Jahangir

Jahangir Biography

Jahangir was the fourth Mughal Emperor, known by the title - Nur-ud-din Mohammad Salim. He was the eldest surviving son of Emperor Akbar and was the father of Shah Jahan, who built many important constructions of north India including Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Akbar was succeeded by his son Salim, who took the title of Jahangir (1605-1627). He was known to be a tolerant ruler and a great patron of art, science and architecture. Salim-Anarkali tragic love story has been made movies many times on Indian screen, with two climaxes and it’s one of the popular love stories from India. Jahangir set up a ‘Chain of Justice’ between the Agra Fort and River Yamuna for the complaint registration of his subjects. The ruler had numerous wives and Nur Jahan was his consert.

He was born on                30 August 1569 in Fatehpur Sikri as the son of Emperor Akbar. He was the surving elder son of Akbar and hence the heir to the throne. Yet he was impatient and revolted in 1599 for power though got defeated. Later he forcefully succeeded the throne eight days after his father's death and got support from the ladies of his family. He was 36 then and continued in the throne as emperor for next 22 years till his death. He also faced rebellion by his own son, Prince Khusrau Mirza soon after his succession. Mirza defeated in 1606 was tortured for 5 days and made blind and he disappeared while taking a bath in a river. Jahangir declared his third son Prince Khurram as his predecessor and Khurram who later came to be known as Shah Jahan killed his brother Mirza in a conspiracy.

One of the most important events of Jahangir's life was his marriage to Nur Jahan. This multi-talented lady had a great influence on Jahangir. It was her second marriage. Jahangir was addicted to drinking wine and he lost health. Though he led an easy way of life, he was a strict administrator. He was considered to be quite impartial towards both Hindus and Muslims, and participated in Hindu festivals as well.

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Updated: September 24, 2017