126-460: Nur Jahan ( lit. ' Light of the world ' ; 31 May 1577 – 18 December 1645), born Mehr-un-Nissa was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir . More decisive and proactive than her husband, Nur Jahan is considered by certain historians to have been the real power behind the throne for more than a decade. Wielding a level of power and influence unprecedented for
252-482: A Mughal empress, she was granted honours and privileges never enjoyed by any of her predecessors or successors , such as having coinage struck in her name. Her pre-eminence was in part made possible by her husband Jahangir's addiction to hunting , alcohol and opium and his frequent ill-health. Nur Jahan was born as Mehr-un-Nissa (1577) in Kandahar , present-day Afghanistan , into a family of Persian nobility and
378-576: A British ambassador to the Mughal court, Thomas Roe . Thomas Roe describes how petitioners could use the chain of justice to attract the emperor's attention if his decision was not to their satisfaction during Darshana . The Darshana tradition was adopted by the Mughal Emperors from Hindu religio-political rituals. As a royal envoy to the Agra court of Jahangir. Roe resided at Agra for three years, until 1619. At
504-552: A big feast was thrown by the Emperor to ceremonially initiate his son into education. His first tutor was Qutubuddin Koka. Many other tutors were appointed to teach Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Arithmetic, History, Geography, and Sciences. Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan , one of the versatile geniuses, was an important tutor of him. His maternal uncle, Bhagwant Das the Kachhwaha ruler of Amer ,
630-546: A brief conflict in the region around Kandahar. Khan Alam soon returned with valuable gifts and groups of masters of the hunt ([میر شکار] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |3= ( help ) ) from both Safavid Iran and the Khanates of Central Asia. On March, Jahangir ordered Mahabat Khan , one of Jahangir's most loyal high generals, to crush Khurram's rebellion in the Deccan . After a series of victories by Mahabat Khan over Khurram,
756-658: A brief succession crisis before the throne passed to his son, Shah Jahan . Jahangir's legacy lives on through his contributions to Mughal art and architecture, his memoirs, and the policies he implemented, which continued to influence the empire after his demise. Prince Salim was the third son born to Akbar and Mariam-uz-Zamani in the capital city of Fatehpur Sikri on 31 August 1569. He had two elder twin brothers, Hassan and Hussain Mirza , born in 1564, both of whom died in infancy. Grief-struck, Akbar took Mariam-uz-Zamani along with him after their sons' demise as he set out for
882-536: A cousin of Zain Khan Koka. In 1587, he married a Bhati Rajput princess (name not known) entitled Malika Jahan Begum daughter of Rawal Bhim Singh of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer . He also married the daughter of Raja Darya Malbhas. In October 1590, Jahangir married Zohra Begum daughter of Mirza Sanjar Hazara. He married a third Rathore Rajput princess, Kunwari Karamsi Deiji, daughter of Rao Keshav Das of Merta linked with
1008-484: A daughter of Sultan Ali Khan Faruqi of the Khandesh Sultanate . He also married a daughter of Abdullah Khan Baluch of Sind . In 1594, Jahangir was dispatched by his father, Akbar, alongside Asaf Khan also known as Mirza Jafar Beg and Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak to defeat the renegade Raja Vir Singh Deo Bundela and to capture the city of Orchha which was considered the centre of the revolt. Jahangir arrived with
1134-508: A farman banning Jain seorahs (monks) due to alleged scandalous behavior. However, the ban was quickly rescinded but Jahangir neglected to mention that in his memoirs. There is a wide variety of evidence that Jahangir had good relations with Jains and Jain sources themselves extol him. According to Ali, Jahangir wrote his memoirs with his intended audience of Persian-speaking Muslims in mind and sought to portray himself as an anti-idolatry sultan and thus "modified" facts. Jahangir's memoirs also omit
1260-464: A force of 12,000 after many ferocious encounters and finally subdued the Bundela and ordered Vir Singh Deo to surrender. After tremendous casualties and the start of negotiations between the two, Vir Singh Deo handed over 5000 Bundela infantry and 1000 cavalry and submitted to the command of Jahangir along with taking up imperial services at the court later. The victorious Jahangir, at 26 years of age, ordered
1386-439: A great deal of power in affairs of state. Jahangir's addiction to opium and alcohol made it easier for Nur Jahan to exert her influence. His trust in her was so great that he gave her the highest symbol of power and determination of the decrees of the empire – his imperial seal, implying that her perusal and consent were necessary before any document or order received legal validity. So for many years, she wielded imperial power and
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#17328552213221512-512: A large "sarai" in Jalandhar district twenty-five miles southeast of Sultanpur. It was such an important "sarai" that, according to Shujauddin, "'Serai Noor Mahal' in local idiom meant some spacious and important edifice." I'timād-ud-Daulah died in January 1622, and his tomb has been generally attributed to Nur Jahan. The tomb took six years to finish (1622-1628), and was built at an enormous cost. It
1638-465: A love affair existed prior to 1611 and historians have questioned Jahangir's logic in bestowing honours upon Sher Afgan if he wished to see him removed from the picture. After her husband Sher Afgan was killed in 1607, Nur Jahan and her daughter, Ladli Begum , were summoned to Agra by Jahangir for their protection and acted as lady-in-waiting to the Ruqaiya Sultan Begum , who had been one of
1764-504: A military campaign in Mewar under Prince Salim, Ali Quli Istajlu was bestowed the title of Sher Afgan or "Tiger Tosser". Sher Afgan's role in the rout of the Rana of Udaipur inspired this reward, but contemporaries did not record his exact actions. A popular explanation is that Sher Afgan saved Salim from an angry tigress. In 1607, Sher Afgan Khan was killed after it was rumoured he had refused to obey
1890-641: A region, the Mughals always sought to occupy a strategic fortress in some region, which would serve as a nodal point from which the Mughal army would emerge to take on any enemy that challenged the empire. This system was not only expensive but also made the army somewhat inflexible as the assumption was always the enemy would retreat into a fortress to be besieged or would engage in a set-piece decisive battle of annihilation on open ground. The Hindu Marathas were expert horsemen who refused to engage in set-piece battles, but rather engaged in campaigns of guerrilla warfare upon
2016-539: A result of Prince Khurram's refusal to obey Nur Jahan's orders, Kandahar was lost to the Persians after a forty-five-day siege. Prince Khurram feared that in his absence Nur Jahan would attempt to poison his father against him and convince Jahangir to name Shahryar the heir in his place. This fear brought Prince Khurram to rebel against his father rather than fight against the Persians. In 1622 Prince Khurram raised an army and marched against his father and Nur Jahan. The rebellion
