Shah Jahan, pt. I
-Jason

Listen here: here https://www.spreaker.com/user/bqn1/hwts126

The Mughal Empire was one of major Muslim world powers which existed between the 16th and 19th centuries in southeast Asia.  It was founded in 1526 by Babur and at its height encompassed much of the Indian Subcontinent, as well as Afghanistan, and Kashmir.  While at their peak, the Mughals ruled one of the richest, most thriving, and culturally diverse societies of their time.  Shah Jahan I was one its most successful rulers, but his rise to the throne was not an easy path.

The empire was characterized by constant military campaigning and territorial expansion.  The Mughals were one of three “Gunpowder Empires,” the other two being the Ottomans and Safavids, which dominated the Middle East and Central Asia.  As such, their leaders were highly skilled warriors who could raise large, well-equipped armies.  The Mughal’s eventual decline was a result of continual territorial and trade concessions given to first the Portuguese, and then French and British governments. 

Shihab al-Din Muhammad Khurram, later known as Shah Jahan I, was the fifth Mughal ruler, reigning from January 1628 to July 1658.  Khurram was born on 5 January 1592, the ninth child and third son of his father, Prince Salim.  As a crown prince, Salim had indulged in debauchery, prompting his father, Emperor Akbar, to separate his grandsons in order to shield them from the corrupting influence of Salim’s court.

Khurram had a close relationship to his grandfather Akbar and was a favorite.  Because of this status, Akbar insisted that his grandson be raised in his own household.  This “request” was granted.  Khurram was raised by his grandmother Ruqaiya Sultan Begum.  Ruqaiya was Akbar’s first wife, and she took it upon herself to raise her grandson as her own.  Her influence helped to shape Khurram’s view on the nature of personal relationships.

Khurram received a broad education, including martial training and extensive study of a variety of cultural arts.  Although this was a curriculum that all Mughal princes received, it was Emperor Akbar who gave these lessons.  Khurram’s grandparents laid the groundwork to ensure the young prince was prepared for the difficult task of ruling such a large and diverse empire.  

Although Prince Salim was the heir apparent, that did not mean his position was entirely safe.  Royal Mughal men had multiple wives and consorts which whom they had children, which could potentially lead to assassinations and civil war.  Many within the court and royal family felt that Salim was too unreliable to take the throne.  Prince Khusrau, Salim’s eldest son, was another favorite of Akbar and had positioned himself to usurp his father.

In 1605, life for the 13-year-old Khurram dramatically changed: Emperor Akbar was on his deathbed and the political fallout over succession had begun.  Two political blocks emerged, one supporting Salim and the other supporting Khusrau.  To protect Khurram from assassination, he was sent by his grandmother back to Jagat Gosain, his mother.  To further his chances of survival, Khurram officially supported neither of his relatives claims to the throne.

Despite fears regarding his debauchery, Prince Salim assumed the throne, taking the royal name Jahangir, in January 1605.  By April 1606, Prince Khusrau had left the Mughal capital of Agra, with his supporters to begin a rebellion.  The newly minted Emperor Jahangir recalled Khurram, ordering that he protect the royal treasury while his father was on campaign.  Due to his quiet stance in the civil war, Khurram was able to continue his education, and more importantly build his own power base.

Prince Khusrau’s rebellion ended in late 1606 following the disastrous Battle of Bhariowal.  The rebel prince was forced to watch the execution of his followers before being himself imprisoned at Agra.  Having secured his throne, Jahangir ruled the Mughal Empire until 1627.  His reign was plagued by internal intrigues exacerbated by Jahangir’s lack of interest in directly ruling his domain.  In 1611, Nur Jahan, a widow of a Persian prince, became Jahangir’s last and favorite wife. 

Nur Jahan consolidated her own power, positioning her brother and other family members in the Mughal court.  One of her first acts was to marry a daughter from her first marriage to Jahangir’s youngest son, thereby creating a potential hold on the Mughal succession.  This political maneuvering drove another wedge between Jahangir and Khurram.  Fearing that he would lose his place as successor to his father because of his stepmother’s machinations, Khurram refused to campaign against the Persians.

This action led to Khurram being named a rebel in 1622, at which point he was forced to raise an army against both his father and Nur Jahan.  His first battles were not very successful, and he was forced to retreat.  Khurram was driven into southern India before finally being forced to unconditionally surrender in 1626.  Emperor Jahangir did not heavily punish his wayward son but rather accept him back into the court. 

Upon Jahangir’s death in 1627, those loyal to Khurram moved quickly to ensure his succession.  Asaf Khan, one of Khurram’s supports at court, moved to quickly protect Khurram’s children from Nur Jahan while arresting the latter and her immediate family.  In this way, he delivered a relatively secure throne to the new Mughal emperor.  On 19 January 1627, Khurram assumed the title of Shah Jahan I.  His first act was to ensure there would be no civil wars over the succession by ordering the execution of his half-brothers, nephews, and cousins.

Having secured his throne, Shah Jahan began his thirty-year reign.