On the contrary, Birjis Qadr's crown, as we have seen, was conferred by the Emperor of Hindustan, to whom even the East India Company owed formal allegiance. The sanctity of this crown was zealously guarded by the queen regent and her faithful comrade-at-arms to the best of their capacity.
The revolutionary administration of the new dispensation held the city of Lucknow for about six months. Under the rule of the new king Begum Hazrat Mahal issued proclamation to the people in general to unitedly fight the English. Realising the need of national integration, the principal offices of the state were distributed among the Hindus and Muslims alike. Sharafud-dowla was appointed the prime minister, while Maharaja Balkrishan was asked to look after the finances. The post of the Chief Justice was given to Mammu Khan, while Raja Jialal Singh became the war minister. Among the important associates were Raja Beni Madho Baksh of Baiswara, Raja Dig Vijay Singh of Mahona, Khan Ali Khan of Shahjahanpur, Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah of Faizabad.
The proclamation of the Queen of England, dated 10 November 1858, sought to woo the Begum by offers of royal amnesty and even of a pension. The spirited Begum issued a counter proclamation, asking her subjects in Oudh not to be misled by false promises.
Birjis Qadr ruled uninterrupted till 18 March 1858 when the British forces under General Havelock and Outram conquered the kingdom of Oudh for the first time. Though vanquished, Birjis Qadr and his undaunted mother were determined not to fall into the hand of the British. They fled Lucknow and took the northern route, wandering in the dense forests of the sub-Himalayan terrai with a handful of faithful soldiers, " half-armed, half-fed and without artillery."
Eventually they crossed into Nepal and sought and received asylum from Nepalese government along with a small allowance. Begum Hazrat Mahal died in Nepal.
On the occasion of the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887, the British government pardoned Birjis Qadr and he was allowed to return home. He, however arrived in Calcutta sometime in 1893 to find the glory of his colonial masters at its zenith.
His exiled father had already passed away. According to the contemporary chronicler, Abdul Halim Sharar (1860-1926). Birjis Qadr put in a claim which stated that of all the King's sons, he was the eldest surviving and had the greatest rights. He demanded that he should be given a pension equal to two-thirds of the allowance allotted to the king and should be made responsible for looking after the royal heirs and dependents.
He was preparing to go to England to further his claim when on the 14th of August 1893 he was invited to dinner by one of the family members. On returning from the dinner to Atabagh Palace in Metiaburj where he was staying, he fell ill with food poisoning, along with two of his children. All of them died the same day. Family records have it that he was poisoned to death by some jealous relative. The last crowned head of India lies interred in the mausoleum of the King of Oudh at Sibtainabad Imambara.