2142-462: A royal falcon delivered to his court from the ruler of Iran: "What can I write of the beauty of this bird's colour? It had black markings, and every feather on its wings, back, and sides was extremely beautiful," and then recorded his command that Ustad Mansur paint a portrait of it after it perished. " Nadiri " was a type of exclusive clothing designed by Jahangir, reserved for his personal use and esteemed courtiers. Jahangir bound and displayed much of
2268-655: A son. When Akbar was informed of the news that his chief Hindu wife was expecting a child, an order was passed for the establishment of a royal palace in Fatehpur Sikri near the lodgings of Salim Chishti, where the Empress could enjoy the repose in the vicinity of the saint. Mariam was shifted to the palace established there and during her pregnancy, Akbar himself used to travel to Sikri and used to spend half of his time in Sikri and another half in Agra. One day, while Mariam-uz-Zamani
2394-736: A style of sandalwood colored carpeting . Mughal emperors The emperors of the Mughal Empire , who were all members of the Timurid dynasty ( House of Babur ), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were the supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent , mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India , Pakistan , Afghanistan and Bangladesh . They ruled many parts of India from 1526, and by 1707, and ruled most of
2520-578: A summons from the Governor of Bengal, took part in anti-state activities, and attacked the governor when he came to escort Sher Afgan to court. Some have suspected Jahangir of arranging Sher Afgan's death because the latter was said to have fallen in love with Nur Jahan and had been denied the right to add her to his harem. The validity of this rumour is uncertain as Jahangir only married Nur Jahan in 1611, four years after she came to his court. Furthermore, contemporary accounts offer few details as to whether or not
2646-418: A syncretistic mixture of Hinduism and Islam. Akbar allowed freedom of religion at his court and attempted to resolve socio-political and cultural differences in his empire by establishing a new religion, Din-i-Ilahi , with strong characteristics of a ruling cult. He left his son an internally stable state, which was in the midst of its golden age, but before long signs of political weakness would emerge. Akbar
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#17328552213222772-473: A territory of more than 4 million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles). Mughal power rapidly dwindled during the 18th century and the last emperor, Bahadur Shah II , was deposed in 1857, with the establishment of the British Raj . The Mughal Empire was founded by Babur , a Timurid prince and ruler from Central Asia . Babur was a direct descendant of Timur , the 14th century founder of
2898-477: A war campaign, and, during his return to Agra , he sought the blessings of Salim Chishti, a reputed khawaja (religious leader) who lived at Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar confided in Salim Chisti, who assured him that he would be soon delivered of three sons who would live up to a ripe old age. A few years before the birth of Prince Salim, Akbar and Mariam-uz-Zamani went on a pilgrimage to Ajmer Sharif Dargah to pray for
3024-413: A war of succession brought on by the failure of Jahangir to name an heir before he died on 28 October 1627. In 1626, Emperor Jahangir was captured by rebels while on his way to Kashmir . The rebel leader Mahabat Khan had hoped to stage a coup against Jahangir. Riding into battle atop a war elephant, Nur Jahan intervened herself to get her husband released. She ordered the ministers to organize an attack on
3150-430: Is brought before me, either of deceased artists or of those of the present day, without the names being told me, I say on the spur of the moment that is the work of such and such a man. And if there is a picture containing many portraits and each face is the work of a different master, I can discover which face is the work of each of them. If any other person has put in the eye and eyebrow of a face, I can perceive whose work
3276-453: Is clear from Jahangir's own memoirs that he disliked Guru Arjan before then: "many times it occurred to me to put a stop to this vain affair or bring him into the assembly of the people of Islam." Guru Arjan's successor Guru Hargobind was imprisoned for sometime but released soon. He developed friendly relations with Jahangir and accompanied him on his journey to Kashmir just before the latter's death. According to Jahangir's memoirs, he issued
3402-524: Is noted by historians that this influence has been significantly recorded during the conquest of Kangra under Jahangir, that at the presence of Ahmad Sirhindi who observed the campaign, the Mughal forces had the Idols broken, a cow slaughtered, Khutbah sermon read, and other Islamic rituals performed. Further mark of Jahangir departure from Akbar secular policy were recorded Terry, a traveller, who came and observed India region between 1616 and 1619, where he found
3528-556: Is now known as Itmad-ud-daulah's tomb. The tomb served as the inspiration for the Taj Mahal , unarguably the zenith of Mughal architecture, the construction of which began in 1632 and which Nur Jahan must have heard about before she died. Nur Jahan died on 17 December 1645 at age 68. She is buried at her tomb in Shahdara Bagh in Lahore , which she had built herself. Upon her tomb is inscribed
3654-497: Is reported to have slain four tigers with six bullets during one hunt. According to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan this feat, inspired a poet to declaim a spontaneous couplet in her honor: "Though Nur Jahan be in form a woman, In the ranks of men she's a tiger-slayer" Nur Jahan's administrative skills proved invaluable during her regency as she defended the Empire's borders in her husband's absence and navigated family feuds, rebel uprisings, and
3780-632: Is shown by later sources mistakenly identifying Nur Jahan as the mother of Shah Jahan . Jahangir's wife, Jagat Gosain , a Rajput princess, was, in reality, Shah Jahan's mother. Jahangir gave her the title of Nur Mahal ( lit. ' Light of the Palace ' ) upon their marriage in 1611 and Nur Jahan ( lit. ' Light of the World ' ) five years later in 1616 when they had their first sex. Jahangir's affection and trust in Nur Jahan led to her wielding
3906-479: Is unclear whether Jahangir even understood what a Sikh was, referring to Guru Arjan as a Hindu, who had "captured many of the simple-hearted of the Hindus and even of the ignorant and foolish followers of Islam, by his ways and manners... for three or four generations (of spiritual successors) they had kept this shop warm." The trigger for Guru Arjan's execution was his support for Jahangir's rebel son Khusrau Mirza , yet it
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4032-621: The Chaitanya sect for their temples in Vrindavan , but also made negative comments about their temples. He, like his father, dissaproved of reincarnation and idol worship and ordered the boar image to be removed from Rana Shankar's temple at Pushkar . Most notorious was the execution of the Sikh Guru Arjan Dev on Jahangir's orders. His lands were confiscated and his sons imprisoned as Jahangir suspected him of helping Khusrau's rebellion. It
