The Mughals have left an undeniable imprint upon the Indian landscape; their legacy is seen in the form of culture, architecture and art. Their rule lasted for more than 300 years, from 1526 to 1857. There have been a whole brood of Mughal emperors, but none stood out as much as the first six, the creators of the Mughal legacy. Many of their descendants would take advantage of the riches and power that they had inherited. However, infighting among them paved the way for other princes and ultimately the British to take control.
In part 4, we look at the fourth Mughal Emperor, Jahangir (1569-1627), who reigned from 1605 until 1627. Here, Khadija Tauseef looks at the many problems Jahangir had with his father Akbar before he took power, the key events of his reign, and the importance of Nur Jahan while he was in power.
If you missed them, you can read part one in the series on the first Mughal Emperor Babur here, part 2 on Emperor Humayun here, the start of part 3 on Emperor Akbar here, and Emperor Akbar in power here.
Mughal Emperor Jahangir hunting with a falcon.
The fourth Mughal emperor, who ruled the empire for twenty-two years, was Jahangir. He was a prince that was born with a golden spoon in his mouth; the first surviving child of Emperor Akbar had already made him his father’s favorite. Unfortunately, he had a bitter relationship with his father, who he revolted against several times. However, the father and son were able to reconcile their differences during Akbar’s later reign. Jahangir’s life was haunted by vices that would make him unfit to rule though: opium and drink. He was also a patron of the arts, especially of painting.
Golden Beginnings
Emperor Jahangir was born on August 31, 1569, to Akbar and his Rajput wife, Marium-uz-Zamani. His birth was an auspicious event in Akbar’s life; he had several children who had died in different stages of infancy. Jahangir was the first son to survive. Akbar named him Salim, after the Chishti Shaykh. Akbar was so excited about the birth of Salim that he built the city of Fatehpur Sikri.
Growing up, Salim and his brothers were provided with a comfortable upbringing, which led them to develop habits that would hinder them in the future. Salim had developed a liking for drink, opium, and women. He had a demonic temper coupled with a streak of cruelty, which caused a rift between father and son.
As Bamber Gascoigne writes:
“Akbar seems to have been intensely irritated by his eldest son, often it must be admitted with good reason—as when Salim executed three offenders with particularly whimsical and sadistic devices, or when he continually declined the command of expeditions to distant parts of the empire, seeming determined to remain near enough the centre to be strongly placed when his father died.”
Akbar soon started to prefer his other sons to Salim. However, Abul Fazl claims that not all the blame lies with the son, as Akbar has a hand in it as well. Abul Fazl recalls:
“…on the journey to Kashmir in 1589, Salim had been told to bring the harem forward to join Akbar, but he decided that the road was too dangerous and so came on alone. Akbar’s response was on the verge of hysterical. He refused to see the prince and laid hectic plans to ride all through the night, almost unaccompanied, over the admittedly perilous path to fetch the ladies himself.”
Revolts
In 1599, Akbar was struck by tragedy, when his son Murad passed away, caused by his addiction to alcohol. Salim began to revolt against Akbar, making trouble by declaring himself emperor.
Gascoigne writes:
“Compared to the rebellions by Moghul princes later in the seventeenth century this was a very low-key affair and can be more accurately described as Salim mooning about the country with a large army and vaguely referring to himself as emperor while disobeying Akbar’s orders to put his troops to any more effective use. Both father and son were careful to avoid any irretrievable step, and even when Salim marched in 1602 from Allahabad towards Agra with the force of thirty thousand men Akbar was able to talk him back into obedience without an open clash.”
In 1603, Hamida, Akbar’s mother, was able to bring about a reconciliation between the two. She was instrumental in helping them repair the rift. It could not have come at a better time because in March 1605, Akbar’s son Daniyal died as a result of alcoholism. Before his own death, Akbar placed his turban on Salim, confirming his position as successor to the Mughal throne.
Emperor
Prince Salim had inherited a rich and stable empire from his father, and upon ascending the throne he adopted the name Nur-ud-din Jahangir, which means ‘seizer of the world’. Unlike his father, Jahangir wasn’t interested in political and administrative affairs. Although a patron of the arts, he chose to indulge his time and energies in wine, women, songs, and drugs.
Soon after his ascension, Jahangir faced his first challenge, in the form of his eldest son - Khusrau’s rebellion. The rebellion was put down and Khusrau fled to Delhi, with his father’s forces still in pursuit. After the capture and punishment of his son and allies, Jahangir turned his affections towards another son, Khurram (the future emperor Shah Jahan). During his reign there were regular uprisings that required his attention. Jahangir’s life took a turn in 1611 when he married the widow, Mehr-un-Nisa, upon whom he conferred the title of Nur Jahan. Even though he had 20 wives, Nur Jahan would remain his favorite until the end of his life.
Annemarie Schimmel writes:
“The fact that Jahangir was able to live a life of luxury and devote himself almost exclusively to art and science, concerning himself very little with matters of government, was thanks to his wife Nur Jahan.”
Nur Jahan was an intelligent woman, who began handling the affairs of the country from the shadows. This brought her into direct conflict with Prince Khurram, who believed that Nur Jahan was using her influence to garner favor for her family members. In the beginning Nur Jahan had supported Shah Jahan’s claim to the throne; however, she shifted her support to Shahriyar.
As Jahangir became even more dependent upon drugs and drinking, he receded from public life and the functioning of the court was in large part due to Nur Jahan. Jahangir’s health began to deteriorate as time went on. He suffered greatly when Khurram rebelled, becoming disobedient after his victory against Malik Amber. Like Babur, Jahangir used to chronicle all the events of his life and it is in his diary that for the first time he refers to his beloved son, as bi-Daulat (the wretch). Khurram went on the run when his rebellion failed.
Death
As Jahangir’s health deteriorated, he began visiting places like Kashmir and Kabul that were supposed to help restore health. While Jahangir was camped by the River Jhelum, with his wife Nur Jahan by his side, his second son, Parviz surrounded the camp. Nur Jahan fled the camp and organized reinforcements, leading to a successful retrieval of her husband.
After visiting Kashmir, Jahangir decided to return to Lahore, but unfortunately, he would never complete the journey. Emperor Jahangir passed away on the October 28, 1627, at the age of 57. There had been no really significant political or military developments during his reign. He had not expanded the empire beyond the boundaries established by Akbar.
What do you think of Emperor Jahangir? Let us know below.
Now, you can read Khadija’s article on “The Fascinating History of Lahore Fort in Pakistan” here.
