ffipipBi

LIBRARY
UNIV!<SITY OF

CALIFORNIA
.

LESLIE

WALKER

SAN DIEGO

i^

.,_<i

,.

THE MOGUL EMPERORS

THE

MOGUL EMPERORS OF
HINDUSTAN
A.D. I398-A.D. 1707

BY

EDWARD

S.

HOLDEN,

LL.D.

Often art action of small tiote, a short saying or a jest,

shall distinguish a person's real character more than
the greatest sieges. Plutarch.

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
^895

Copyright,

1895,

by

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

&

Co.
Press of J. J. Little
Astor Place, New York

INTRODUCTORY NOTE
A

COLLECTION of miniatures of the Mogul

emperors, some of which are copied in this

book, came into

The accounts

my

of these

which are given

reference

quently

hands many months ago.

unfamiHar personages

the ordinary books of

in

found to be inadequate and

incorrect.

Accordingly,

fre-

devoted

the spare hours of a long and harassing win-

reading the original memoirs of the

ter to

native historians of India and the accounts

of early

ambassadors and travellers to the

court of the Great Moguls.

I

in

wrote out

brief,

various periodicals.

reprint
I

in

am

them

in

few of these

and they were printed

I

have been asked to

more complete form, which

very glad to do, as

know

of

no one

volume which contains the information here

collected.

To

those

who have

lived or travelled in

India, the subject of this

book

will

be more

Introductory Note

vi

or less familiar, since the jurisprudence, cus-

toms, and

perors have

left

remains which

Yet

recall their authors.

may

this class of readers

Mogul em-

the

of

architecture

still

serve to

think that even

find

convenient

it

have many scattered fragments of biog-

to

raphy and history brought together

To

place.

the majority of persons, however,

Mogul period is
more than a name

a closed one

the

note

its

is

remote.

moved

in

one

in

its

foreign,

and

it is

hardly

impulses are alien,

history

its

who

But even to

us,

time and

temper,

in

seems

are so far reit is

not with-

out interest to study the characters of the

kings

who

centuries

India

ruled

and

it

is

of readers that this

I

for

three

eventful

chiefly to the latter class

book

is

addressed.

wish to emphasize the fact that

its

chap-

ters are not intended to give the history of the

reigns in question, but rather to present such

views of the chief personages involved as an

intellieent reader of the histories themselves

might wish to carry away.

which

The

materials

have used are to be found

in

great libraries, although they are dispersed

all

in

Introductory Note

very

Moreover, the

different volumes.

many

vii

Oriental biographers require to

writings of

be worked over into a new shape before

they are acceptable to Western readers.
with
I have not encumbered these pages
the host of foot-notes which would be necessary had

by work, volume, and

referred

page

to their sources.

that

the

chief

It

may

suffice to

consulted

authorities

say

have

been the Memoirs of the emperors themselves

histories

the standard

of

Persia,

and Tartary, by Elphinstone, Malcolm,

Erskine, Price, Hunter, Howorth, and others;
India,

the records of early missions and voyages;

and,

more

especially, the invaluable transla-

tions of the native historians,

Dowson,

Professor

Elliot,

Blochmann

was able to

short, all

in

find

by
and

Sir

Henry

Professor

the works that

which treat of the subject

in hand.

very interesting lives of Akbar, by

The
Colonel

Noer,

Malleson

and

of

and

Comte

F.

A.

de

Aurangzeb, by Mr. Stanley

Lane-Poole, came into

my

book was

have carefully com-

finished.

hands after

this

Introductory Note

viii

pared Chapters IV and VII with these, the

authorities,

latest

As

to change.

but

have seen nothing

a matter of

Moguls must depend upon the same

of the

The

originals.

interpretation of these origi-

nals rests with the reader.

present

to

them so

interpretation easy.
sible,

fact, all histories

fully

have attempted

Whenever

and

was pos-

in spelling,

have also chosen to retain the

of the

my

must be

this

excuse for some inconsistencies

ing

it

the

have used the very words of the

various chronicles

etc.

make

as to

spell-

word Mogul, which a usage

more than two

centuries has

made

of

familiar

to English readers, rather than to introduce

more

the

correct form, Mtighal.

count myself particularly fortunate

that

in

have the permission of Sir William

Chapter VIII)

his

masterly picture of the downfall of the

last

Hunter

to

of the great
I

(in

Mogul emperors.

have been able to

orieinal

authorities

libraries of

to

reprint

for

find
this

nearly

all

the

book

in

the

the Pacific Coast, which seems

be not a

little

remarkable when

it

is

Introductory Note

how

considered
interests,

ix

removed our American

far

and otherwise, are from

literary

those of India, especially of mediaeval In-

Other works

dia.

have consulted by the

courtesy of Dr. Justin Winsor, Librarian of

Harvard University.

There was every reason

to expect that

complete series of entirely authentic

of

the

obtained.

So

traits

discover, there

By

kind
of

far as
is

Mss.,

received

Douglas,

tutes

one of

of the

its

many

emperors

which

Chapter

II,

of
to

Professor
Oriental

copy the
a col-

and exquisite Indian draw-

by contemporary

of

of

keeper

permission

ings

Jahangir

and

Mogul kings from

the

lection of rare

of four

America.

Richard Garnett, keeper

books,

K.

of

in

Museum, and through the very

Robert

portraits

have been able to

action of the authorities of

printed

no such series

offices of Dr.

its

por-

Mogul emperors could be

the liberal

the British

no

artists,

is

The group
Humayun, Akbar,

treasures.

Babar,
is

which consti-

given at the beginning

reproduced from a Ms,

Shah-Jahan-Nameh

(British

Museum

Note

Inh'odtictory

Add., 20,734), ^vhich was

formerly

the

in

Akbar II, King of Delhi.

The portrait of Shah Jahan as an old man
(page 270), and of Aurangzeb (page 309),
possession

of

are from Ms. Add., 18,801.

These plates were kindly selected

by Mr. H. Arthur Doubleday
publisher to

tliC

good enough

India Office,

to

me

for

London,

of

who

was

also

superintend their

photo-

graphic reproduction from the original Mss.

The

portraits

entirely authentic

are

with

one exception they have never before been

indeed,

printed

known

to a

existence was

their

few Oriental scholars

only

and they

have the additional advantage of exhibiting

Indian portraiture at

its

everything

best, in

but color.

The

frontispiece

exquisite

this

book, from

miniature on ivory,

a picture given to

Arnold.

of

The

my

a copy of

is

son by Sir

plate of Akbar,

tion.

They purport

portraits.

How

to

Edwin

Nur-Mahal,

and Shah Jahan (as a young man)

duced from other miniatures

an

in

is

repro-

my

collec-

be copies of original

faithfully,

even

slavir-hly,

Introductory Note

xi

such originals are copied and recopied

have

learned by comparing two photographs of

Nur-Mahal
is

in

my

possession.

now
miniature now

after a miniature

after a

in

One

of these

London, the other

in

Delhi.

The two

miniatures were copied from the same orig-

The

inal.

scrutiny

closest

any difference whatever

The

two photographs.
rug

is

Hence

have confidence
Indian

any part of the

very pattern

of

in

warriors

is

comes to
such reproductions by
is

it

The

artists.

Asiatic

that one

spirited design

of

two

used as a stamp on the

after a Persian painting of the time

Marco

of

detect

to

absolutely identical in the two copies

of copies.

cover,

in

fails

Polo,

circa a.d.

1300,

and

it

is

reproduced from Colonel Yule's remarkable

life

of the great traveller.

The
at the

from
"

portrait of

Nur-Mahal (Nur-Jahan)

beginning of Chapter VI,

an

eng-ravinof

Noor Jehan,

after an

or the

original

of the. Great

which

bears

is

copied

the

title

Light of the World,

drawing from the library

Mogul, and now

in

session of the Publishers," which

the posis

further

Introductory Note

xii

" P.

marked

work

185."

but this rare portrait

this belongs,

evidently
original,

Samarkand,
I

tomb

of the

some Indian

of

Tamerlane,

in

redrawn from a photograph

is

owe

is

extremely interesting.

is

The view
which

copy of

faithful

and

do not know to what

kindness of Professor

to the

D. Gedeonof, Director of the Observatory of

From

Tashkend.

Rousselet's India

and

its

Native Princes the following cuts are taken

(by

permission

Tomb

the

of

publishers)

The

Humayun, the Mosque of Aurangzeb at Benares. The view of the Taj-Mahal

is made from a negative by Mr. Frederick
Dlodati Thompson of New York, and first
of

appeared
Sim.

his book,

in

It is

In the Track of the

printed by permission of Messrs.

D. Appleton

&

Co.

These

views of famous buildings

ress (and decay) of

characteristic

illustrate the

Mogul

prog-

architecture from

the time of Tamerlane (1400) to the reign of

Aurangzeb

(1700).

the lotus (page 356)

Indian picture,

Finally, the
is

drawing of

reduced from a native

in colors, in

the collection of

Miss Olive Risley-Seward of Washington.

Introductory Note

xiii

Professor Gedeonof, Director of the Imperial

Observatory of Tashkend, Professor C. Michie

Smith, Director of the Observatory of Madras,

Thomas G.

Mr.

New

Allen of

Jersey, and,

Mr. H. Arthur Doubleday of Lon-

especially,

don, have been most kind in procuring for

me

miniatures and photographic copies

of

my

portraits

and views.

grateful

thanks to Miss Agnes Gierke for

made
Museum,

researches
British

Upton

for

the

in

and

similar

have to express

of the

collections

Miss

to

Sara Carr

made

researches

in

the

Library of Congress and elsewhere.

Through the thoughtful kindness

friends

many

in

thus been

volume

of

parts of the world

possible

to

collect

illustrations of the

in

many
it

this

has

one

personages and

of the architecture of the India of long ago.

I

beg

them

to express
all

my

and also to

sincere

my

obligations to

publishers for the

pains they have taken to present the illustrations in a fitting and artistic manner.

mere chance

originally

tion to the subject of this

hours of a

lonsf

drew

book

winter were

my

atten-

the leisure

s^iven

to

the

Introductory Note

xiv

study of the writings and characters of great

rulers
If I

and great men

have succeeded

sions which

like

in

received,

Babar and Akbar.

conveying the impresI

shall

be more than

gratified.

E. S. H.

The Lick Observatory,

Mount Hamilton,

April, 1893,

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE

CHAPTER I.
Tamerlane the Great (born a.d.

1336, died

.1

A.D. 1405),

CHAPTER
Zehir-ed-din

Muhammad

queror (born

a.d.

n.

Babar,
1482,

CHAPTER

the

Con-

died 1530),

56

in.

HuMAYUN, Emperor of Hindustan (a.d. 1530THE Adventures of Four Broth1556)

;

ers,

97

CHAPTER

IV.

Shah Akbar the Great, the

Emperor of Hindustan

Organizer,
(a.d.

1556128

1605),

CHAPTER

The Emperor Jahangir

V.

(a.d.

1605-1627).

Contribution towards a Natural History OF Tyrants,

.....

207

xvi

Table of Co7itents

CHAPTER

Nur-Mahal

(The

VI.

Light

the

of

Empress of Hindustan

CHAPTER

Palace),

(a.d. 1611-1627), 236

VII.

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, Emperors of

Hindustan (a.d. 1628-1658 and a.d.
270

1658-1707),

CHAPTER
The Ruin of Aurangzeb
OF A Reaction.

VIII.
;

a.d.

the History

By Sir W. W. Hunter, 309

CHAPTER
Appendix.

or,

IX.

The Conquests of India

1526).

(b.c.

327-

Brief Chronological and

Genealogical Tables,

(a.d. 1398-1707), 357

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
BORN

DIED

FACING
PAGE

The Emperor Babar,

(1482-I530)

56

The Emperor Humayun,

(1508-I556)

56

The Emperor Akbar,

(1542-I605)

The Emperor Jahangir,

(1569-I627)

56

The Empress Nur-Mahal,

(1585-I645)

128
236

The Empress Mumtaz-i-Mahal,

(1590-1630)

128

Frontispiece

The Emperor Shah Jahan,

(1591-1666)

The Emperor Aurangzeb,

(1618-1707)

The Tomb of Timur at Samarkand,

The Tomb

of

Humayun,

128

270
309
10

97

The Taj-Mahal, at Agra,

289

The Mosque

302

The Lotus,

of Aurangzeb, at Benares,

Tailpiece

THE MOGUL EMPERORS

OF HINDUSTAN
CHAPTER

TAMERLANE THE GREAT

(born

The

1336, DIED

A.D.

inhabitants

became the

of a
of

rulers

Euphrates to the

cliffs

1405)

small

Italian city

the world from

the

We

are

of Albion.

the inheritors of their civilization, and their

history

is

taught to our

little

children.

Their

language and literature are as familiar as

our own.
great
of

men

The
are

knowledge.

acters,

their

lives

part

We

of

their

of the

and

rulers

common

stock

understand their char-

aspirations,

their

most secret

motives.

Centuries

after

Rome was famous

the

The Mogul Emperors

hordes of Tartar and Mongol tribes

far

in

the

East gathered strength under great com-

manders, and overran what they also called

**

the inhabitable world," from Poland to the

Persian Gulf and Hindustan

Sea

tinople to the China

in

India,

What

day.

from Corea to the

Their descendants founded a stable

Ganges.

empire

from Constan-

which lasted

living idea can

we form

Babar and Akbar

their great successors,

Shakspeare's play

Julius Ccesar might serve as a

of

Roman

history

Marlowe's scarcely
is

of such

Chengiz-Khan,

alien personalities as those of

of Tamerlane, or of

our own

until

in

less

first

of

text-book

our schools

to-day.

famous Tamburlaijie

ludicrously inadequate as a picture of the

Grand Khan

of Tartary.

These people have never yet touched our

national or our racial
foreigners.

We

Spain

and the

in

life.

They

are utter

can understand the Moors

chivalric Saladin

is

hardly

stranger to us than Richard the Lion-Heart,

But our interest

or Saint Louis of France.

in

the

Mongols

tiveness.

If

is

mere

intellectual inquisi-

one seeks to

satisfy this curios-

Tamerla7ie the Great

one meets with singular

ity,

Not

difficulties.

only are the character and motives of particular individuals

quite alien to our own, but

their very histories are given in foreign forms

which perplex and confuse.

It is perfectly

simple to understand that Ulugh Beg, the

grandson of Tamerlane, built

in

at

1437,

Samarkand, the greatest astronomical observatory of the world, one hundred and forty

Tycho Brahe erected Uranibourg in Denmark. But it is almost impossible to comprehend the intrigues and
years before

violence which deposed this

good

prince,

and

own

son.

led to his death at the hands of his

As

in this case,

history,

so in others.

by a native

consecutive

writer, of the reigns of

Chengiz or of Timur (Tamerlane, " the lame

prince

"),

ical.

