Bahadur Shah I (also known as Bahadur Shah I or Shah Alam I) was born in which year?

Introduction / Context:
Bahadur Shah I, also called Shah Alam I, was a Mughal emperor who ruled in the early eighteenth century after the death of Aurangzeb. Questions about his birth year help students place him in the later phase of the Mughal empire, when central authority was weakening. This is a simple factual question that reinforces the broader chronological framework of Mughal rule.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question refers to Bahadur Shah I, a Mughal emperor.
• We know he ruled shortly after Aurangzeb, in the early eighteenth century.
• Options are 1543, 1643, 1743, and 1843.
• We assume students are aware he did not belong to the earliest or the latest periods of Mughal rule.

Concept / Approach:
Aurangzeb died in 1707, and Bahadur Shah I succeeded him. An emperor succeeding in 1707 is unlikely to have been born as early as 1543 or as late as 1743 or 1843. Bahadur Shah I was born in 1643, which makes him about 64 years old at the time he became emperor, matching historical records. Therefore, 1643 is the only option that fits the known timeline of his life and reign.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Bahadur Shah I became emperor after Aurangzeb's death in 1707. Step 2: Recognise that he ruled for a short period in the early eighteenth century. Step 3: Estimate that his birth would likely fall in the middle of the seventeenth century, around 1640s. Step 4: Among the given options, 1643 matches this estimate and is historically recorded as his birth year. Step 5: Choose 1643 as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Historical summaries of later Mughal emperors state that Bahadur Shah I was born in 1643 and died in 1712. This makes him a contemporary of the later part of Aurangzeb's reign and positions him correctly in the sequence of early eighteenth century Mughal rulers. The lifespan implied by 1643 fits these dates, confirming the correctness of the answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1543: This would make him over 160 years old at the time of accession, which is impossible.
1743: This year is later than the time when he actually ruled, so it cannot be his birth year.
1843: Far too late, well beyond the effective end of Mughal power in India.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes confuse Bahadur Shah I with Bahadur Shah II (Bahadur Shah Zafar), who was the last Mughal emperor during the Revolt of 1857. It is important to distinguish them: Bahadur Shah I lived in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries (born in 1643), whereas Bahadur Shah Zafar belonged to the nineteenth century. Keeping this distinction clear prevents mixing up dates.

Final Answer:
Bahadur Shah I was born in the year 1643.