Jahangir

The Mughal Empire was an empire that was founded by Babur in 1526. It was one of the most powerful rulings that took over India during the period of 1600. They had a huge military and superior strategies that were designed to take over different places in India. The reign was continued by the sons and grandsons of Babur. The empire lost its territory to Maratha Empires and got combined with the British Raj after they took over the administration of India.

Mughal Emperor Jahangir

Emperor Jahangir was considered the most powerful emperor during the Mughal reign in India. His name itself meant ‘Conqueror of the world’. He was the fourth Mughal Emperor and ruled for a duration of 22 years, from 1605 to 1627 until his death. He was born on 31st August 1569 in Fatehpur Sikri with a name as Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim. He was born to Mughal Emperor Akbar and Rajput wife (Mariam-uz Zamani Begum) Jodha Bai. He was the emperor’s longed son, and the elder one as the twins who were born to his mother earlier died during infancy. 

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Learnings of Jahangir

 Akbar ensured that his son should get a good education from the best tutors. Salim started his learning at the age of 5. He learned Hindi, Turkish, Persian, Arithmetic, geography, history, Arabic, etc. He was interested in composing poems and fine arts. He was also trained for civil and military administration. During the Kabul expedition in 1581, he was assigned as in charge of the regiment of the troops and got a promotion to the position of Army Officer in 1585. He grew impatient and revolted against his own father in 1599 but was unsuccessful. It is said that after this, the relationship between Akbar and Jahangir became strained.

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Jahangir’s Administration

A few days after Akbar’s death on 29th October 1605, Jahangir ascended the throne on 3rd November 1905 and started his reign as Nur-ud-din-Muhammad Jahangir Badshah Ghazi. Jahangir followed various of Akbar’s policies, but there was great political chaos, and he was revolted by his own son Prince Khusrau Mirza, but Jahangir defeated him. He developed a series of military campaigns in order to expand the Mughal Empire. He sent his son Prince Khurram (Shahjahan) to fight against Golconda, Bijapur and Ahmednagar. He had a special interest in fine arts and architectural structures and embarked on the structure of Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir.

Zanjir-I-adl 

Emperor Jahangir was known for his fairness and justice, even though he was brutal towards his own kin. He had good efficiency in administration. One of his major works related to this is the famous ‘Golden Chain of Justice’. It was called Zanjir-I-adl. He installed it outside the castle of Agra. It was a chain that was attached to a number of bells. When a citizen enters the palace, they can pull the chain and summon the emperor. The citizen ringing the bell may seek justice, and it was said to be a link between the emperor and the folks. It was declared that any citizen expressing grief might be granted the audience along with the emperor.

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Tuzuki-I-Jahangir

Tuzuk-I-Jahangir it’s a Persian version of the autobiography of Emperor Jahangir (1605-1627 AD). It has various other names like Tuzuk-i- Jahangiri, Karnama- i-Jahangiri, etc. It is also named Jahangir Nama, which is a system followed by his great-grandfather Babur- Baburnama. It not only consists of the strategies and administration ways that he conducted during his reign but also his love for fine arts, architectural works and political views. The Memoirs of twelve years are described and presented to the imperial officers. The first copy was presented to Shahjahan, the emperor’s son.

The manuscript consists of the 19 years of his reign, but it eventually stopped after the 17th reign. Due to his illness, the task of writing was employed to Mu’tamad Khan. Jahangir passed away on 28th October 1627. Jahangir’s autobiography depicts his ideologies on social, economic, religious and political views. This also consists of his legal, and legislative policies that were in modern-day countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Among them, there was also an edict to manage the Jagirdars, the holders of the emperor’s land. So, in short, this manuscript is a source for the history and reconstruction of the Mughal empire and expansion.

Conclusion

Mughal emperors and their achievements have paved the way for a revolution in South Asia. Emperor Jahangir, one of the most powerful Mughal emperors, has introduced many developments in India by pertaining to the powers of the government, the Persian influence on art, culture and architecture, and the emergence of Arabic and Urdu Languages. Jahangir was the one who unlocked the international trading and businesses by maintaining financial and commerce relations with the British East India Company.