Its

seems

totally

unconnected and

sanguinary pages

record a

which seems to be purposeless

illog-

hell

without

an

object.
If

we wish

something, at
tives of

process

to satisfy the curiosity to

least, of

know

the character and mo-

a sovereign like Timur, the simplest

is

to collect the narratives of

men

of

The Mogul Emperors

who were

our own world

These

actions.
tive

outlines,

eye-witnesses of his

recitals give us the perspec-

which are

The

they are not complete.

sketch must be

filled

seem

to

possible,

into

its

us significant.

though

the

to choose such as

Finally,

difficult,

to

it

may be

this

fit

inherited from our

and adopted
first

details of the

picture

place in the view of the world which

we have
tors

if

up by extracts from the

we have

native writers, and

even

intelligible

Roman

for ourselves

and

importance to recollect that

ancesit is

of

Rome

was nearly two thousand years old when

Mongol

history begins.

An Embassy

to the

Graiid

(a.d.

Khan of Tartary

1254)

In the year 1248 Saint Louis of France

embarked

for the

Holy Land.

While he was

yet at Cyprus he received ambassadors from

the

Grand Khan

of Tartary,

and understood,

quite erroneously, that the

Khan had been

converted to Christianity.

It

seems to be

Tamerlane the Great

true that he desired to attack the Saracens

from one

Crusaders advanced

side, while the

From

from the other.

King

Syria the

sent

one WilHam de Rubruquis, a monk of the

order of the

Minors, as a sort of

Friars

His

ambassador to Tartary.

was to spy out the

land,

converts as he could.
" a

person

of

missiori^

and to make such

De Rubruquis was

admirable parts,

gence, unaffected
letter to the

real

piety and

great

probity."

dili-

His

King, giving an account of his

extraordinary journey, fully bears out this

praise

and deserves

Rubruquis

left

to

be read

in full.

De

Constantinople for Tartary

May, 1253, and arrived at the court of

Batu, the grandson of Chengiz-Khan (born

in

1162, died

1227), after

months

of

perilous

travel.

The

subjects of

Tamerlane were very

those of Chengiz-Khan.

like

The acceptance

of

Islam was the only marked change, and the

new

religion

was held but

lightly.

There

is

no better way to obtain a view of them than

to

copy a few paragraphs from the journal of

the

good monk

The Mogul Emperors

6
"

And

cincts

after

we departed out

we found

the Tartars, amongst

whom

was come

into a

being entered, methought

new

world,

of those pre-

whose

life

and manners

will

describe unto your Highness as well as

can.

They have no settled habitation

know they to-day where they shall lodge
to-morrow. They have all Scythia to themneither

selves,

which stretcheth from the river Dan-

Each

ube to the utmost extent of the East.

of their Captains, according to the
of his people,
tures,

knows the bounds

of his pas-

and where he ought to feed

winter and

summer, spring

number

and

his cattle,

autumn.

Their houses they raise upon a round foundation of wickers, artificially

pacted together
wickers

also,

meeting

roundell, which

black)

felt.

the

wrought and com-

roof,

above

consisting
in

one

little

they cover with white

This cupola they adorn

of

(or

with

variety of pictures."

The houses were moved from

place on

immense wagons twenty

drawn by two-and-twenty oxen

eleven in a row.

"

The

in

place

to

feet wide,

two rows,

axle-tree of the cart

Tamerlane the Great

was

of a

ship.

huge bigness,

the mast

like

Batu (grandson

Hence

it

of a

Chengiz-Khan)

of

whom

hath sixteen wives, every one of

a great house.

hath

that the court

is

of a rich Tartar will appear like a very large

village."

At the camps the houses were dismounted

from the carts and ranged

in

order.

The

beds and furniture had particular and un"

varying situations within the house.

is

little

lean idol which

as

is,

ceremony

is

constant in

were, the

it

One

guardian of the whole house.

houses

all

a bench, on which stands a vessel

and cups

for drinking

it.

piece of

namely,
of milk

summer-

the

In

There

time they care not for any drink but cosmos'''

me

leave

without

differ-

" In respect to their food, give

to inform your

Highness

that,

ence or distinction, they eat

all

their beasts

that die of age or sickness."

The customs and

are

described

at

the laws of the Tartars

Q^reat

lenorth.

The

chief

punishments are flogging and death.

"

On my

arrival

among

* Mares' milk

these barbarous

koumiss.

The Mogul Emperors

people
I

thought, as

before observed, that

The first
they asked was whether we had

was come

question

into a

new

world.

ever been with them heretofore or not

made

us wait

bread from

long while,

wondering

us,

and

begging our

at all things they

saw, and desiring to have them.

It is

true

they took nothing by force from me, but

they

and
is

will

if

but

beg

all

they see, very importunately

man bestows anything upon them

lost, for

to

hands of

On
tai,

his

me

it

they are thankless wretches.

So we departed from them

seemed

that

and indeed

we escaped

out

it

of the

devils."

journey he was presented to Zaga-

another grandson of Chengiz-Khan, and

entered into his presence

bashfulness."

The

"with fear and

reception was not unfa-

vorable, though the monk's gifts were few.

"

expounded

to

him the Apostles' Creed,

which, after he had heard, he shook his head."

The interpreter, however, was "a sorry one."

They still " went towards the eastward, seeing naught but the sky and the earth,"

they reached their journey's end.

till

At the

Tamerlane the Great

court of the
fort

Khan they found

even luxury of a

a kind of com-

What

sort.

is

surprising, they

met with Nestorian and

obite priests in

numbers

sians,
in

smith,

with fugitive Rus-

a Knight Templar, a French gold-

William Bouchier of

wife, " a

Jac-

Hungarians, Muhammadans,

Greeks,

plenty

most

woman from Metz

in

Paris,

and

his

Lorraine," and

even with a strayed Englishman.

This was

more than a hundred years before the time

of Timur,

and

it

variety of arts
reiofn.

were

affords an explanation of the

known

in

Samarkand

in

his

The Tartar and Monorol tribesmen

still

the same in his time, except for a

nominal conformity to

had been brought

to

Christianity

Islam.

Khorassan

century by the Nestorlans.

in the fourth

There was a

Merv in a.d. 334, and in

Herat and Samarkand in a.d. 500. The
Kerait Turkomans accepted Christianity
about A.D. 1000, as a tribe.
Buddhism came
Nestorian bishop

in

through China into Transoxania

and Islam

crossed the Persian frontiers not long after

the death of the Prophet.

All these creeds

were tolerated by Chengiz Khan.

The Mogul Emperors

lO

The

tolerance of Chengiz and his sons had

MusHm

ceased under Timur, and the

ruled in

all

7nollahs

But the

religious matters.

arts

of the architect, the goldsmith, the armorer,

the weaver, had already been

to

these wilds

transplanted

from Europe, from China,

from Africa, from Arabia, from

As-

Persia.

tronomy, mathematics, poetry, learning of a

sort

were

cultivated,

and the

field

pared for that remarkable advance

was pre-

some

in

which

of the arts (notably in architecture),

marks the period

of

Timur and

his

imme-

diate successors*

An

Embassy

Tamerlane the Great

to

(a.d.

King Henry

III. of

1403)
Castile

1407) despatched embassies to

of

Europe and

Asia.

1376-

(a.d.

many

princes

Tamerlane sent

in re-

turn an envoy, Muhammad-al-Cazi, with presents and a letter.

When

the

Mogul envoy

* For a very interesting description of the fine monuments of

Samarkand

in

Timur's lifetime, see an

Blanc in the Revue des

Deux

article

Mondes for February

by M. Edouard
15, 1893.

THE TOMB OF TIMUR

Tamerlajie the Great

was

him an embassy

left

which

of Castile sent with

to the court of

Ruy Gonzales de
has

King

to return, the

Timur Beg.

one of the envoys,

Clavijo,

us an account of his perilous mission,

set out

arrived at

from Seville

Samarkand

in

in

May,

and

1403,

August, 1404, after

traversing the Mediterranean and Euxine seas

to Trebizond,

and passing by land through

Erzeroum, Teheran, near Merv, and across the

Oxus

to

Samarkand

over seventy degrees of

longitude.
In

October, 1403, the ambassadors were

Emperor
they much desired

received in audience by Manuel, the

of Constantinople
to
for

and as

have a sight of the various Christian

relics

city *

were

which the churches of the

famous, special

them.
as

The

their

Emperor

privileges were

guide

in

himself

Emperor acted
The
pious visits.

their

was the custodian of the

In

the

church of

John the Baptist they saw the

of St. John.

to

son-in-law of the

keys to the reliquaries.

St.

granted

" left

arm

This arm was withered so that

the skin and bone alone remained, and the

* There were three thousand churches.

The Mogul Emperors

12
of

joints

elbow and

the

hand were

the

another church

adorned with jewels."

In

they saw the

arm, " and this was

saint's right

"And

and healthy."

fresh

body

that the whole

said,

'

finger,

Ecce

Agnus Dei /
arm was

yet certainly the whole of this

good preservation." *
saw pieces

of the true cross,

iron

on which the blessed

roasted

"
;

blood of Christ
;

some

"
;

ginus pierced his

side,

was as fresh as

if

committed

St.

"

"a

*'

the

"

grid-

Lawrence was

some

Lord

of "the

hairs of the Saviour's

iron of the lance with

tlie

in

Helena brought

the very " bread which our

Jesus Christ gave to Judas

beard

made from

Holy Land; "the

from the

'

In various shrines they

cross which the blessed St.

(entire)

John
with which

of the blessed St.

was destroyed except one

he pointed when he

though they say

which Lon-

and the blood on

the deed

piece of

the

had

just

it

been

sponge with

which Jesus Christ, our God, was given

gall

and vinegar when he was on the

and

his

cross,"

garments for which the soldiers cast

* Notre

Dame d'Amiens

Saint to this day.

lots,

claims to possess the face bones of the

Tamerlane the Great

13

besides relics of saints beyond count.

a stone of

many

were

colors

On

the " tears of

the three Marys and of St. John, and these

tears looked fresh, as

At Trebizond, on

if

they had just fallen."

the Black Sea, they had

already touched on the confines of Timur's

dominions, for the prince of that place paid

Timur Beg

drawn

this is to signify that

stamped on

are tributary to

in this

he

He

parts of the world.

who

The arms which

bears," says Clavijo, "are three

circles like O's,

to be

"

Emperor.

tribute to the

is

^,

and

lord of the three

ordered this device

his coins,

him

manner,

shall

and that those

have

it

on the coins of their countries."

stamped

It

was of

the greatest benefit to the Spanish envoys to

company

travel in the

sador.

After

of Timur's

own ambas-

many adventures they reached

Teheran, and from here to Samarkand they

were forwarded by post-horses, which were

maintained by the Emperor on
cipal routes

all

the prin-

and they were entertained and

cared for by the governors of towns and

villages.
in

Their journey through Persia was

the heats of July, and

many

of the party

The Mogul Emperors

14

succumbed and

what with the

died,

and the great pace

dust, the lack of water,

which their post-horses travelled

"

better pleased with

is

and a night

him who

for

at

Timur

travels a

and

for fifty leagues,

horses, than with

heat, the

kills

day

two

him who does the distance

in three days."

"

Timur,

considering

were very long

leagues

the

that

empire of Samarkand,

in his

divided each

league into two,

and placed

small

on

mark

pillars

league, ordering

the
all

road to

his

followers to march

on each day's

at least ten of these leagues

journey
equal

And

and

to

two

they do

each of
leagues

each

leagues was

these
of

Castile.

not only travel the distance

which the lord has ordered, but sometimes

fifteen or

twenty leagues

in

a day and night."

Fancy a whole kingdom

official is

forced to travel at least sixty miles

per day, whether he likes or not

"

the

When we
first

place
in

which each

in

arrived at any city or village,

thing was to ask for the chief of the

and they took the

the street, and with

first

man

they met

many blows

forced

Tamerlane the Great

him

to

show the house

15

of the chief.

The

who saw them coming, and knew they

were the troops of Timur Beg, ran away as
and those who
if the devil was after them
people

were behind their shops shut them up and

crying

fled,

dor

'

'

which means ambassa-

and saying that with the ambassadors

there would

And,

in

come

fact,

a black day for them."

the villagers had to furnish

that the travellers required, and

all

he was

failed

"

Elchee

and thus

it

killed, or, at

if

anyone

the least, beaten

was that the people were

marvellous terror of the lord and of

in

his

servants."

With these people Timur has performed

many deeds and conquered in many battles
"

for they are a people of great valor, excellent

horsemen, expert with the bow, and

enured to hardships.
they eat
heat,

ple

and

in

the

leave their

not, they suffer cold

if

hunger and

they have food,

If

better than any peo-

thirst,

world.

women,

and

children,

They do
and

not

flocks be-

hind when they go to the wars, but take

all

with them."

The Mogul Empcroi's

They

quoted by

are, says a writer

who weep
battles, who

Vam-

bery, " a people

at their feasts,

laueh

follow their leader

in their

and hunger, do

blindly, are content with cold

not

know

words

but

or pleasure, have not even

rest

them

to express

They prepare and

language.

their

in

carry their

own

animated by one soul and one

arms, are

not

spirit,

dainty in food or clothes, unpitying, ready to

tear the unborn child from

They

despised the

agriculture

life

willing to subsist

on

they called wheat.

mother."

of towns,

for slaves.

fit

its

" the

and held

They were

not

top of a weed," as

Since the time of Chen-

giz-Khan, every soldier had his appointed

place in war

or the centre

down from
"

We

in

the right wing, the left wing,

and these places were handed

father to son.

met many

of them,

and

tliey

were

so burned by the sun that they looked as

they had come out of

On

hell."

the 31st of August, 1404, the ambassa-

dors reached the

kand.

if

neighborhood of Samar-

They were kept

waiting for

days before they had audience

" for

eight

it is

the

Tamerlane the Great

ij

custom not to see any ambassador

or six days are passed, and the
tant the ambassador

may be,

more impor-

the longer he has

Finally they were presented.

to wait."

Timur Beg was seated

"

until five

in

a portal,

at

the entrance to a beautiful palace, and he

was

sitting

on the ground.

a fountain, which

w^as

very high, and

The

in

it

Before him there

threw up the water

Vv^ere

some red

apples.

was seated cross-legged, on silken

lord

embroidered carpets, amongst round pillows.

He

was dressed

in a

robe of

silk,

with a high

white hat on his head, on the top of which

was a ruby, with pearls and precious stones

about

it."

They were very

an

Timur asked

"How

Spain.

These Franks are

I

and given

honorable place above the ambassador

from China.
of

well received,

will give

Spain,
world."

my

my
son,

is

my

after the

son,

the

King

King?

truly a great people,

and

benediction to the King of

who

lives at

the end of the

Here, then, at the court of Timur,

were met ambassadors from the two extremities of

the habitable globe

China and Spain.