4158-649: The Safavids of Persia and the Ottoman Empire , as well as with the English East India Company , marking the beginning of European influence in Indian politics and commerce. Despite his achievements, Jahangir's reign had challenges, including revolts led by his sons, which threatened the stability of his rule. His poor health, caused by a lifetime of opium and alcohol use, led to his death in 1627, precipitating
4284-667: The Timurid empire on his father's side, and Genghis Khan on his mother's side. Ousted from his ancestral domains in Turkestan by Shaybani Khan , the 40-year-old prince Babur turned to India to satisfy his ambitions. He established himself in Kabul and then pushed steadily southward into India from Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass . Babur's forces occupied much of northern India after his victory at Panipat in 1526. The preoccupation with wars and military campaigns, however, did not allow
4410-543: The pietra dura of Itimadadudddaula's tomb was one of the earliest true examples of the technique in India. Nur Jahan also built the Pattar Masjid at Srinagar, and her own tomb at Lahore. According to legend, Nur Jahan is purported to have made contributions to almost every type of fine and practical art. In many cases the attributions can be traced back to Khafi Khan , who according to Ellison Banks Findly, "seems to have been in
4536-487: The wazir of Isfahan , in recognition of his excellent service. For unknown reasons, Ghiyas Beg's family had suffered a reversal in fortunes in 1577 and soon found circumstances in their homeland intolerable. Hoping to improve his family's fortunes, Ghiyas Beg chose to relocate to India where the Emperor Akbar 's court was said to be at the centre of the growing trade industry and cultural scene. Halfway along their route
4662-699: The Dowager Empress for four years. The Dutch merchant and travel writer Pieter van den Broecke , described their relationship in his Hindustan Chronicle, "This Begum [Ruqaiya] conceived a great affection for Mehr-un-Nissa [Nur Jahan]; she loved her more than others and always kept her in her company." Nur Jahan and Jahangir have been the subject of much interest over the centuries and there are innumerable legends and stories about their relationship. Many stories allege an early affection between Nur Jahan and Emperor Jahangir before Nur Jahan's first marriage in 1594. One variation recounts that they were in love when Nur Jahan
4788-497: The Marathas. The Indian campaign of Nader Shah of Persia culminated with the Sack of Delhi and shattered the remnants of Mughal power and prestige, as well as capturing the imperial treasury, thus drastically accelerating its decline. Many of the empire's elites now sought to control their own affairs and broke away to form independent kingdoms. The Mughal emperor, however, continued to be
4914-492: The Mughal Empire; he further confiscated churches that belonged to the Jesuits . This episode is considered to be an example of the struggle for wealth that would later ensue and lead to colonisation of the Indian sub-continent. Jahangir then gathered his forces under the command of Ali Kuli Khan and fought Raja Lakshmi Narayan Bhup of the Kingdom of Koch Bihar in the far eastern province of Bengal . Raja Lakshmi Narayan then accepted
5040-413: The Mughal court, Roe allegedly became a favourite of Jahangir and may have been his drinking partner; he arrived with gifts of "many crates of red wine" and explained to him what beer was and how it was made. The immediate result of the mission was to obtain permission and protection for an East India Company factory at Surat . While no major trading privileges were conceded by Jahangir, "Roe's mission
5166-488: The Mughal court. She wished for her daughter, Ladli Begum , to become Empress after her. During the first half of the war it appeared as though Shahryar and Nur Jahan might turn out to be the victors; however, the two were thwarted by Nur Jahan's brother, Asaf Khan. Asaf Khan, who was also the father of Mumtaz Mahal , sided with Shah Jahan. While Asaf Khan forced Nur Jahan into confinement, Shah Jahan defeated Shahryar's troops and ordered his execution. In 1628, Shah Jahan became
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5292-421: The Mughal supply lines. The Marathas were unable to take the Mughal fortresses via a storm or formal siege as they lacked the artillery, but by constantly intercepting supply columns, they were able to starve Mughal fortresses into submission. Successive Mughal commanders refused to adjust their tactics and develop an appropriate counter-insurgency strategy, which led to the Mughals losing more and more ground to
5418-459: The Mughals as his suzerains and was given the title Nazir , later establishing a garrison at Atharokotha. Jahangir was responsible for ending a century-long struggle with the Sisodia Rajput house of Mewar . The campaign against them was pushed so extensively that they were made to submit with great loss of life and property. In 1614, The East India Company persuaded King James I to send
5544-627: The Mughals tradition of being scrupulously secular in outlook. Stability, loyalty, and revenue were the main focus, not the religious change among their subjects. Jahangir was fascinated with art and architecture. In his autobiography, the Jahangirnama , Jahangir recorded events that occurred during his reign, descriptions of flora and fauna that he encountered, and other aspects of daily life, and commissioned court painters such as Ustad Mansur to paint detailed pieces that would accompany his vivid prose. For example, in 1619, he put pen to paper in awe of
5670-461: The Portuguese officially refused to return the ship and the passengers, the outcry at the Mughal court was unusually severe. The outrage was compounded by the fact that the owner and the patron of the ship was none other than the revered mother of the current emperor. Jahangir himself was outraged and ordered the seizure of the Portuguese town Daman . He ordered the apprehension of all Portuguese within
5796-529: The World ' ), was Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal Emperor . Born as Prince Salim, he was the third and only surviving son of Emperor Akbar and his chief empress, Mariam-uz-Zamani . Akbar's quest for a successor took him to visit the Hazrat Ishaan and Salim Chishti , Sufi saints who prophesied the birth of three sons. Jahangir's birth in Fatehpur Sikri
5922-519: The affirmation of bringing him back to power. He was the first choice of Nur Jahan for the marriage of her daughter, Ladli Begum as he was the favorite of common people who desperately wanted to see him on the throne and was highly backed by the revered people of the Mughal Court owing to his exceptional capabilities and talent. However, the Prince in an effort to uphold the fidelity to his chief wife refused
6048-500: The annual Hajj . The Rahimi was owned by Mariam-uz-Zamani , mother of Jahangir and Akbar's favourite consort. She was bestowed the title of 'Mallika-e-Hindustan' (Queen of Hindustan ) by Akbar and was subsequently referred to as same during Jahangir's reign. The Rahimi was the largest Indian ship sailing in the Red Sea and was known to the Europeans as the "great pilgrimage ship". When
