Jahangir – Mughal Emperor – GK+Notes

Nasiruddin Muhammad Jahangir was born on August 30, 1569. His father was Akbar. His real name was Salim. His mother was Maryam-uz-Zaman and his brothers were Daniel and Murad.

Info/Note:
> Jahangir married Manbai, daughter of King Bhagwan Das of Amber.
> Manbai was the mother of Prince Khasbu.
> Jahangir’s favorite wife was Jagat Gonsai (also known as Manavati Bai), daughter of King Uday Singh of Jodhpur.
> Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan) was the son of Jagat Gonsai.
> Jahangir banned animal slaughter on Sundays (Akbar’s birthday) and Thursdays (his coronation day).

Jahangir suppressed the 'twelve Bhuiyans' or "Bara-Bhuyan" in Bengal.

Jahangir introduced the twelfth law (Dastur-ul-Amal) for the welfare of the people.

‘Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri’ (Written in Persian): Written by Jahangir himself. In this book, the account of the first 17 years of his reign was mentioned.

Conquest and Rebel Suppression:

His reign lasted from 1605 to 1627. A few rebellions and other historical events occurred sporadically during this period. All these events made his reign particularly significant.

1. 1605: Jahangir ascended the Mughal throne.
2. 1606: Assassination of Guru Arjuna: Khasru rebelled against King Jahangir and was sheltered by Guru Arjuna in 1606. Jahangir demanded a fine of 2 lakh rupees from Sikh Guru Arjuna on this charge. Then He killed Guru Arjuna for refusing to pay it.
3. 1606: Khasru’s Rebellion: Jahangir’s eldest son Khusrau Mirza rebelled against him. However, Jahangir defeated and imprisoned him in 1606. Khusrau Mirza was killed at Burhanpur on the orders of Prince Khurram in 1620. Khusrau Mirza was called ‘Martyred Saint’.
4. 1608: The Nizamshahi dynasty of Ahmadnagar declared independence in 1608 AD under Malik Ambar’s prime ministership. This rebellion could not be completely suppressed.
5. 1611: Jahangir married Mehr-un-Nissa also known as Nur Jahan.
6. 1614: Conquest of Mewar: Jahangir’s son Yuvraj Khurram defeated Rana Amar Singh (son of Rana Pratap) of Mewar in 1614.
7. 1615: Jahangir and Rana Amar Singh signed a peace treaty.
8. 1615: When Usman Khan (Governor of Bengal) rebelled in Bengal in 1614, Jahangir suppressed that rebellion in 1615.
9. 1617: The suppression of Malik Ambar in the Deccan was not completely successful as Ambar remained very powerful in the Deccan region.
10. 1620: Jahangir captured the fort of Kangra in 1620.
11. 1623: Khurram’s Revolt: Jahangir’s son Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan) revolted against him in 1623. When Jahangir’s other son Shahriar married Nur Jahan’s daughter, Ladli Begum, Nurjahan tried to secure Shahriar’s interest in the throne against Khurram. As a result, Khurram became a rebel. And Khurram fled and sought asylum with Malik Ambar in the Deccan.
12. 1626: Shah Jahan’s final Rebellion against Jahangir has also remained unsuccessful. Later Jahangir pardoned Shah Jahan when he submitted to the king.
13. 1622: Shah Abbas of (Safavid) Iran recaptured Kandahar from the Mughal king Jahangir in 1622.
14. 1626: Rebellion of Mahabat Khan: Although Mahabat Khan Initially being a trusted commander of Jahangir, he revolted against Jahangir in 1626 as a result of Nur Jahan’s conspiracy. Mahabat was initially successful but later surrendered to the king.

Nur Jahan:

• Sher Afghan was married to Meherunnisa, the daughter of Ghiyas Beg (Itmad-ud-Daula).
• Sher Afghan was subsequently killed.
• Meherunnisa married Jahangir in 1611.
• She was the twentieth and last wife of the Jahangir.
• Jahangir gave her the name ‘Nur Jahan‘ and gave her the status of Padshah Begum in 1613.
• Nur Jahan along with his father Itmad-ud-Daula, brothers Asaf Khan and Khubram formed the Nur Jahan Chakra.

Arrival of Europeans during Jahangir Reign:

1. 1608: William Hawkins as an envoy of King James I of England came to Jahangir’s court (in 1608).
2. 1611: Nicholas Withington who was an English merchant.
3. 1615: Sir Thomas Roe came to India in 1615 and attended Jahangir’s court till 1618. He got permission from the king to build a factory in Surat.
4. 1616: Edward Terry accompanied Sir Thomas Roe.
5. 1620: An Italian merchant and traveler Francesco Carlett visited India during Jahangir’s reign.
6. 1624: Pietro Della Valle who was also an Italian traveler.
7. 1622: Jean-Baptiste Tavernier who was a French traveler and jeweler came during Jahangir’s reign.

Architecture:

1. 1605-1613: Construction of Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra was completed in 1613.
2. 1622-1628: Built the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula (the “Baby Taj”) in Agra for Nur Jahan’s father.
3. 1619: He built the Shalimar Bagh garden in Srinagar.
4. 1620: He built another Shalimar Bagh garden in Lahore.
5. Along with these, the Tomb of Jahangir (Shahdara, Lahore), Akbar’s Fort in Ajmer, Nur Jahan’s Palace, etc were built during the Jahangir reign.

Extra Info: Jahangir himself was a painter. The ‘Mughal school of miniature painting’ reached its peak during Jahangir’s reign.

Extra Info: Jahangir himself composed many songs in Hindi. The famous Hindi musician of his time was Muhammad Sali.

Extra Info: Waqiyat-i-Jahangiri (Written in Persian) written by Mohammad Haji described Jahangir’s reign.

Jahangir died near Lahore on 28 October 1627 during the journey from Kashmir to Lahore. He was buried at Sahadara.