Timeline of the Red Fort of Delhi

I can never get enough of a monument like the Red fort…so rich, so beautiful, and so significant. It was not just the seat of Mughal power for almost 200 years, but it has also been in the hands of the Marathas, the Sikhs, the British and invaders like Nadir Shah of Persia and Ahmed Shah Durrani. So, with a history so complex and eventful, it is hard to understand exactly how the course of events took place. Hence, I have made an attempt to compile a timeline of the events that took place at this majestic monument which stands tall today as a sign of the sovereign of India.

• 1638 : Emperor Shah Jahan decides to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi. Commissions the construction of the Red Fort and the city of Shahjanabad.

• 1648 : Construction of the Red Fort is completed.

• 1658: Aurangzeb imprisons his ill father, Shah Jahan, murders his brothers and assumes power. Aurangzeb ceases Shah Jahan’s ambitious building program, revives active persecution of Hindus, and dismisses dancers, musicians, and artists.

• 1707: Aurangzeb dies, aged 90, and is buried in the simplest of Mughal tombs. The administrative and fiscal structure of the Mughals declines after Aurangzeb, and the 18th century sees a degeneration of the palace.

• 14 March 1707: Azam Shah, Aurangzeb’s son, assumes the throne.

• 8 June 1707: Azam Shah dies, aged 53.

• 19 June 1707: Bahadur Shah I succeeds to the throne. He makes settlements with the Marathas, tranquilizes the Rajputs, and becomes friendly with the Sikhs in the Punjab.

• 27 February 1712: Bahadur Shah I dies at the age of 68. Jahandar Shah, his son, assumes the throne.

• 11 January 1713: Jahandar Shah dies at the age of 33. Farrukhsiyar seizes the throne. He grants a firman to the East India Company in 1717 granting them duty-free trading rights for Bengal, strengthening their posts on the east coast. To raise money, the silver ceiling of the Rang Mahal is replaced by copper during this period.

• 28 February 1719: Rafi ud-Darajat assumes the throne with the help of Syed Brothers.

• 6 June 1719: Shah Jahan II assumes the throne.

• 27 September 1719: Muhammad Shah, known as ‘Rangila’ (the Colourful) for his interest in art, took over the Red Fort in 1719. He gets rid of the Syed Brothers and fights a long war with the Marathas, losing Deccanand Malwa in the process.

• 1739: India suffers the invasion of Nadir Shah of Persia. Muhammad Shah turns out to be the last emperor to possess effective control over the empire. Nadir Shah plunder the Red Fort including the Peacock Throne. Nadir Shah returns to Persia after three months, leaving a destroyed city and a weakened Mughal empire to Muhammad Shah.

• 26 April 1748: Ahmad Shah Bahadur assumes the throne. Mughal forces are defeated by the Marathas at the Battle of Sikandarabad.

• 1752: The internal weakness of the Mughal Empire makes the Mughals titular heads of Delhi, and a 1752 treaty makes the Marathas protectors of the throne at Delhi.

• 2 June 1754: Alamgir II assumes the throne.

• 1758: Maratha conquest of Lahore and Peshawar places them in conflict with Ahmad Shah Durrani.

• 10 December 1759: Shah Jahan III assumes the throne. Consolidation of the Nizam of Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha, during the Battle of Buxar.

• 24 December 1759 : Shah Alam II assumes the throne.

• 1760: The Marathas remove and melt the silver ceiling of the Diwan-i-Khas to raise funds for the defense of Delhi from the armies of Ahmed Shah Durrani.

Diwan-i-Khaas

• 1761: After the Marathas lose the third battle of Panipat, Delhi is raided by Ahmed Shah Durrani.

• 1771: As the Marathas drive away the forces of Ahmed Shah Durrani, Shah Alam II ascends the throne in Delhi with Maratha support.

• 1783: The Sikh Misl Karorisinghia, led by Baghel Singh Dhaliwal, conquers Delhi and the Red Fort. The Sikhs agree to restore Shah Alam as emperor and retreat from the fort if the Mughals would build and protect seven Gurudwaras in Delhi for the Sikh gurus.

• 1803: During the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1803, forces of British East India Company defeat Maratha forces in the Battle of Delhi; this ended Maratha rule of the city and their control of the Red Fort.  After the battle, the British take over the administration of Mughal territories and install a Resident at the Red Fort.

• 19 November 1806: Akbar Shah II ascends the throne. He acts as a titular figurehead under British protection.

• 28 September 1837: Bahadur Shah II assumes the throne.

• 14 September 1857: Despite its position as the seat of Mughal power and its defensive capabilities, the Red Fort is not defended during the 1857 uprising against the British. After the rebellion fails, Bahadur Shah II leaves the fort on 17 September and is arrested by British forces.

• 1858: Bahadur Shah II returns to Red Fort as a prisoner of the British, faces trial in 1858 and is exiled to Rangoon on 7 October of that year. With the end of Mughal reign, the British sanction the systematic plunder of valuables from the fort’s palaces. All furniture is removed or destroyed; the harem apartments, servants’ quarters and gardens are destroyed, and a line of stone barracks built. Only the marble buildings on the east side at the imperial enclosure escape complete destruction, but are looted and damaged. While the defensive walls and towers are relatively unharmed, more than two-thirds of the inner structures are destroyed by the British; steps are later taken by Lord Curzon to repair some damage. Most of the jewels and artworks of the Red Fort were looted and stolen by the British and are eventually sold to private collectors or the British Museum, British Library and the Victoria and Albert Museum. For example, the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the jade wine-cup of Shah Jahan and the crown of Bahadur Shah II are all currently located in London. Various requests for restitution have so far been rejected by the British government.

• 1911: Visit of the British King and Queen for the Delhi Durbar. In preparation of the visit, some buildings are restored. The Red Fort Archaeological Museum is also moved from the drum house to the Mumtaz Mahal.

Mumtaz Mahal

• 1918: Indian War Memorial Museum is set up by British Government in the upper storey of Naubat Khana. The collection of trophies went until 1923.

• 1945: The INA trials, also known as the Red Fort Trials take place in the fort.

• 15 August 1947: The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru raises the Indian national flag above the Lahore Gate. On each subsequent Independence Day, the prime minister has raised the flag and given a speech that is broadcast nationally.

• 1995: Considering the role the Red Fort has played in the freedom struggle Swatantrata Sangram Sanghralaya is set up by the Indian Government in one of the army barracks. The museum provides a glimpse of major phases of India’s struggle for freedom, from the First War of Independence of 1857 to India’s Independence in 1947.

British Barracks

• 2003: After Indian Independence the site experiences few changes, and the Red Fort continues to be used as a military cantonment. A significant part of the fort remains under Indian Army control until 22 December 2003, when it is given to the Archaeological Survey of India for restoration.

• 2009:  In 2009 the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India under Supreme Court directions to revitalize the fort, is announced.

To know more about the Red Fort, click here.

To book a heritage walk to Red Fort with Indian Ghumakkad, click here.