AH 1124 - 1131 / AD 1713 - 1719

Farrukhsiyar succeeded Jahandar Shah as the Emperor of the Mughal Empire in India, reigning from 1713 to 1719. He was the grandson of Bahadur Shah I, and his rise to power was marked by political intrigue and military conflicts within the Mughal court.

In 1712, Jahandar Shah (Farrukhsiyar's uncle) ascended the throne of the Mughal Empire by defeating Farrukhsiyar's father, Azim-ush-Shan. Farrukhsiyar wanted revenge for his father's death and was joined by Hussain Ali Khan (the subahdar of Bengal) and Abdullah Khan, his brother and the subahdar of Allahabad.

On 10 January 1713, Farrukhsiyar and Jahandar Shah's forces met at Samugarh, 14 kilometres (9 mi) east of Agra in present-day Uttar Pradesh. Jahandar Shah was defeated and imprisoned, and the following day Farrukhsiyar proclaimed himself the Mughal emperor.

Farrukhsiyar's authority was considerably limited, and actual power was wielded by 'kingmakers' Sayyid Brothers, one of whom served as the Emperor's 'wazir' (prime minister). 

Farrukhsiyar's reign was characterized by constant power struggles, both internally among the nobility and externally with rival factions. During his rule, the empire faced significant challenges from the growing influence of regional powers and European colonial forces, particularly the British East India Company. Farrukhsiyar struggled to maintain stability and faced opposition from various quarters.

In 1719, with the help of Ajit Singh and the Marathas, Farrukhsiyar was blinded, deposed and finally executed, leading to further political instability in the Mughal Empire. His reign is often cited as a period of decline and disintegration for the Mughal dynasty, as it marked the weakening of central authority and the fragmentation of the empire into smaller, semi-autonomous states.