6174-411: The art that he commissioned in elaborate albums of hundreds of images, sometimes organized around a theme such as zoology. Jahangir himself was far from modest in his autobiography when he stated his prowess at being able to determine the artist of any portrait by simply looking at a painting. As he said: ...my liking for painting and my practice in judging it have arrived at such point when any work
6300-452: The authority of the emperor, accepting him only as 'King of Delhi' and removing all references to him from their coinage. After the Indian rebellion which he nominally led from 1857–58, the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar , was deposed by the British, who then assumed formal control of a large part of the former empire, marking the start of the British Raj . Titular emperors Over
6426-467: The best possible education. She became well-versed in Arabic and Persian languages, art , literature , music and dance . The poet and author Vidya Dhar Mahajan would later praise Nur Jahan as having a piercing intelligence, a volatile temper and sound common sense. In 1594, when Nur Jahan was seventeen years old, she married her first husband Ali Quli Istajlu (also known as Sher Afgan Khan ). Sher Afgan
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#17328552213226552-559: The bride's palanquin was carried by Akbar and Salim for some distance in her honor. The gifts given by Mariam-uz-Zamani to the bride and bride-groom were valued at twelve lakh rupees. She became his favorite wife and soon rose to the level of a consort rather than being a mere wife. Jahangir notes that he was extremely fond of her and designated her as his chief consort in the royal harem in his princely days. Jahangir also records his attachment and affection for her and makes notes of her unwavering devotion towards him. Jahangir honored her with
6678-420: The business of re-creating Nur Jahan's talents and accomplishments beyond all realistic possibility." Nur Jahan was very creative and had a good fashion sense, and she is credited for many textile materials and dresses like nurmahali dress and fine cloths like Panchtoliya badla (silver-threaded brocade), kinari (silver-threaded lace), etc. Nur Jahan is also credited with popularizing farsh-i-chandani ,
6804-478: The chief wives of the late Emperor Akbar. Given the precarious political connections of Sher Afgan before his death, his family would be in certain danger with him gone from those seeking to avenge Qutbuddin's murder. For her protection, then, Nur Jahan needed to be at the Mughal court in Agra, she was brought back in honour (presumably because of her father's position at court) was clear from her new post with Ruqaiya Sultan Begum. Nur Jahan served as lady-in-waiting to
6930-681: The civil war finally ended in October 1625. In 1626, Jahangir began to contemplate an alliance between the Ottoman Empire , the Mughals, and the Khanate of Bukhara of the Uzbeks against the Safavids, who had defeated the Mughals at Kandahar . He even wrote a letter to the Ottoman Sultan , Murad IV . Jahangir's ambition did not materialise due to his death in 1627. A lifelong user of opium and wine, Jahangir
7056-629: The completion of the Jahangir Mahal a famous Mughal citadel in Orchha to commemorate and honour his victory. From the very beginning of Jahangir reign as emperor, he witnessed the internal rivalry of the bundela chiefs for control. Jahangir appointed his favourite Vir Singh, as the ruler of Orchha by removing his elder brother Raja Ram Shah. This greatly hampered the interest of Ram Shah's house. Thus, Ram Shah along with his family members Bharat Shah, Indrajit, Rao Bhupal, Angad, Prema, and Devi (the wife of
7182-1255: The course of the empire, there were several claimants to the Mughal throne who ascended the throne or claimed to do so but were never recognized. Here are the claimants to the Mughal throne historians recognise as titular Mughal emperors. (4 years, 8 months and 6 days) (9 years, 4 months and 21 days) 22 February 1555 – 27 January 1556 (11 months and 5 days) (49 years, 8 months and 16 days) (21 years, 11 months and 25 days) (30 years, 6 months and 12 days) Alamgir عالمگیر (48 years, 7 months and 3 days) (3 months 6 days) Shah Alam I (4 years, 253 days) (0 years, 350 days) (6 years, 48 days) (0 years, 98 days) (0 years, 105 days) (28 years, 212 days) (6 years, 37 days) (5 years, 180 days) (0 years, 282 days) (27 years, 301 days) (0 years, 63 days) (18 years, 339 days) (30 years, 321 days) (19 years, 360 days) Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir ( Persian pronunciation: [d͡ʒa.hɑːn.ˈɡiːɾ] ; lit. ' Conqueror of
7308-520: The court, however, began to exceed the revenue being levied. Shah Jahan's eldest son, the liberal Dara Shikoh , became regent in 1658, as a result of his father's illness. Dara championed a syncretistic Hindu-Muslim religion and culture. With the support of the Islamic orthodoxy, however, a younger son of Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb , seized the throne. Aurangzeb defeated Dara in 1659 and had him executed. Although Shah Jahan fully recovered from his illness, there
7434-416: The creation of this chain for his subjects to appeal to the emperor if they were denied justice at any level. Jahangir also took interest in public health and medicine. After his accession, he passed twelve orders, of which at least two were related to this area. The fifth order forbade the manufacturing and sale of rice spirit and any kind of intoxicating drugs, and the tenth order was instrumental in laying
7560-402: The creativity and intellect of Nur Jahan as she soon was able to organize an escape and raise an army right under his very nose. Shortly after being rescued, Jahangir died on 28 October 1627. In 1620, Nur Jahan, in order to secure her power in the Mughal court after the decline of her husband, Jahangir's health, offered the marriage proposal of her daughter to the charismatic Khusrau Mirza with
7686-461: The deposed king) raised their arms in rebellion. However, Ram Shah was defeated by his brother Vir Singh with the help of imperial army under Abdullah Khan. Then the deposed Bundela chief escaped and continued to fight the Mughals for two years until he was finally arrested in 1607 and put in prison at Gwalior only later to be given the territory of Chanderi as his patrimony. On 28 June 1596, he married Khas Mahal Begum daughter of Zain Khan Koka
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#17328552213227812-459: The elimination of Abu'l Fazl, his father's chief minister and the architect of his eclectic religious stance, a powerful group of orthodox noblemen had gained increased power in the Mughal court. This included nobles especially like Shaykh Farid , Jahangir's trusted Mir Bakhshi , who held firmly the citadel of orthodoxy in Muslim India. Another influence for Jahangir changed his religious policies
7938-497: The emperor, and those who exercised influence over the emperor gained immense influence and prestige. Nur Jahan was able to convince her husband to pardon her father and appoint him Prime Minister. To consolidate her position and power within the Empire, Nur Jahan placed various members of her family in high positions throughout the court and administrative offices. Her brother Asaf Khan was appointed grand Wazir (minister) to Jahangir. Furthermore, to ensure her continued connections to