The Mog2Ll Emperors

i8

Banquets

meats, boiled and

of

and

profusion

and with

roasted,

on drinking-bouts

later

Emperor's

wives

were

There were gold

on four

present,

unveiled.
tents of

And

pearls,

two

each standing

tables,

and the tables and legs were

legs,

one.

them,

of

which were set with

emeralds, and

were also

six

all

seven golden vials stood upon

large

and each

turquoises,

one had a ruby near the mouth.

round golden cups

with large pearls inside, and

it

embroidered with gold and gems.

silk,

in

fruits

which the

at

These took place under magnificent

"

of

and drink out of golden jugs

kinds,

all

with

followed,

in

There

one

set

the centre of

was a ruby two fingers broad, and

of a

brilliant hue."

Their interpreter was

them

to

this

feast,

late

and

bringing

in

Timur was very

angry.
"

How

is it

that you have caused

enraged and put out

Why

with the Frank Ambassador

me

order that

a hole be bored through your nose

rope be passed through

it,

to be

were you not

that a

and that you be

Tartterlane the Great

through the army,

dragged

19

punish-

as

ment."
"

He had

men took

the interpreter by the nose to bore

a hole in
It

is

it,"

satisfactory to

who attended on
they had not
sent

know

that the wretch

by the intercession

escaped

horse to

eat,

the officer

of

As
Emperor

Spanish envoys.

the

eaten

freely,

lodgings

their

to

when

scarcely finished speaking,

the

"ten sheep and a

and also a load of wine, and

dressed the ambassadors in robes, and gave

them

and

shirts

There was

hats."

great

feasting, for

some

Timur's grandsons were to be married

another grandson, Pir
India,

was

present.

magnificence of

of

and

Muhammad, ruler of
The profusion and

these feasts impressed the

ambassadors, and they seem to have been

chiefly struck with

pavilions of

the

silk, built

splendid tents

like castles,

and

each with

a multitude of rooms.

Timur's chief wife was present

of red silk,
flowing.

trimmed with gold

It

had no

waist,

and

in " a

lace,

robe

long and

fifteen

ladies

The Mogul Emperors

20
held up

skirts of

it

stones,

On

the top

there was a

three very

hair,

little

and

large

mounted by a

Her

tall

lace.

castle,

on which were

brilliant

plume

of

rubies,

feathers.

color.

accompanied by three hundred

down

sat

on one
less

"

" three

The

side."

She was

ladies,"

and

ladies held

her

headdress with their hands, that

no

and they value black hair

much more than any other

when she

sur-

which was very black, hung down

over her shoulders

fall

of red

and other precious

and embroidered with gold

all

her to

very high, covered with large pearls,

rubies, emeralds,

of

to enable

She wore a crested headdress

walk.
cloth,

the

it

mieht not

other wives were

gorgeously arrayed.

On

tainment

this

day

with

they

the

had

much

[fourteen]

enter-

elephants,

making them run with horses and with the

people, which

was very diverting

they

together

all

ran

earth trembled.

...

it

seemed

and when
as

was a beautiful

thino-

the

In this horde which

the lord had assembled there were as

as fourteen or fifteen

if

thousand
to see."

tents,

many
which

Tamerlmie the Great

So with

feastlngs every day the

was entertained, and was

over

mission

dismissed

finally

The ambassadors

with honorable presents.

returned

21

nearly the

same

route

which they had come, and arrived

Spanish court on the

at

24th day of

by
the

March,

1406, after an absence of about three years.

Their narrative

is

valuable, in that

it

gives

a truthful though a dull picture of the court

of the great warrior King.

It is at

the

we

time most disappointing,

in that

gain that vivid,

impression

life-like

personality which

same

fail

to

of

his

they might have given.

Perhaps the most striking idea to be obtained from

ority

it is

of the

that the intellectual superi-

envoys to the Moguls (which

we unthinkingly and
less

at

once

assume)

is

marked than one might have expected.

Timur's officers do not seem especially rude

and ignorant

as

compared with the Spanish

gentlemen.

Timur's court was not a mere

assembly of

his officials.

in a

was organized

fashion as orderly as that of the Spanish

King.

It

Special ranks had special privileges.

Tarkhan,

for

example, had

les

grajides

The Mogul Emperors

22

him.

mace-bearers could

the

entrees ;

more extraordinary accompaniment

of this rank

was that neither he nor

dren could be called to account

crimes exceeded nine
.title

far

not stop

was hereditary.

more important

in

it

is

till

their

number; and the

Timur

himself was a

any of

his

To complete

our

figure than

Western contemporaries.
view of him,

his chil-

necessary to consult the

narratives of the native historians of India

own Memoirs. And in these native

histories we may leave out of consideration
and

his

any consecutive account of the mere events

These events were a lone

of his reiofn.

sue-

cession of bloody razzias on a large scale,

alike in the main.

When

one

is

all

understood,

all are.

The Life of Ti7mtr, as Told by the Native

Historians

The

native

handed down
actions

historians

and

poets

have

some accounts of the

and sayings of Chengiz-Khan which
to

us

accurately describe the military

Of Cheneiz

it

is

said in verse

life
:

of Timur.

Tamerlane the Great

In every

Here

direction that he urged his steed

He

raised dust commingled with blood.

is

Chengiz's letter demanding the

Bokhara.

treasure of

Timur

written by

one of

his

It

conquered

might have been

men

chief

to the

moment when

ful

23

cities, just at

his soldiery

of

any

that fear-

were driving

the inhabitants like sheep into the surround-

ing plains

till

the walls were emptied, and

just before the sacking of the

town began.

The

"

Bokhara

thus

concludes

letter

You have been

mous crimes

O men

guilty of

am

the instrument, hath

employed me against you.

Of

erty in this city which

visible,

is

the prop-

all

it

be needless to require an account.

demand

that

is

The

would

What

the immediate surrender of

is

all

concealed."

trembling chiefs reveal the

the hidden treasures

plunder

enor-

hence the wrath of God, of

whose vengeance

of

the

in the fields

the soldiers loot and

wretched populace
in

sites of

a few days the

prisoners becomes troublesome

is

herded

number

of

the artisans

and the men of learning are segregated from

The Mogtil E77iperors

24
the

and are despatched to people some

rest,

one of the conqueror's

cities

to

Samarkand; the despairing remnant

into tens or twenties,

Kesh or
is

divided

and a Mogul warrior

told off to slaughter them,

and to produce

is

at

nightfall ten or twenty heads to go towards

the buildine of a horrid

monument

to

com-

memorate the butchery. After the conquest

of Bagdad, one hundred and twenty such
pyramids of heads were

made by Timur's

they were

Sometimes

built.

" engineers,"

by

building the whole body of the victims into

the structure with brick and clay and mor-

Two

tar.

were

thousand prisoners, not

materials

the

of

one

all

such

dead,

monu-

ment.

When

a city

was sacked, the walls were

usually levelled to the

sowed on the

site.

ground and grain was

The tombs

of the saints

were spared, and were often embellished and

enlarged.
of

The

God and

almost

infidels

throats cut

"
;

the unity

the legation of his prophet were

invariably

artisans.

who denied

slain

unless

they were

Half of the garrison had their

the other half were hurled head-

Tamerlane the Great

long from the battlements,"

is

25

one entry of

Timur's diary.
After Cliengiz-Khan had captured Bokhara
the history of his conquest was given in a
line

by one of the sufferers

dered, and departed."

is

were

all

Here

The

is

history of Timur's

They

Timur's own account of a massacre

was commemorated by the

building of 70,000

human heads

mid plastered with mud

I

plun-

alike.

1387, which

"

The Mongols

written in that one sentence.

raids

in

"

slaughtered,

destroyed, burnt,

came,

conquered the

into a pyra-

Isfahan, and

city of

trusted in the people of Isfahan, and

ered the castle into their hands.

rebelled,
soldiers.

deliv-

And

they

and they slew three thousand of the

And

also

commanded a

general

slaughter of the people of Isfahan."

The

condition of an

invaded province

described by an earlier writer

"

is

There were

many who withered with fear, and a muttering arose, as of a drum beaten under a
blanket."

Timur's expedition to India was undoubt-

The Mogul Emperors

26

edly inspired by the hope of plunder.

But

Memoirs (" his lying Memoirs," as an

English commentator calls them) declare that

his

he was impelled to this invasion

obtain the

to

title

and polytheists.
princes

in

order

ghazi, victor of infidels

He

and nobles

sought counsel of his

in

Some

matter.

the

urged the invasion for one reason, some for

another.

Prince

Muhammad

on account of the "seventeen"

it

One

situated in India.

of gold, another of

mine

of these

iron,

last

"a

of steel."

tions of the

laid the

Mogul Empire, and

tant for that reason chiefly.

In

was a mere raid on an immense

many

mines

was a mine

and the

Timur's conquest of India

it

Sultan favored

of his other

foundaimpor-

is

it

its

incidents

scale, like so

campaigns.

He

passed

Hindu Kush Mountains in the spring of

A.D. 1398, and in December he was proHis path was
claimed Emperor of Delhi.
the

marked by slaughter and ravage, and

days Delhi

itself

Fifteen days he

was given over

remained within

for five

to pillage.
its

walls,

and by March, 1399, he had crossed the bor-

Tamerlane the Great

27

way to
Turkey, Bajazet, who

ders of India once more, on his

sub-

due the Sukan

died

of

a captive in his camp.

While Timur

lived the official prayers at

Delhi were recited

death

the

in

name

name, and

his

in

of his son.

India more

Timur's march into

Durino-

at his

than one hundred thousand Hindu prisoners

had

and

fallen into his hands,

it

was feared

that they might turn against their

whom

to

captors,

they were, at any rate, a serious

Timur was advised

embarrassment.

"

the prisoners to death.

He

to put

listened to this

considerate and wise advice, and gave orders

And

to that effect.
all slain "

"

accordingly they were

with the sword of holy war."

The

butchers must have been weary of the slaughter,

for

chief

it

is

related that even " one of the

ecclesiastics,

who

in

all

his

life

had

never even slaughtered a sheep, put fifteen

Hindus

to the sword."

These
produced

terrible

and immense misfortunes

in the afflicted nations a universal

belief that this

was the scouree

fatalistic side of

of

God.

The

Islam exactly expresses this

The Mogul Emperors

28

overwhelming mis-

state of acquiescence in

The passage

fortune.

following might have

been written of Timur, though,

in

fact,

it

refers to another

"At

when

the time

the page of creation

was blank, and nothing had yet taken form

or shape, the

Supreme Wisdom, with a view

to preserve regularity

and order

fixed the destiny of each

in

the world,

man, and deposited

the key for unravelling each difficulty in the

hands of an individual endowed with suitable

talents.

time was fixed for everything,

and when that time comes

removed [from

if

obstacles are

his career]."

Though Timur has

written as

all

by

left

Memoirs which are

himself, they are probably

Em-

the work of his officers, revised by the

It is said

peror.

that his secretaries recorded

every important event, as

East,

is

usual

in

the

and that he caused their records to

be read over to him, correcting them from

moment

to

lections, or

to

moment,

either

by

his

own

recol-

by the evidence of eye-witnesses

the scenes

described.

Timur's day used

the

The

Mosfuls

of

alphabet introduced

Tamerlane the Great

29

A century later
by Nestorian missionaries.
the Emperor Babar invented a special character for the Turki language.

Timur

the

"

traces his lineage to Abu-al-Atrak,

Father of the Turks,"

The

Japhet.

Timur was
Zagatai,

of

the

great-great-grandfather

prime-minister (so

the

son

was an
His
tribe

ancestress of Chengiz and of Timur,

article of faith in his court.

father, Turghai,

was the chief of the

of Berlas, and the ruler of the

still

city of

While he

young man, during

his

father's

he was a successful commander of

lifetime,

1,000 men.

and of

The

Koua, the

Kesh, where Timur was born.

was

After the death

his patron,

of

his

Amir Kazghan

father

of Trans-

oxania, his fortunes were at a low ebb.

was obliged

He

tells

to

fly

than

ico followers, and very

often he had but one or two.

fore

He

to the desert for safety.

us that frequently he could com-

mand no more
always

of

to say)

Chengiz-Khan.

of

immaculate conception of Alan

common

son of

the

chief

important

of
his

his

tribe

Still,

he was

and there-

adherents were brave.

The Mogul Emperors

30

good

of

His own

and enterprising.

birth,

account of the

his

in

rise

fortunes gives a

picture worth recording.

'*

when

my

had not yet rested from

number

of people appeared afar off

and they were passing along

the

behind them, that

tion,
all

might know their condi-

seventy horsemen

saying,

Warriors,

answered unto me,

and

who
'

We

are ye

if

am one

also
I

'

is

search

in

And

How

of his servants.

bring you where he

them put

and they

are the servants of

in

asked of them,

Amir Timur, and we wander

him, and lo we find him not.'
*

a line with

in

and what men they were. They were

mounted my horse and came

hill.'''

devotions

said,

say ye

And one

?
'

of

of

horse to speed, and carried

his

news to the three leaders saying,

'

We

have

found a guide who can lead us to Amir

Timur.'

The

the guide].

leaders gave orders [to bring

When

their eyes fell

upon me,

they were overwhelmed with joy, and they

they came, and they kneeled,

alighted and
* Note

how he

recollects

part of the incident,

the topography as

just as the red Indians

if

would

it

do.

were a

real

Tamerlane the Great

31

my stirrup. I also alighted

and took them in my arms. And I put my
turban on the head of [one] and my girdle
and they kissed

on [another]

and

my cloak. And
When the hour

clothed [another] with

they wept, and

prayed together; and

This
be

very

is

was

of prayer
I

made a

like the

were

torture, to steal cattle,

after the

slay, burn,

fight

Such was

away, as served best.

might

It

And

and to

we

feast."

ready to harry,

all

also.

arrived,

Iroquois.

Uncas and Chinoracook.

feast they

wept

or run

his early

fortune.

"He

was of good

stature, fair complexion,

an open countenance, and he had a

shrill

voice."

His descendant, the Emperor Jahan-

gir, tells

us that there

trait of

of

him

was no authentic por-

in his time.

famous etching

Rembrandt's (No. 270) seems to

express his character

exactly

just

as

force,

me

to

patience, craft

another of Rembrandt's

etchings (No. 289) might serve for a portrait

of

Chengiz-Khan.

he was

illiterate,

not written by his

It is

almost certain that

and that

his

Memoirs are

own hand, though undoubt-

The Mogul Emperors

32

One

edly they are often in his very words.

of his firmans v/as signed with the imprint of

his

hand

been

All of

red ink.

in

The famous anecdote

sicrned in blood.

of the ant does duty

Timur.

