Nur Jahan
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Begam Nur Jahan (Urdu: نور جهان ) (alternative spelling Noor Jahan, Nur Jehan, Nor Jahan, etc.) (1577 – 1645) also known as Mehr-un-Nisaa was a Mughal empress.
Begam Nur Jehan was the twentieth and favourite wife of Mughal Emperor Jehangir, who was her second husband - and the most famous Empress of the Mughal Empire. The story of the couple's infatuation for each other and the relationship that abided between them is the stuff of many (often apocryphal) legends. She remains historically significant for the sheer amount of imperial authority she wielded - the true "power behind the throne," as Jehangir was battling serious addictions to alcohol and opium throughout his reign - and is known as one of the most powerful women in the history of India.
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[edit] Birth
Begam Nur Jahan was born in 1577 at Kandahar in present-day Afghanistan. Her Persian grandfather, who was in the service of Shah Tahmasp I, died in Yazd, laden with honours. His heirs, however, soon fell upon hard times. His son Mirza Ghias Beg (known as Itmad-ud-Daulah, "Pillar of the State", a title conferred on him by Akbar) travelled to India with his family. For their journey, Ghias Beg and his wife, Asmat Begum, joined a caravan travelling southward under the leadership of a merchant noble named Malik Masud. While still in Persian territory, less than half the way to their destination, Ghias Beg's party was attacked by robbers and the family lost almost everything it owned. Left with only two mules, Ghias Beg, his expectant wife, their children, Muhammad Sharif, Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan, and one daughter, took turns riding on the backs of the animals. When the group reached Kandahar, Asmat Begum gave birth to her fourth child and second daughter, Mehr-un-Nisa.
[edit] Marriage with Jahangir
The emperor Akbar died in 1605 and was succeeded by prince Salim, who took the regal name Jahangir. After her husband Sher Afghan (who was appointed as jagirdar of Bardhaman at that time) was killed in 1607 , Mehr-un-Nisaa became a lady-in-waiting to one of the Jahangir's stepmothers, Ruqayya Sultana Begam. Ruqayya was the most senior woman in the harem and had been Akbar's first and principal wife and was also the daughter of Mirza Hindal. The father of Mehr-un-Nisaa was, at that time, a diwan to an amir-ul-umra, decidedly not a very high post.
The year 1607 had not been particularly good for Mehr-un-Nisaa. Her family had fallen into disgrace. Her father, who had been holding important posts under Akbar and Jahangir, had succumbed to his only weakness, money, and had been charged with embezzlement. Moreover, due to possible involvement in the pro-Khusrau assassination attempt on Jahangir in 1607, Two of Mehr-un-Nisaa's family members (one brother named Muhammad Sharif and her mother's cousin) were executed on the orders of the Emperor.
In march 1611, her fortune took a turn for the better. She met the emperor Jehangir at the palace meena bazaar during the spring festival (Norouz). Jehangir grew so infatuated by her beauty that he proposed immediately and they were married on 25 May of the same year becoming his twentieth wife.
Mehr-un-Nisaa received the name Nur Mahal ("Light of the Palace"), upon her marriage in 1611 and was conferred the title Nur Jahan ("Light of the world") in 1616. Jahangir's actual name was Nur-ud-din Muhammad, and thus the name that he gave to his wife was his own first name combined with the first part of his regal name.
[edit] Mughal empress
For Mehr-un-Nisaa's own immediate family, marriage to Jahangir became a great boon with several members receiving sizeable endowments and promotions as a result. This affection led to Nur Jahan wielding a great deal of actual power in affairs of state. The Mughal state gave absolute power to the emperor, and those who exercised influence over the emperor gained immense influence and prestige. Jahangir's addiction to opium and alcohol made it easier for Nur Jahan to exert her influence. For many years, she effectively wielded imperial power and was recognized as the real force behind the Mughal throne. She even gave audiences at her palace and the ministers consulted with her on most matters. Indeed, Jehangir even permitted coinage to be struck in her name, something that traditionally defined sovereignty.
Through Nur Jahan's influence, her family, including her brother Asaf Khan, consolidated their position at court. Asaf Khan was appointed grand vizier (minister) to Jahangir, and his daughter Arjumand Banu Begum (later known as Mumtaz Mahal) was wed to Prince Khurram (the future Shah Jahan), the eldest son of Jehangir, born by a Rajput princess, Jagat Gosaini. Khurram rebelled against his father and a war of succession broke out. Due to Khurram's intransigence, Nur Jehan shifted her support to his younger brother, Shahryar. She arranged the marriage of her own daughter Ladli Begum, born of her first marriage, to her stepson Shahryar. The two weddings ensured that one way or another, the influence of Nur Jahan's family would extend over the Mughal Empire for at least another generation.
Jahangir was captured by rebels in 1626 while he was on his way to Kashmir. Nur Jahan intervened to get her husband released. Jahangir was rescued but died on October 28, 1627. After Jahangir's death, Nur Jahan devoted some of her life to the making of perfume, an art form her mother had passed down.
[edit] Death
When Jahangir died ,in 1628, Nur Jahan's brother Asaf Khan took the side of his son-in-law Khurrum against his sister. It was Khurram who became new Mughal emperor under the regal name Shah Jahan. Nur Jehan was confined to a comfortable mansion for the rest of her life. During this period, she paid for and oversaw the construction of her father's mausoleum in Agra, known now as Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb. Nur Jehan died in 1645 and is buried at Shahdara Bagh in Lahore, near the tomb of Jahangir. Her brother Asaf's tomb is also located nearby.
[edit] See also
[edit] Also Read
- List of mausolea worldwide
