A WEEK after Akbar’s death, Salim succeeded to the throne at Agra at the age of thirty-six and assumed the title of Nur-ud-din Muhammad Jahangir Padshah Ghazi. Though fond of pleasure he was not absolutely devoid of military ambition, and dreamt of conquering Transoxiana, the seat of government of the early Timurids. Soon after his accession, he tried, in the words of Asad, “to win the hearts of all the people” by various measures. He granted a general amnesty to his opponents, released prisoners, set up the famous chain of justice between the Shahburji in the fort of Agra and a stone pillar fixed on the banks of the Jumna, and promoted twelve edicts, which were ordered to be observed as rules of conduct in his kingdom:
1.Prohibition of cesses (zakat).
2.Regulations about highway robbery and theft.
3.Free inheritance of property of deceased persons.
4.Prohibition of the sale of wine and of all kinds of intoxicating liquor.
5.Prohibition of seizure of houses and of cutting off the nose and ears of criminals.
6.Prohibition of forcible seizure of property (Ghasbi).
7.Building of hospitals and appointment of physicians to attend the sick.
8.Prohibition of the slaughter of animals on certain days.
9.Respect paid to Sunday.
10.General confirmation of mansabs and jagirs.
11.Confirmation of aima lands.
12.Amnesty to all prisoners in forts and in prisons of every kind.
These edicts do not seem to have had very great practical effects. The few changes that Jahangir now effected in the offices of the State were intended to secure him a band of supporters. He rewarded Bir Singh Bundela, the murderer of Abul Fazl, with the dignity of a commander of 3,000 horse, while ‘Abdur Rahaman, the son of the victim, and Maha Singh, son of Man Singh, were elevated only to the rank of a commander of 2,000. Mirza Ghiyas Beg, a Persian adventurer and father of Nur Jahan, who was destined to be famous under the title of I’timad-ud-daulah, was raised to the rank of a commander of 1,500.
The “early pleasant dreams” of Jahangir were soon rudely disturbed by the rebellion of his eldest son, Khusrav, whose relations with his father had been far from friendly since the closing years of Akbar’s reign. Enjoying the kindness and favour of his grandfather, Khusrav was the most popular prince in the Empire, having many influential supporters like his maternal uncle, Man Singh, and his father-in-law, Khan-i-Azam ‘Aziz Koka, foster brother of Akbar. Five months after Jahangir’s accession, he left Agra, fled to the Punjab and rose in rebellion. Jahangir marched without delay against his son with a large army. He was so greatly perturbed that he even forgot to take his daily dose of opium on the first morning of his march. The Prince’s troops were easily defeated by the imperial forces near Jullundur and he was captured with his principal followers, Husain Beg and ‘Abdul Aziz, while attempting to cross the Chenab with a view to proceeding ‘to Kabul. He was brought before his father with “his hands bound and a chain on his leg ” in open darbar, and after being severely reproached was ordered to be imprisoned. His supporters were subjected to cruel punishments. The captive Prince was destined to suffer more till he met his doom in 1622. Khusrav and his nephew, Dara Shukoh, are two pathetic figures in Mughul history.
The fifth Sikh Guru, Arjan, was sentenced to death, and all his property was confiscated by the Emperor. Apparently the charge against him was that he had helped the rebel prince Khusrav with a sum of money, and some writers believe that the Guru suffered the “penalty for high treason and contumacy”. But Jahagir’s own Memoirs make it clear that the Emperor was not guided by purely political considerations. The unfortunate prince whom the Guru helped was, in the words of Terry, ” a gentleman of a very lovely presence and fine carriage, exceedingly beloved of the common people . . . the very love and delight of them all”. The Guru’s conduct may have been due to his charitable and holy disposition, and need not indicate any hostile intention towards the Emperor personally. The Guru himself justified his action on the grounds of his dharma and gratitude for the past favours of Akbar “and not because he was in opposition ” to the Emperor Jahangir. The execution of the Sikh divine was an impolitic step on the part of Jahangir, as it estranged the Sikhs, till then a peace-loving community, and turned them into foes of the Empire.
In May, 1611, Jahangir married Nur Jahan, originally known as Mihr-un-nisa, who considerably influenced his career and reign. Modern researches have discarded the many romantic legends about Mihr-un-nisa’s birth and early life and have proved the reliability of the brief account of Mu’tamid Khan, the author of lqbal-Nama-i-Jahangir. According to it, Mihr-un-nisa was the daughter of a Persian immigrant, Mirza Ghiyas Beg, who came to India with his children and wife in the reign of Akbar. She was born on the way to India at Qandahar. Her father rose to high positions during the reigns of Akbar and his son. She was married, at the age of seventeen, to ‘Ali Quli Beg Istajhi, another Persian adventurer, who in the beginning of Jahangir’s reign received the jagir of Burdwan in Bengal and the title of Sher-afghan.
