Jehangir

Jahangir, born Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (1569–1627), was the fourth Mughal emperor, ruling from 1605 to 1627. He was the son of Akbar and continued the Mughal tradition of centralized administration and cultural patronage. The name Jahangir roughly translates as “Conqueror of the World” in Persian.

As heir apparent, Salim held high military and administrative responsibilities; after Akbar's death in 1605 he ascended the throne as Jahangir. His early reign faced a major challenge when his son Khusrau Mirza rebelled in 1604, but the rebellion was suppressed.

Jahangir's reign was marked by strong imperial authority, aided by his wife Nur Jahan, who effectively controlled the government for a time with her husband. The couple's influence, along with that of the prime minister Mirza Ghiyas Beg (Asaf Khan), shaped policy and administration. He maintained Sulh-i-kul (peace to all religions). Persian remained the court language, and art and architecture flourished during his reign.

In 1606 the emperor ordered the execution of Guru Arjan, a Sikh leader, which provoked a lasting strain in Mughal-Sikh relations. Jahangir also welcomed European traders; the English envoy Sir Thomas Roe visited in 1615–1616, securing trade concessions for the East India Company.

His reign produced a rich body of Mughal painting and literature; he commissioned a biography Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (Jahangir's Tuzuk) to record his reign. Jahangir died in 1627 and was succeeded by his son Shah Jahan, who would later commission the Taj Mahal. Jahangir's era is remembered for cultural florescence, political continuity from Akbar, and the evolving influence of Nur Jahan at court.