Jahangir

Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar, the great Mughal Emperor, departed the earth in 1605. With his death, he left a large, secure, and mighty Mughal Empire. He had inherited a fairly different empire from his father, Humayun, and expanded the Empire by alliances, battles, and diplomacy. Since the establishment of the Mughal Empire in 1526, the foundations of the Empire were not strong until the emergence of Akbar who took the Empire to great heights. With the demise of Akbar, Salim took up the reins of the Empire in his hands with the title of Jahangir. In this article, we will talk about the biography of Jahangir.

Background: Early Life and Ambitions of Jahangir (1569-1599)

Jahangir was the third son of Akbar and was born in 1569. There is an interesting story behind the birth of Jahangir. Akbar had walked barefoot to reach the shrine of Sufi saint Sheikh Salim Chisti. Akbar had pleaded to the god for a son. The name Prince "Salim" was inspired by this Saint. Salim, being the Prince of the Mughal Empire, was aware of his importance to his father and behaved a lot like the spoiled brat that he was.

He already began showing his frustration in the early 1590s and wanted to succeed his father. A familiar common pattern that usually repeats itself in the history of the Mughal Empire. When Akbar led a campaign in the southern parts of India in 1599, Salim, with his supporters, led an army against Agra. Agra was the former capital and booming economic center of the Mughal Empire.

Before this incident's information could reach to the ears of Akbar, Salim's grandmother had a heart-to-heart conversation and told them to abort the plan, to which Jahangir agreed. He went back to his base in Allahabad. However, it was not the last claim to the throne. Akbar left for the capital in a hurry and made his advisor and close friend Abu-al-Fazal in charge of the campaign.

Struggles for Succession: Power Dynamics and Rivalries within the Mughal Empire

Salim had hatched an assassination plan for the Abu al-Fazal when he headed back to the court. This plan was hatched out of fear that Abul might advise Akbar to take stern actions against Jahangir, who might end up being removed from the line of succession.

A reconciliation between Salim and Akbar arrived in 1603, however, it did not hold for a long time. Akbar was known brilliant strategist and had already made a contingency plan for the Jahangir. Akbar began readying Jahangir's younger brother Daniyal to succeed to the throne, which was only going to provoke Salim. Salim was snubbed when Akbar allowed Daniyal to use the royal red tent that was reserved for the Emperor during the campaign.

He took it as an insult and further aggravated the injury. To much surprise, Akbar was readying Jahangir's son against his father. Prince Khusrau was conferred with a title in 1594 and sent away Salim's touch. By 1603, he turned seventeen and gained mighty status for himself. With that, Akbar was also sponsoring the nephew of Raja Man Singh to the high positions in the Empire. Raja Man Singh was a member of the inner circle of Akbar that was popularly referred to as Navratna or "nine jewels."

Daniyal died in 1604 due to alcoholism. Murad, another son of the Akbar, also died in 1599. Therefore, it was obvious that Jahangir was going to succeed to the throne. However, Salim had an idea that his son might become an obstacle and would make a concerted effort to snatch the power. Meanwhile, Salim's grandmother died, and when Salim reached the funeral of his grandmother. There had been an argument between him and Akbar. It led to Akbar banning opium or any alcohol during his stay. Then, Salim had been dependent on both.

This dependency once again showed to the Mughal officers that Salim was not fit to succeed Akbar. Akbar had not formally announced the Khusrau, and Salim took the throne when Akbar died in 1605. He took up the title Jahangir, which means "the world possessor."

Khusrau's Rebellion and Sikh Influence (1599-1605)

Although there was a brief reconciliation between the Jahangir and Khusrau, Khusrau was unwilling to die his dream and ambition. Lahore was the capital of the Mughal Empire during the reign of Akbar. Khusrau congregated his supporters and headed to the Punjab to capture the city. The Governor did not allow the opening of gates, and Khusrau began with a siege. Khusrau lost to the Jahangir when he arrived with his Army, and Khusrau fled to Kabul.

He was then captured, publicly humiliated, and dragged to Lahore in chains. His supporters and followers were publicly hanged and impaled on the roads. Khusrau was curtailed to Agra Fort, but he kept scripting plots against his father. His ambition weaned off quickly when he was partially blinded.

During the contemporary, Sikhism had begun to influence and grow. Babur had laid the foundations of the Mughal Era during the lifetime of Sikhism founder Baba Guru Nanak Dev. Akbar had reconciled peace with the Sikhs and had shown goodwill by gifting them land where they established their central city of Amritsar.

Guru Arjan Dev Singh, the fifth Sikh Guru, had a meeting with Khusrau at the time of rebellion and blessed Khusrau. He behaved with Khusrau in certain special ways and made on his forehead a fingermark in saffron, which the Hindus call Qashqa (tikka) and is considered auspicious.

