Shah Jahan

Not to be confused with Jahan Shah.
For other people named Shah Jahan, see Shah Jahan (disambiguation).

Shah Jahan I
Sahib-e-Qiran[1]
Padishah
Ghazi
Al-Sultan Al-Azam
Shahenshah-e-Hind (King of Kings of India)
Portrait by Bichitr, c. 1630
Emperor of Hindustan
Reign19 January 1628 – 31 July 1658[2]
Coronation14 February 1628[3]
PredecessorJahangir I
Shahriyar (de facto)
SuccessorAurangzeb
BornKhurram[4]
(1592-01-05)5 January 1592
Lahore, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Died22 January 1666(1666-01-22) (aged 74)
Muthamman Burj, Red Fort, Agra, Agra Subah, Mughal Empire
(present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Burial
Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Wives
  • ​
    (m. 1610)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1612; died 1631)​
  • ​
    (m. 1617)​
  • Kunwari Leelavati Deiji
Issue
among others...
Names
Mirza Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram Shah Jahan[5]
Regnal name
Shah Jahan[6]
Posthumous name
Firduas Ashiyani (lit. 'One who nest in Paradise')
HouseHouse of Babur
DynastyMughal dynasty
FatherJahangir I
MotherJagat Gosain
ReligionSunni Islam (Hanafi)
Imperial SealShah Jahan I's signature

Mirza Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), commonly called Shah Jahan I (Persian pronunciation: [ʃɑːh d͡ʒa.ˈhɑːn]; lit. 'King of the World'), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent,[7][8] was Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the zenith of Mughal architectural and cultural achievements.

The third son of Jahangir (r. 1605–1627), Shah Jahan participated in the military campaigns against the Sisodia Rajputs of Mewar and the rebel Lodi nobles of the Deccan. After Jahangir's death in October 1627, Shah Jahan defeated his youngest brother Shahryar Mirza and crowned himself emperor in the Agra Fort. In addition to Shahryar, Shah Jahan executed most of his rival claimants to the throne. He commissioned many monuments, including the Red Fort, Shah Jahan Mosque and the Taj Mahal, where his favorite consort Mumtaz Mahal is entombed. In foreign affairs, Shah Jahan presided over the aggressive campaigns against the Deccan sultanates, the conflicts with the Portuguese, and the wars with the Safavids. He also suppressed several local rebellions and dealt with the devastating Deccan famine of 1630–32.

In September 1657, Shah Jahan was ailing and appointed his eldest son Dara Shikoh as his successor. This nomination led to a succession crisis among his three sons, from which Shah Jahan's third son Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707) emerged victorious and became the sixth emperor, executing all of his surviving brothers, including Crown Prince Dara Shikoh. After Shah Jahan recovered from his illness in July 1658, Aurangzeb imprisoned him in Agra Fort from July 1658 until his death in January 1666.[9] He was laid to rest next to his wife in the Taj Mahal. His reign is known for doing away with the liberal policies initiated by his grandfather Akbar. During Shah Jahan's time, Islamic revivalist movements like the Naqshbandi began to shape Mughal policies.[10]

  1. ^ "Lords of the Auspicious Conjunction: The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires and the Islamic Ecumene". Shah Jahan. LSE International Studies. Cambridge University Press. 18 June 2020. pp. 167–213. doi:10.1017/9781108867948.007. ISBN 978-1-108-49121-1.
  2. ^ Shujauddin, Mohammad; Shujauddik, Razia (1967). The Life and Times of Noor Jahan. Lahore: Caravan Book House. p. 121. OCLC 638031657.
  3. ^ Necipoğlu, Gülru, ed. (1994). Muqarnas : an annual on Islamic art and architecture. Vol. 11. Leiden, Netherlands: E.J. Brill. p. 143. ISBN 978-90-04-10070-1.
  4. ^ Fenech, Louis E. (2014). "The Evolution of the Sikh Community". In Singh, Pashaura; Fenech, Louis E. (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8. Jahangir's son, ponkua, better known as the emperor Shah Jahan the Architect
  5. ^ Singh, Pashaura; Fenech, Louis E., eds. (2014). "Index". The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 649. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8. Shah Jahan, Emperor Shahabuddin Muhammad Khurram
  6. ^ Flood, Finbarr Barry; Necipoglu, Gulru (2017). A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture. John Wiley & Sons. p. 897. ISBN 978-1-119-06857-0.
  7. ^ Gabrielle Festing (2008). When Kings Rode to Delhi. Lancer Publishers. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-9796174-9-2.
  8. ^ Stanley Lane-Poole (January 2008). History of India: Mediaeval India from the Mohammedan Conquest to the Reign of Akbar the Great, Volume 4. Cosimo. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-60520-496-3.
  9. ^ Illustrated dictionary of the Muslim world. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Reference. 2011. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-7614-7929-1.
  10. ^ Richards 1993, Shah Jahan, pp. 121–122.