Jahangir 1605-1627


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Jahangir 1605-1627

Jahangir 1605-1627: Prince Salim, the Eldest son of Akbar, ascended the throne of Delhi as the fourth Mughal ruler amidst rebellion and potting by his own son Khusrau.  He assumed the name of Jahangir. Military campaigns started by Akbar continued. The Sisodiya ruler of Mewar, Amar Singh, accepted Mughal service. Less successful campaigns against the Sikhs, the Ahoms and Ahmadnagar followed. Prince Khurram, the future emperor Shah Jahan, rebelled in the last years of his reign. The efforts of nor Jahan, Jahangir’s wife, to marginalize him were unsuccessful.

1 NurJahan: In 1611 CE, Jahangir married Mihrunnisa, the widow of Sher Afgan Jagirdar of Bengal. He made her his chief queen with the title of Nur Jahan (‘light of the world’).She acquired tremendous power and influence over the king,exerted her authority in all matters of administration, appointed her relatives and favorites to high positions and even had royal firmans (orders) and coins issued in her name.

2 Foreign influences and interactions: During the reign of Jahangir , a number of Europeans, like the Portuguese , the British and the Dutch, had begun to make their presence felt in India and other countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

As their economic interests began to clash, the Portuguese started attacking Mughal ships. To retaliate and put a check on them, Jahangir began to support their rivals, the British and the Dutch. In 1608 CE, Captain William Hawkins arrived at Surat with a letter from King James I of Great Britain to the emperor requesting permission to trade. Hawkins, who could talk with Jahangir in Turki, earned his goodwill and stayed at his court for three years as a mansabdar. In 1614 CE, Sir Thomas Roe was sent by James I as the British ambassador to the court of Jahangir.He stayed on till 1618 CE. Though he did not succeed in getting a formal treaty signed,he received liberal trade concessions for the British. They were also allowed to set up a factory at Surat.

3 The issue of coins: Jahangir issued many silver and gold coins, some bearing images only of him, and many with images of his wife Nur Jahan on the other side.

4 Jahangir continued his father’s traditions. A war with the Rajput  principality of Mewar was ended in 1614 on generous terms. Campaigns against Ahmadnagar, initiated under Akbar’s rule, were continued fitfully, with Mughal arms and diplomacy often thwarted by the able Habshi (slave), Malik Ê¿Ambār. In 1617 and 1621, however, Prince Khurram (later Shah Jhan) concluded apparently victorious peace treaties. JahāngÄ«r, like his father, was not a strict Sunni Muslim; he allowed, for example, the Jesuits to dispute publicly with Muslim ulama (theologians) and to make converts.

5 JahāngÄ«r, a heavy drinker and opium eater—until excess taught him comparative moderation—encouraged Persian culture in Mughal India. He possessed a sensitivity to nature, an acute  perception of human character, and an artistic sensibility, which expressed itself in an unmatched patronage of painting. Mughal painting reached a high level of elegance and richness during his reign.

Sample Questions
(More Questions for each concept available in Login)
Question : 1

Prince Salim was nickname of __________________

Right Option : A
View Explanation
Explanation
 
 
 


Students / Parents Reviews [20]