Jahangir ordered Arjan Dev to appear before him. He was asked to convert to Islam or die. Arjan preferred death over converting to Islam and was brutally tortured and killed. After taking the reins in the hands, Salim brought his house in order. Jahangir's people were given high positions in the Mughal court, and some Khusra'empathisers were also restored and then began favoring Jahangir. Raja Man Sing was made to quit as Governor of Bengal, and his son was endorsed for the post.

Jahangir's Rule and Influential Figures (1605-1611)

Jahangir came into association with a remarkable woman whose name was Mehr an-Nisa in 1611. The woman was mature, aged 34, and taking care of his daughter born from the previous marriage. Jahangir fell in love quickly and married her later, and she became his 18th wife. She was given the name Nur Jahan, which means light of the World. Nur was beautiful, independent, capable, and intelligent and had once hunted four tigers with six shots without a single miss. She began to influence the court within one month of her marriage. Her fathers and brother were members of the royal court and would endorse her in the court. Her father's name was I'timad ud Daulah, and her brother's name was Asaf Khan, who brought Prince under her influence.

Jahangir's third son's name was Khurram. Under the supervision of Nur, she made Khuramm tie the knot with her niece Arjumand Banu, who would be in the later part of history called Mumtaz Mahal, the woman buried beneath the Taj Mahal.

Shah Jahan's Rise: Military Achievements and Recognition (1611-1617)

Khurram was running top in the race to succeed the Jahangir as Khusrau was turned blind. Khuram was an exception as the lust for power or ambition didn't drive him; in fact, he was not addicted to opium and wine, unlike other Mughal princes whose sole aim was to capture the throne by hook or crook.

Some of the sources mentioned he was away from wine till he reached the age of 24 and even drank only at the insistence of his father. He has proved his credentials by defeating the Sisiodiyas on the battlefield. The Sisodiyas were the only Rajput house that did not accept the authority of the Mughal Empire. Khurram had conquered what even the Akabar was not able to achieve. Khurram approached the Sisodiyas with the same warmth, kindness, and acceptance that Akbar had shown benevolent behavior to defeated enemies. Thus, making Khurram the perfect choice to wrest the power and become Shenshah of the Mughal Empire.

Jahangir's Ambitions in Southern India

Jahangir was driven by his desire to capture the Southern India. This feature was palpable to all North Indian Kings. By this Jahangir's Generals had launched five military campaigns in South India but had not tasted any major victory.

With a concerted and coordinated effort like constant warfare and intense diplomacy, the Mughals were able to mark their presence felt in the Deccan region. They were planning to conquer the area till Burhanpur, and this would open the gates to conquer the Deccan region. Under the leadership of Khurram, the Mughals led a campaign in 1617 and achieved something significant. Khurram received all the credit for success, and he was also honored by Jahangir and conferred with the title Shah Jahan, which meant the ruler of the World. He was also awarded a mansab of 30,000 which was historic in Mughal History, as the last highest Mansab was 10000 previously.

As the popularity of Shah Jahan rose, the Nur Jahan began to wield its power in the Mughal court, and hunger for power increased. Now, there were two power centers present in the Mughal courts that seemed to be on the verge of collision.

Power Struggles in the Mughal Court

Jahangir's health was in decline and deteriorating in 1616 after being addicted to opium and wine. Some sources suggest that he had become so vulnerable that his hands used to shake, and even he could not pick up a glass.

While Shah Jahan turned arrogant, Nur Jahan began the hunt for a potential new candidate that would be easy to manipulate and control. The new entrant in the power struggle was Prince Shahryar, Shah Jahan's younger brother. The entrant was a new and untested horse in 1620. Still, Nur Jahan began readying him to capture the power. She married her own daughter to Shahryar, which resulted in the previous marriage. However, her power was weaning away. Her father departed from the earth during the same period, and she was becoming too vulnerable to Shah Jahan as her brother switched sides with Shah Jahan. On the other side, Jahangir's health condition was deteriorating, and he had become so weak that it seemed he could die at any time. Nur Jahan maneuvered Jahngir to dispatch Shah Jahan to Deccan for the military campaign and keep far from the capital.

Shah Jahan was conscious of the fact it would weaken the position after the demise of his father, so he asked Khusrau to also be under his custody. He believed that Khusrau was the only contender left who could occupy the throne. With Jahangir falling ill, Shah Jahan moved towards the capital to occupy the throne. The first part of the plan was killing Khusrau. But Jahangir recovered from the illness and first queried about Khusrau's death. Jahangir was unable to accept that Khusrau died of stomach illness. By overnight, the relationship between Son and Father worsened, both of them became hostile to each other by 1622, and Jahangir took back his title of Shah Jahan.

