Shah Jahān

Shah Jahān, Mughal emperor from 1628 to 1658, is perhaps best remembered for the grand monuments constructed during his reign, especially the Taj Mahal and the Motī Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in Agra and the Jāmiʿ Masjid and Red Fort in Delhi. His reign was also notable for successes against the Deccan states in southern India.

Shah Jahān was the third son of the Mughal emperor Jahāngīr and the Rajput princess Manmati. He married Arjūmand Bānū Begum, the niece of Nūr Jahān (another wife of Jahāngīr’s), and thus became a member of the influential Nūr Jahān clique. Upon Jahāngīr’s death, support within that clique enabled Shah Jahān to take the throne.

Shah Jahān fell ill in September 1657. His four sons—Dārā Shikōh, Murād Bakhsh, Shah Shujāʿ, and Aurangzeb—began to contest the throne in preparation for his potential death. Aurangzeb was victorious, and in 1658 he dethroned Shah Jahān despite his recovery from illness and confined him in Agra Fort until his death in 1666.