Inheritance of power and wealth in the…
1627 CE
Inheritance of power and wealth in the Mughal empire is not determined through primogeniture, but by princely sons competing to achieve military successes and consolidating their power at court.
This often leads to rebellions and wars of succession.
As a result, a complex political climate had surrounded the Mughal court in the formative years of Shahzada Khurram.
Khurram's father had in 1611 married Nur Jahan, the widowed daughter of an Afghan Noble.
She had rapidly become an important member of Emperor Jahangir's court and, together with her brother Asaf Khan, wields considerable influence.
Arjumand is Asaf Khan's daughter and her marriage to Prince Khurrum consolidates Nur Jahan and Asaf Khan's positions at court.
Khurram's military successes of 1617 against the Lodi in the Deccan had effectively secured the southern border of the empire and his grateful father had rewarded him with the prestigious title 'Shah Jahan Bahadur' (Brave King of the World) which had implicitly sealed his inheritance.
Court intrigues, however, including Nur Jahan's decision to have her daughter from her first marriage wed Shah Jahan's youngest brother and her support for his claim to the throne.
leads Khurram, supported by Mahabat Khan, into open revolt against his father in 1622.
The rebellion had been quelled by Jahangir's forces in 1626 and Khurram had been forced to submit unconditionally.
Upon the death of Jahangir in 1627, Prince Khurram succeeds to the Mughal throne as Shah Jahan, King of the World, the latter title alluding to his pride in his Timurid roots and his ambitious dreams of becoming a renowned ruler of the history.
Shahanshah Shah Jahan's first act as ruler is to execute his chief rivals and imprison his step mother Nur Jahan.
This allows Shan Jahan to rule without contention.