Shah Jahan Timeline

In 1607, Khurram became engaged to Arjumand Banu Begum (1593–1631), also known as Mumtaz Mahal, meaning 'The Exalted One of the Palace'. The prince would have to wait five years before the marriage took place.

In 1611, Khurram's father married Nur Jahan, the widowed daughter of a Persian noble. She gradually became an active participant in all decisions made by Jahangir and gained extreme powers in administration.

In 1612 (1021 AH), aged 20, Khurram married Mumtaz Mahal on a date selected by the court astrologers as most conducive to ensuring a happy marriage. He also married other Persian princesses, Izz un-Nisa Begum and the daughter of Muzaffar Husain Mirza Safawi.

On the death of his mother Jagat Gosain in Akbarabad on 8 April 1619, Khurram was recorded to be inconsolable by Jahangir and mourned for 21 days.

Image source: Jagat Gosain

Mumtaz Mahal died at the young age of 38 on 7 June 1631 upon giving birth to Princess Gauhar Ara Begum in Burhanpur, Deccan, of a postpartum haemorrhage causing considerable blood-loss after thirty hours of painful labor. Her death later inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Image source: Mumtaz Mahal

Khurram participated in military campaigns against the Sisodia Rajputs of Mewar. In 1615, he presented Kunwar Karan Singh, Amar Singh's heir, to Jahangir, and exchanged turbans with the Maharana; that turban is still preserved in Pratap Museum, Udaipur.

In 1617, Khurram was directed to deal with the Lodis in the Deccan to secure the Empire's southern borders and restore imperial control over the region. On his return, after successes in these campaigns, he performed koronush before Jahangir, who rose from his seat to embrace him.

In 1622, Shah Jahan sent Raja Vikramjit, the Governor of Gujarat, to subdue the Kolis of Ahmedabad. Later, between 1632 and 1635, four viceroys were appointed in an effort to manage the Kolis' activities.

Image source: Indian Rebellion of 1857

A devastating famine broke out in 1630–1632 in Deccan, Gujarat and Khandesh as a result of three main crop failures. Shah Jahan dealt with this humanitarian catastrophe during the early years of his reign.

Shah Jahan gave orders in 1631 to Qasim Khan, the Mughal viceroy of Bengal, to drive out the Portuguese from their trading post at Port Hooghly, responding to Portuguese activities in the region.

In 1632, Shah Jahan captured the fortress at Daulatabad, Maharashtra, and imprisoned Husein Shah of the Nizam Shahi Kingdom of Ahmednagar, extending Mughal dominance over the Deccan.

Image source: Daulatabad Fort

On 25 September 1632, the Mughal Army raised imperial banners and gained control over the Bandel region, and the garrison was punished, completing the campaign against the Portuguese at Hooghly.

Image source: Siege of Hooghly

Golconda submitted to Mughal authority in 1635 and then Bijapur in 1636, bringing the major Deccan sultanates under nominal Mughal suzerainty during Shah Jahan's reign.

Image source: Golconda

On 23 December 1635, Shah Jahan issued a farman ordering the Agra Church to be demolished, reflecting tensions in religious policy during his reign.

The small Maratha kingdom of Baglana straddled the main route from Surat and the western ports to Burhanpur in the Deccan. In 1637, Shah Jahan decided on its complete annexation, ending centuries of subservience to one Muslim ruler or another.

Image source: Shah Jahan

Shah Jahan sent an embassy to the Ottoman court in 1637, and received the ambassador in June 1640. Murad IV met Mughal ambassadors Mir Zarif and Mir Baraka while encamped in Baghdad, who presented 1000 pieces of finely embroidered cloth and armor.

Image source: Ottoman Empire

Shah Jahan and his sons obtained the Fall of Kandahar (1638) and succeeded in the Siege of Bost (1638) from the Safavids, prompting retaliation by the Persians led by Abbas II of Persia, who recaptured Kandahar in 1649.

Image source: Fall of Kandahar (1638)

In 1644, the Mughal prince Aurangzeb was appointed as the viceroy, proceeding to become engaged in religious disputes, such as the destruction of a Jain temple in Ahmedabad. Prince Murad Bakhsh was later appointed viceroy in 1654.

Image source: Aurangzeb

Shah Jahan launched an invasion of Central Asia from 1646 to 1647 against the Khanate of Bukhara. Mughal forces occupied Badakhshān and Balkh in 1646, but Balkh was relinquished in 1647, ending the costly campaign.

Image source: Khanate of Bukhara

The Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta, Sindh province of Pakistan (100 km / 60 miles from Karachi), was built during the reign of Shah Jahan in 1647. It has been on the tentative UNESCO World Heritage List since 1993.

Image source: Shah Jahan Mosque, Thatta

An inscription from Makrana, Nagaur District, dating back to 1651 AD, mentions Mirza Ali Baig, who was likely a local governor under Shah Jahan's rule, attesting to the administration of the empire.

Image source: Makrana

Aurangzeb defeated Golconda in 1656 and then Bijapur in 1657, further consolidating Mughal control over the Deccan late in Shah Jahan's reign.

In September 1657, the ailing Shah Jahan appointed his eldest son Dara Shikoh as his successor, triggering rivalry among his sons that would plunge the empire into civil war.

Image source: Dara Shikoh

The appointment of Dara Shikoh led to the Mughal war of succession (1658–1659) between Shah Jahan's three sons. Aurangzeb emerged victorious, becoming the sixth emperor and executing all of his surviving brothers, including Crown Prince Dara Shikoh.

Image source: Mughal war of succession (1658–1659)

After Shah Jahan fell ill in 1658, his daughter Jahanara Begum had a significant influence in the Mughal administration. Dara Shikoh also assumed the role of regent in his father's stead, incurring the animosity of his brothers.

Image source: Jahanara Begum

After Shah Jahan recovered from his illness in July 1658, Aurangzeb had him imprisoned inside the Agra Fort, where he remained until his death in January 1666, spending his final years gazing upon the Taj Mahal built for Mumtaz Mahal.

In January 1666, Shah Jahan fell ill and died on 22 January 1666, ending the life of the fifth Mughal Emperor, remembered as 'Shah Jahan the Magnificent' and the builder of the Taj Mahal.