"

them might have

was once

in

a Persian

life

of

forced," he says, " to

my enemies in a ruined
building.
To divert my mind from my hopeless condition, 1 fixed my eyes on an ant,
take shelter from

which was carrying a grain of wheat up a

high wall.

Sixty- nine

times

it

fell

to the

ground, but the insect persevered, and the

time

seventieth
si^ht orave

it

reached the top.

me courage

at the

The

moment, and

never forgot the lesson."

Early
ted

in his

Amir

career (in 1370)

Timur admit-

Seiyid Berrekah, the most distin-

guished of the Prophet's descendants (Ali was

his ancestor) into his

camp, and restored to

him the revenues devotfed

to religious uses.
to

to the shrines

friendship,

have been warm and

and

which seems

sincere,

sprang up

between the holy man and the warrior and

endured

till

the death of the Seiyid.

cautious policy of Timur's earlier years

The
may

Tamerlane the Great

have resulted from

this

33

companionship.

His

profuse professions of devotion to Islam are

no doubt due to
Ali

of

Shia.

trace

when

Sunni

faith

his

in

were

his

Timur was

it.

have not been able to

assumed

descendants

the

but Babar (1500) declares that

time the inhabitants of

all

of the sect

Samarkand

orthodox Sunnis.

Timur s Maxims of Government

Timur

laid

down

tvv^elve

maxims

of gov-

ernment, and the following paragraphs are

No

selected from this part of his institutes.

doubt these are also his very words

many

in

cases.

" Persons of

wisdom and

deliberation and

vigilance and circumspection,

and aged men

endowed

v/ith

knowledge and

foresight,

mitted to

my

private councils

ated with

them, and

and

ad-

associ-

reaped benefit and

acquired experience from their conversation.

The

soldier

and the

[civilian] subject

garded with the same eye.

the

discipline

among my

And
troops

re-

such was

and

my

The Mogul Emperors

34

subjects that the one was never injured or

oppressed by the other."

"

From among

merited

the wise and prudent

and

trust

who were

confidence,

worthy of being consulted on the

government, and to whose care

who

affairs of

might sub-

my empire, I
selected a certain number whom I constituted the repositories of my secrets and my
weighty and hidden transactions, and my
mit the secret concerns of

and intentions

secret thoughts

delivered

over to them."
"

By the

wazirs, and the

the scribes,

my

secretaries,

and

gave order and regularity to

public councils

of the mirror of

they showed

made them

my

unto

the keepers

government,

me

the

in

affairs

which
of

my

my armies and
tich my treasury

empire and the concerns of

my

people

and they kept

and they secured plenty and prosperity

my

soldiers

proper and

and

to

skilful

my

subjects

of

in

and by

measures they repaired

the disorders incident to empire

kept

to

and they

order the revenues and the expenses

government

and they exerted themselves

Ta7nerlane the Great

in

35

promoting plenty and population through-

out
"

my dominions."
Men learned in

medicine and skilled

in

the art of healing, and astrologers, and geo-

who

metricians,

empire,

are essential to the dignity of

drew around me

physicians and surgeons

sick

and by the

aid of

gave health to the

and with the assistance of astrologers

ascertained the benign or malevolent aspect of

the stars, their motions, and the revolution of

the heavens

and with the aid of geometricians

and architects

laid out gardens,

and planned

and constructed magnificent buildings."

"

Historians and such as were possessed of

information and intelligence

my

presence

admitted to

and from these men

heard

the lives of the prophets and patriarchs, and

the

histories

ancient

of

princes,

and the

events by which they arrived at the dignity

of empire,

and the causes of the declension

of their fortunes

and the

and from the narratives

histories of those princes,

and from

the manners and conduct of each of them

acquired

experience

from those men

and knowledge

and

heard the descriptions and

The Mogul Empei'ors

36

the traditions of the various regions of the

knowledge

globe, and acquired

tions of the
"

To

kingdoms

gave encouragement, that

communicate

mig^ht

of the earth."

and to voyagers of every

travellers

country

of the situa-

me

unto

the

they
intelli-

gence and transactions of the surrounding

nations

and

chiefs of caravans

dom and
bringf

dise

merchants

appointed

to

and

travel to every king-

to every country that they might

me

unto

and rare

and from

all

sorts of valuable merchan-

curiosities

the

cities

from
of

Arabia

Hindustan
.

and

from the islands of the Christians, that they

might give

me

and

manners and of the customs

of the

information of the situation

of

the natives and inhabitants of those regions,

and that they might observe and communicate unto

me

the conduct of the princes of

every kingdom and every country towards

their subjects."

Timur's

instructions

revenue are very

lowing
"

will give

And

full.

for

collecting

The paragraphs

the
fol-

an idea of their form.

commanded

that

the

Amirs

Tamerlane the Great

.

should not, on any account,

37

more than the taxes and

And

to

ev'ery

demand

duties established.

...

province

ordained

two supervisors should be appointed;

that

that one of

them should

inspect the collec-

and watch over the concerns of the

tions

inhabitants, that they

ished,

and that the

use or

oppress

might not be impover-

\ovcr-lord'\

them,

might not

ill-

and that the

other supervisor should keep a register of

the public expenses, and distribute the reve-

nues among the soldiers."

"

And

ordained that the collection of the

taxes from the subject might,

sary,

when

be enforced by menaces and by threats,

but never by whips and by scourges.

governor whose authority

power
I

neces-

of the scourge

is

is

The

inferior to the

unworthy

to govern.

ordained that the revenue and taxes should

be collected

in

such a manner as might not

be productive of ruin to the subject or of

depopulation to the country." *
* One-third of the gross produce of the cultivated land was
the share of the government, and so remained under his descendants in India.

The Mogul Emperors

38

"And

ordained that

the rich and the

if

powerful should oppress the poorer subject

and injure or destroy

lent for

upon the

damage

his property,

an equiva-

sustained should be levied

and be delivered

rich oppressor

to

the injured person, that he might [thus] be

restored to his former estate."
"

and of

illustrious dignity, to

conduct of the Faithful

late

man

appointed a Siiddur, a

watch over the

that he might regu-

the manners of the times

superiors in holy offices

every city and

in

of holiness

and appoint

and establish

in

every town, a judge of

penetration, and a doctor learned in the law,

and a supervisor of

markets,

the

of

the

weights and the measures."

"

And

established a judge for the army,

and a judge

for the subjects

and

sent into

every province and kingdom an instructor

in

deter the Faithful from those

the law, to

things which are forbidden and to lead them

in

the truth."
"

in

And

ordained that

in

every town and

every city there should be founded a

mosque, and a school, and a monastery, and

Tamerlane the Great

an alms-house

for the

39

poor and indigent, and

a hospital for the sick and infirm, and that a

physician should be appointed to attend the
hospital

and that

in

every city a govern-

ment-house and a court for the administration

of justice should be built

and that superin-

tendents should be appointed to watch over

the cultivated lands, and over the husband-

men."
"

And

commanded

that they should build

places of worship and monasteries in every

city

and that they should erect structures

for the reception of travelers

roads and

on the high

they should make bridges

that

across the rivers."

"

And

commanded

bridges should be repaired

the

that
;

ruined

and that bridges

should be constructed over the rivulets and

over the rivers

and that on the roads,

at

the distance of one stage from each other,

caravansaries should

be erected

and that

guards and watchmen should be stationed on

the road, and that in every caravansary people

should be appointed to reside

and that the

watching and guarding of the roads should

The Mogul EiJiperors

40

appertain unto them

and that those guards

should be answerable for whatever should be

stolen on the roads from the
"

And

unwary traveller."

ordered that the Stiddtir and the

judge should, from time to time, lay before

me

my

the ecclesiastical affairs of

and

appointed a judge

miorht transmit unto

troops and
In

came

that

litigation

me

my

civil

matters of

among my

pass

subjects."

and

have a picture which,

would

all

he

in equity, that

to

maxims

these

empire

an

portray

if

we

reofulations
it

stood by

enlightened

itself,

monarch,

severe, perhaps, but not without benevolence.

There

is

nothing

in

these paragraphs that

might not have been written by Louis XIV.

of France,

for example,

as a guide

to his

governors of Dauphine or of Languedoc.

Hard

as

was the

of that time

fate of the

under the semi-feudal rule

his various overlords,

freedom
Timur's

itself

French peasant

we know

compared

subjects.

How

known

facts

it

was

to the condition of

then

reconcile these liberal-minded

the

that

of

we to
maxims with
are

Tamerlane the Great

In the

the
his

first

of himself which

whom

desired to leave a memorial

might serve to equal him to

intellii^rent

he

and sultans

of the kins^s

Bagdad and

had overthrown.

Damascus were
nificence

we must remember that

Timur were written late in

place,

Memoirs of
life, when he

the most

41

and mag--

seats of learnino^

The

when he destroyed them.

mosques and colleges which he erected

in

Samarkand were no unworthy

rivals of the

edifices of those great cities.

The

Samarkand desired

to be

ruler of

remembered

alonaf

with the great Caliphs as a wise King and a

This desire led him to

patron of learning.

throw a certain glamour over

all

his actions.

Moreover, he had a high reverence for the

laws

of

Chengiz-Khan, and he desired to

leave behind him a code of the

same

sort,

own

suc-

even accused, by one of the

his-

which should be reverenced by

his

cessors.

He

is

torians, with

valuing the laws of

above the Kuran,

practice

The

and

in

Chengiz

many ways

his

proves that the charge was true.

political ideal of

Chengiz-Khan was the

The Mogul Emperors

42

formation of a military
should be centralized

in the

long enough to realize

and to show

whose power

state,

King,

this, in

He

lived

great measure,

his successors that

it

was

possi-

ble to weld scores of individual tribes into

something

like

In Timur's day

nation.

the theoretic basis of the State was the law

of the Kuran.

were loud

Timur's professions of Islam

he was

zealous

builder

mosques, and a prompt paymaster of

ious tithes.

But

in

all

of

relig-

matters of State he

was guided by the laws of Chengiz, not by

those of

The Muhammadan

Muhammad.

maxim, All Muslims are brethren, makes

nationality unimportant, or even impossible,

as has often been pointed out.

Timur never

permitted a theory like this to interfere with

immemorial usage, which was the basis

laws of Chengiz-Khan.

mass of

his

followers

of the

suppose that the

thought

very

little

about religion of any kind, and were loyal

to the

King from

fear of

punishment and

from hope of plunder.

In the second place

way and

in his

own

Timur

zvas, in his

own

day, a supremely wise

Tamerlane the Great

He

King.
of

43

had been one of the greatest

commanders,

military

" learned the

incalculable

wisdom has over

force,"

but he had

also

advantage which

and experience had

taught him that the civilian subject m.ust not

be pressed more than so much, and that so

much was enough

and

of his armies,

government.

to provide for the wants

It is

for the

splendor of his

impossible to believe that

he was inspired by a sincere desire for the

good

of

the husbandman, like

descendants

but

is

it

one of

his

beyond a doubt that

a long experience in governing had demonstrated to

him that the subject must have

something

like fixity of

erty,

if

the

tenure

were

taxes

his prop-

come

on what he had observed

very nearly

such as would have been written

good Muslim
of

original

are by no

of the
in

They show,
practical wisdom

the

Ber-

means the outcome

thinking.

predecessors

by any

like his friend the Seiyid

They

how much

with

in Persia, in Syria,

His maxims are

Turkey.

rekah.

in

His administration was modelled

regularity.

in

to

in

ancient

rather,

of

his

monarchies of

The Mogul Emperors

44

the East could be appreciated, at least theo-

by the descendant cf Turki shep-

retically,

Appreciated,

herds.

maxims were,

these

down

in

the Memoirs,

Appropriated, as a practical

code of laws

they are set

since

for

all

dominions, thev were not.

his

Again, we must recollect that the enlight-

enment
few

was confined

of his empire

and the learning to a very small

cities,

number

to a very

of

men

doctors of the law and

of

science.

The

illiterate

and rude,* though they were very

The

military chiefs were profoundly

culture of the Arabs had, however, begun to penetrate the

higher ranks, and the following anecdote

showing how

the old

and the new

In the pursuit of the Sultan of

two

of Timur's officers were perishing

did not have the other also.

similarly circumstanced

verbial everywhere.

1403),

They could

thirst.

Aibaj Oghlan drank one, and

if

he

is

to

said

Arab companion

his

so famous that

it

would be a great proof of

me

certain death, you should give

has become prothis truth

if,

to

your water also."

maintain the reputation of his race the Arab gave up his share

of the water.

and

It

Jelal recalled a tale of a Persian

who had

" The generosity of the Arabs

To

from

companion, Jelalhamid, that he should die

declared to his

me from

interesting in

were blended

Bagdad (Ahmed Khan, A.D.

only find two small pots of water.

save

very

is

ideals of conduct

known

Jelal

will give

to the

went on

to say

you the water on

princes of

"

wish to imitate the Arab,

condition

your house

this

that

you

sacrifice

so

will

make

that the

Tamerlane the Great

much above

45

The tribesmen

the tribesmen.

do not seem to have been superior to the

we know them by the

Jesuit Relations, for example. The cultivated
The
land was of relatively small extent.
Huron

Indians, as

vast majority of the people were shepherds,

and they have changed but

wherever they have been
It is

only

little

left to

to this

day

themselves.

when they have come under the

superior races, as in China or

influence of

Hindustan, that they have taken on even

in

a shade of culture.

Timur's regulations referred theoretically,

perhaps, to
is

certain,

areas

vast

of

his

these

memory

Memoirs

of this deed

descendants of Jagatai

way suggested

(" these lying Memoirs"),

may always redound

Khan and be

to all our descendants."

is

It

however, that they were nowhere

enforced in the enlightened

in

empire.

to

the credit of the

cited as a proof of

Whereupon

Jelal

gave up

my

courage

his share.

It

a pleasure to record that he did not die.

The

tales of

Boccaccio (1350) show that the Italians of that day

held the Arabs to be their teachers in chivalry, and at least their

equals in
so

it

art, in science, in civilization.

seems to me,

is

that

ideal of the IMogul chiefs of 1403

ants of Jagatai.

The

Arab chivalry had

essence of this

also

become

stor)-,

the highest

of the rude and violent descend-

The Mogul Emperors

46

and that they were

in

practical effect only

along the main roads and

Spanish ambassadors
"

in

the immediate

towns and

vicinity of the larger

were

in

testify that the

marvellous terror

"

The

cities.

people

Timur and

of

his servants.
If

we understand

they

immense

great

of

are

the Mefnozrs in this light

interest to

importance.

know

It

is

of

that this absolute

ruler even cared to appear to posterity as an

King.

enlightened

had

It

is

clear that

profoundly on what he had

reflected

been told by the wise men of

his court

on what he had himself observed

lands

which were

far

beyond

in

his

and

foreign

own

in

Great as was his genius and success

culture.

as a Captain,

admiration

hold words

we

are forced to give an equal

his

to

The maxims
his

Timur

of his

intelligence

as

a Ruler.

government were house-

the courts of the Emperors,

in

descendants

but their methods, though

peremptory enough, were gentle compared

to his.

