Mirza Shahab-ud-din Baig Muhammad Khan Khurram[3] (5 January 1592 – 22 January

1666),[7] better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan (Urdu: ‫)شاہ جہاں‬, (Persian:‫" شاه جهان‬King of
the World"),[8] was the fifth Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1628 to 1658.[9]
Shah Jahan was widely considered to be the most competent of Emperor Jahangir's four sons and
after Jahangir's death in late 1627, when a war of succession ensued, Shah Jahan emerged
victorious. He put to death all of his rivals for the throne and crowned himself emperor in January
1628 in Agra under the regnal title "Shah Jahan" (which was originally given to him as a princely
title). Although an able military commander, Shah Jahan is perhaps best remembered for his
architectural achievements. The period of his reign is widely considered to be the golden age
of Mughal architecture. Shah Jahan commissioned many monuments, the best known of which is
the Taj Mahalin Agra, which entombs his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
In September 1657, Shah Jahan fell seriously ill, which set off a war of succession among his four
sons, in which his third son Aurangzeb, emerged victorious.[10] Shah Jahan recovered from his
illness, but Aurangzeb put his father under house arrest in Agra Fort from July 1658 until his death in
January 1666.[11] On 31 July 1658, Aurangzeb crowned himself emperor under the title "Alamgir."[12]
The Mughal Empire reached the pinnacle of its glory during Shah Jahan's reign and he is widely
considered to be one of the greatest Mughal emperors.[13]

Contents

 1Early life
o 1.1Birth
o 1.2Education
o 1.3Khusraw rebellion
o 1.4Nur Jahan
 2Marriages
o 2.1Military commander
 3Rebel prince
 4Governorship
 5Reign (1628–1658)
o 5.1Administration of the Mughal Empire
o 5.2Rajput revolutionaries
o 5.3Famine of 1630
o 5.4Relations with the Deccan Sultanates
o 5.5Sikh rebellion led by Guru Hargobind
o 5.6Relations with the Safavid dynasty
o 5.7Relations with the Ottoman Empire
o 5.8War with Portuguese
o 5.9Religious attitude
o 5.10Ministers
 6Later life
 7Contributions to architecture
 8Coins
 9Full title
 10See also
 11Issue
 12Ancestry
 13Note
 14References
 15External links

Early life[edit]
Birth[edit]
Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram was born on 5 January 1592 in Lahore, in modern-
day Pakistan, and was the third son of Prince Salim (later known as 'Jahangir' upon his
accession).[14] His mother was a Rajput princess from Marwar called Princess Jagat Gosaini (her
official name in Mughal chronicles was Bilqis Makani). The name "Khurram" (joyous) was chosen for
the young prince by his grandfather, Emperor Akbar, with whom the young prince shared a close
relationship.[14]
Just prior to Khurram's birth, a soothsayer had reportedly predicted to the childless
Empress Ruqaiya Sultan Begum, Akbar's first wife and chief consort, that the still unborn child was
destined for imperial greatness.[15] So, when Khurram was born in 1592 and was only six days old,
Akbar ordered that the prince be taken away from his mother and handed him over to Ruqaiya so
that he could grow up under her care, and Akbar could fulfill his wife's wish to raise a Mughal
emperor.[15] Ruqaiya assumed the primary responsibility for Khurram's upbringing and he grew up
under her care.[16] The two shared a close relationship with each other as Jahangir noted in his
memoirs that Ruqaiya had loved his son, Khurram, "a thousand times more than if he had been her
own [son]."[17]
Khurram remained with her until he had turned almost 14. After Akbar's death in 1605, the young
prince was allowed to return to his father's household, and thus, be closer to his biological mother.[15]

Education[edit]
As a child, Khurram received a broad education befitting his status as a Mughal prince, which
included martial training and exposure to a wide variety of cultural arts, such as poetry and music,
most of which was inculcated, according to court chroniclers, by Akbar and Ruqaiya. In 1605, as
Akbar lay on his deathbed, Khurram, who at this point was 13,[18][full citation needed] remained by his bedside
and refused to move even after his mother tried to retrieve him. Given the politically uncertain times
immediately preceding Akbar's death, Khurram was in a fair amount of physical danger of harm by
political opponents of his father,[19] and his conduct at this time can be understood as a precursor to
the bravery that he would later be known for.[citation needed]

Khusraw rebellion[edit]
In 1605, his father succeeded to the throne, after crushing a rebellion by Prince Khusrau – Khurram
remained distant from the court politics and intrigues in the immediate aftermath of that event, which
was apparently a conscious decision on Jahangir's part.[20] As the third son, Khurram did not
challenge the two major power blocs of the time, his father's and his step-brother's; thus he enjoyed
the benefits of Imperial protection and luxury while being allowed to continue with his education and
training.[21] This relatively quiet and stable period of his life allowed Khurram to build his own support
base in the Mughal court, which would be useful later on in his life.[citation needed]

Nur Jahan[edit]
Due to the long period of tensions between his father and step-brother, Khurram began to drift closer
to his father and over time started to be considered the de facto heir-apparent by court chroniclers.
This status was given official sanction when Jahangir granted the sarkar of Hissar-Feroza, which
had traditionally been the fief of the heir-apparent, to Khurram in 1608.[22] Nur Jahan was an
intelligent and beautiful lady with an excellent educational background. She was an active participant
in the decisions made by Jahangir. Slowly and gradually, she became the actual power behind the
throne, as Jahangir became more indulgent in wine and opium. Coins began to be struck containing
her name along with Jahangir's name. Her near and dear relatives acquired important positions in
the Mughal court, termed as the Nur Jahan junta by historians. After the death of Jahangir in 1627,
Nur Jahan was put under house arrest and led a quiet life.

