221. War of Succession: The Battle That Shook India (Ep 2)

Empire

Jack Davenport

History

4.6 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With their father in very bad health and rumours of his death swirling around the empire, Shah Jahan’s four sons decide it is their time to take his place. Only one has been chosen by Shah Jahan… The accomplished oldest son Dara Shukoh. However the war of succession has begun, and it will be brutal and stained by betrayal. The people of Delhi are terrified at the coming storm. Shops are boarded as they prepare for a possible bloodbath. Two of Shah Jahan’s sons, Murad and Shuja, make the first move. They go through coronation ceremonies while Aurangzeb bides his time. He sends his father letters and fruit from the Deccan, acting like a loyal son. Miraculously Shah Jahan does not die but begins to recover, only to see his sons tear each other apart and in open rebellion against him. Dara Shukoh, his anointed heir, rallies the imperial army to protect the weakened emperor. Aurangzeb, springs into action, rallying his own armies to advance not only on his brother but his father too. This will be one of the most crucial battles in the subcontinent’s history… Listen as William and Anita are joined again by Supriya Gandhi to discuss the rise of Aurangzeb, one of the most controversial historical figures in India today. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: [email protected] Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis & Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you want access to bonus episodes reading lists for every series of Empire, a chat community.
0:06.7	Discounts for all the books mentioned in the week's podcast, add free listening and a weekly newsletter,
0:12.0	sign up to Empire Club at www.empowerpod.ukuk.com.
0:32.5	Hello and welcome to Empire with me, Anita Arnum.
0:34.3	And me, William Durhampool.
0:38.6	And in the last episode, we ended on a cliffhanger.
0:43.1	Shah Jahan has got some terrible illness.
0:45.1	He's in bed.
0:47.0	He isn't being seen in public.
0:51.1	And the rumors are spreading that a civil war is about to break out.
0:56.3	The shopkeepers in Delhi are hunkering down, rumors are flying around,
1:03.2	post messengers are taking messages down to the deck and over to Gujarat, to Bengal,
1:10.0	that Shah Jahan is finally heading for his deathbed, and a war is about to begin.
1:12.8	Spies in the Red Fort are reporting developments in the city to each of Shah Jahan's four sons. And this is the moment of crisis that all these children
1:20.1	have known will come at one point in their life. And everyone is now assuming that this is about
1:27.0	to happen. The big succession struggle, the
1:30.5	big war, the civil war between the different brothers is about to break out. Who Supriya Gandhi
1:36.8	makes the first move? Well, I think they all spring into action. Again, you know, this is
1:42.9	sort of a very complicated time. There's a chronicler
1:47.4	who's attached to one of Shahjaha's sons, Shujah, who's in Bengal, who says that the times
1:52.7	are as agitated as these sort of curly, tortuous ringlets of moon-faced beauties.
1:58.9	That's quite an image. That is, yes. It's a fairly common image,
	...

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