One

of

them

Akbar two

hundred years

later actually carried out these regulations in

Tamerlane the Greai

practical form,

King

47

and Akbar's fame as a great

forever secure for this reason alone.

is

Timur's family affections were ardent and

On

devoted.

his

campaigns he was accom-

panied by his wives and children to long

distances

from Samarkand.

favorite daughter died,

In

1382

his

and he sank into a

melancholy so deep and persistent

as

to

threaten serious danger to the State, whose

The death

of

and of a favorite wife

in

he totally neglected.

affairs

his eldest sister

He

gave

all

busi-

was imperatively

called

him profoundly.

affected

1383

himself up to grief, and neglected

ness

till

He was

for.

them
It is

his attention

fond of his sons and proud of

yet he ruled

them with an

iron rule.

recorded that on occasions the princes,

grown men and sturdy

warriors,

were sub-

jected to the bastinado like the meanest of

his slaves.

The

Persian

poet

Hafiz

porary of Timur's, and there

their meeting.'^'

that

if

this

One

was a contemis

an anecdote of

of the ghazels declares

Turk would accept

his

homage,

* Hafiz died, however, four years before the capture of Shiraz.

The Mogul Emperors

48

For
I would give

the cities

the black mole

on

Ms

cheek

of Samarkand and Bokhara,

Timur upbraided him for this verse, and

" By the blows of my well-tempered
said
:

sword

have conquered the greater part of

order to enlarge Samarkand and

the world

in

Bokhara,

my

you,

pitiful

two

cities for

creature,

generosity that

my

and

would exchange these

"

a mole."

world," said Hafiz, "

see, to

and residences

capitals

it

Sovereign of the

by similar

is

acts of

have been reduced, as you

present state of poverty."

It

is

reported that the monarch was appeased by

the witty answer, and that the poet departed

with maornificent

o^ifts.

less likely tale is told of

a jest of the

poet Kermani, who, with other wits, was

in

The King asked the

poet,
What price wouldst thou put on me if
"About five-and-twenty
I were for sale?"
" Why, that is about
aspers'' said Kermani.

the bath with Timur.

*'

the price of the sheet

Timur.

"Well, of course

have on," rejoined

I

meant the

sheet,

for thou alone art not worth a farthing."

Timur's Memoirs recite

few cases

in

Tamerla7ie the Great

which he was merciful

the inhabitants of a city

to
;

49

the rulers or to

these are usually in

the early portions of his career, before his

power was consolidated, and

tain

that his

it

mercy was not

it

never cer-

He

policy.

always proud of the valor of his

but

is

own

not recorded that he was

is

troops,
in

least tender or careful of them, except

He was

one occasion.
with his

spoils.

"

way, over which

Some

of the sick

the

upon

returning from India

There was a

river in the

and encamped.

crossed

is

men were drowned

in cross-

directed that

my own

ing the river, so

all

horses and camels should be used for trans-

porting the sick and feeble.

my camp

crossed the river."

profuse in his rewards to the

own army,
no reason why a good

does not lament the dead

and, indeed, there

Muslim should do
Early

in

is

in

his

so.

his career

says, " the incalculable

dom

On that day all

He was always
survivors.
He

Timor

discovered, he

advantage which wis-

has over force, and with what small

means the greatest designs may be accomplished."

4

He

never forgot the lesson.

He

The Mogtil Emperors

50

was no braver

Amirs

than

his

more

patient,

more

hardly

leader,

skilled,

but he was more crafty,

more

and of abso-

constant,

lutely indomitable will.

His relation

to his chiefs

the following extract from the

" Timitr

Instructs

well

is

and Amirs

War

about the Conduct of the

"

mons

now

held a Court

issued a sum-

commanders

to the princes, amirs,

in

Memoirs :

Princes

the

shown

of

thousands, of hundreds, and to the braves of

the advance-guard.
All

tent.

my

and had used

my own

me

all

to

their swords manfully

eyes.

my

under

But there were none who

fights

and battles as

had

and no one who could compare with

in

the

amount

of fighting

through, and the experience

I

came

were brave veterans,

soldiers

had seen so many

seen,

They

therefore o"ave

mode

them

of carrying

old.

had gone

had gained.*

instructions as to the

on war

* This refers to the year 1398 in India.

two years

on making and
Timur was then

sixty-

Tamerlane the Great

meeting attacks

51

on arraying their men

giving support to each other; and on

precautions to

When

be

observed

had finished [they]

all

war.

in

they

blessino^s

and thanks."

testified their

expressing

departed,

the

approbation, and carefully treasuring up

counsel,

on

my

their

Before setting out on an important campaign,

Timur

personally

attended

equipment and provisioning of

and

Supplies
stored.

Each

himself with
water-bag.

were

forage
soldier

his

thirty

the

army.

collected

was directed

a bow,

to

and

to furnish

arrows, and

Every ten men had,

in

common,

a tent, two mattocks, a spade, a shovel, a

sickle, a saw,

kettle,

a hatchet, a rope, a cooking-

one hundred needles, an awl, besides

the necessary riding and baggage animals.

The equipment seems

to be modest, except

as to the supply of needles

ation (from

Price's

but the enumer-

Muhammadan

History)

omits the sword and buckler, the mace, the

spear, the javelin, with

were certainly provided

which many soldiers

;

and says nothing of

the leather jerkins lined with iron, of

the

The Mogul Emperors

52

helmets, or of the quilted cuirass for

The

horse.

representation of two warriors

used on the cover of

fighting,

man and

copied from a Persian

this

book,

is

miniature of about

Timur 's day.

The armies themselves were immense.

Two

hundred thousand

skilled warriors

assembled for the conquest of China.

in Persia

review of his troops

were

At a

the front of the

army covered more than seventeen

miles.

Irregular troops flocked to his standards in

Thousands and thou-

the hope of plunder.

sands of camp-followers and prisoners were

charged with the transportation and the

His Mogul warriors were

lection of forage.
like

knew only
savagery

To

Bahlol,

"they

die."

Their

exactly that of the red

Indian.

Afghans

the

of

defile a

Sultan

and how to

to eat

is

col-

Hindu sanctuary they

filled their

boots with the blood of the sacred cows and*

poured

no favor
"

My

over the

it

"

Vanquished they ask

vanquishing they show no mercy."

principal object in

stan [says
toil

Idol.

Timur] and

and hardship

in

was

coming

to

undergoing
to

Hinduall this

accomplish two

Tamerla7te the Great

The

things.

was

first

and by

war with

infidels,

Muhammadan

enemies of the

the

to

53

religion

this religious warfare to acquire

reward

claim to

the

in

life

some

The

to come.

other was a worldly object, that the army of

Islam might gain something by plundering

the wealth of the infidels

plunder

as lawful as their mothers' milk

mans who
suming

which

lawful

is

war

is

Musul-

to

and the con-

fight for their faith,

of that

in

is

means of

grace."

This definition
sounds

the

of

means

of

grace

reminiscence of his

like a distorted

friendship with the Seiyid Berrekah.

"

my

have not been able [he said]

vast

true

some violence

conquests without

and the destruction

believers

but

of a great
I

to effect

am now

number

resolved to

perform a good and great action, which

be an expiation of
exterminate the
you,

my
in

my

idolaters

sins.

the

repentance."

many

merit

of

of
this

shall

mean

China.

of

dear companions,

the instruments of

share

all

of

to

And

who have been

my

crimes, shall

<7reat

work

of

Fortunately for the infidels of

'^^^

54

Mogul Emperors

China, he died at the very beginning of this

enterprise.

Timur

over-

"He

anni-

grass."

He

In nearly two-score campaigns

many kingdoms and

ran

tribes.

hilated empires as one tears

penetrated Siberia

till

his

up

camps were nearly

hundred miles distant from Samar-

fifteen

His forces ravaged southeastern and

kand.

southern Russia to the

Don and

the Sea of

His invasions of India carried him to

Azof.

Delhi and beyond.

Georgia, Anatolia, Ar-

menia and Syria were conquered, and the

great

cities of

Smyrna, Aleppo, Bagdad, and

Damascus were

He

destroyed.

was

just

beginning a campaign against China when

he died, three hundred miles east of Samar-

kand

(a. d.

Such

1405).

amazing

genius of the

order,

first

justify his title

It

military

imply

and of themselves

" the great."

cannot be said that he ruled the vast

extent of conquered country

all

successes

of

it,

and continued

from a great part

the Caspian,

to

but he ravaged
receive

tribute

from the Persian Gulf to

and from the Euxine

to

the

Tamerlane the Great

55

Ganges, the coins bore his device of overlordship,

and tribute and presents enriched

his treasury.

Timur had

instructed his scribes to record

whatever he should

moment

my

of

say,

"

injunction

to the letter, for

one manu-

Memoirs ends thus " At night

a. d. 1405] calling upon the name

script of his

[March

19,

of Allah,

my

lost

senses and resigned

pure soul to the Creator."

Thoroughly

to

realize

the

recall a single date

Chaucer was buried

in

October,

a. d.

in

1400.

my

His pure soul

gulf

which

then separated the East and the West,

have but to

last

The

existence."

was carried out

even to the

we

our English

Westminster Abbey

The Mogul Emperors

56

CHAPTER
MUHAMMAD

ZEHIR-ED-DIN

II

BABAR,

THE CON-

QUEROR, EMPEROR OF HINDUSTAN (bORN

1482, DIED 1530)

A.D.

The Memoirs

of

Babar begin with these

words: "In the month of Ramazan and

in

my

of

the twelfth year of

The

Ferghana.

situated in the

age

country

fifth

became King

of

Ferghana

chmate, on the extreme

On

boundary of the habitable world.

east

The revenues

maintain

ing

To

or

three

a country
in

fruits

Ferghana

of

may

without oppressing the country, to

suffice,

is

the

has Kashgar and on the west Samar-

it

kand.

It

is

and

grain

the melon

his

of

is

four

thousand

small
fruits "

extent,

and

troops.

aboundof

these

the favorite and the chief.

dying day Babar remembered the

melons

of his native country.

famous

for

its

Ferghana was

learned doctors of the law and

t.

-K

^^T

'S^
i.

<':!

j'
'

0*9

-^^.-

>'

.<...

^^^^^^^::^^;vg;V j^J*;'^4^^ilX

A!^-5^^

t-.

lii

HUMAYUN

BABAR

JAHANGIR

AKBAR

Zehir-ed-din
for

poets, too, as

its

one

Muhammad Babar

the

of

we

shall see.

57

It

was

innumerable small states into

which Timur's possessions had been divided

This state had

after his death.

share of Babar's father,

favorite

prince of high

Muhammadan,

ambitions," a strict
learning, a poet,

"a

and a friend

poem was

fallen to the

a patron of

His

of poets.

the famous ShaJi-nameli of

Firdausi, that chronicle of knightly deeds.

He was renowned

for

justice

his

Babar gives a striking instance of

and

it.

caravan from Northern China had perished

the

snow near

was

in real

his capital, at a

want.

time when he

In spite of his necessities

the merchandise was sacredly preserved

after

one or two years, the heirs

merchants came to his

city

untouched, from his hands.

was
soul

large," says Babar,

;

of

and received
"

till,

the
it,

His generosity

"and so was

his

whole

he was of an excellent temper, affable

and sweet
withal,

On

in

in

his

conversation,

yet brave,

and manly"

his

sudden death, Babar,

sixth in descent

his eldest son,

from Timur, succeeded to the

sovereignty, which he was, however, obliged

The Mogul Emperors

58

to dispute with his rival brothers

and

to pro-

tect

from external

the

daughter of Yunis-Khan, a direct de-

Babar's mother was

foes.

scendant of Chengiz-Khan, thirteenth

male

line.

my

of

"

She accompanied me

wars and expeditions."

in

in

the

most

His maternal

grandmother was a woman of extraordinary

force

and wise

"

counsel.

in

There were few

of her sex

who

sagacity."

These women were Babar's guides

and counsellors

her in sense and

excelled

wars with which

in the small

his early years

were occupied.

are

of

recital

bats, sieges,

hundreds

His Memoirs
of

petty

com-

and stratagems, "excursions and

alarums," successes and defeats, in the struggle

to retain

Ferghana or

to capture

Samarkand.

Babar succeeded to the throne about two

years before the discovery

of

America by

Columbus, and four years before Vasco da

Gama

reached

bella in Spain,
in

India.

Ferdinand and

Isa-

Henry VII and Henry VIII

England, were his contemporaries.

Babar's

Memoirs were

own hand in
come down

written

with his

the Turki language, and have

to

us

practically

unchanged.

Muhammad Babar

hir-ed-diii

They cover

nearly

all

of his history to within

a year of his death.

recounted

in

tion,"

have

have written, to

And

with the

it

have no inten-

All that

only the plain truth.

myself.

"

what

in

on any one.

tioned

is

the most straightforward, simple,

he says, "

reflect

All of this history

manly way.

engaging,

59

least

have said

is

have not men-

design

to

praise

every word most scrupu-

in

lously followed the

Let the reader,

truth.

therefore, excuse me."

Babar's father had cherished an overpowering ambition to capture

ancient

Babar

capital

Timur's

of

succeeded

Samarkand, the

to

the

kingdom,

and

During

desire.

Timur's lifetime the government of the capital

had been conferred on one of

and on a grandson.

At Timur's

his sons,

death, his

youngest son Shahrokh Mirza, the ruler of

Khorassan,
given

Beg

it

had seized the

and had

city,

over to be ruled by his son Ulugh

Mirza, the famous astronomer

whom

it

was taken," says Babar,

"

by

"

from

his

son

Abdul-latif Mirza, who, for the sake of the

enjoyments of

this fleeting world,

murdered

The Mogul Emperors

6o

own

his

an

father,

man

old

so

illustrious

for his knowledge.

Ulugh Beg,

Who was

the ocean

the protector

Drank from Abbas

Yet

his

above

five

of this lower world.

the honey

of martyrdom.

not retain the diadem

son did
or six

of learning and science.

months

/// does sovereignty become a parricide ;

But should

The

he gain

Abdul-latif

mounted

Mirza

nearly two

who

six ?/ionths be the limit of his reign.

verses are Babar's own.

"After

ment

it, let

years.

seized

v/as

the

conferred

it

Abdullah

Mirza,*
throne,

After

and

reigned

him the govern-

by Sultan Abusaid Mirza,

upon

his eldest son Sultan

Ahmed Mirza. On his death (1494) Sultan

Mahmud Mirza ascended the throne, and
Baiesanghar Mirza.

after

him,

from

Baiesanghar Mirza.