8064-532: The empire heavily in both militarily and financially. A further problem for Aurangzeb was the army had always been based upon the land-owning aristocracy of northern India who provided the cavalry for the campaigns, and the empire had nothing equivalent to the janissary corps of the Ottoman Empire. The long and costly conquest of the Deccan had badly diminished the "aura of success" that surrounded Aurangzeb, and from
8190-683: The empire's decline, but he ultimately had to seek the protection of outside powers. In 1784, the Marathas under Mahadaji Shinde won acknowledgement as the protectors of the emperor in Delhi, a state of affairs that continued until after the Second Anglo-Maratha War . Thereafter, the East India Company became the protectors of the Mughal dynasty in Delhi . After 1835 the Company no longer recognised
8316-407: The enemy in order to rescue the Emperor; she would lead one of the units by administering commands from on top of a war elephant. During the battle Nur Jahan's mount was hit and the soldiers of the imperial army fell at her feet. Realizing her plan had failed Nur Jahan surrendered to Mahabat Khan and was placed in captivity with her husband. Unfortunately for the rebels, Mahabat Khan failed to recognize
8442-659: The epitaph "On the grave of this poor stranger, let there be neither lamp nor rose. Let neither butterfly’s wing burn nor nightingale sing". Her brother Asaf Khan's tomb is also located nearby. Her daughter, Ladli Begum was buried beside her in her mausoleum after her death. According to the Dutch traveller Pelaert her patronage of architecture was extensive, as he notes, "She erects very expensive buildings in all directions- " sarais ", or halting places for travellers and merchants, and pleasure gardens and palaces such that no one has seen before" (Pelsaert, pp 50). In 1620, Nur Jahan commissioned
8568-457: The fabulous wealth of the Mughal court, but the glittering court hid darker realities, namely that about a quarter of the empire's gross national product was owned by 655 families while the bulk of India's 120 million people lived in appalling poverty. After suffering what appears to have been an epileptic seizure in 1578 while hunting tigers, which he regarded as a religious experience , Akbar grew disenchanted with Islam, and came to embrace
8694-417: The fact that three of his nephews at one point converted to Christianity with his permission, although they would later reverse their decision. He issued 'Jahangiri coins' which had his own portrait. He even issued the zodiac series of gold and silver coins which had images of zodiac symbols alongside the radiating sun in the background, due to his faith in astrology. The sign of the zodiac was substituted for
8820-514: The family was attacked by robbers who took from them their remaining meager possessions. Left with only two mules, Ghiyas Beg, his pregnant wife, and their two children (Muhammad Sharif, Asaf Khan ) were forced to take turns riding on the backs of the animals for the remainder of their journey. When the family arrived in Kandahar, Asmat Begum gave birth to their second daughter. The family was so impoverished they feared they would be unable to take care of
8946-399: The foundation of free hospitals and appointment of physicians in all the cities of his empire. According to M. Athar Ali , Jahangir generally continued the religious policy of Akbar and had a major interest in pantheism . At the start of his regime, many staunch Sunnis were hopeful, because he seemed less tolerant of other faiths than his father had been. At the time of his accession and
9072-457: The future emperor Shah Jahan , who was Jahangir's successor to the throne. On 26 June, Jahangir married a second Rathore Rajput princess, Kunwari Sujas Deiji, daughter of Raja Rai Singh of Bikaner , an offshoot of Jodhpur. In July, he married Malika Shikar Begum daughter of Abu Sa'id Khan Chagatai. Also in 1586, he married Sahib-i-Jamal Begum daughter of Khwaja Hasan of Herat in Afghanistan
9198-561: The highest manifestation of sovereignty. Not only the Muslim gentry, but the Maratha, Hindu, and Sikh leaders took part in ceremonial acknowledgements of the emperor as the sovereign of India. In the next decades, the Afghans , Sikhs , and Marathas battled against each other and the Mughals, revealing the fragmented state of the empire. The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II made futile attempts to reverse
9324-549: The house of Marwar . On 11 January 1592, he married Kanwal Rani daughter of Ali Sher Khan by his wife Gul Khatun. In October 1592, he married a daughter of Sultan Husain Chak of the Kashmir Sultanate . In January/March 1593, he married Nur un-Nisa Begum daughter of a Safavid Persian prince Ibrahim Husain Mirza by his wife Gulrukh Begum a daughter of Kamran Mirza brother of Mughal Emperor Humayun . In September 1593, he married
9450-522: The imperial Subadar of Kabul and Lahore . This marriage was initially opposed by Akbar as he did not approve of the marriage of cousins to the same man however seeing the melancholy of Salim being refused to marry her, Akbar approved of this union. She became one of his chief consorts after her marriage. In 1608, he married Saliha Banu Begum , daughter of Qasim Khan a senior member of the Imperial Household. She became one of his chief consorts and
9576-457: The kingdom stretched to 3.2 million square kilometres, including parts of what are now India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. After his death in 1707, "many parts of the empire were in open revolt." Aurangzeb's attempts to reconquer his family's ancestral lands in Central Asia were not successful while his successful conquest of the Deccan region proved to be a pyrrhic victory that cost
9702-568: The late 17th century onwards, the aristocracy became increasingly unwilling to provide forces for the empire's wars as the prospect of being rewarded with land as a result of a successful war was seen as less and less likely. Furthermore, at the conclusion of the conquest of the Deccan, Aurangzeb had very selectively rewarded some of the noble families with confiscated land in the Deccan, leaving aristocrats unrewarded with confiscated land feeling strongly disgruntled and unwilling to participate in further campaigns. Aurangzeb's son, Shah Alam , repealed
9828-425: The marriage proposal though his wife begged him to accept the proposal and subsequently, this proposal was passed on to Prince Khurram upon whose refusal it was finally passed to and accepted by Shahryar Mirza . Tensions between Nur Jahan and Jahangir's third son, the crowned Prince Khurram and future Shah Jahan , had been uneasy from the start. Prince Khurram resented the influence Nur Jahan held over his father and
9954-472: The month in which the coin was minted. All of this was considered haram by the ulema due to which his successor Shahjahan ordered all those coins melted, accounting for their extreme rarity now. According to Richard M Eaton , Emperor Jahangir issued many edicts admonishing his nobles not to convert the religion of anybody by force, but the issuance of such orders also suggests that such conversions must have occurred during his rule in some measure. He continued
