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Sack of Delhi (1757)

Battles involving the Durrani EmpireConflicts in 1757Durrani Empire
Portrait of Ahmad Shah Durrani. Mughal miniature. ca. 1757, Bibliothèque nationale de France
Portrait of Ahmad Shah Durrani. Mughal miniature. ca. 1757, Bibliothèque nationale de France

The Sack of Delhi occurred in January—February 1757, carried out by the Durrani Empire under Afghan King Ahmad Shah Durrani. Delhi, the capital of the Mughal Empire, experienced multiple invasions by the Afghans during the 18th century. Beginning decline since the death of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, the Mughals faced numerous forays from the Maratha Empire and internal conflicts over succession. Stability briefly returned under Muhammad Shah. However, with the decline of the Mughals, it allowed adventurers such as Nader Shah to invade Mughal territories and sack Delhi. Following Nader Shah's death, he was succeeded by Ahmad Shah Durrani, who formed the Afghan Durrani Empire and centered his powerbase in Kandahar, Afghanistan. After three invasions by the Afghans, the Mughals lost numerous territories including Kashmir, Punjab, and Sindh. Invited to invade India, Ahmad Shah Durrani assembled his forces and advanced to Delhi, entering the city on 28 January, and compelling Mughal emperor Alamgir II to submit. The subsequent sacking of Delhi yielded immense wealth, with estimates ranging from 30 to 120 million rupees, and even as high as 300 million rupees worth of goods, which Ahmad Shah took back to Afghanistan. The sacking concluded on 22 February 1757, marking a significant blow to the already weakened Mughal Empire.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Sack of Delhi (1757) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

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N 28.6125 ° E 77.291666666667 °
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110091 , Mayur Vihar
Delhi, India
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Portrait of Ahmad Shah Durrani. Mughal miniature. ca. 1757, Bibliothèque nationale de France
Portrait of Ahmad Shah Durrani. Mughal miniature. ca. 1757, Bibliothèque nationale de France
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