Jahangir's Response and Mahabat Khan's Role: Bengal Annexation and Deccan Challenges

Jahangir called his experienced, able Commander, Mahabat Khan, who was in exile in Afghanistan and gave him the responsibility to command of his Army. Mahabat made a clean sweep crisis across the Indian subcontinent, and Prince tasted the debacle from Mahabat twice. Shah Jahan requested Nur Jahan to give a royal pardon for three years in exile.

Nur Jahan demanded the key forts and two of his sons to keep his word, and the sons would be kept as hostages. Prince Dara Shikoh, aged 10 years, and Prince Aurangzeb, aged 8 years, were dispatched to Lahore, the Mughal capital, at this point as hostages. Later, Shah Jahan was brought back to the Mughal court.

Under the leadership of Jahangir, the Mughals annexed the Bengal region and integrated with the Mughal Empire. Emperor Akbar initiated the annexation of Bengal during his reign in 1575, and the annexation was completed by the generals of Jahangir in 1613. The most challenging frontier was the Deccan region of India. Although Akbar and Jahangir initiated the conquest of Deccan wanted to culminate the process. Powerful three Islamic Sultanates were ruling in the Deccan region.

Maratha Rise and Malik Ambar's Influence

Namely the Adil Shahi of the Bijapur, Bidar Sultanate, and Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Ahmednagar was their top priority in their target list of the Mughals. The rulers of this region were weak, and the Mughals had already sieged their capitals; the regions saw the rise of powerful Maratha warriors and the African Habshis Slave soldiers. The leader of the Habshis soldiers was Malik Ambar. He was an East African Slave soldier who had come to India in early 1570. Peshwa of Ahmadnagar had purchased him and the Peshwa died in 1574, and Ambar became free and turned into a freelance soldier.

At this point, the Indian subcontinent was emerging as a potential market for the military. It had attracted the Portuguese sailor who quit the service of Lisbon and came here to work. He gave their service in all the sultanates of the Deccan region and was conferred with the title of Malik by the Sultan of Bijapur. Ambar rapidly became powerful and acquired his Habshis soldiers. When the Mughals led a powerful invasion, it was Ambar and his men who resisted them.

They also appointed a puppet king to the Ahamadnagar throne and tied the knot with his daughter, thus becoming Sultan Murtaza Nizam Shah II. The other party who kept ante alive were the strong Marathas. They were fierce rivals to the Deccaan Sulatantes, what Rajputs used to be for the Mughals. They were given space in the state mechanism and endowed with land grants. Their participation in the military of the Maratha Administration was huge. The Marathas rose to power and established their Empire after the fall of Deccan Sultanates to the Mughals.

Malik Ambar gave the throne to his grandson due to the demise of his son-in-law, and the new occupier of the throne also acted as a puppet of Ambar.

Jahangir's Death and Shah Jahan's Ascent to the Throne

Shahanshah Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim Jahangir died in October 1627 while coming from Kashmir. The Mughals used peaceful places like Kashmir to escape from the scorching summers. His health condition was turning bad, and Nur Jahan virtually ruled the Empire. In the words of Jahangir, he just wanted to have a kilo of meat and a kilo of wine.

Both Asaf Jahan and Nur Jahan were present in the royal Caravan. Asaf Jahan quickly took their sister under custody and also liberated the Shah Jahan's son. He also communicated Jahangir's death to Shah Jahan, who was in Deccan. Shah Jahan headed back to Lahore to capture the throne. Before the touching soil of Lahore, he directed his family tree to be trimmed, i.e., some of the family members would be killed. This is what exactly happened. Two sons of his uncle Daniyal, his brother Shahriyar, and two sons of the deceased Khusrau were hanged before the grand coronation ceremony. It is very clear Shah Jahan did not want any challenger to his throne and authority and also wanted to end the family struggle that had plagued the Mughal Empire for generations. As date predicted by an astrologer, Sahanshah took the reins of the Mughal Empire on 4th February 1628

Conclusion

Jahangir was an able administrator and kept the Mughal supremacy in India till he was alive. His love story with Nur Jahan is tremendously popular in society, and the Empire did not see many major setbacks during his Empire in fact, the Mughals were able to mark their presence beyond Vindhyas. He also did not remain aloof from the power struggle and conspiracy. Like all Mughal princes, he also rose to power by sidelining or killing his family members.

In his reign, the powerful, strong, and resilient Maratha rose to power, which became significant power in the later part of history and remained a major obstacle in their expansion in the Deccan.

His family members meted out the same fate that he had done to his other Prince's family members. Sikhs also became his enemy due to the treatment and punishment given to the Guru Arjan Dev Singh. It was a departure from the conduct and tradition that Akbar had followed, which was peace, reconciliation, and harmony with other groups.