S H A H JA H A N
Emperor of the Golden Age of the Mughal Empire
Shah Jahan was born as Prince Shihab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram in the Lahore, Pakistan in 1592. Shah Jahan became the Mughal ruler on January 1628, after the death of his father and predecessor Jahangir. He was an astute military general and had a talent for building. He ruled one of the greatest and most powerful empires in the world of his time and accumulated new regions during his reign. He gained Baglana and Bundelkhand to the west and the kingdoms of Bijapur and Golconda to the south.
The small skirmishes between the Mughals and their opponenets were devastating to the opponents in light of the marvel that was the Mughal military. Shah Jahan was well known for his Deccan policies that forced the kingdoms of the Deccan to either join the Mughals willingly or force them to respect his power over them. While Shah Jahan was mainly successful in his military ventures in the Deccan Plateau, his other military conquests were not as successful. Shah Jahan later decided to focus his efforts on conquering parts of central Asia, fighting the Uzbeks for some time before surrendering. He also attempted to take control of the Safavids of Persia, but did not succeed in taking the Safavid empire down.
Under Shah Jahan, not only did his empire expand, but it also developed and gained architectural prowess. He is attributed to be the commissioner of the Taj Mahal, one of India's greatest monuments.The Taj Mahal was a mausoleum for his late wife Mumtaz Mahal. Under his rule, not only did he take it upon himself to build a new capitol called Shahjahanabad (in what is now Old Delhi), he also revamped many of the old forts and monuments of his predecessors. Shajahanabad remained the capital of the Mughal empire until its fall in 1639.
His millitary endeavors were excellent, he maintained hospitals and rest houses built during his reign and donated generously to the poor. Culture grew during his time and he ruled fairly, but never ceased to spend government money on his architecture, but he was not religiously tolerant. But his reign ended when Aurangzeb, one of his four sons took the throne from him in 1658. Shah Jahan then spent the remainder of his life in a tiny cell with only a small window and a mirror to look at his beloved wife’s tomb.