SHAH JAHAN

SHAH JAHAN (1627 – 1658): 

Early life and Accession: 

Jahangir had four sons- Khusrau, Parvez, Khurram, and Shahryar. Prince Khurram later styled as Shah Jahan was born of a Rajput princess Jagat Gosain on January 5 I592 at Lahore. While young he was a favourite of his Grandfather Akbar. The prince was given best education and military training. He was very intelligent and smart. He possessed a strong will and character. He enjoyed a reputation for being a total abstainer from alcohol. Early during his father’s reign prince Khurram was marked out for the throne. In 1607 he was appointed a mansabdar of 8,000 zat and 5,000 sawar. In 1608 the jagir of hissar Firoza was conferred on him. In 1612 he was married to a arjumand Banu Begum better known as Mumtaz Mahal who was the daughter of Asif Khan brother of Nur Jahan. It was at this time that Nur Jahan was fast raising into prominence. As mentioned in the last lesson Prince Khurram become a prominate member of the Nur Jahan Junta.He was looked upon as the future ruler of the country and his Mansab was raised to 30,000 zat and 20,000 sawar. 

He took part in a number of important expenditions during his Father;s reign. His success against Mewar and the way he had succeeded in dictating terms to Malik Amber in the Deccan convinced Jahan Gir that the prince had an aptitude for military generalship. He bestowed upon him the title of Shan Jahan to mark his pleasure. 

But there was a sudden fall in the fortune of prince Khurram after the marriage of prince Shahryar with Ladli Begum daughter of Nur Jahan in 1620. Nur Jahan now backed the claims of Shahryar which forced Shah Jahan to revolt in 1623. Eventually he submitted to his father in 1626. Prince Khusrau who had revolted against Jahangir in 1606 was put to death by prince Khurram in 1622. Parvez died in 1626 therefore when Jahangir died in 1628 Nur Jahan made a final bid at that time was in the Deccan. Fortunately for him his father-in-Law Asaf Khan won over nobles to his side and proclaimed Dawar Bakash son of Khusrau as king so that the throne was not left vacant. Shah Jahan hurried to Delhi from the Deccan. Shahryar proclaimed himself emperor at Lahore. The rival forces of Shahryar and Asif Khan met near Lahore. Shahryar was defeated, blinded and imprisoned. Shah Jahan marched to Agra and asended the throne in February 1628. All his possible rivals including Dawar Baksh and Shahryar were killed. Truly Shah Jahan waded the throne through the blood of his own kinsmen which is an indelible stain on his memory. Nur Jahan was pensioned off to live in retirement in Lahore where she built her husband’s mausoleum, carried on the works of charity and died in 1645.There were two great rebellions at the commencement of Shah Jahan’s reign. 

Bundela rebellion (I625 AD):- 

In the first year of his accession to the throne Shah Jahan had to face the rebellion of Jujhar Singh son of Bir Singh Bundela who had slained Abul Fazal At the instigation of prince Salim. The Bundelas had been committing Many cruelties against their neighbours. They had increased their power and riches by blackmailing the neighbours. Jujhar Singh showed signs of rebellion therefore Shah Jahan lost no time in making preparations to deal with the rebellion. Mahabat Khan was ordered to put down the rebellion in Bundelkhand. The Bundela territory Was ordered to be surrounded from three different directions.Jujhar Singh who never imagined the Mughal attack on such a vast scale was taken aback. In the battle that ensued his fort was captured and nearly two to three thousand of his men were slained.At last he offered submission. He was required to pay I,000 gold mohars, 40 elephants and 15 lakhs as fine. He surrendered a part of his jagir and was ordered to keep in readiness 2,000 cavalry and 2,000 infantry to aid the Deccan expedition of the Mughals.A few years after his first revolt Jhujir Singh rebelled again in 1635. An imperial force under the command of prince Aurangzeb crushed the rebellion. Jhujar Singh was killed by the Gonds in a chance skirmish in 1635. 

