Latest / Aurangzeb: The Emperor Who Expanded and Broke the Mughal Empire — Fexingo History / Aurangzeb's Last Will: The Emperor Who Died Penniless
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've spent a lot of episodes on Aurangzeb's wars, his policies, his taxes — the empire-builder, the iconoclast. But I've been saving something for the end of this arc. What happens when the emperor dies? Luna: I mean, we know the empire basically fell apart after him, but what about the moment itself? Lucas: Exactly. Aurangzeb died on March 3, 1707, in Ahmednagar, in the Deccan. He was 88 years old and had been emperor for 49 years. But here's the thing — when he died, he was virtually penniless. Luna: Wait, really? The man who ruled the richest empire in Asia? Lucas: He had amassed a huge treasury for the state, but personally he owned almost nothing. He had saved up 12 rupees from copying Qurans — that was his own money. He even left instructions that his funeral shroud should be paid for with that, and that it should be a simple white cloth, not silk. Luna: That's incredible. So he really did live like an ascetic. Lucas: He certainly cultivated that image. He had a reputation for austerity — he slept on the ground, sewed his own caps, and spent hours in prayer. But the real window into his mind is his last will and testament, and the letters he wrote to his sons. They're collected in a volume called the ruqaat i alamgiri — 'Letters of Alamgir.' Lucas: In his will, he divides the empire among his three surviving sons — Prince Muazzam, Azam Shah, and Kam Baksh — but he doesn't give them advice on how to rule. Instead, he writes almost entirely about his own failures. Luna: What does he say? Lucas: He writes: 'I have committed many sins and do not know what punishment awaits me. I have oppressed no one, but I have not done good either. I am going, but what have I done to deserve a good fate?' It's almost a confession. He seems to be tormented by the wars he fought, the blood he shed. Luna: He doesn't sound like the confident ruler we usually hear about. Lucas: Not at all. In one letter to Muazzam, he says: 'I brought nothing into this world but my sins, and I take nothing out but my shame.' This is the same man who had his brother Dara Shikoh executed, who imprisoned his father Shah Jahan, who waged endless war in the Deccan. On his deathbed, it seems the weight of all that caught up with him. Lucas: But here's the contradiction — even as he expresses remorse, he never actually apologizes for specific acts. He doesn't say 'I was wrong to kill Dara' or 'I was wrong to destroy temples.' It's a general, theological guilt. Luna: Almost like he's playing the role of the penitent sinner — the way a good Muslim ruler should. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the puzzle of Aurangzeb. He was a master of public performance. Even his austerity was a kind of propaganda — showing that he was a pious king, not a worldly one. But the letters also reveal genuine anguish. He writes about his fear of judgment, his loneliness in the Deccan, his longing to see his family. Luna: He spent the last 25 years of his life in the Deccan, didn't he? Away from Delhi. Lucas: Yes. From 1681 until his death, he never returned to the north. He lived in a camp, constantly moving. In one letter he complains that he hasn't seen his daughter Zinat-un-Nisa in years, and that he misses the gardens of Kashmir. But he felt he couldn't leave the Deccan until the Marathas were crushed — which they never were. Lucas: So the end of his life is this strange mix: he's the most powerful man in Asia, commanding an army of hundreds of thousands, but he lives in a tent, writes anxious letters, and dies with twelve rupees to his name. Luna: There's something almost tragic about that. Lucas: It is tragic. And it's a perfect lens for understanding the empire's decline. He expanded the Mughal Empire to its greatest territorial extent, but he exhausted its treasury, alienated its Hindu subjects, and created a succession crisis that would tear it apart. Lucas: His will actually forbids his sons from fighting each other — but of course, they ignored it. Within weeks, Muazzam and Azam Shah were at war. Azam was killed in battle, and Muazzam became emperor as Bahadur Shah I. But the empire never recovered. Luna: So his death pretty much sealed the empire's fate. Lucas: It set the stage. And here's a small detail that says a lot: his grave in Khuldabad, near Aurangabad, is a simple open-air tomb with no dome, no ornamentation. It's covered in earth, and grass grows on it. By his own request, he wanted no lavish monument — just to be buried in the open, under the sky. Lucas: And you know, that reminds me — we've been doing this series on Aurangzeb for a while now, and it's been a deep dive into some pretty heavy topics. If you've been coming along with us through these conversations, episode by episode, we really appreciate it. This show is ad-free and listener-supported, and that's what keeps us going. Luna: Yeah, we're able to spend time on these details — like his letters, his will — because of that support. It means a lot. Lucas: If anyone wants to help, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but it does help us keep making episodes like this one. Lucas: So back to Aurangzeb's legacy — one of the most debated aspects is his religious policy. Did his personal piety translate into intolerance? The letters give us a clue. He writes to his sons about the importance of enforcing Islamic law, but he also says: 'Do not oppress the infidels.' Luna: That's a pretty clear instruction. Lucas: It is. But his actions tell a different story. He imposed the jizya tax on non-Muslims, destroyed temples, and discriminated against Hindus in government. So there's a gap between his stated ideals and his real politics. The will doesn't resolve that — it just shows a man who knew he'd be judged, and was trying to cover his bases. Lucas: One of the most striking things in the ruqaat i alamgiri is a letter he wrote to Azam Shah after a military defeat. He says: 'I came alone into the world, and I go alone. I have not done well by the kingdom or by the people.' It's as if, at the end, he saw his life as a failure. Luna: But history sees him as one of the most powerful Mughal emperors. Lucas: Yes, and that's the paradox. He conquered more territory than any Mughal before him, but the cost was the empire's unity. The Marathas, the Rajputs, the Sikhs, the Jats — all the groups he fought — they were the ones who would dismantle the empire after his death. In trying to secure the Mughal state, he broke it. Luna: So maybe he knew that. His letters suggest he had no illusions. Lucas: I think he did. In his will, he writes: 'The army is dispersed, the treasury is empty, the people are suffering. What hope is there for my sons?' It's almost prophetic. Within 50 years of his death, the Mughal Empire was a shadow of itself, and by 1857 it was gone. Lucas: So when we talk about Aurangzeb, we have to hold two images at once: the ambitious emperor who expanded the empire, and the anxious old man who died in a tent, writing letters full of regret. They're both true. Luna: And that's what makes him such a fascinating figure.