Nur Jahan

Nur Jahan
Empress consort of the Mughal Empire
Idealised portrait of the Mughal Empress Nur Jahan c. 1627
Padshah Begum
Tenure10 June 1620 – 28 October 1627
PredecessorSaliha Banu Begum
SuccessorMumtaz Mahal
BornMehr-un-Nissa
31 May 1577[1]
Kandahar, Kabul Subah, Mughal Empire (present-day Afghanistan)
Died17 December 1645(1645-12-17) (aged 68)
Lahore, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire (present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Burial
Spouse
  • (m. 1594; d. 1607)
  • (m. 1611; d. 1627)
IssueLadli Begum
HouseMuhammad Sharif (by birth)
Timurid (by marriage)
FatherMirza Ghiyas Beg
MotherAsmat Begum
ReligionShia Islam

Nur Jahan (lit.' Light of the world '; 31 May 1577 – 18 December 1645),[2] born Mehr-un-Nissa was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.

More decisive and proactive than her husband, Nur Jahan is considered by certain historians to have been the real power behind the throne for more than a decade. Wielding a level of power and influence unprecedented for a Mughal empress, she was granted honours and privileges never enjoyed by any of her predecessors or successors, such as having coinage struck in her name. Her pre-eminence was in part made possible by her husband Jahangir's addiction to hunting, alcohol and opium and his frequent ill-health.

  1. ^ "Nur Jahan". Wikidata. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  2. ^ Banks Findly 1993, p. 8.