The

took

it

events that

followed will be mentioned in the course of

these Me7notrs"
*

There

is

a legend that

told his assassination at the

rebellion
is

by unmerited

plainly different

Ulugh Beg, finding

hands of

ill-treatment.

and

it

that the stars fore-

his son, drove the latter into

But Babar's view of the case

would seem that Babar should know.

See also Vambery's History of Bokhara, Chapter XII.

Muhammad

Zehir-ed-din

The

Babar

6i

succession of rulers presents a vivid

idea of the unsettled period in which Babar

Another striking

lived.

given.
five

He

had

instance

and two of the

five sisters;

were captured

in

may be

war and found places

the harems of his enemies.

in

These were the

dauo^hters and sisters of kings.

The Memoirs go on

to give the

names and

the characters of the Turki chiefs by

Babar's cause was supported

and

spoken judgments allow us to know

character as well

as

good-humored man,

who

whom

his outhis

own

One was

theirs.

"

of plain, simple manners,

excelled in singing at drinking parties."

Another was

" a

pious,

religious,

faithful

Muslim, whose judgment and talents were

He was

uncommonly good.
turn,

of a facetious

and though he could neither read nor

write, he

had an ingenious and elegant vein

of wit."

"

was related

Another was Mir Ali Dost, who

to

my

showed him great

maternal grandmother.
favor.

would be a useful man

years that he was with

what service he ever

but during
me,

did."

was told that he

"

all

the

cannot

tell

Another was

"

The Mogul E^nperors

62

He was

Amir Omar-Beg.

honest man.

he

a brave, plain,

son of his

still

is

a lazy, idle, good-for-nothing

is

Such a father

to

have such a son

fellow.

manner Babar runs over the

In this

me

with

cata-

logue of his ofhcers and companions, and

weighs their

qualities,

just

as*

the

Emperor

Marcus Aurelius sums up the character

of his

Let these further instances

associates.

suf-

fice.

"Indeed, Ali Shir Beg was an incomparable person.

first

written

written so

From
in

the time that poetry was

our language no

much and

to the airs themselves

There

is

a greater

in

our history any

patron

and poets

tection

and he was singular

alike

men

of

his pro-

in this, that

child.

'*

He

through the world unencumbered."

clined the cares of government,

time

in

study and composition.

of

Musicians,

came under

painters,

had neither wife nor

also left

excellent both as

ingenuity and talent than he."

has

and as to the preludes.

not upon record

man who was

He

so well.

excellent pieces of music

man

passed

He

and spent

The

he

dehis

follow-

Zehir-ed-din
ing

his

is

Yazid,
Titer cy

for
on

tJie

'

Do

not an'se

Lord par done th

if the

which Yazid did

to the

descendants

Prophet, he will also pardon you

may have cursed

"

say,

say,

63

Almighty may have

possibly the

him,''

all the evil

of

you who

" Oh,

Muhammad Babar

who

himl'

Another was Sheikhem Beg.

posed a manner of verses

in

He com-

which both the

words and sense are terrifying and corres-

pond with each

Duruig my

sorroivs

of

the firmajnent

The

drago7zs

of

other.

The

following

the night the whirlpool

from

its

is

his

of my sighs bears

place ;

the itmndations

of my

tears bear dow7i the

four

quarters of the habitable world."

When
said to

he repeated these verses, the Mulla

him

"

Are you repeating

are you frightening folks

*

cannot

resist

illustrate a different

poetry, or

quoting a short poem by Abd-er-Razzak to

He was on the
and thus describes the

kind of Oriental exaggeration.

shores of the Persian Gulf in Maj',

intense heat

? "

1.442,

Soon as the sun shone forth from the height of heaven..

The heart of stone grew hot beneath its orb :
The horizon "was so much scorched-up 6y its rays,
Tliat the heart of stone became soft like ivax ;
The bodies of the fishes, at the boftotns of the fish ponds,
Biir>ied lilce the silk litliich is exposed to the fire :
Both the water and the air gave out so burning a heat

That the fish -went away to seek refuge in the fire ;

In the plains, hunting became a matter of perfect ease.
For the desert was filled with roasted gazelles.

The Mogul Emperors

64

The

chief doctor of the canon law in Fer-

ghana was executed by

his

enemy.

Of him

Babar, himself the bravest of men, says

have no doubt that he was a

better proof of

than that

it

his

"

What

saint.

all

enemies

perished in a short while?

He

very bold man, which

no mean proof

of

also

however brave

mankind,

All

sanctity.

is

they be, have some

little

He

tion about them.

was also a

anxiety or trepida-

had not a

particle of

either."

Khosrou Shah was thoroughly hated by

Babar,

who

fleeting

and

and never

says that, " For the sake of this

faithless world,

will

which never was

be true to anyone,

this thank-

and ungrateful man seized the Sultan,

less

whom

a prince

he himself had reared from

infancy to manhood, and whose tutor he had

been, and blinded him by lancing his eyes.

Every

clay

till

the day of judgment

hundred thousand curses

of

that

man who

treachery
action of
tions

let

is

every

on the head

light

guilty of

man who

may

such

black

hears of this

Khosrou Shah pour out impreca-

upon him

for he

who

hears of such

Zehir-ed-din

Michammad Babar

and does not curse him,

a deed

AH

worthy to be cursed."

have suggested the form of

Such were the

chiefs

he had to

brave,

but

may

Shir's verses
this passage.

whom Babar was

whom and against

Their followers were

act.

Their

inconstant.

welcomed

himself

is

by

surrounded, and through

whom

65

cities

alter-

army of
Babar (which was sometimes no more than

nately

straggling

the

two hundred warriors) and rejected

Babar learned the
school,

war

in

a roueh

thoroughly.

On one

art of

and he learned

it

it,

much plunder was unjustly taken

by his men, which he made them give up.
" Such was the discipline of my army that
occasion,

the whole was restored without reserve, and

before the
over, there*

first

watch of the next day was

was not a

of

bit

thread

or a

broken needle that was not restored to

owner."

He

was one of the

duce

concerted

army

in

action

the place of

rate hordes

and

thrice

to intro-

divisions

mad

of

his

rushes of sepa-

tribes.

Samarkand, the

was

of

first

its

taken

city of

and

Babar's affections,

lost.

He

is

never

>

The Mogul Emperors

66

dwelling on

of

tired

buildings.

the

perfection of

the whole

In

'*

its

habitable world

there are few cities so pleasantly situated."

were paced out by Babar's order,

Its walls

and

found

circuit.

from Ulugh

16'."

Beg's

393-1449) was

man

as a

of

miles

in

in latitude 39 2)1'

This

is

the

calculation

" tables," the

from

counted

being

English

five

he says,

is,

longitude 99"

( 1

be

to

" It

Beg

Ulugh

Ferro.

far better

longitude

to

shine

science than as a king.

His

fitted

short reign of three years was a succession

fame as a mathema-

of misfortunes, but his

tician

and as an astronomer

home

permanent.

Greek schools

Since the time of the

Alexandria, the

is

of

the exact sciences

of

had been, successively, Bagdad, Cordova and

Seville,

was

Tangiers and Samarkand * and

;

not

until

the

time of Tycho

it

(1576)

that such learning was born in the western

Ulugh Beg was the

peoples.

It is interesting to

the Russians

four

have

centuries

Samarkand.

know

that the

last

new masters

after

the

the

of Turl<istan

lately established an observatory at

and a half

of

Tashkend,

establishment of that at

Muhammad Babar

Zehir-ed-din

Arabian

school.

and

century

67

half

before Tycho, he constructed mighty instru-

ments for astronomical observation, and, with

the aid of a hundred observers and

calcu-

he prepared his famous tables of the

lators,

motions of the planets and his catalogues

of stars.
"

Ulugh Beg's observatory," says Babar,

"was

erected on

the skirts

the

of

hill

Kolik, and was three stories in height.

of

Not

more than seven or eight observatories have

Among

been

constructed

these,

one was erected by the Caliph Mamun,

in

the

world.

another was built by Ptolemy at Alexandria."

The

college, the baths, the

for exceeding praise

mosques,

all

call

even "the bakers' shops

are excellent, and the cooks are skilful."

The

Samarkand were paved, and runOnce

ning water was distributed in pipes.

streets of

more we hear
of the wine of
"

encies.

When

its

depend-

drank wine at

Samar-

Bokhara, one of
I

kand, in the days when

bouts,

city, too,

melons, and

of its excellent

used that wine."

had
It

my

drinking

was a learned

and hospitable to poets

and here

The Mogul Emperors

68

Babar acquired and practised the poetic

no mean

himself, with

The

was

city

art

skill.

noble

of

full

buildings,

mosques, colleges, palaces, built by artisans

by Timur, and

impressed

decorated with

mosaics, gilding, and pictures.*

The

colleges were

students

and

of learned

full

men and

the court of the kings, with poets

painters.

This was the heyday of Turki

blossomed

learning, which

the midst of

in

men could
read and write, however, and the memory
was therefore highly cultivated. As one of
them said " When a man has once heard
"Hilali,
anything, how can he forget it?"
the poet, had so retentive a memory that he
Not

ignorance.

of the chief

all

could recall from

* This

thirty

was not orthodox

for

to

briefly,

in

Jews, were no friends

tecture early
arts

in

which

which there are pictures;" and

"every painter

is

in

in

them.

like

the

but noble archi-

After Babar's time the

Samarkand, and by the seven-

teenth century the city was stagnant.

sians took possession,

says,

a dog, nor that

another place, more

and sculpture

witli

and learning rapidly declined

in

is

The Muslims,

hell-fire."

to painting

became a passion

Muhammad

good Muslims.

" The angels do not enter a house

house

forty thousand

On May

14, 186S, the

Rus-

and the twentieth century may witness a

revival of learning in the colleges of Turkistan.

Muhammad Babar

Zehir-cd-din
couplets."

Such mnemonic

credible to

us

69

seem

in-

moderns, who are used

to

feats

depend upon the eye and not upon the

ear.

Yet they are doubtless correctly reported.

The Rig-Vcda

more

contains

than

ten

thousand verses, and for over two thousand

years

it

ditions,

was preserved

solely

and

but

not

Brahmins could

An

one,

recite

it

word

time, as

have said

by Nestorian

Babari character

were

and

often

writing

of

position

copies

of

his

poems,

He

himself

literary

stickler for propriety

eldest

son,

monarch

Your

is

com-

Humayun, then
Kabul,

for

consequence

You

is

the

various
of

the

you have employed, your

by no means very

spelling

correct.

in

" In

errors.

far-fetched words

meaning

in

and on one occasion he soundly

his

reigning

the

his presents to great

written out by his transcribers.

was a great

Babar's

but he invented and

new manner

introduced a

nobles

of

for word.

had been employed up to

priests

rates

oral tra-

thousands

introduced

alphabet

by

not

bad,

certainly

do

intelligible.

yet

not

not quite
excel

in

The Mogul

70

the

In

letter-writing.

which

words,

plain

you

future

with

unaffectedly,

write

Efitpei^ors

should
using

clearness,

cost

trouble

less

to

both writer and reader."

Here
written

Do

Babar's

when he was

thou resign

For Fate

And

one of

is

is

again

to

in

couplets,

great distress

Fate him who injures

a servant that

early

'will

thee.

not leave thee unavenged.

Let the sword of the world be brandished as

it

It cannot cut one vein without the permission

may.

of Allah

I have fotind no faithful friend in the world but my

Except my own heart, I have no trusty confidant.

The

period

dark one

in

to which

this

Babar's fortunes.

refers

He

soul

was a

had

Ferghana, and Samarkand was no longer

lost
his.

"For nearly one hundred and forty years

Samarkand had been the capital of my
A foreign robber,* one knew not
family.
* This "foreign robber " was a direct descendant of Chengiz-

Khan, and,

therefore, a relative of

Babar himself, who, however,

was no friend to the Mogul tribesmen, but counted himself a Turki.

Babar

is

another

unjust to this rival Sheibani in his Memoirs, as also to

rival,

Khosrou Shah.

and successful

soldier, a

Persian, a builder of colleges

learned men.

Sheibani

poet, a

Khan was an

enterprising

scholar in Arabic, Turki, and

and mosques, and a notable patron of

Mithaminad Babar

Zehir-ed-diii

71

whence he came, had seized the kingdom,

which dropped from our hands.

now gave me back my plundered and

Allah

pillaged country."

was

It

lost to him,

how-

"

Such

by the issue of a pitched

ever,

was our

situation

when

and hurried on the

He who

battle

battle.

precipitated matters
;

with impatient haste lays his hand on his sword.

Will afterward gnaw that hand with his

"

Almighty

The

my

cause of

teeth

from

regret,

eagerness to engage

was, that the stars called

the 'eight stars'

were on that day exactly between the two

armies

and

elapse, they

had suffered that day

to

would have been favorable

to

if

the enemy."
the

And

experience

cipitation

lost

*'
:

him

These

my

nonsense, and

all

was without the

This battle

more

his later years

of

observances were

he goes on to say, with

pre-

least solid excuse."

his

kingdom once

but he never quite recovered from

superstition.

Witness the following involved

account of his reasons for refusing a battle

in

India toward the end of his

that

same Saturday

life

had fought,

" If

it is

on

prob-

The Mogul Emperors

72
able that

should have won.

But

came

it

my head that last year I had set out

on a New Year's Day, which fell on a Tuesday, and had overthrown my enemy on a
into

This year we commenced our

Saturday.

march on

New

Year's Day, which

Wednesday, and
day

we

On

troops

beat them on a Sun-

that account

did not march

"
!

have now to recount what

on a

would be a (too) remarkable coin-

it

cidence.

my

if

fell

is,

and

will

doubtless remain, one of the standing puzBabar's history.

zles of

We

shall see that

Babar was the soul of outspoken boldness,

and that he was not afraid to confess himself
in the

was

wrong, nor unwilling to amend.

He

skilled in the devices of poetic art, but

the very essence of the dramatic power of

his

Memoirs

simplicity.

the year

is

their flowinof naturalness

The Memoirs
1529,

a year

and

continue to about
before

his

death.

Remembering all this, it is more than strange

to find in them two sudden gaps, where the
narrative breaks off abruptly, and leaves the

hero

in

the midst of the

extremest

perils.

Miihammad

Zehir-ed-din

The

of these gaps

first

Babaj'

occurs at the

the year 1502, and the narrative

of

resumed
Babar

"j^

is

end
not

until 1504.

defending a fortress with scarcely

is

more than

hundred men.

arrive,

and

cut his

way

Every

detail of a

His enemies
he

after a severe fight

forced to

gateway and

to the nearest

fight is given,

is

to

fly.

most exciting hand-to-hand

even to the number of arrows

that Babar discharofed.

