Who was the last Mughal emperor of India, under whose name the Revolt of 1857 briefly tried to revive imperial authority before he was deposed by the British?

Introduction / Context:
The Mughal Empire declined gradually after Aurangzeb, but the dynasty survived in a reduced form in Delhi under British protection. The last Mughal emperor was a symbolic figurehead during the Revolt of 1857, when rebels declared him their emperor in an attempt to restore Mughal authority. This question asks for the name of that final ruler, whose deposition marked the end of the Mughal line in Indian political history.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The question refers to the last Mughal emperor, connected to the events of 1857 and his later removal by the British. The options provide names such as Babur, Noor Jahan, Akbar, Bahadur Shah, and Aurangzeb. We assume that the learner knows Babur founded the Mughal rule, Akbar and Aurangzeb were powerful emperors in its middle phase, and Bahadur Shah Zafar was the weak and largely ceremonial ruler in the nineteenth century.

Concept / Approach:
Bahadur Shah II, commonly known as Bahadur Shah Zafar, was the last Mughal emperor. During the Revolt of 1857, rebel sepoys from Meerut reached Delhi, proclaimed him emperor, and used his name to legitimise their cause. After the revolt was suppressed, he was captured, tried, and exiled to Rangoon. This marked the final formal end of the Mughal dynasty. Therefore the correct answer is Bahadur Shah, not any of the earlier great emperors like Babur or Akbar.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Revolt of 1857 took place during the nineteenth century, long after the time of Akbar and Aurangzeb. Step 2: Remember that the rebels sought a symbolic rallying figure and chose the then nominal emperor in Delhi. Step 3: Identify this figure as Bahadur Shah II, also called Bahadur Shah Zafar. Step 4: Note that after the suppression of the revolt, he was deposed and exiled by the British, ending Mughal rule. Step 5: Choose Bahadur Shah as the correct answer from the options.

Verification / Alternative check:
History textbooks on modern India clearly state that Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal emperor and that the British ended the Mughal dynasty after the Revolt of 1857 by exiling him. They often mention his poetry and his life in Rangoon. The same books present Babur as the founder of the empire in the sixteenth century and Akbar and Aurangzeb as major earlier rulers. This makes it easy to confirm that Bahadur Shah is the only name that fits the description of the last emperor.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Babur is wrong because he was the first Mughal emperor, not the last. Noor Jahan is incorrect because she was an influential queen and consort of Jahangir, not an emperor. Akbar was a powerful emperor in the sixteenth century, but he lived long before the events of 1857. Aurangzeb was a late seventeenth century ruler and is often considered the last powerful Mughal emperor, but several weak successors came after him, ending with Bahadur Shah II. None of these earlier figures could have been the emperor during the Revolt of 1857.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse last powerful emperor with last emperor and mistakenly pick Aurangzeb. Others may overlook the difference between founding and ending figures. To avoid this, it is helpful to remember a simple pattern: Babur as the first and Bahadur Shah Zafar as the last, with Akbar and Aurangzeb representing the high point and late expansion of the empire. Connecting Bahadur Shah to the Revolt of 1857 and his exile makes his position as the final emperor very clear.

Final Answer:
The last Mughal emperor of India was Bahadur Shah, also known as Bahadur Shah Zafar.