Rebellion of Khan Jahan Lodhi (1629) :- 

Much more serious than the rebellion of Jujhur Singh was that of Khan Jahan Lodhi. he was one of the premier. Mughal Officers and Governor of the Deccan. He had been associated with prince Pervez there. But like many other Afghans under Mughal dominance he cherished dreams of Independence. He entered into an alliance with the rule of Ahmednagar and revolted. Shah Jahan realized the gravity of the situation because if Khan Jahan Lodhi could win over all the rules of Deccan to his side and lead their combined troops of the Mughal empire. In 1629 Shah Jahan marched personally to Deccan and organized a comprehensive plan of action against the rebels. Chased from place to place, deserted by his allies and having lost his friends and relations in battle the Afghan chief fought desperately against the imperialists for three years but was ultimately defeated at Tal Sehonda near Kalinjar. 

SUPPESSION OF THE PORTUGUESE ( 1631 – 1632 ) :- 

The portugese were long settled in the Eastern part of Bengal. Hugli was the most Important centre of Portugese trade. They often captured orphan Children of Hindus and Mohammadans and forcibly converted them to Christianity. Slave trade and piracy were important sources of their income. Two slave girls of Queen Mumtaz Mahal were also abducted by them Hugli Kasim Khan the Governor of Bengal to punish the Portugese besieged Hugli by a large Mughal army. After a sriff resistance the Portuguese surrended. Many of them were killed and a large number of them Were taken as prisoners to Agra where they were given a choice between conversion to Islam and imprisonment. Some of them became Muslims and other died suffering. 

North West Frontier Policy of Shah Jahan :- 

Kandhar was lost of the Mughals in 1622 in the reign of Jahangir. However, Khandar was recognized to be an indispensable part of the Mughal empire and Shah Jahan very much realized that the strategic and commercial importance of khandar required that it should be won back from the Persians.It was put under the supervision of Sayyad Khan the Mughal Governor of Kabul who was asked to establish secret contacts with Ali Mardan Khan the Persian governor of Khandar and tempt him to surrender Khandar. Fortunately for the Mughals there was a misunderstanding between Ali Mardan Khan and Shah Abbas the Shah of Persia and agreed to surrender the fort to the Mughals in 1638.Ali Mardan Khan was paid a lakh of rupees as compensation and later appointed the Governor of Kashmir and the Punjab. 

Though in 1638 the Mughal emperor got possession over Kandhar but the Persians had never left the idea to recapture it. Shah Abbas II who had came to the throne in 1642 made vigorous efforts to recapture Kandhar which was a valuable possession from commercial and strategic point of view. The courtiers of Shah Jahan unwisely advised him to postpone the work of opposing the Persians till the season was over. The result was that the persian forces of Shah occupied the fort in February 1649 owing largly to the weakness of the incapable Mughal commander of Kandhar Daulat Khan. Thus Kandhar was recovered by the Persians after eleven years. Shah Jahan made great attempts to recover kandhar and sent three expeditions for this purpose in 1649, 1652 and 1653 but his efforts bore no fruit. 

The first expedition was sent in 1649 and the command was given to prince Aurangzeb and Sadullah Khan. Khandar was attacked in May 1649 but the attempt failed before the superior military preparations and the skill of the Persians. The Mughals suffered heavy losses. Shah Jahan was not ready to abandon his design of recapturing kandhar and after three years second expedition was sent to lay siege to kandhar, Once again under Prince Aurangzeb and Sadullah Khan in May 1652. The Persians had a powerful park of artillery while the Mughal artillery failed them set a crtical moment. The Mughals also found it difficult for the fear of the persian guerillas to move out in the country side in search of provisions. Therefore theywere compelled to raise the siege.Though prince Aurangzeb tried to persuade him to give him a little more time the emperor was wiser not to do so. Auranzeb was blamed for the failure of the expedition. 

The third and the last expedition for the recovery of kandhar was led by prince Dara in 1653. This time thorough preparations were made for the siege of kandhar. Dara led a huge army of 70,000 cavalry 5,000 infantry and 10,000 artillary men. Two crore of rupees were sanctioned by Shah Jahan for meeting the expenses of the campaign.The Mughals attacked the fort four times but each time they were confidently resisted by the Persians. Shortage of munitious and supplies crippled the Mughals. They were compelled to raise the siege. Kandhar was lost to the Mughals for good. 

The three futile sieges ruined Mughal prestige in the eyes of all Asia. The belief regarding the invincibility of the imperial Mughals armies was shattered. The expeditions cost The Mughal treasury no less than twelve crores of rupees that is more than half of the Annual incomplete of the state. 

