Shah Alam II

Shah Alam II (r. 1759-1806) inherited the Mughal throne two years after the Battle of Plassey, often regarded as the pivotal point in the fortunes of the British in India. His fortunes rarely prospered, and in 1788 he was blinded by his enemies. He ended his life in Delhi under the protection of the British, with no power, but still universally regarded as the emperor. This portrait of the blind monarch is in the Delhi style of ca. 1800.