Nur Jahan
Empress consort of the Mughal Empire
1577 CE to 1645 CE
Nur Jahan (May 31, 1577 – December 17, 1645) is Empress consort of the Mughal Empire from May 25, 1611 to October 28, 1627 and is the most beloved wife of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.
She acts as his chief consort and Padshah Begum, officially from 1620–1627, after the title's previous holder, Saliha Banu Begum (the Padshah Begum for most of Jahangir's reign), died in 1620.
Nur Jahan was born Mehr-un-Nissa, the daughter of a Grand Vizier (Minister) who served under Akbar.
Nur Jahan, meaning 'Light of the World', is married at age seventeen to a Persian soldier Sher Afgan, governor of Bihar, an important Mughal province.
She is a married woman when Prince Salim (the future Emperor Jahangir), Akbar's eldest son, falls in love with her.
Two years after Akbar dies and Salim becomes Emperor, Sher Afgan meets his death.
However, three more years are to pass before a grieving Nur Jahan consents to marry the Emperor Jahangir.
Although Jahangir is deeply in love with Nur Jahan, their actual story bears no resemblance to the entirely fictional legend of Anarkali, a low-born dancing girl who, according to popular folklore and film-lore, had a tragic and doomed love affair with Jahangir
In fact, the relationship between Jahangir and Nur Jahan was even more scandalous in its time than the legend of Anarkali, for Nur Jahan was a married woman when the Emperor fell in love with her.
After the wedding, Nur Jehan quickly gains ascendency over her husband.
A strong, charismatic and well-educated woman who dominates a relatively weak-minded husband, Nur Jahan is the most powerful and influential woman at court during a period when the Mughal Empire is at the peak of its power and glory.
More decisive and pro-active than her husband, she is considered by historians to have been the real power behind the throne for more than fifteen years.
Nur Jehan is granted certain honors and privileges never enjoyed by any Mughal empress before or afterwards.
She is the only Mughal empress to have coinage struck in her name.
She is often present when the Emperor holds court, and even holds court independently when the Emperor is unwell.
She is given charge of his imperial seal, implying that her perusal and consent are necessary before any document or order receives legal validity.
The Emperor seeks her views on most matters before issuing orders.
The only other Mughal empress to command such devotion from her husband is Nur Jehan's niece Mumtaz Mahal, for whom Shah Jehan builds the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum.
However, she takes no interest in affairs of state and Nur Jehan is therefore unique in the annals of the Mughal Empire for the political influence she wields.
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Mughal rule under Jahangir (1605-27) and Shah Jahan (1628-58) is noted for political stability, brisk economic activity, beautiful paintings, and monumental buildings.
Jahangir marries the Persian princess whom he renames Nur Jahan (Light of the World), who emerges as the most powerful individual in the court besides the emperor.
As a result, Persian poets, artists, scholars, and officers—including her own family members—lured by the Mughal court's brilliance and luxury, find asylum in India.
The number of unproductive, time-serving officers mushrooms, as does corruption, while the excessive Persian representation upsets the delicate balance of impartiality at the court.
Jahangir likes Hindu festivals but promotes mass conversion to Islam; he persecutes the followers of Jainism and even executes Guru Arjan Das, the fifth saint-teacher of the Sikhs.
Nur jahan's abortive schemes to secure the throne for the prince of her choice lead Shah Jahan to rebel in 1622.
In this same year, the Persians take over Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, an event that strikes a serious blow to Mughal prestige.