The flow of trade as also the security of the Frontiers of Baluchistan and Kabul remained exposed to the Persian threat. This kept the rulers of Delhi in a state of serious anxiety and suspense. 

Central Asian Policy of Shah Jahan :- 

The Mughal emperors also cherished the desire of conquering and occupying Trans-Oxiana, their ancestral home land in Central Asia. Babur it will be remembered made many un-successful attempts to conquer Samarqand the capital of Timur. Humayun’s efforts also proved futile. Akbar and Jahangir had not been in a position to establish the Mughal rule in that region. While Shah Jahan ever since the beginning of his reign had set his heart upon the conquest of Balkh and Badakshan.It was very diffcuilt to lead large army through the lofty ranges of the Hindukush. But Shah Jahan did not consider any obstacle. He found an opportunity to launch the Central Asian campaign in 1646 when there was a civil war going on in the ruling house of that region. Prince Murad the youngest son of Shah Jahan an Ali Mardan Khan were sent with a large army who occupied Balkh and Badakeshan in 1646. A man of ease loving habits prince Murad could not bear the hardships of camp life and was sick of the un-congenial climate of Balkh. Without the permission of shah Jahan he left Balkh and came back to India leaving the army leader less. Shah Jahan then sent Sadullah Khan to Balkh to set things right and in the next year Prince Aurangzeb was dispatched to Balkh with a large army. One great difficulty of the Mughals was that they were outnumbered by the enemy. Food and water were scarce. Harsh central Asian climate put too much strain on the eas-loving Mughal in the face of which Auranzeb inspite of his sincere and earnest efforts could achieve nothing and had to retreat to India after suffering terrible hardships. 

It cannot be denied that the Central Asian policy of Shah Jahan failed miserably. As Sir J.N. Sarkar remarks, “thus ended Shah Jahan’s fatuous war in Balkh – a war in which the Indian treasury spent four crores of rupees in two years and realized from the conquered country the revenue of two and half lakhs only.Not an inch of territory was annexed, no dynasty changed and no enemy replaced by an ally on the throne of Balkh. The grain stored in Balkh fort worth five lakhs and the provisions in Other forts as well were all abandoned……………….five hundred soldiers fell in the battle and ten times that number were slain by cold and snow on the mountains. Such is the terrible price that aggressive imperialism makes India pay for wars across the north Western Frontier, “There was no practical reason for undertaking such an adventure because even if conquered the administration and defence of the two provinces would have been difficult and costly. The prestige of the Mughal Empire received serious setback. The Persians took advantage of this situation and captured Kandhar in 1649. 

Deccan Policy of Shah Jahan :- 

Shah Jahan Deccan policy was a continuation of the traditional policy of expansion followed Akbar and Jahangir. When Shah Jahan ascended the Throne the Mughals had only whole of Khandesh and a part of Ahmednagar under them, Jahangir’s attempts to conquer Ahmednagar were checked by Malik Amber. Bijapur and Golkunda continued to enjoy independence. 

It may be mentioned here that while Akbar and Jahangir were actuated by purely political motives in their aggressive policy against the Shia Sultanates Shah Jahan’s were against Shia States were outcome of his religious zeal mixed with Political prejudice. 

Shah Jahan was more successful in his object than his predecessors firstly because he was more acquainted with the affairs of the Deccan and secondly Malik Ambar who had been the main obstacle in the way was no more alive. 

Annexation of Ahmednagar :- 

The Nizamshahi kingdom of Ahmednagar because of its proximity to the Mughal Frontier in the south was the first to be reckoned with. After the death of Malik Ambar his son Fateh khan had strained relations with the Sultan of Ahmednagar. Fateh Khan opened negotiations with the Mughals and under the instruction of the Mughal emperor captured the Sultan and put him in prison and ultimately got him murdered. His son was raised to the throne of Ahmednagar.Though he acknowledged formal Mughal suzerainty, Fateh Khan was not loyal to the Mughals also. When the Mughals besieged the fortress of Daulatabad in 1631 he at first turned against the Mughals but was soon won over by them with a bribe of ten lakhs of rupees and surrendered the fortress. The minor Sultan Hussain Shah was sent to Gwalior as prisoner. The Nizamshahi dynasty came to an and in 1633. Fateh Khan entered the imperial service and was granted a liberal salary. 

