Mughal war of succession (1657–1661)

1657–1661 · 17th century · Also known as Mughal war of succession (1658–1659)

The Mughal war of succession broke out when the emperor Shah Jahan fell ill in 1657 and his four sons fought for the throne. Aurangzeb, allied at first with Murad Bakhsh, defeated his brother Dara Shikoh at Samugarh in 1658, imprisoned his father and was crowned. Dara was captured and executed in 1659, Shah Shuja fled to Arakan, and Murad was executed in 1661.

Mughal war of succession (1657–1661) — Image: Payag · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Battles and settlements

Battle of SamugarhBattle · 1658

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mughal war of succession (1657–1661). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mughal-war-of-succession-1657-1661
MLA: “Mughal war of succession (1657–1661).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mughal-war-of-succession-1657-1661. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Mughal war of succession (1657–1661).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mughal-war-of-succession-1657-1661.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mughal war of succession (1657–1661)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mughal-war-of-succession-1657-1661 (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