"

A man

on horse-

back passed close to me, fleeing up the nar.

row lane

(of the city).

struck him such a

blow on the temples with the point of

my

sword that he bent over as

fall

from

ready to

if

his horse, but, supporting himself

on the

wall of the lane, he did not lose his seat,

escaped with the utmost hazard."

hand-to-hand fighting like

this,

and

Through

Babar escapes,

and gains the open country, warmly pursued.

His adherents are soon reduced to eight, and
presently

Babar

only two of the

"

is

fleeing

enemy were

They gained upon me

to flag.

What was

twenty arrows

alone.

left.

to be

The

last

close to him.

my

done

At

horse began
I

had about

pursuers did not

The Mogul E^npei'ors

74

come nearer than a bowshot, but kept on

The flight had begun before
tracking me."
afternoon prayers, and it was now sunset.
His enemies called to him, but he pushed on
till

about bedtime prayers, when he reached

a place where his horse could go no farther.

His pursuers swore to him by the Kuran

that they wished to do

He

him no harm.

forced them to proceed in front of him out

of the glen

and they continued marching

road,

dawn.
but

where they were, towards the

The next day they

little

food,

the

lay concealed, with

and only a moment

After midnight another

till

enemy

for sleep.

arrived with

the information that Babar's chief rival

knew

He had

been

their place

of concealment.

betrayed by his companions.

"

was thrown

There

into a dreadful state of agitation.

nothing which affects a

ful feelings
'

Tell

me

man

with more pain-

than the near prospect of death.

the truth,'

exclaimed,

things are about to go with

my

wishes, that

last

ablutions.'

is

may

I
I

felt

at

me

least

my

'

if

indeed

contrary to

perform

strength

my

gone.

rose and went to a corner of the garden.

Muhammad Babar

Zehir-cd-din

meditated with myself and said

man

live a

*
:

75

Sliould a

hundred, nay a thousand years,

yet at last he

"

So the narrative breaks

off.

It

not resumed

is

for

two years, when

Babar's fortunes had improved vastly.

Is

a piece of literary art

him

the

the

of

recital

Is

to spare

it

successful

intrigues

which he drove Khosrou Shah from

dom and took

his place

these intrigues, and

is

Is

this the

he ashamed of
reason

The

first

break

why he

whom

no solution.

is

in the narrative miofht

taken as an accident

ond occurrence

There

if

of the

it

by

his king-

blackens the character of Khosrou, of

others speak so well

it

were not for a

same kind

in

be
sec-

the year

when Babar was deserted by the very

Moguls whom he had seduced from their
i5o8,

allegiance to

Khosrou Shah, and by

followers

every rank

From

of

this

his

description.

second misfortune Babar rescued

himself by desperate

personal

valor,

sources.

The

former

and

all

rulers

as

fickle

fighting

we

learn

and reckless
from

other

tribesmen deserted their

and attached

themselves to

The Mogul Emperors

76
his fortunes.

The

cities

The

opened

Persians became his aUies.

their gates,

and he became

Kabul, and Kabul was the

the master of

stepping-stone to India.

enemy of Babar, who

kingdom of Samarkand,

Sheibani, the ancient

had usurped

came

his

membered, and
ent,

His body was

to a violent end.
his limbs

were sent to

dis-

differ-

His head was stuffed with

kingdoms.

hay and sent

to

Turkish emperor at

the

His

Constantinople.

skull, set in gold,

was

used by the Persian king as a drinking-cup.

Babar's

allies,

the Persians, put fifteen thou-

Many

sand prisoners to the sword.

were of Babar's own

with the

race,

Persians did

and

of these

this alliance

not help him to

re-

cover his kingdom, though his worst enemies

were overcome by their assistance, and he

was thus

left

free to execute

Taking

of Hindustan.
Shi'as

of

Persia

aid

his

conquest

from the hated

never be approved

could

by the orthodox Turki

Sunnis of

Trans-

oxania.

Herat, too, had fallen into the hands of

his allies

and

relatives,

and he made a lon^

Mtc/iammad Babar

Zehir-ed-din
stay

At a

court.

their

at

great

'jy

feast

in

Herat, Babar had another occasion to show

thus

" In

He

manners.

his simple

the course of the feast a roast

goose was put down

was
it

ig^norant of the

in

told

how

of carvincr

it,

let

Badia-ez-Zeman Mirza (the head

alone.

As

front of me.

mode

of Babar's family) asked

it

records the event

him frankly that

to carve

luxurious,

Babar's

me

it."

and

The

relatives

It

cost

him a

little

of

so

simple

to

did not like

know

did not

court was refined and

was

this

if

a great

him

as

feast

of

young man.

to confess his ignorance

But

thing.

he did not

shrink.

The

fortunes of this city of Herat

the Aria the Greek chronicles

ander deserve a chapter, not a
of

Heri

of Alex-

brief para-

graph.

In the time of

a crowded

city,

Chengiz-Khan

having, with

its

it

was

surrounding

country, a population of several hundreds of

After

thousands.
1

222-1 223

its

its

first

sie^e

inhabitants were

of

spared.

a.d.

revolt on their part led to the second siege

of seven

months, and to

its

capture.

For

The Mogul Empei^ors

yS

seven days and nights

it

was devoted

plunder and massacre, and the

native

to
his-

more than a miUion persons

Whatever the exact number may

torians aver that

perished.

Ox

have been, the Mocrul trooDs did not leave

'

until

it

was supposed no

remained
three

alive.

Inhabitant

single

After their departure some

thousand wretched beings assembled

amid the

band

In a few hours a

ruins.

of

two thousand Moguls returned and completed

the slaughter, and the remnant perished to a

man, save for

miserable

sixteen

creatures

who had hidden themselves in sewers, in

water-courses, in the dome of the mosque.
These

finally crept fearfully forth

smoking ruins
city.

of

They were

the

great

amid the

and beautiful

joined by other four and

twenty from the surrounding country, and

for fifteen years these forty individuals

were

the only inhabitants of the proudest city of

the East, which had counted her children by

Herat was rebuilt

hundreds of thousands.

by Octal Khan about

recovered
it

its

splendor.

was the most

a.d.

1235,

and

it

soon

In the time of Babar

polite city of the East.

Muhammad

Zehir-ed-diii

Herat

the soul, of

is

which

and if Khorassan

the world,

Herat

This

is

allowed

world

this

the body ;

is

Babaj

be the

79

but

is

bosom of

to be the heart.

Babar's account of

it

"The city of Herat abounded with eminent men of unrivalled acquirements, each of
whom made it his aim and ambition to carry
perfection the art to

to the highest

Among

he devoted himself.

these was the

Moulana Abdul-rahman Jami,

person

period

of the

whether
science.

in

could

which

to

whom

no

be compared,

respect to sacred or

to profane

His poems are well known.

His

merits are of too exalted a nature to admit

of being described

by me

but

have been

anxious to bring the mention of his

and an allusion to

humble pages
ing."

The

his excellences into these

for a

good omen and a

Though I am not

I am

Say

7iot

devoted

7-cIated to
to

A'ing,

Dervishes,

ofa Prince

I am

is

them heart and

that the state

Though a

bless-

following quatrain of Babar's

not out of place here

Yet

name

is

soul.

remote from that of a Dervish

the Dervish' s slave.

Babar enumerates

the

many

wise

men,

The Mogul Emperors

So
poets,

and

Herat

in his youth.

who were

musicians

living

in

J ami was the chief of

the poets, but he finds space for short biographies

of

a dozen

account of the

be

declares
"

or

and musi-

Professor Vambery,

an authority on

who

such matters,

*
:

Every notion a Muhammadan

elsewhere

possesses

(at

high

refinement,

culture,

him by name

is

in

now

Asia

day)

this

civilization

short, of all those qualities

to

some

for

painters

skilled

cians of the court.

should

and

others,

only

of

in

known

derived from the con-

ditions which then (in the times from

Timur

to Babar) flourished at the courts of

Herat

and Samarkand."

By

diligently reading the

annals of these alien people, they

come

seem

we
common

almost

familiar

to

us,

because

distinguish the underlying note of a

human

nature,

and almost lose the

sense of foreignness.

modern

that

we need

to

superficial

Everything appears so
to force ourselves to

return abruptly to our accustomed standards

in

order

to

preserve

right perspective.

* Jlistoty of Bokhara, pa<;e 241.

Mnhammad Babar

Zchir-ed-diii

The

poets and artists of Herat in 1507 form

a group that
a

8i

is

To

almost friendly.

acquire

due perception of their separateness, we

must

seek

for

sharp

The

antithesis.

poems of Ali Shir Beg touch us to-day, but

we are forced to recognize that Schubert's
B-minor symphony would be mere discord
to him.

The

incident which follows, shows Babar's

estimate of the value of poetry, and exhibits

his straightforward simplicity of

says

"

During a drinking party the

lowing verse was repeated

What

He

mind.

can one do

to

fol-

regulate his thoughts, 7vith a mistress

possessed of every blandishment?

Where you
to

" It

are, ho^u is it possible

for our thoughts

to

wander

another?

was agreed that everyone should make

an extempore couplet to the same rhyme,

and

"

said

What

can be done with a drunken sot like you ?

What

can be done with one foolish as a she-ass?

Before this

verse

to

writing.

posed these

lines,

had always committed

Now, when

my mind

led

my

had com-

me

to reflec-

The Mogul Emperors

82
tions,

and

my

heart was struck with regret

that a tongue which could repeat the

est

bestow any trouble

should

productions

subHm-

on such unworthy verses

that

was melan-

it

choly that a heart, elevated to nobler conceptions, should submit to occupy itself with

these

forward
ical

From

despicable fancies.
I

religiously abstained

had not considered

practice was."

from

time
satir-

At the time

or vituperative verses.

how

this

objectionable the

Later on, we find him trans-

lating a religious tract into verse.

"

posed every day, on an average,

fifty-two

com-

couplets."

In a winter's journey to Kabul the

army

was deeply distressed by snows and storms.

Finally they halted at a cave.
for himself a hole in the

snow

Babar dug
" as

deep as

my

breast and the size of a prayer-carpet,"

and

sat

go

down

in

it.

"

into the cavern, but

Some
I

desired

me

to

would not

go.

felt that for me to be in a warm dwellino- and

in comfort, while my men were in the midst
for me to be enjoying
of snow and drift
;

sleep and

ease, while

they were

in distress


Muhammad Babar

Zehir-ed-dhi

83

would be a deviation from that society

was

suffering which
therefore, to

On

continued,

the drift."

in

sit

their due.

in

another of his night marches against

the enemy, he ascended a high pass.

this time

had never seen the

Canopus (which

star Soheil

not visible

indeed,

is,

"Till

in

northern latitudes), but on reaching the top,

Soheil appeared below, bright, to the south.
said,

'

This

answered,

'It

is,

indeed,

descendant of Ulugh
his

knowledge of

stars

Soheil.

Beg came

the

stars

Canopus

if

they saw

They
The

justly

even

to-day would

soldiers of

'

Soheil.'"

which he had never seen.

our

of

be

cannot

of

by
the

How many
recognize

it ?

In his early youth Babar was shamefaced

and

modest,

no wine.

and

for a lono- time

he used

In later years he caroused with a

kind of fierce regularity, and he duly chronicles

each of his drinking-bouts.

battle
says,

After the

which gave him India, he made, as he

"an

sincere.

effectual

He

drinking-cups

broke

repentance," which was

all

his jewelled

golden

and gave them to dervishes

The Mogul Emperors

84

made

and the poor,

of wine into

his store

vinegar, and finally issued a proclamation of

change of

his

and humbled himself before

life,

Allah.

Let us see how a tyrant dreams.

when Babar had taken a potion

he
"

bhang,

of

dream

asleep and has recorded his

fell

While under

its

influence

In

gardens.

beautiful

hand

bloom

beds the

On

flowers.

in

on the other hand, red flowers were

blossom.

in

the

In

many

places they sprung up

same bed, mingled together,

as

had been flung and scattered abroad.

of

the

were beds of yellow flowers

in

my

some

visited

different

ground was covered with

one

Once

if

they

took

seat on a rising ground to enjoy the view

As

the flower-plots.

all

far as

the eye

could reach, there were flower-gardens of a

similar

kind."

Recollect

was written years

then

he

after

adds: "In

that

the

this history

dream.

And

the neighborhood

of

Peshawer, during the spring, the flower-plots

are

exquisitely

beautiful."

Wherever

this

stern warrior went, he planted flower-gardens

and orchards and

built places of delight.

;;

Muhammad Babar

Zehir-cd-din

Kabul, Babar con-

distance from

little

85

on a

structed a small cistern of red granite

site

overlooking the

sides these verses

Siiieet is the

city,

and engraved on

return of the tiew year

Sweet

is

the smiling spring

Sweet

is

the juice

of

the mellow grape

Sweeter far the voice of

oh Babar

Strive,

its

love.

! to secure the joys

of

life,

Which, alas! once departed, never more return.

"I

directed

this

fountain

around with stone. *On

be

to

built

the four sides of

the fountain a fine platform for resting was

on a very neat plan.

constructed

time when

the

At the

Arghzvan flowers begin

do not know that any place

blow,

world

is

be compared with

to

From Kabul he made

into India,

on

the

it."

several incursions

which were mere

he set out

in

to

raids,

and

finally

his expedition of conquest,

aided by the disaffected nobles of the Penjab.

There
and

is

no space

nesfotiations,

to relate the

complex wars

nor to describe the

final

great battle which gave him Agra, the capital.

His armies were the Turki hordes with

Indian

allies

The Mog2tl E7iiperors

86

In

whose stern faces shined the quenchless Jire

That after burnt

the pride

of Asia.

His success was largely due

pline

he was

which

the

to

one of

the

introduce.

The men were armed

and arrows,

spears, cimeters,

The

a few matchlocks.

day was

that

"While the bridge

remarkably
charged
times

ued

artillery

and

well.

The

and

ponderous.

gun

his

day he

first

the

firing in

the second, sixteen

same way.

was

It

called

Gun, and Ustad Khan was

for his success."

After the capture of Agra,

treasure was distributed.

in

i526, the

Humayun,

Babar's

and successor, obtained eighty-

eldest

son

seven

thousand

besides

dollars,

palace.

His other sons and the emirs received

way from twenty thousand

five

every

hundred

man

arrny, all

dis-

for three or four days he contin-

the Victorious

the

of

Ganges was con-

of the

eight times

it

rewarded

with bows

Ustad Ali Kuli played

structing,

to

first

and maces, and

siege

clumsy

disci-

my

dollars.

of

letters,

rehitives

and

"

all

to seventy-

Every merchant,
everyone

in

friends, great

the

and

Mtiha^nmad Babar

Zehir-ed-din
small,

had

cloth,

in

presents in

silver

and

jewels,

in

Every man, woman, and

in

and gold,

captive

in

slaves."

child, slave or free,

country of Kabul, received a silver

the

coin

87

of

the

value

of

an English

shillingf.

