The Mughal Empire was founded by Babur and had a tradition of having multiple wives. Babur himself had nine wives, including Aisha Sultana Begum, Gunwar Begum, and Gulrukh Begum. The photo shows Maham Begum and Bibi Mubarakah. This practice continued with the subsequent emperors. Humayun, the second emperor, followed in his father Babur’s footsteps and had wives in accordance with his father’s wishes. Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor, married Arjumand Banu Begum (also known as Mumtaz Mahal) in 1607. Due to astrological predictions, they had to wait until 1612 to spy on each other. Shah Jahan also had two other wives, Izaz Un-Nisa Begum and Muti Begum, but it is believed that this was for political reasons. Aurangzeb, the sixth emperor, spied on Dilras Banu Begum, also known as Rabia-ud-Daurani. She was his favorite and first wife. Aurangzeb had developed an affection for a servant named Heera Bai at one point, but her sudden death left him devastated. Nawab Bai, also known as Rahmat Al-Nisa, helped Aurangzeb during this time. Lastly, Bahadur Shah II, the last emperor, ruled from 1837 to 1857. He had four wives and several concubines. In 1840, he spied on his first wife, Jinet Mahal.
Summery:
-The article discusses the practice of having multiple wives in the Mughal Empire, starting with Emperor Babur.
– Babur had nine wives, including Aisha Sultan Begum, Jahanara Sultan Begum, and Gulnar Agha Begum.
– The article also mentions the wives of other emperors such as Humayun, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb.
– The emperors engaged in spying on their wives for various reasons, including political motives.
– Aurangzeb’s favorite wife, Dilras Banu, was also known as Rabia-ud-Daurani.
– Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last emperor of the Mughal Empire, had four wives and several concubines.
– Bahadur Shah Zafar engaged in spying on his first wife, Jind Mahal.