The kingdom of Ahmednagar ceased to exist but there was still no peace because its western districts remained for someyears under the control of Maratha chief named Shahaji Bhonsle father of Shivaji. He placed another boy of the Royal family on the throne and initiated a fight on his behalf. However, even he had to surrender to Shah Jahan in 1636. This finally ended the war with Ahmednagar and its territory was shared by Shahjahan and the Sultan of Bijapur. 

Bijapur and Golkunda :- 

The end of Ahmednagar was the prelude to the submission of Bijapur and Golkanda. These two sultanates now became main targets of the Mughal imperialist. The rulers of these two states had secretly helped Shahji who made an attempt to set up a Nizamsha boy as Sultan of the now defunct kingdom of Ahmednagar. This enraged Shah Jahan and he asked both the states to acknowledge his suzerainty and to send regular tributes. Shah jahan personally marched to the Deccan and reached daulatabad in 1636 in order to press these demands. The two states were informed that if they refused to accept the demands their territories would be attacked. 

The ruler of Golkanda Abdulah Qutb Shah submitted without resistance and agreed to pay tributes, to read khutba in the name of Shah Jahan and to strike coins in his name. He also agreed to assist the Mughal army in its campaign against Bijapur Acceptance of this treaty put and end to the sovereignty of Kutab Shah and enhanced the prestige of the Mughal sovereign. 

The Sultan of Bijapur Mohammad Adil Shah refuse to submit.his kingdom was attacked by Mughal armies from three sides the sultan was forced to sue for peace in May 1636. He acknowledged the suzerainty, agreed to pay an indemnity of 20 lakhs of Rupees, promised not to attack Golkanda which was under imperial protection. He further promised not to assist Shahji Bhonsle.”Thus after 40 years of strife” (1595 to 1636) writes Sir J.N. Sarkar”the affairs of the Deccan were at last settled. The position of the emperor was asserted beyond challenge, his boundries defined and his suzerainty over the Sultan Kingdom formally established.

Prince Aurangzeb was appointed the victory of Deccan in 1636 and he occupied the post for 8 years (1636-1644). Khirki the new Nizamshahi capital was rechristened Aurangabad and made the headquarter of the Viceroy. Aurangzeb was again appointed Viceroy in 1653 and he held this office till his departure for Northern India in 1658.

AURANGZEB’S FIRST VICEROYLTY (1636-1644):- 

During these years the young Viceroy was engaged in suppressing the enemies of the empire. His most noteworthy exploit was the conquest of Baglana a small region lying between Maharashtra and Gujarat and compelled Shahji to submit to him and surrender certain forts. 

Aurangzeb resigned in 1644 after which he was appointed governor of Gujarat in 1645 and then sent on expedition to Balkh, Bedakahan and Kandhar which we have noted ended in Failure. 

Aurangzeb’s Second Viceroyalty (1653-1658):- 

In 1653 Aurangzeb was again appointed Viceroy of the Deccan. After his resignation in 1644 the administration of the Deccan had fallen into confusion and the economic condition had become worst. This was because of the neglect of Govermental affairs by corrupt officers therefore his first concern was to improve the finances of the Deccan. Oppression and misrule had led to neglect of agriculture so that there were many tracts lying fallow. Aurangzeb was fortunate to receive valuable help from an able Persian revenue officer Murshid Quli Khan who was a man of great administrative ability and financial genius. He Introduced the same revenue system in the Deccan as was done by Todarmal in the North. Advances were given to the agriculturists to buy implements and seeds. Efficient and honest persons were appointed as administrators and consequently the tone of administration improved. 

After organizing the internal administration Aurangzeb turned his attention towards destroying the independence of the rich Shia states of Bijapur and Golkunda. He wanted the extension of imperial territory and the wealth and resources of these rich kingdom. 