10080-628: The mosques full of worshippers, the exaltation of Quran and Hadith practical teaching, and the complete observance of Fasting during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Jahangir issued bans on cowslaugher and animal slaughter on certain days of the week in continuance of his father's policy. According to the Dabistan-i Mazahib he appointed Srikant of Kashmir to be qazi of the Hindus so that they would have their own judicial representative. He also continued his father's policy of patronizing Brahmins and temples. Notably he issued several grants to
10206-522: The new Mughal emperor. Nur Jahan was put under house arrest by her brother on the orders of new Emperor Shah Jahan and spent the remainder of her life confined in Lahore with her young widowed daughter, Ladli Begum , and her granddaughter. The three of them lived a simple and austere life. She was granted an annual amount of 2 lakhs rupees by Shah Jahan. During this period she oversaw the completion of her father's mausoleum in Agra, which she started in 1622 and
10332-676: The new emperor to consolidate the gains he had made in India. The instability of the empire became evident under his son, Humayun , who was driven into exile in Persia by rebels. Humayun's exile in Persia established diplomatic ties between the Safavid and Mughal courts and led to increasing West Asian cultural influence in the Mughal court. The restoration of Mughal rule began after Humayun's triumphant return from Persia in 1555, but he died from an accident shortly afterwards. Humayun's son, Akbar , succeeded to
10458-420: The newborn baby. Fortunately, the family was taken in by a caravan led by the merchant noble Malik Masud, who would later assist Ghiyas Beg in finding a position in the service of Emperor Akbar. Believing that the child had signaled a change in the family's fate, she was named Mehr-un-Nissa or ‘Sun among Women’. Her father Ghiyas Beg began his career in India, after being given a mansab of 300 in 1577. Thereafter he
10584-514: The original face is and who has painted the eye and eyebrow. Jahangir took his connoisseurship of art very seriously. He also preserved paintings from Emperor Akbar's period. An excellent example of this is the painting done by Ustad Mansur of Musician Naubat Khan , son-in-law of legendary Tansen . In addition to their aesthetic qualities, paintings created under his reign were closely catalogued, dated and even signed, providing scholars with fairly accurate ideas as to when and in what context many of
10710-521: The policies of Akbar of tolerating Hindus in Mughal court. Yohanan Friedmann has noted that according to many modern historians and thinkers, the puritanical though of Ahmad Sirhindi has inspired the religious orthodoxy of emperor Aurangzeb . This was noted by how Ahmad Sirhindi manage to influence the successor of emperor Akbar, starting from Jahangir, into reversing Akbar policies such as lifting marriage age limits, mosque abolishments, and Hijra methodology revival which abandoned by his father. It
10836-495: The province of Gujarat . A large number of the Koli chiefs were slaughtered and the rest hunted to their mountains and deserts. 169 heads of such Koli chiefs killed in battle by Nur-ul-llah Ibrahim, commander of 'Bollodo'. In the same year later, the Portuguese seized the Mughal ship Rahimi , which had set out from Surat on its way with a large cargo of 100,000 rupees and Pilgrims, who were on their way to Mecca and Medina to attend
10962-764: The reign of Akbar . Consequently, a siege was laid and the fort was taken in 1620, which "resulted in the submission of the Raja of Chamba who was the greatest of all the rajas in the region." The district of Kishtwar , in the vast province of Kashmir , was also conquered the same year. In October 1616, Jahangir sent Prince Khurram to fight against the combined forces of three rebel kingdoms of Ahmednagar , Bijapur and Golconda . Jahangir considered his third son, Khurram (regnal name Shah Jahan ) as his favourite son. In 1621 of February, However, when Nur Jahan married her daughter, Mihr-un-nissa Begum , to Jahangir's youngest son, Shahryar Mirza , Khurram suspected that his stepmother
11088-460: The reign of Aurangzeb , the empire, as the world's largest economy and manufacturing power, worth over 25% of global GDP, controlled nearly all of the Indian subcontinent, extending from Dhaka in the east to Kabul in the west and from Kashmir in the north to the Kaveri River in the south. Its population at the time is estimated to be 158,400,000 (a quarter of the world's population), over
11214-606: The religious policies of his father and attempted to reform the administration. "However, after his death in 1712, the Mughal dynasty sank into chaos and violent feuds. In the year 1719 alone, four emperors successively ascended the throne". During the reign of Muhammad Shah , the empire began to break up, and vast tracts of central India passed from Mughals to the Marathas hands. Mughal warfare had always been based upon heavy artillery for sieges, heavy cavalry for offensive operations and light cavalry for skirmishing and raids. To control
11340-448: The same year (Wednesday, 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1020 AH/ 25 May 1611 AD). Nur Jahan was thirty-four years old at the time of her second marriage and she would be Jahangir's twentieth and last legal wife. According to some accounts they had two children, while others report the couple remained childless. Incomplete records and Jahangir's abundant number of children, obscure efforts to distinguish individual identities and maternity. This confusion
11466-404: The stage for his later rule as emperor. His reign was marked by a combination of artistic achievement and political intrigue, set against the backdrop of the Mughal Empire 's considerable expansion and consolidation. Jahangir's rule is distinguished by his commitment to justice and his interest in the arts, particularly painting and architecture, which flourished during his reign. Jahangir's reign
11592-621: The state caused the displeasure of both his courtiers and foreigners. In 1608, Jahangir posted Islam Khan I to subdue the rebel Musa Khan , the Masnad-e-Ala of the Baro-Bhuyan confederacy in Bengal , who was able to imprison him. In 1613, Jahangir issued a sanguinary order for the extirpation of the race of the Kolis who were notorious robbers and plunders living in the most inaccessible parts of
11718-689: The subcontinent. Afterwards, they declined rapidly, but nominally ruled territories until the Indian Rebellion of 1857 , where they gave their last stand against the invading British forces in India. The Mughal dynasty was founded by Babur ( r. 1526–1530 ), a Timurid prince from the Fergana Valley (modern-day Uzbekistan ), was a direct descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan . The Mughal emperors had significant Indian Rajput and Persian ancestry through marriage alliances as emperors were born to Rajput and Persian princesses. During
11844-444: The throne and the influence which she could obtain from it, Nur Jahan arranged for her daughter Ladli to marry Jahangir's youngest son, Shahryar . This wedding ensured that one way or another, the influence of Nur Jahan's family would extend over the Mughal Empire for at least another generation. Nur Jahan was fond of hunting and often went on hunting tours with her husband and was known for her boldness in hunting ferocious tigers. She
