The Mughal dynasty, which was founded by Babur (1526-1530), acquired such legitimacy that after Aurangzeb (1658-1707), even though it was on the verge of decline, it had such a powerful image that neither the Marhattas nor the British had the courage to expel it and replace it with a new one. However, the struggle for succession to the throne and civil wars among the claimants to the throne greatly weakened the institution of kingship. Whosoever succeeded, either killed, blinded, or imprisoned the other claimants in order to avert any attempt to challenge his succession.

   After an unsuccessful revolt against his father, Aurangzeb, Prince Akbar escaped to Iran, but his son Nikosiyar and his children were imprisoned at the fort of Akbarabad where they remained confined for 40 years. Nikosiyar was released when there was a revolt against the Sayyad Brothers, who were known as the king makers, and placed on the throne in 1719. But he was soon replaced by another candidate and again sent to prison.

Jahandar Shah (1712-13) became the king after killing his three brothers and imprisoning their children in the fort of Shahjahanabad. On his succession, Farrukhsiyar (1713-19) executed Jahandar Shah and his brother Aa'zuddin, and blinded his younger brother to render him unsuitable for the throne.

When Farrukhsiyar was dethroned by Sayyad Brothers, it became difficult for them to find a prince who could be placed on the royal throne. Those princes who were spared killing or blinding were living isolated lives in palaces along with women and eunuchs. After much search they found Rafi ud Darajat (1719). He was taken away from the palace in such a hurry that he was not even allowed to change his dress; just a necklace was put around his neck symbolising his status. As he was brought up in a confined atmosphere, he developed TB and died after few months of his succession. The next king was Rafi ud Daulat (1719) who too died after ruling for a few months. After Nikosiyar (1719) the next king was Muhammad Shah (1719-1748) who was released from the fort of Salim Garh after eight years of imprisonment.

Sayyad Brothers developed a conflict with Muhammad Shah. As a result one of the brothers, Hussain Ali Khan, was murdered and the other brother, Sayyad Abdullah, tried to replace Muhammad Shah with some other prince in order to rule in his name. However, no prince was ready to play the role of the king. Sons of Jahandar Shah closed the gates of their palace and did not allow anybody to approach them. Nikosiyar, who had once been the king, this time refused to act the same role again. However, after much difficulty, Rafi Ushshan's son, Ibrahim, agreed to become the king. However, he failed and Muhammad Shah continued to rule.

On the question of succession, Aurangzeb had fought against his brothers and eliminated them ruthlessly. The policy was continued by Bahadur Shah (1707-1712), Jahandar Shah, and Farrukhsiyar who succeeded to the throne after bloody wars. After this, civil wars came to an end and the Mughal nobility became so powerful that they decided which candidates should succeed to the throne. The role of Sayyad Brothers is important in this respect. They first supported Farrukhsiyar and after him three more rulers came to power with their help. Later on, when Ruhellas, Marhattas, and the British assumed power, they played the role of kingmakers.

To get the consent of these powers, royal ladies intrigued to get their sons nominated for kingship. For example, two widows of Muhammad Shah offered to pay 10 lakh rupees to Ghulam Qadar Ruhella for his support for their candidates. Akbar the second (1896-1837), under the influence of his wife, wanted to nominate Mirza Jahangir as his successor, while his eldest son Abul Muzaffar was the claimant to the throne. During the period of Bahadur Shah Zafar (1837-1858), his favourite wife Zeenat Mahal wanted her son Jawan Bakht to succeed his father. Meanwhile two claimants died mysteriously as a result of poisoning. Even during 1857, she was hopeful that the British might select her son as the next ruler. The result was that every candidate was ready to hand over his power, privileges, and compromise with the selected authorities. The ambitious candidates of the last Mughal emperor were ready to abandon the title of emperor and leave the Red Fort and call themselves merely prince.

The long rule of the Mughal dynasty degenerated the royal family. The Mughal princes spent their whole lives in confinement where they had the company of women and eunuchs. They were not allowed to have any contact with the outer world. They neither had proper education nor had any experience in administration. It deteriorated their mental capacity. Such was the condition of their psyche that once, on seeing a naked sword, Jahandar Shah got so terrified that he hid in a corner. Such is the pathetic and sad story of the later Mughal rulers.

In history those dynasties which did not have any law of succession were always involved in bloody conflicts and the one who ascended the throne either killed or imprisoned other claimants. This happened in case of Abbasids, the Ottomans, and the Safavids. In the later period all produced deranged and sick rulers. The same happened in case of the Mughals.

Dynasties survived in case of monarchy. In democracy, the rule of dynasties and their monopoly over political parties is against the spirit of the age. Are we ready to learn this lesson from history?