Nur Jahan
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Nur Jahan (Persian: نور جهان ) (alternative spelling Noor Jahan, Nur Jehan, Nor Jahan, etc.) (1577 – 1645) was a Mughal empress.
Nur Jehan was the twentieth and favourite wife of Mughal Emperor Jehangir, who was her second husband. 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.
Two accurate and entertaining books on the life of Mehrunnisa have been published recently. The first is titled, 'The Twentieth Wife' and the second is 'A Feast of Roses', both by author Indu Sundaresan.
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[edit] Birth
Nur Jahan was born Mehr un-Nisaa` (Arabic: مھرالنسأ) (which means "the Sun of Women") 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 to history as Itmat-ud-daulah, "Pillar of the State," a title conferred on him by Akbar) emigrated to India with his family. For their journey Ghias Beg and Asmat Begum (wife of Ghias Beg) 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 sons, Muhammad Sharif and Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan, and one daughter took turns among themselves riding on the backs of the animals. When the group got to Kandhar, Asmat Begam gave birth to her fourth child and second daughter, Mehrunnisa.
[edit] First Marriage
In 1594, at age 17, Mehrunnisa was married to an Persian adventurer, Sher Afghan Ali Quli Khan Istajlu. Ali Quli had been table attendant to Shah Ismail II of Persia (1576-78), but on the Shah's assassination, he fled through Kandahar to India. In Multan, he joined the army of Abdur Rahim Khan-i-khanan who, at that time, was marching on Thatta in his conquest of the Sindh. Afterwards, Abdur Rahim Khankhanan brought Ali Quli with him and secured a mansab for him under Akbar as a reward. The marriage of Ali Quli to Mehirunissa was, at least in part, a tribute to the young soldier's exceptional service, first under Khan-i-khanan and then under Akbar. They had a daughter, Ladli Begum.
[edit] Marriage with Jahangir
The emperor Akbar died in 1605 and was succeeded by the prince Salim, who took the regal name Jahangir.
After her husband Sher Afghan was killed in 1607(who was appointed as jagirdar of Bardhaman at that time), Mehrunnisa became a lady-in-waiting of one of the step-mothers of the Jahangir, Ruqayya Sultana Begam. Ruqayya was the most senior woman in the harem. She had been Akbar's first and principal wife, and was daughter of Mirza Hindal. The father of Mehrunissa 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 Nur Jehan. Her family had fallen into disgrace. Her father, who had been holding important posts under Akbar and Jahangir both, 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, Nur Jehan's two family members (one brother named Muhammad Sharif and mother's cousin) were executed, on the orders of the Emperor.
By 1611, her fortune took a turn. She met the emperor Jehangir at the Palace meena bazaar during the spring festival (Norouz) in March 1611. Jehangir grew so infatuated by her beauty that he proposed immediately and they were married on 25 May the same year. She was his twentieth wife.
Mehrunnisa 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 (Nur), combined with the first part of his regal name (Jehan).
[edit] Mughal Empress
For Mehrunnisa's own immediate family, marriage to Jahangir became a great boon since several members received sizeable endowments and promotions as a result of her new alliance. This affection led to Nur Jehan 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 Jehan 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 permitted coinage to be struck in her name, something that traditionally defined sovereignty.
Through Nur Jehan's influence, her family, including her brother Asaf Khan, consolidated their position at court. Asaf Khan was appointed grand vizier (minister) to Jehangir, 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 step-son Shahryar. The two weddings ensured that one way or another, the influence of Nur Jehan's family would extend over the Mughal Empire for at least another generation.
Jehangir was captured by rebels in 1626 while he was on his way to Kashmir. Nur Jehan intervened to get her husband released. Jehangir 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, Asaf Khan (brother of Nur Jahan) took the side of his son-in-law Shah Jehan against his sister. It was Khurram who became new Mughal emperor under the regal name Shah Jehan. 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 in Lahore, near the tomb of Jahangir. Her brother Asaf's tomb is also located nearby.
