How did the British treat the last Mughal emperor, and why?

 The last Mughal emperor was Bahadur Shah II, also known as Bahadur Shah Zafar. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny or the First War of Indian Independence, the British authorities dealt with Bahadur Shah II in a harsh manner.

During the rebellion, Bahadur Shah II was seen as a symbolic figurehead for the uprising, and some Indian rebels proclaimed him as their leader. However, it's important to note that he was elderly and not actively involved in orchestrating the rebellion. After the British suppressed the uprising in 1858, Bahadur Shah II was captured and tried for treason.

In 1858, Bahadur Shah II was exiled from Delhi and sent to Rangoon (present-day Yangon) in British-controlled Burma (now Myanmar). The British authorities aimed to eliminate any potential for a symbolic rallying point around the Mughal emperor in future uprisings. The decision to exile him rather than execute him outright might have been influenced by concerns over potential backlash, both within India and internationally, as well as a desire to avoid creating a martyr figure for the rebellion.

Bahadur Shah II spent the remainder of his life in exile, and he died in Rangoon in 1862. The British treatment of Bahadur Shah II is often viewed as a significant event symbolizing the end of the Mughal Empire and the formal establishment of direct British control over India, marking the transition to the British Raj.