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The Last Mughal
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The Last Mughal tells the story of Delhi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 through the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the final Mughal emperor. Drawing heavily on Urdu and Persian records, Dalrymple reconstructs the city’s political confusion, the rebel occupation, the British siege and the experiences of soldiers, courtiers, civilians and religious leaders.
The British recapture of Delhi brought executions, expulsions and the destruction of much of the city’s Mughal culture. By placing Zafar’s fragile court at the centre of the narrative, the book presents 1857 not only as a military uprising but also as the violent ending of a cosmopolitan imperial capital.