11970-570: The throne under a regent, Bairam Khan , who helped consolidate the Mughal Empire in India. Through warfare and diplomacy, Akbar was able to extend the empire in all directions and controlled almost the entire Indian subcontinent north of the Godavari river . He created a new ruling elite loyal to him, implemented a modern administration, and encouraged cultural developments. He increased trade with European trading companies. The Indian historian Abraham Eraly wrote that foreigners were often impressed by
12096-541: The throne with the imperial grand title of Nuruddin Muhammad Jahangir Badshah Ghazi and thus began his 22-year reign at the age of 36. Soon after, Jahangir had to fend off his son Khusrau Mirza when he attempted to claim the throne based on Akbar's will. Khusrau Mirza was defeated in the year 1606 with the support of the Barha and Bukhari sāda and confined in the fort of Agra . As punishment, Khusrau Mirza
12222-643: The throne. To counter Nur Jahan, Abu'l Hassan put Dawar Bakhsh as the puppet ruler and confined Nur Jahan in the Shahdara. Upon his arrival in Agra in February 1628, Prince Khurram executed both Shahryar and Dawar and took the regnal name Shah Jahan (Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram). Jahangir was famous for his "Chain of Justice". In contemporary paintings, it has been shown as a golden chain with golden bells. In his memoir Tuzk-e-Jahangiri , he wrote that he ordered
12348-598: The title " Shah Begum" after she gave birth to Prince Khusrau Mirza , the eldest son of Jahangir. On 11 January 1586, Jahangir married one of his early favorite wives, a Rathore Rajput princess Kunwari Manawati Deiji, daughter of Mota Raja Udai Singh of the Kingdom of Marwar , at the bride's residence, i.e., Jodhpur After her death, Jahangir honored her with the title of "Bilqis Makani" ( lit. ' Lady if Pure Abode ' ). She gave birth to two daughters of Salim, both of whom died during childhood and Prince Khurram ,
12474-528: The year 1620, she was designated the title of "Padshah Begum" and held it until the death of Jahangir in 1627. Her abilities are said to range from fashion and jewellery designing, perfumery, hunting to building architectural monuments and more. The ancestral lineage of Jahangir were traced from the House of Babur Jahangir's sons were: Jahangir's daughters were: He succeeded the throne on Thursday, 3 November 1605, eight days after his father's death. Salim ascended
12600-438: Was a succession war for the throne between Dara and Aurangzeb. Finally, Aurangzeb succeeded the throne and kept Shah Jahan under house arrest. During Aurangzeb's reign, the empire gained political strength once more, and it became the world's largest economy, over a quarter of the world GDP, but his establishment of Sharia caused huge controversies. Aurangzeb expanded the empire to include a huge part of South Asia. At its peak,
12726-411: Was again found in a less than honourable or desired position. Her father was at that time, a diwan to an Amir-ul-Umra , decidedly not a very high post. In addition, both her father and one of her brothers were surrounded by scandal as the former was accused of embezzlement and the latter of treason. Her fortunes took a turn for the better when she married Jahangir. The Mughal state gave absolute power to
12852-420: Was also interested in elevating the way individuals view leaders with the stylings of his clothes and ensemble. Akbar's son, Jahangir , was addicted to opium , neglected the affairs of the state, and came under the influence of rival court cliques . During the reign of Jahangir's son, Shah Jahan , the splendour of the Mughal court reached its peak, as exemplified by the Taj Mahal . The cost of maintaining
12978-496: Was an adventurous Persian who had been forced to flee his home in Persia after the demise of his first master Shah Ismail II . He later joined the Mughal army and served under the Emperors Akbar and Jahangir . As a reward for his loyal service, Akbar arranged Nur Jahan's marriage with Sher Afgan. Their only child together, a daughter, Mihr-un-Nissa Begum , popularly known as Ladli Begum, was born in 1605. While participating in
13104-618: Was angered at having to play second fiddle to her favourite Shahryar, his half-brother and her son-in-law. When the Persians besieged Kandahar, Nur Jahan was at the helm of the affairs. She corresponded with Kösem Sultan , the most powerful Valide Sultan and regent of the Ottoman Empire . Nur Jahan attempted, with the support of the Ottomans and the Uzbeks , to form a coalition against the Safavids . However, her efforts did not succeed. She ordered Prince Khurram to march for Kandahar, but he refused. As
13230-464: Was appointed diwan (treasurer) for the province of Kabul . Due to his astute skills at conducting business, he quickly rose through the ranks of the high administrative officials. For his excellent work he was awarded the title of Itimad-ud-Daula or ‘Pillar of the State’ by the emperor. As a result of his work and promotions, Ghiyas Beg was able to ensure that Mehr-un-Nissa (the future Nur Jahan) would have
13356-494: Was backed by Nur Jahan being her son-in-law. Jahangir's eldest son Khusrau had rebelled against the Emperor, was partially blinded as a result and was later killed by Prince Khurram during an uprising in Deccan. Jahangir's second son, Parviz, was weak and addicted to alcohol. Afraid to lose her powers and influence in the Mughal court if Shah Jahan would succeed her husband, she backed her son-in-law, Shahryar Mirza, who she believed could be easily manipulated thus retaining influence in
13482-524: Was both a commercial center at the border of the Mughal Empire and the burial place of Babur , the founder of the Mughal Empire, Jahangir dispatched Prince Shahryar to repel the Safavids. However, due to Shahryar's inexperience and harsh Afghan winter, Kandahar fell to the Safavids . In 1623, Emperor Jahangir sent his tehsildar , Khan Alam, to Safavid Persia , accompanied by 800 sepoys, scribes and scholars, along with ten howdahs well decorated in gold and silver, to negotiate peace with Emperor Abbas after
13608-497: Was built in I'timād-ud-Daulah's own garden, on the eastern bank of the Yamuna across from Agra. The building is square measuring sixty nine feet on each side, with four octagonal towers rising up one at each corner. The central Vault inside the tomb contain the cenotaphs of I'timād-ud-Daulah and his wife, Nur Jahan's mother Asmat Begum. The walls in the central chamber are decorated with paintings set in deep niches. According to Vincent Smith
13734-514: Was characterized by a complex relationship with his nobility and family, notably reflected in his marriage to Mehar-un-Nisa (later known as Empress Nur Jahan ), who wielded significant political influence behind the throne. This period saw the empire's further entrenchment into the Indian subcontinent , including efforts to subdue the Rajput Kingdoms and extend Mughal authority into the Deccan . Jahangir's foreign policy included interactions with
13860-399: Was designated the honorary title of " Padshah Begum " and for most of the reign of Jahangir retained this title. After her death, this title was passed to Nur Jahan. On 17 June 1608, he married a second Kachwaha Rajput princess, Kunwari Koka Kumari, eldest daughter of Jagat Singh, the deceased heir apparent or "Yuvraj" of Amber and granddaughter of Mirza Raja Man Singh I . This marriage
