Jahangir

The Emperor Jahangir examining a picture. Mughal miniature, 17th

century.

Jahangir was born on 9 September 1569 at Fatehpur Sikri. His father, Akbar, really doted
on him but the relationship got bitter as Jahangir came of age. Jahangir openly rebelled
against his father at first, but was evenutally reconciled; and on Akbar's death in
November 1605, he assumed the throne. Though his own son, Khusrau, then seventeen
years old, led a military campaign against his father, Jahangir captured him and rendered
him blind. In 1611, Jahangir met, wooed, and married Mehrunissa, the young widow of a
Mughal officer. A beautiful and strong woman, she soon became Jahangir's favorite queen
and assumed the title of Nur Jahan, 'Light of the World'. Her father, Itimad ud-daulah,
was elevated to the position of chief minister; her brother, Asaf Khan, became a
nobleman at the court; and his daughter, Mumtaz Mahal, was married to Khurram (later
Shah Jahan), Jahangir's other son, in 1612. Nur Jahan herself came to exercise
considerable influence over her husband, and Jahangir is said to have relied heavily on
her advice.
Under Jahangir, the empire continued to be a war state attuned to conquest and
expansion. Jahangir's most irksome foe was the Rana of Mewar, Amar Singh, who finally
capitulated in 1613 to Khurram's forces. In the northeast , the Mughals clashed with the
Ahoms of Burma, whose guerilla tactics gave the Mughals a hard time. In Northern India,
Jahangir's forces under Khurram defeated their other principal adversary, the Raja of
Kangra, in 1615; in the Deccan, his victories further consolidated the empire. But in
1620, Jahangir fell sick, and so ensued the familiar quest for power. Nur Jahan married
her daughter to Shahryar, Jahangir's youngest son from his other queen, in the hope of
having a living male heir to the throne when Jahangir died.

Jahangir always feared the Persians and the Uzbeks of Central Asia. The Persians
matched the Mughals in military strength and resources. Their relations were tolerably
good because each feared the other's might. But in 1622, taking advantage of the disputes
within the court, the Persians capitalized on the Mughals' preoccupation in internal affairs
and captured Qandahar. Shah Jahan refused to help Jahangir and Shahryar in the
campaign against the Persians and thus led an open rebellion. He fought his fathers forces
but was defeated and agreed to terms dictated by Nur Jahan. In 1627, Jahangir became
seriously ill, and he never recovered from his illness. Upon the death of his father on 28
October 1627, Shah Jahan, with support from his father-in-law Asaf Khan, became the
emperor by executing Shahryar and other male Mughal heirs. The accession of Shah
Jahan to the throne was a result of great political intrigue.
Jahangir lacked the political enterprise of his father Akbar. But he was an honest man and
a tolerant ruler. He strived to reform society and was tolerant towards Hindus, Christians
and Jews. However, relations with Sikhs were strained, and the fifth of the ten Sikh
gurus, Arjun Dev, was executed at Jahangir's orders for giving aid and comfort to
Khusrau, Jahangir's rebellious son. Art, literature, and architecture prospered under
Jahangir's rule, and the Mughal gardens in Srinagar remain an enduring testimony to his
artistic taste