Golkonda :- 

It was not difficult to find an excuse for an attack on Golkunda. The state had failed to pay the annual tributes as agreed by the treaty of 1636. Moreover, Sultan’s powerful minister Mir Jumla who was not on good terms with his master secured the Mughal protection. Mir Jumla’s family had been arrested by the Sultan. This gave Aurangzeb an opportunity to attack Golkunda and he marched upon Golkunda and besieged it in February 1656. Hyderabad one of the richest cities of India was plundered. Aurangzeb’s ambition was nothing short of complete annexation of the kingdom. His eyes were also on the entire treasure. But the intervention of Shah Jahan prevented it and Aurangzeb raised the siege and made peace in March 1646.The Sultan paid war indemnity and arrears of tribute amounting to one crore of rupees. If Shah Jahan nad not intervened the Qutubshahi dynasty might well have been ended just then. Mir Jumla entered the Mughal service and became the prime minister of the empire. 

Bijapur :- 

Aurangzeb next turned to Bijapur. The death of its able ruler Mohammed Adil Shah in 1656 had caused confusion in the state. Aurangzeb took advantage of this situation and obtained the permission of Shah Jahan to invade Bijapur under the pretext that the new ruler of Bijapur was not the son of the Sultan. Bijapur was an independent ally of the Mughals and the Mughal emperor had no right to interfere in its internal matters. Therefore war against Bijapur was ‘wholly untighteous.’Mir Jumla joined Aurangzeb and the kingdom of Bijapur was invaded in January 1657. The forts of Bidar and Kalyani fell to the Mughals by August 1657. The Adil Shah troops fought bravely in defence of their master and their guerillas greatly harassed the invaders but they had steadily to yield ground and the end of the kingdom itself seemed imminent. But fortunately for them an Adil Shahi envoy at the Mughal Court secured Shah Jahan’s intervention. The emperor ordered aurangzeb to make peace. The Sultan had to cede the forts of Bidar, Klyani and Parenda to the Mughals and had to pay a sum of one crore rupees as war indemnity. The timely conclusion of peace with Bijapur and Golkunda proved helpful to Aurangzeb in fighting the war of succession which broke out between the sons of Shah Jahan in September 1657. 

Shah Jahan is blamed for having lost what Aurangzeb had nearly secured for the Mughal empire. But Shah Jahan seems to have been opposed to the policy of annexation. Like Ala-ud-din-khilji he wanted the Mughal flag to fly dominant all over India.He tolerated the existence of the tributary vassal states and while anxious to impose his supremacy over them he abstained from interfering in their internal affairs. He did not want any responsibility that direct annexation would involve. 

War of Succession :- 

Shah Jahan had four sons Dara the governor of the Punjab, Murad of Gujarat, Aurangzeb of the Deccan and Shuja of Bengal. Shah Jahan had given clear indications that he wished to leave the crown to Dara. When Shah Jahan fell sick in September 1657 the struggle for throne began. In November 1657 Shuja crowned himself in Bengal and began to advance towards Agra at the head of an army but he was defeated by an army to Dara and was forced to retire to Bengal. In December 1657 Murad crowned himself in Gujarat and then formed an alliance with Aurangzeb.They entered into an agreement to partition the empire. The combined troops of Aurangzeb and Murad marchad towards the North and fought two battles against the imperial armies of Dara. The battle of Dharmat (April 1658) and battle of Samugarh (May, 1658) in which that were victorious. The fort of Agra was occupied by them and Shah Jahan was made a prisoner. One by one Auranhzeb managed to dispose of all his brothers including Murad and ascended the throne in July, 1658. 

The reign of Shah Jahan is usually considered to have been the golden age of Mughal rule in India. The 30 years of Shah Jahan’s rule found the empire at its zenith in terms of prosperity though not in extent. On the whole they were years of peace. There was no external threat to India. India’s export trade with Western Asia and Europe led to economic properity of the state. It was marked by pomp and splendour which were amply attested by brilliant productions in architecture like the magnificent Taj Mahal, Pearl Mosque, Diwan-e-Khan ,Diwan-I-am and the celebrated Peacock Throne.There was progress in literature also, yet his rule is not without contrast. It was an epoch of grandeur not altogether un-mixed with symptoms of decay. The signs of military in efficiency of the Mughal empire had appeared in Shah Jahan’s reign behind the apparent prosperity of the empire there were serious maladies in the economic syatem. The burden of taxation was too heavy for the agriculturists and the manufactures. The misrule of the provincial Governors often deprived the peasants and artisans of their necessities of life. In short the reign of Shah Jahan in many respects resembles the reign of Louis XIV of France.