Mehrun-nisa was married to Mughal
Emperor, Jahangir in 1611 A.D, about four years after the death of her former
husband, Sher Afghan. The Emperor was so much captivated by her charms that he
conferred upon her the title of Nur Mahal and soon after that of Nur Jahan. As
soon as Nur Jahan became Empress, she acquired an extra-ordinary influence upon
the Emperor. Her influence increased day by day and with the passage of time,
Jahangir became a mere tool in her hands and she became the paramount power in
the State; she virtually began to exercise the power of sovereignty. Therefore,
the period from 1611 A.D. to 1627 A.D. is considered as the reign of Nur Jahan
rather than of Jahangir.
In the first instance, Nur Jahan
installed her relatives to high offices of the State. Her father, Ghias Beg,
who was a Mansabdar of 2,000 Zat and 500 Sawar in 1611 A.D, was raised to the
rank of 7,000 Zat and 7,000 Sawar in 1619 A.D. He was given the title of
Itmad-ud-Daula and raised to the high place and position of the Prime Minister.
Her brother, Asaf Khan, who held the Mansab of 500 Zat and 100 Sawar upto 1611
A.D, was also promoted to the rank of 6000 Zat and 6000 Sawar in 1622 A.D, and
was also appointed as the Finance Minister. He was a person of good intellect
in politics and administration, and as Dr. Beni Prasad states, “As a financier,
he stood unsurpassed in the Mughal empire.” Khurram, who was the favourite of
Nur Jahan in early stages, was also patronized by her. His Mansab was raised to
30,000 Zat and 20,000 Sawar in honour of his victory in the Deccan. The title
of Shah Jahan was also bestowed upon him.
She got her share with the
Emperor in exercising her power and prerogatives of sovereignty. She got her
name struck upon the coins. Of all the Farmans having the Royal Seal and
signature, the Queen Begum (Nur Jahan) was jointly attached. She often appeared
in the Jharokha along with the Emperor and listened to the complaints of her
subjects. According to the author of Intikhab-i-Jahangiri, “Nothing was wanting
to make her an absolute manner but the reading of Khutba in her name.”
Nur Jahan exercised full control
on administration. All high appointments, promotions, transfers, postings and
dismissals were done with consent. She took keen interest in the working of every
department of administration and sent orders to ministers and officials, who
were the highest nobles and dignitaries of the State, presented themselves
before her and listened to her dictates. A word from her could make or marr the
career of any one of them. Nur Jahan decided the question of war and peace, and
also wielded judicial powers and could pardon or punish anyone. She was to V.A.
Smith, “a power behind the throne.”
It was entirely the privilege of
Nur Jahan to make grants of land to women. She could grant jagirs and also
withdraw such grants. In this capacity, she helped many poor orphans and
widows. Her influence was decisive to men. She easily persuaded the Emperor to
grant or withhold the grant of jagir of a particular noble or officer.
Jahangir was so much under the
influence of his queen that he was virtually a tool in her hands. He himself
wrote so, “I have bestowed sovereignty on Nur Jahan who is wise enough to
conduct the affairs of the State. I require nothing beyond a bottle of wine and
a piece of meat to keep myself merry.” Dr. Smith remarks, “Nur Jahan was a real
power behind the throne. She kept Jahangir under her influence and herself
employed all royal powers in State affairs. High placed officials and amirs of
the State were always vigilant to carry t her orders because she could make or
marr them according to her sweet will.”
In 1612 A.D, Nur Jahan’s niece,
Arjunamand Banu Begum, was married to Prince Khurram. Speaking of the political
importance of this marriage, Dr. Beni Prasad observes, “It symbolized the alliance
of Nur Jahan, Itmad-ud-Daula and Asaf Khan with the heir apparent. For next ten
years, this clique of four supremely capable persons practically ruled the
Empire. What had been called Nur Jahan’s sway is really the sway of these four
personages.”
The period of Nur Jahan’s
influence is usually considered in two divisions. The first was from 1611 A.D.
to 1622 A.D, when her parents were still alive and exercised a wholesome
restraint upon her ambitions, when Jahangir himself was more or less an invalid
and full event was given to strife and faction. In the first period, Khurram
and Nur Jahan were in alliance, while in the second period they were
antagonized to each other. The marriage of Shah Jahan with Nur Jahan’s daughter
from Sher Afghan – Ladli Begum – in 1620 A.D, introduced a fresh complication.
Under these circumstances, the division of the court into parties was
inevitable. At first, they were only two – the Junta and its opponents. Later
on, when the Junta itself broke up, there were much more. Mahabat Khan
throughout the period played an important part and stood forth as the champion
of the older nobility and at one time went to the extent of advising the
Emperor against the party in power. The author of the Intikhab-i-Jahangir Shahi
says, “The whole world is surprised that such a wise and sensible emperor as
Jahangir should permit a man to have so great an influence over him.” He also added that in his opinion it was “now
very advisable to liberate Prince Khusrav from prison. Mahabat Khan championed
the cause of popular and pathetic party struggle that was brewing at the court.