13986-452: Was due to the action of Ahmad Sirhindi , who routinely attend the court debates to counteract some religious beliefs and doctrines which prevalent in the court. In the process, it is recorded from these correspondence which compiled in 1617, that Farid Murtaza Khan took Ahmad Sirhindi advices regarding this matter. His efforts influenced Abul Fazl , protegee of emperor Akbar, to support Ahmad Sirhindi in effort to convince Jahangir to reverse
14112-478: Was frequently ill in the 1620s. Jahangir was trying to restore his health by visiting Kashmir and Kabul. He went from Kabul to Kashmir but decided to return to Lahore because of a severe cold. In 1627 on 29 October, during the journey from Kashmir to Lahore, Jahangir died near Bhimber . To embalm and preserve his body, the entrails were removed; these were buried inside Baghsar Fort near Bhimber in Kashmir. The body
14238-467: Was handed over to his younger brother and was partially blinded. From the time of his marriage with Mehr-un-Nissa, later known as Empress Nur Jahan , Jahangir left the reins of government in her hands and appointed her family and relatives to high positions. Nur Jahan had complete freedom of speech near Jahangir without any reprimand. On the contrary, she could nag and fight with him on the smallest issue. Thus, her unprecedented freedom of action to control
14364-511: Was held at the palace of Jahangir's mother, Mariam-uz-Zamani, in Agra. On 11 January 1610, he accepted the hand of the daughter of Raja Ram Shah Bundela of Orchha in marriage to mark a formal end to the hostilities between them. At some point, he had also married Kabuli Begum daughter of Mirza Muhammad Hakim son of Emperor Humayun . She was also one of the later chief consorts of Jahangir. Jahangir married Mehr-un-Nisa (better known by her subsequent title of Nur Jahan ) on 25 May 1611. She
14490-416: Was near her confinement, she was shifted to the humble dwelling of Salim by Akbar where she gave birth to Salim. He was named after Salim, given the faith of Akbar in the efficacy of the prayers of the holy man. Jahangir's foster mother was the daughter of Salim Chishti, and his foster brother was Qutubuddin Koka , the grandson of Chishti. Jahangir began his education at the age of five. On this occasion,
14616-483: Was pregnant with Salim, the baby stopped kicking in the womb abruptly. Akbar was at that time hunting cheetahs when this matter was reported to him. Thinking if he could have done anything more for the safety of his unborn child, he vowed that from that day he would never hunt cheetahs on Fridays and Salim notes in his autobiography that Akbar kept his vow throughout his life. Salim, too, in reverence for his father's vow, never hunted cheetahs on Friday. When Mariam-uz-Zamani
14742-418: Was quelled by Jahangir's forces and the prince was forced to surrender unconditionally. Although he was forgiven for his errors in 1626, tensions between Nur Jahan and her stepson would continue to grow underneath the surface. Jahangir died on 28 October 1627 and his death sparked a war of succession between his remaining sons, Prince Khurram who was proclaimed as Shah Jahan by Jahangir and Prince Shahryar who
14868-428: Was recognized as the real force behind the Mughal throne. Jahangir entrusted her with Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal 's second son, Prince Shah Shuja , upon his birth in 1616. This new responsibility was given to her due to her high rank, political clout and Jahangir's affection for her. It was also an honour for the empress as Shuja was a special favourite of his grandfather. After Sher Afgan's death, Nur Jahan's family
14994-453: Was seen as a fulfillment of Chishti's blessings, and he was named after him. His early life was marked by personal tragedy, including the death of his twin brothers in infancy, which led to a sense of grief in his family. His early education was comprehensive, covering various subjects including Persian , Hindustani , and military tactics . Jahangir's upbringing was heavily influenced by the cultural and spiritual heritage of his family, setting
15120-442: Was seventeen years old, but their relationship was blocked by Emperor Akbar . However more modern scholarship has led to doubts about the existence of a prior relationship between Nur Jahan and Jahangir. In 1611, Nur Jahan met Emperor Jahangir at the palace's Meena Bazaar during the spring festival of Nowruz which celebrated the coming of the new year, Jahangir fell in love with her and proposed, and they were married on 25 May of
15246-592: Was supposedly one of his tutors on the subject of warfare tactics. During this time, Jahangir grew up fluent in Persian and premodern Urdu , with a "respectable" knowledge of Persianified courtly Chaghatai ("Turki"), the Mughal ancestral language. On 24 February 1585, Jahangir married the Kachwaha Rajput princess of Amer, Kunwari Manbhawat Deiji, in her native town Amer. A lavish ceremony took place in Amber Fort and
15372-451: Was the beginning of a Mughal-Company relationship that would develop into something approaching a partnership and see the "EIC" gradually drawn into the Mughal nexus". While Roe's detailed journals are a valuable source of information on Jahangir's reign, the Emperor did not return the favour, with no mention of Roe in his voluminous diaries. In 1615, Jahangir captured Kangra Fort , whose Katoch rulers came under Mughal vassalship during
15498-536: Was the second daughter and fourth child of the Persian aristocrat Mirza Ghiyas Beg and his wife Asmat Begum . Both of Nur Jahan's parents were descendants of illustrious families – Ghiyas Beg from Muhammad Sharif and Asmat Begum from the Aqa Mulla clan. Her paternal grandfather, Khwaja Muhammad Sharif , was first a wazir to Tatar Sultan the governor of Khurasan , and later was in the service of Shah Tahmasp , who made him
15624-404: Was the widow of a high-ranking Persian nobleman Sher Afgan . Mehr-un-Nisa became his utmost favorite wife after their marriage and was the last of his chief consorts. She was witty, intelligent, and beautiful, which attracted Jahangir to her. Before being awarded the title of Nur Jahan ('Light of the World'), she was called Nur Mahal ('Light of the Palace'). After the death of Saliha Bano Begum in
15750-427: Was then conveyed by palanquin to Lahore and was buried in Shahdara Bagh , a suburb of that city. His son, Shah Jahan, commissioned his tomb and is today a popular tourist attraction site. Jahangir's death launched a minor succession crisis. While Nur Jahan desired her son-in-law, Shahryar Mirza, to take the throne, her brother Abu'l-Hassan Asaf Khan was corresponding with his son-in-law, Prince Khurram to take over
15876-526: Was trying to maneuver Shahryar as the successor to Jahangir. Using the rugged terrain of Deccan to his advantage, Khurram launched a rebellion against Jahangir in 1622. This precipitated a political crisis in Jahangir's court. Khurram murdered his blind older brother, Khusrau Mirza, to smooth his path to the throne. Simultaneously, the Safavid emperor Abbas the Great attacked Kandahar in the winter of 1622. Since it
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