In Lahore (a city in modern-day Pakistan) in 1592, prince Khurram was born. His father, Jahāngīr, was the fourth Mughal Emperor. A key part of his upbringing was from his grandfather, Emperor Akbar, who considered him to be a special and important child, compared to Jahāngīr’s other sons. In 1605, after the death of his grandfather Akbar, Khurram was raised predominantly by his mother, owing to the fact that he was not very close to his father. Over the next few years, whilst his father was on the throne, Khurram did not partake in politics or wars, but instead focused on a great love of his: Hindi literature. In 1607, when Khurram was 15, he got engaged to Mumtaz Mahal, who was a part of a well known Persian family. Her aunt was also an important figure, known as Nur Jahan. He then married her five years later. Finally, in 1608, Khurram and his father began to have a better relationship and was widely considered the rightful and apparent heir to the throne. This was confirmed when Jahāngīr gave The Sakar of Hissar-e-Feroza (a key administrative district in the Mughal empire) to him, which tended to be given to the heir of the Mughal Empire.
The years to follow would be some of the hardest for Khurram. After his father married Nur Jahan, she began to overtake her husband as he became ill more, frequently as the power behind the throne. She also wanted her son in law, Shahryar Mirza, to be the heir to the throne. Sensing threat, Jahan tried to take the throne straight from his father, but failed, in turn falling out with his father. Many years later, in 1628, after the death of his father, Jahan went into battle with his half-brother and eventually won, successfully becoming the fifth Mughal Emperor. The emperor’s first move was to imprison Nur Jahan and put both her brother and a large amount of her nephews to death. He then took on a new name when coming into power, Shah Jahan, meaning King of the World. Over the next couple of years, Jahan began to develop his army, which at its peak consisted of 911,400 soldiers. He was a very good army leader, expanding the Mughal empire to a great degree. Noticeable victories were mainly against the Deccan states, including Ahmadnagar, Golconda, Bijapur, and Balkh – all of these wins came about due to Jahan’s tactical prowess.
During his reign, he married a plethora of women. After marrying Mumtaz Mahal as I mentioned earlier, he would go on to also marry Kandahari Bengum, Izz un-Nisa Begum and the daughters of Prince Muzaffar Husain Mirza Safawi and Shahnawaz Kahn – unlike his marriage with Mahal, these marriages were more out of political considerations rather than the real love that he had for his first wife. Sadly, in 1631- at the young age of 38 – Mumtaz Mahal died in childbirth of her 14th child, princess Gauhar Ara Begum.
After her death, Shah Jahan decided to commemorate her by building a memorial palace as a huge replica of her previous home, naming it the Taj Mahal. It was announced by Jahan in 1632, and over 200,000 workers were employed from all over Asia. The main architect Ustad Ahmad Lahawrī outlined the five main parts of the palace: the main gateway, the garden, the mosque, the Jawāb (a building mirroring a mosque), and the mausoleum. All of the building had been completed by 1643, but it took an astonishing 4 more years to just decorate. Till today, it’s one of the seven man-made wonders of the world, standing at a staggering 240 meters tall. It also was inspired by a verse from Bibadal Khan (an Iranian poet), which says, ‘Jaaye-i-Mumtaz Mahal jannat bad’, meaning may the abode of Mumtaz Mahal be paradise. Fittingly, Mahal was then buried here.
In 1658, Shah Jahan sadly became ill and his eldest son, Dara Shikoh, quickly assumed the role of his father. After his younger brothers had heard about this, they all declared independence and went into battle against Agra (where the family was based). Shikoh was defeated by his brother Aurangzeb. After the battle had finished, Shah Jahan had fully recovered but Aurangzeb said he was unfit to be an emperor and therefore put him under house arrest, where Jahan’s health became progressively worse. Over the last few years of his life, Jahan was nursed by his daughter, Jahanara. Finally, in the year 1666, he died peacefully with his daughter by his side. She then planned a glorious funeral for her father, but it was sadly rejected by Aurangzeb. He was then sent to his creation, the Taj Mahal, to be buried next to his beloved wife Mumtaz. The Taj Mahal continues to stand today as one of the most prominent and beautiful buildings in the world, with its only official usage being serving as the burial site of the fifth Mughal Emperor and his partner.
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Bibliography:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shah-Jahan