Marriages[edit]

Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal

In 1607, Khurram became engaged to Arjumand Banu Begum (1593–1631), who is also known
as Mumtaz Mahal (Persian for "the chosen one of the Palace"). They met in their youth. They were
about 14 and 15 when they engaged, and five years later they got married. The young girl belonged
to an illustrious Persian noble family that had been serving Mughal Emperors since the reign of
Akbar. The family's patriarch was Mirza Ghiyas Beg, who was also known by his title I'timād-ud-
Daulah or "Pillar of the State". He had been Jahangir's finance minister and his son, Asaf Khan –
Arjumand Banu's father – played an important role in the Mughal court, eventually serving as Chief
Minister. Her aunt was the Empress Nur Jahan and is thought to have played matchmaker in
arranging the marriage.[citation needed]
The prince would have to wait five years before he was married in 1612 (1021 AH), on a date
selected by the court astrologers as most conducive to ensuring a happy marriage. This was an
unusually long engagement for the time. However, Shah Jahan first married Princess Kandahari
Begum, the daughter of a great-grandson of Shah Ismail I of Persiawith whom he had a daughter,
his first child.[23]

Shah Jahan, accompanied by his three sons: Dara Shukoh, Shah Shuja and Aurangzeb, and their maternal
grandfather Asaf Khan IV
Politically speaking, the betrothal allowed Khurram to be considered as having officially entered
manhood, and he was granted several jagir, including Hissar-Feroze and ennobled to a military rank
of 8,000, which allowed him to take on official functions of state, an important step in establishing his
own claim to the throne.[citation needed]
In 1612, aged 20, Khurram married Arjumand Banu Begum, who became known by the title Mumtaz
Mahal, on the auspicious date chosen by court astrologers. The marriage was a happy one and
Khurram remained devoted to her. She bore him fourteen children, out of whom seven survived into
adulthood. In addition, Khurram had two children from his first two wives.[23]
Though there was genuine love between the two, Arjumand Banu Begum was a politically astute
woman and served as a crucial advisor and confidante to her husband.[24] Later on, as empress,
Mumtaz Mahal wielded immense power, such as being consulted by her husband in state matters
and being responsible for the imperial seal, which allowed her to review official documents in their
final draft.[citation needed]

A depiction of The Taj Mahal, the burial place of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, by artist Edwin Lord
Weeks, The Walters Art Museum

Mumtaz Mahal died, aged 37 (7 July 1631), while giving birth to Gauhara Begum in Burhanpur, the
cause of death being postpartum haemorrhage, which caused considerable blood-loss after a painful
labour of thirty hours.[25] Contemporary historians note that Princess Jahanara, aged 17, was so
distressed by her mother's pain that she started distributing gems to the poor, hoping for divine
intervention, and Shah Jahan was noted as being "paralysed by grief" and weeping fits.[26] Her body
was temporarily buried in a walled pleasure garden known as Zainabad, originally constructed by
Shah Jahan's uncle Prince Daniyal along the Tapti River. Her death had a profound impact on Shah
Jahan's personality and inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal, where she was later reburied.[citation
needed]

In the intervening years Khurram had taken eight other wives, among which Kandahari Begum (m.
12 December 1609) and Izz un-Nisa Begum(m. 3 September 1617), the daughters of Muzaffar
Husain Mirza Safawi and Shahnawaz Khan, son of Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, respectively. But
according to court chroniclers, his relationship with his other wives was more out of political
consideration, and they enjoyed only the status of being royal wives.[27]. He also married a hindu
dancing girl who was bestowed with the royal title of "Gulara Mahal". Palaces in her honour were
built in Burhanpur. To stop her influence on ShahJahan she was killed by Mumtaz Mahal's father
Asaf khan. Beside princess Jahanara during Shahjahan's last years in prison he also got the
company of two of his faithful Queens. They were Queen Izazunnisa Akbarabadi Mahal and
Fatehpuri Mahal.

Military commander[edit]
Prince Khurram showed extraordinary military talent. The first occasion for Khurram to test his
military prowess was during the Mughal campaign against the Rajput state of Mewar, which had
been a hostile force to the Mughals since Akbar's reign. In 1614, commanding an army numbering
around 200,000, Khurram began the offensive against the Rajput kingdom.[citation needed] After a year of a
harsh war of attrition, Maharana Amar Singh I surrendered conditionally to the Mughal forces and
became a vassal state of the Mughal Empire.[28]
In 1617, Khurram was directed to deal with the Lodi in the Deccan to secure the Empire's southern
borders and to restore imperial control over the region. His successes in these conflicts led to
Jahangir granting him the title of Shah Jahan (Persian: "King of the World") and raised his military
rank and allowed him a special throne in his Durbar, an unprecedented honour for a prince, thus
further solidifying his status as crown prince.[citation needed]Edward S. Holden writes, "He was flattered by
some, envied by others. loved by none."[29]