- Shahzada Muhammad Hidayat Afshar, Ilahi Bakhsh Bahadur
Shahzada Muhammad Hideyat Afza (1809 -21 March 1878 ),the 23rd head of the Mughal Dynasty, was born in Delhi in the reign ofAkbar Shah II , the son of Mirza Muhammad Shuja'at Afza Bahadur(c.1750-1833). Through him, he was a great-great-great grandson in a direct male line fromBahadur Shah I ; as well, through his paternal grandmother Nawab Umdat us-Zamani Begum Sahiba, he was a great-grandson ofAlamgir II . Little is known of his early life. During theFirst War of Independence , he assisted the British forces in their efforts, provided intelligence on the activities of the revolutionaries, attempted to save Christians caught in the fighting and organised the peaceful surrender ofBahadur Shah II . For his services, Muhammad Hideyat Afza was given the title of Chief Representative and Head of the Royal House of Timur in 1858, along with the title ofShahzada and a pension ofRs. 22,830. He was granted a "jagir" of several villages inDelhi andMeerut districts three years later-a far cry from the vast empire his ancestors had ruled. He died in his seventieth year on21 March ,1878 .Family
Shahzada Muhammad Hideyat Afza had 8 wives, of whom he had three sons (by his first wife Abadi Begum) and three daughters:
*Sarwar Sultan Begum Sahiba (1837-1875); married, one daughter.
*Mah Siti Begum Sahiba (1839-1920); married, one son.
*Shahzada Muhammad Sulaiman Shah Bahadur -24th Head of theMughal Dynasty
*Shahzada Muhammad Kaiwan Shah Gorkwani -25th Head of theMughal Dynasty
*Mirza Muhammad Iqbal Shah Bahadur (1858-1892)See also
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20071207124227/http://www.4dw.net/royalark/India4/delhi21.htm Family tree] , Royal Ark.
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