The role of great women in the Mughal Empire

Image source: Nur Jahan ((History and chronicles, wordpress.com)

Image source:  Mumtaz Mahal (travelogyindia.com)

The Mughal Empire founded by Babur by defeating Ibrahim Lodhi in the First Battle of Panipat was the largest empire in medieval India. After Babur, Humayun came, then Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb. The role of great Mughal women is largely ignored by historians. From wives to mothers to daughters each of them played an important role in the Mughal period.

They excelled in the arts, poetry, painting, music and administration. It was they who worked behind the curtains acting as regents, and advisors to the Mughal emperors. The most famous of the Mughal  women were Khanzada Begum, Gulbadan Begum, Maham Begum and Bega Begum.When Akbar came to the throne at the young age of 13 foster mothers such as Jiji Anaga and Maham Anaga became powerful. With the growth of the Mughal empire the wives of the emperors gained influence. So there was Harkha Bai, Salima Sultan Begum, Nurjahan and Mumtaz Mahal. As the empire prospered under Shah Jahan unmarried daughters became powerful like Jahanara Begum and Roshanara Begum. Finally under the last great mughal Aurangzeb we have his daughters like Zeb un nissa and Zeenat un nisa.

The early Mughal emperors Babur and Humayun had great respect for their mothers and grandmothers. Babur and his son Humayun had great respect for their elder sister Khanzada Begum. When they were invading India on horseback it was Khanzada  who secured Babur’s’ safety from the Uzbek warlord  Shaibani Khan.

There was no distinction between public and private space during the period of the earlier Mughals. Gulbadan Begum, Babur’s daughter and Humayun’s sister was asked by Akbar her grandnephew to write a biography of Babur and Humayun called Humayunnama. It has been translated in to English from Persian and is a major source about the life of the Mughal Women. With the coming of Akbar to the throne his  foster mother Maham Anaga played a prominent role in the Mughal court. She controlled the empire as regent when Akbar was young. A highly shrewd and ambitious woman she advanced her own authority in the Mughal court. When Akbar married a Rajput princess Harkha Bai it changed its outlook towards the Rajputs and led to a gradual shift in his attitude towards Hindus.

Akbar gave her the title Mariam-uz-Zamani and she bore him a son which later ascended the Mughal throne with the title of Jahangir. When Jahangir became the emperor he married Mehr-un-nissa and conferred on her the title of Nur Jahan meaning light of the world. After her marriage to Jahangir she swiftly rose in ranks and became the real power behind the throne. The emperor consulted her on every matter and her approval was necessary on any imperial seal. In the later years of Jahangir’s reign the Nurjahan junta came to dominate the Mughal court. Itimad ud Daula the father of Nurjahan, Asaf khan, Nurjahan’s brother and prince Khurram (the future emperor Shah Jahan) formed an alliance which came to be known as the Nur Jahan junta. Asaf Khan married his daughter Arjumand Banu Begum (Mumtaz Mahal) to prince Khurram (Shah jahan). Shah Jahan conferred on her the title of Mumtaz Mahal and the TajMahal was built by Shah Jahan in the memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal was a religious woman and she took keen interest in the day to day administration of the empire. She had no political aspirations in contrast to her aunt Nur Jahan who wielded considerable influence in the Mughal court during the reign of Jahangir. She bore Shah Jahan fourteen children and died an untimely death in 1631. The TajMahal at Agra was built by Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Shah jahan’s daughters Jahanara and Roshanara also played an active role in the Mughal court. When the war of succession broke out between Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb over the Mughal throne. Jahanara supported his brother the heir apparent Dara Shikoh. Eventually Aurangzeb ascended the mughal throne by defeating and killing all his brothers.

Aurangzeb’s daughters Zeb un nissa and Zeenat un nissa also held important positions during his reign. Both were known for their deep knowledge of Islam and extensive charity. Aurangzeb’s chief wife Dilras Banu Begum also known as Rabia-ud-daurani had a deep influence over his religious policies.

Thus it can be said that the role of the great women in the Mughal Empire cannot be underestimated. They played different roles as wives, mothers and daughters. From, the beginnings of the empire by Babur till the death of Aurangzeb in 1707.  It was the Mughal women who worked as the real power behind the throne of the Mughal emperors.