gate during the fighting. 14. After Delhi fell, the British found the Red Fort abandoned and arrested Bahadur Shah II near Humayun’s tomb. 15. The execution of Mirza Mughal, Abu Bakr, and Qar Sultan is described, along with heads being presented to the emperor. 16. The episode also covers Kanpur under Nana Sahib and Tatya Topi, where British prisoners were later killed after the river escape. 17. Lucknow is tied to Begum Hazrat Mahal, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the British Residency, and the relief and recapture of the city in 1857–1858. 18. The speaker’s tone is explanatory and chronological, with quoted passages from Rajiv Soni and William Dalrymple embedded into the narration. 19. Listeners interested in the 1857 revolt, Mughal history, or British India would likely follow this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a short, modern-history overview without detailed Mughal and colonial conflict may skip it.

As heard by us

A steady, orderly account of the rebellion, with its main events laid out clearly.

It begins with a buried figure in Rangoon and moves into the Sepoy Rebellion with a clear sense of sequence, tracing the cartridge controversy, religious offense, British overreach, and the fighting at Lucknow and Jhansi.

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Why you'd press play

Follow a state prisoner's burial in Rangoon, then trace the Sepoy Rebellion through Lucknow and Jhansi.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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