But his bold counsel appears to have taken his good party by the Emperor,
though its effect was ephemeral.” The Emperor acted in some measure upon the
advice of Mahabat till he arrived in Kashmir, that if Malik Mahabat had advised
him simultaneously to the same effect, this war would have made no permanent
impression upon him.”
Nur Jahan took up the whole power
of the government into her own hands. She made particular endeavours to make
Jahangir give up his vices, and this cast upon him her good moral effect, but
her influence in the political sphere was quite averse because she began to
abuse her power. In order to increase and maintain her influence and position,
she married her daughter, Ladli Begum, with Jahangir’s son, Shahriyar. She
began to put in her strong efforts to make Shahriyar the successor of Jahangir,
rather than Prince Khurram.
She added to Jahangir’s
difficulties all the more. She injected poison in the body politics of the
royal court simply for the sake of the achievement of success in her political
ends. She turned hostile to herself by appointing her father, brother and relatives
to high posts. As a result of these tactics, revolts began to take place in the
country and several parts of the Mughal Empire began to become independent.
This caused to Jahangir great anxiety and it became rather difficult for him to
pass his last days peacefully.
The first consequence of Nur
Jahan’s policy of favouritism was that the Mughals lost their control over
Kandahar. In 1622 A.D, Shah Abbas, the ruler of Iran, took advantage of the
political condition in India and occupied Kandahar. Nur Jahan, with a view to
get rid of Prince Khurram, ordered him to recapture Kandahar. But the Prince,
who well understood the tactics of Nur Jahan, refused to comply with the orders
of the Queen and consequently Kandahar was lost by the Mughals.
The second consequence of Nur
Jahan’s policy was that Prince Khurram revolted against his father in 1623 A.D.
Nur Jahan was bent upon getting the throne for her son-in-law, Prince
Shahriyar, after the death of Jahangir. Thus when Khurram refused to go to
Kabul under her orders, she exalted Jahangir against him to a good deal. Royal
orders were, therefore, issued for Prince Khurram to present at the Royal
Court. Khurram was, at that time, the Governor of Deccan. When he received
these orders, he at once made out that some kind of foul game was going to be
played on him. He, therefore, revolted and marched from the Deccan towards Agra
to take possession of the Royal treasury. But Prince Parvez and the famous
general, Mahabat Khan, defeated him at Balochpur. He had to return to Deccan,
and once again made preparations and advanced towards the East. He occupied
Bengal and Bihar, but Mahabat Khan inflicted a severe defeat on him. Now being
tired of the war, he surrendered himself in 1625 A.D. and sent his two sons –
Dara and Aurangzeb – to the royal court. Jahangir pardoned him, but Shah Jahan
continued to stay in the Deccan till 1627 A.D. i.e. the death of Jahangir.
Mahabat Khan was a famous and
great general of Jahangir. Nur Jahan wanted to reduce his growing influence in
the royal court in every possible way. She, therefore, got orders issued to
Mahabat Khan by the Mughal emperor that he should appear in the royal court.
Mahabat had already expected some kind of harassment in store for him. Consequently,
he revolted in 1626 A.D. According to Dr. Ishwari Prasad, “Fully prepared for
any contingency, Mahabat collected four or five thousand Rajputs and started
for court.”
When Jahangir and Nur Jahan were
going to Kabul, Mahabat Khan besieged the imperial camp on the banks of Jhelum
and made Jahangir a captive, but Nur Jahan managed to escape.
As the Mughals found themselves
in no match to the Rajputs, Nur Jahan acted very cleverly. She surrendered to
Mahabat Khan and was allowed to join her husband n captivity. But she managed
to cause mutual differences among the soldiers of Mahabat and freed herself.
When Mahabat found himself in a tight corner, he rushed towards Lahore. Later
on, he proceeded towards Thatta in Sind, where it was heard that Shah Jahan had
laid a siege and had, thus, created a new problem for the emperor.
Jahangir died on October 28, 1627
A.D. Nur Jahan proclaimed Shahriyar the new emperor at Lahore. But Shah Jahan
with the help of Asaf Khan, invaded Lahore and took Shahriyar a prisoner. Thus
he himself became the Mughal emperor and Nur Jahan found it in her favour to
submit.
Nur Jahan forms as the pivot on
which the history of the rest of the reign turns. The rebellions of Shah Jahan
and Mahabat Khan were primarily the reactions against the activities of Nur
Jahan. To quote Dr. Beni Prasad, “No figure in the medieval history has been
shrouded in such romance as the name of Nur Jahan calls to the mind. No
incident in the reign of Jahangir has attracted such attention as his marriage
with Nur Jahan. For full fifteen years that celebrated lady stood forth as the
most striking and most powerful personality in the Mughal Empire. ”
