Bloody Game Of Throne: Stories of the immense wealth of the Mughal Empire are quite famous. Behind this grandeur is hidden the dark history of conspiracies, conspiracies and murders of the royal family. There are many such stories of the Mughal family, in which the son took the life of his father to gain the throne. There is one such incident in Mughal history, where a grandfather had imprisoned his 7 year old grandson. There is an interesting story behind why the king of Delhi was afraid of his 7 year old grandson.
The grandfather we are talking about here is Jahangir. The grandson whom he bound was Dara Shikoh. Jahangir was actually feeling threatened by his son Shahjahan. To keep Shahjahan under control, Jahangir imprisoned his grandsons Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh. But why did Jahangir feel threatened by Shahjahan and what was Shahjahan’s reaction to this, let us know the whole story.
Shahjahan and Jahangir were once close
Mughal emperors used to do many marriages. Salim alias Jahangir, the fourth emperor of the Mughal Empire, was no exception in this matter. Jahangir’s eldest son was Khusro Mirza, whom Jahangir liked very much. But when Khusro sounded the bugle of rebellion against Jahangir for the throne, Jahangir also crossed the limits of cruelty. He along with Khusro suppressed the soldiers involved in the rebellion and then with his own blood he caused Khusro’s eyes to be broken. After this incident, the closeness between Jahangir and his third eldest son Muhammad Khurram (Shahjahan) increased.
Noorjahan had organized the marriage of Shahjahan-Mumtaz
Noorjahan also had influence in Jahangir’s Sultanate. She was the king’s favorite wife. Jahangir’s wife Noor Jahan wanted power to remain with her. In this connection, she got her daughter from her previous husband married to Shahryar Mirza. Apart from this, he got his niece married to Shahjahan. That niece later became famous with Mumtaz Mahal.
Noor Jahan wanted Shahryar to become the heir to the throne. But Shahjahan stood before him as a big challenge. Muhammad Khurram had left an impression on Jahangir with his martial arts. After the success of 1617 against Lodi in the Deccan, Jahangir was so pleased with him that he gave Muhammad Khurram the title of ‘Shahjahan Bahadur’. Shahjahan is a Persian word which means ‘king of the world’.
Took revenge for son’s rebellion by tying up his grandsons
The attack on Kandahar by the Persians gave an opportunity to change the equation of the royal family of the Mughal Empire. Nur Jahan demanded that Shah Jahan should be sent to war to save Kandahar. But Shahjahan refused for this. In fact, he was afraid that after him Noor might poison Jahangir and put Shahryar in power. Shahjahan rebelled against Jahangir’s army but was defeated. As a result, he had to accept the conditions of the king and his wife.
Jahangir gave life to Shahjahan but he was jealous of his son’s intentions. Then he sent Shahjahan’s young sons – Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb – to Noorjahan’s harem. There, Jahangari’s grandson lived under the strict supervision of Noor Jahan. At that time Dara was 7 years old. The children were not allowed to meet even their father.
Mass murder took place after Jahangir’s death
A major change came in the Mughal Sultanate when Jahangir died in 1627. On this occasion, with the help of Noorjahan, Shahryar declared himself the new king. At the same time, Shahjahan was fighting in Deccan. When Shahjahan received the news of Shahryar, he along with his father-in-law Asaf Khan planned to conquer Hindustan.
According to the plan, Asaf Khan first rescued Shahjahan’s children from Noorjahan’s harem. After this he targeted Lahore, from where Shahryar was ruling. On the basis of war strategy, he was successful in defeating Shahryar. After the victory, Shah Jahan executed all those in the family who could pose a threat to him and his throne. At the same time, her stepmother Noorjahan, who helped Shahryar hand over the throne, was imprisoned. After removing all possible threats, Shah Jahan became the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire in 1628 and ruled the Mughal throne for the next 30 years.