Babar's lavishness became a proverb.

At

the same time the famous

"It

captured.

so valuable," says Babar,

is

" that

it

of the

whole world," *

is

diamond was

valued at half the daily expense

Babar was thus settled on the throne of

India,

empire.

and had become the founder of an

Let

what the conqueror

see

us

thought of his conquest.

"

Hindustan

is

country that has

few

recommend it. The people are

not handsome. They have no idea of friendly
society.
They have no genius, no comprepleasures to

hension of mind, no politeness of manner,

no kindness or fellow-feeling, no ingenuity or

mechanical invention
their handicraft
* This
tlie

in

works

may have been

no

skill

or knowleds^e

the stone, T/ie Ocean of

treasury of the Shah of Persia.

ins; to

planning or executing

the latest autli()ritics.

It

was not the

Ltcsti-e,

A'o/iiiiiir,

now

in

accord-

The Mogul Emperors

88

design or architecture

in

no good

horses,

they have no good

no grapes or musk-

flesh,

melons, no ice or cold water, no good food

no

or bread, no (public) baths or colleges,

candles, no torches, not a candle-stick even."

The

"
is

chief excellency of

is

that

it

a large country, and has abundance of gold

and

silver,"

Agra
ics,

and many

alone, he daily

says

"

In

artisans.

employed 680 mechanIn another place he

buildings.

The people

larly the

of Hindustan,

and particu-

Afghans, are a strangely foolish and

senseless race,

and

skilled

and he kept 1491 stone-masons busy with

his various

in

Hindustan

possessed of

less foresight.

reflection

little

They can

neither persist

and manfully support a war, nor can they

continue in amity and friendship."

His

and

had been one

life

up

strife

eleventh

to

year of

time.

this

my

of incessant activity
"

From

age onward

the

have

never spent two festivals of the Ramazan

the

same

place."

When

in

he was fourteen

years of age he was present at a siege, and

complains

"

For

two

months there was

nothing but siege operations, and

no

fine

Muhammad Babar

Zehir-ed-din

All his active

fighting."

marching

fighting or in
"

for

This day

life

swam

amusement.

he spent

89
in fine

to the fray.

across the River

Ganges

had previously crossed,

by swimming, every

river

that

had met

Ganges alone excepted."

with, the

he had to contend with secret

In India

enemies,

well

as

with

as

armies

in

the

field.

In Agra, Babar was poisoned through the

treachery of his cooks and the carelessness of

cut

to

The

"

the taster.

pieces.

be flayed

taster

was ordered

to

be

commanded the cook to

One of the women was

alive.

trampled to death by an elephant, the other

was shot by a matchlock."

"

Thanks be

to Allah

hend before that

The poet

says

life

did not fully compre-

was so sweet a

to

the value

the gates

of

faint.

of Death,

Life.

Whenever these awful occurrences

my memory,

thinor.

Whoever comes

Knows

Babar recovered.

pass before

feel

myself involuntarily turn

The mercy

of Allah has bestowed a

The Mogul Emperors

90

new

upon me, and how can my tongue

life

my

express

"

gratitude

a singular good fortune,

By

of Babar's letters.

One

is

written to his sons

The

warning and reproof.

in

and trusted friend

an old

and hurt by the conduct of

the last

in

to

solicitude

is

my

visit

boundless

He

and

the time

near at hand

for

is

trust in

be completely settled

shall,

and

says

"

My

beyond

great

Almighty Allah that

western dominions

expression.

As soon

The

Kabul.

his children

inmost heart to his friend.

will

to

is

an outpouring of the griefs of his

is

(Kabul)

other

shows that he was disappointed

letter

first

we have two

when everything
in

country.

this

as matters are brought to that state,

with the permission of Allah, set out

your quarters without a moment's delay.

How

is it

possible that the delights of those

lands should ever be erased from the heart

How

is

it

possible

to

forget the

delicious

melons and grapes of that pleasant region

They very

recently

brought

musk-melon from Kabul.

up,

felt

myself

affected

me

single

While cutting
with

it

strong

Muhammad Babar

Zekir-ed-din

and a sense of

feeling of loneliness

from

my

native country, and

shedding

He

tears."

"

plantation of trees

was very

could not help

matters to be

political

Besteh,

of

called

formed a

and

Nazergah

it

must there

beautiful trees,

also

goes

around sow beautiful

all

accompany

the

little,

friends,

me

"

And

Syed Kasim

more

After

artillery."

will

government, he quotes fondly

details of the

on

straight

(the

some

plant

and sweet-smelling flowers and shrubs."

he

and as the prospect from

fine, I

You

view).

exile

and continues without a break

to,

At the southwest

it

my

gives long instructions

on the military and

attended

91

trivial

incident of former days and

"Do

and says:

for deviating into

not think amiss of

"

these fooleries."

conclude with every good wish."

Towards the end

rapidly,

failed
fell

and

ill.

The

tenderly

despaired

of.

distinguished
that

and
latter

of
his

for

son

Humayun

was conveyed

cared

One

1529 Babar's health

for,

but

his

also

Agra

to
life

was

of Babar's high officers,

his

Almighty Allah

piety,

said

to

Babar

might vouchsafe

to

The Mogul E^npej'ors

92
spare

Humayun's

rifice

of

life

return for the sac-

in

Babar's most precious

possession,

and suggested that the great diamond cap-

Agra be
my own

tured at

Babar, "

my

of

end."

Hfe

devote

times walked

three

he exclaimed, "I have borne

his

unvarying affection

Returning

away; "and

it

Humayun

to

brothers, and,

cases, the

With

strono^er.

for

sought

during

to this

from that time Babar declined and

beloved son Vv'axed

his

it

about the

dying prince and retired to pray.

in fact,

No," said

most precious

the

is

possessions, and

He

"

the offering.

his

his

he be-

family,

kind and forgiving

to be

what

is

rare

in

such

admonition was faithfully respected

many

trying years.

In a short time

Death, the sunderer of societies, the garnerer

of graveyards, the plunderer of palaces, bore

him away

to

the mercy of Allah, the com-

passionating, the compassionate, and his son

reigned
"

in his stead.

The grave

of

Babar

is

marked by two

erect slabs of white marble, and, as

in

is

common

the East, the different letters of a part of

the inscription indicate

the

number

of the

Muhammad Babar

Zchir-ed-di7i

year of the Hcgira

which the Emperor

in

The device, in
seems to me happy

present instance,

the

died.

93

When in heaven Roozvan asked the date of his death,

I told him that heaven is the etertial abode of Babar Padishah.
"

Near the Emperor

wives and

his

chil-

dren have been interred, and the garden,

which

is

small,

was once surrounded by a

wall of marble.

running and clear spring

yet waters the fragrant flowers of this cemetery,

which

is

the great holiday resort of the

In front of the grave there

people of Kabul.
is

a small but chaste

an inscription upon

mosque

sets forth that

it

peror Shah Jahan, that poor

From

offer

the

their prayers." *

which

overlooks

noble

prospect,

is

gardens

of

the

beneath

it.

In

was

Muhammadans

hill

tomb there

verdure and

up

it

and

by order of the Em-

built in the year 1640,

might here

of marble,

city

are

Babar's

flowers

in

full

Babar's

and

the

blossom

own words, "the

render

Kabul,

in

spring, a very heaven."

* Burnes' Travels into Bokhara, quoted by Erskine.

the

The Mogul E^nperors

94

Babar has portrayed

words

which

every

He

understand.
soldier

own

his

character in

generous

heart

will

was a gentleman and a

throughbred.

He

had

prudence,

knowledge, energy, ambition, and generosity,

" all the

and

derives

on

" Exaltation

name."

its

of

his

Memoirs, has

was written

Mr. Erskine, the trans-

his forehead."

lator

from which nobility

qualities

summed

it

up

judiciously-:

"

character

is

his

princes.

Instead of the stately, systematic,

throne

that seems to belong to

we

Asia,

in

Babar's

unlikeness to other Asiatic

character

artificial

the

striking feature in

him

find

natural,

lively,

affectionate, simple, retaining

throne

all

common
are

on the

the best feelinors and affections of

life.

entitled

We shall
to

find

few princes who

rank higher than Babar

genius and accomplishment.

in

His grandson

Akbar may perhaps be placed above him

for

profound and benevolent policy.

crooked

artifice

tled to the

same

of

distinction.

Chengiz-Khan and
in their

Aurangzeb
of

is

The

The

not enti-

merit of

Tamerlane terminates

splendid conquests, which far excelled

Zehir-ed-din

Mtthammad Babar
But

the achievements of Babar.

of mind, in the

95

in activity

gay equanimity and unbroken

with which he bore the extremes of

spirit

good and bad

fortune, in the possession of

the manly and social virtues, so seldom the

portion of princes, in his love of letters, and

success

his

shall

find

the

in

cultivation of them,

we

no other Asiatic prince who can

justly be placed beside him."

Two

sayings of Babar's, placed

side, give the

key to

" Inspired

as

side

his public actions.

all

was with an ambition for

conquest and for extensive dominion,

not,

"

How

such a

must

would

on account of one or two defeats,

down and look

can any
-line

well called

The

idly

man

around

me

"

sit

and again,

of understanding

pursue

of conduct as, after his death,

his fair

stain

by

Fame

fame

The

wise have

a second existence."

circumstances of

Oriental

and of

"

Between

Western

life

us and

them crawls the nine-times-twisted

are totally dissimilar.

stream of Death."

needed allowances

If

for

we can

make the

these differences of

time and circumstance, Babar

will

appear not

The Mogul

96

unworthy

Ei7tperoi's

to be classed with the great Caesar

as a general, as an administrator, as a
letters.

Caesar's,

His character

is

more lovable than

He

conquered India

and founded a mighty empire.

the

of

and reminds us of Henry IV of

France and Navarre.

for all in

man

all,

Mogul

Take him

he was the most admirable of

kings.

Humayu7iy Emperor of Hindustan

CHAPTER
HUMAYUN,

EMPEROR

III

HINDUSTAN

OF

97

(a. D.

THE ADVENTURES OF FOUR

I53O-I556)

BROTHERS
" When Fortune's adverse, minds are

perverse.'"

Persian

SAYING.

The

intelligent

the events

of

Bernier,

Mogul Empire.

" that reflection

custom of

his recital of

a later reign, explains

sentence the fatal defect

the

in

"

in

the

policy of

he says,

desire,"

be made on

in

unhappy

the

this state, which, leaving the pos-

session of the crown undecided, exposeth

it

At the

to the conquest of the strongest."

death of every emperor a struggle took place

between the adherents of

his various sons,

The

or even grandsons or nephews.

est

won

and then proceeded to assure a

lasting peace

They were
or

their

strong-

by doing away with

his

rivals.

death

at

once,

either

put

to

eyes were blinded,

or

they were

The Mogul Emperors

98

imprisoned

the

in

Gwalior, or

of

hill-fort

stupefied with opium, or they fled into Persia,

make the pilgrimage

new emperor was not

or they were forced to

Mecca."

to

If

the

strong or cruel enough to impose the severer

punishments, his rivals were sent to govern

distant portions of the realm,

often

to

vex

called the

most

returned

may be

India,

in

prosperous

have been those

were cruel or crafty enough

safe policy to

its

reigns

to the throne.

Moguls understood

later

"

which there

in

were the fewest living heirs

The

What

power.

his
"

whence they

and

this well,

to carry out the

extreme.

Humayun, we have an example of

Mogul prince whose whole life was spent
In

agitation

in

in

exile,

because he was too

too

filial,

and too kind

or

affectionate,

to such extremities.

to

go

His blood was Turki,

and not yet Hindu.

Babar, the
the

Turki

highest

have seen,
ambition,

father

"

of

ideal

prudence,

and

Humayun,

its

he had,

as

we

knowledge, energy,

generosity

which nobility draws

fulfilled

qualities

name."

from

Hitmaywi, Emperor of Hmdustan

while before

short

called for his son

his

and heir (Humayun), and

Allah should grant him

if

the throne and

crown, he should

not

put

to death, but deal kindly with

Humayun promised

them.

Babar

death,

charged him that

his brothers

99

obedience, and

notwithstanding that his brothers (Kamran,

were

Mirza-Askari)

Hindal,

opposed

to him,

and often

in

continually

open war, he

forgot their hostile proceedings as soon as

he had vanquished them, for many years,

and on many separate occasions.

His kindness was the source of

woes

and,

amiable
fatal

to

like

many

a pri\iate

in

the

state.

quality

all

which

his
is

person, was well-nigh

was not

It

until

his

brothers were removed by war or otherwise,

towards the

last of his reign, that

had any sort of peace.

aged such things better

Empire

the

The Hindus manas in the

example

thus related by an ancient historian

" In the

Mahmud, a Hindu
against an enemy who

time of Sultan

rajah asked

his

aspired to the

plained

the

aid

same sovereignty.

situation

to

the

He

Sultan

ex-

thus

"

The Mogul Emperors

lOO
'

my

In

religion

the

kings

of

killing

is

when one
king gets another into his power, he makes
a small and dark room underneath his own
throne, and, having put his enemy into it,
unlawful

but the custom

that

is,

Every day he sends

he leaves a hole open.

a tray of food into that room, until one or

the other of the kings

Humayun
1530.

succeeded to the throne

in a.d.

His brother Kamran was then gov-

ernor of

Kabul,

Babar had
It

dies.'

was

the

capital

from whence

set out for his conquest of India.

clearly

empire should

Babar's

intention

be

divided,

not

Kabul should remain

The armies

that

and

the
that

Hindustan.

subj,ect to

the emperor were recruited

of

mainly from the Turki, Mogul, and Afghan

tribes of this neighborhood,

were vast numbers

and while there

Hindu

of

auxiliaries,

the latter were even less faithful than the

Moguls.
cially,

The

officers

of

had to be drawn

the countries

outside of

yielded to

Kamran

and added

to

it

the

the

army, espe-

from

Persia and

India.

kingdom

Humayun
of

Kabul,

the countries bordering on

Humayun, Emperor of Hhidustan

the Indus, and the Panjab.

loi

Prince Hindal

was made governor of Sambal, and Mlrza-

Humayun was emperor

Askari of Mewat.

Hindustan,

of

had

but

not

retained

the

sources of the military power by which alone

could

it

be

The army

held.

but there were

remained,
of

firmly

no sure means

even of maintaining,

or

increasing,

still

its

fighting strength.

The emperor's wars began

sion of Guzerat

and the suppression of

The

lions elsewhere.
forts

with the invarebel-

siege of one of the

was the occasion

two incidents, each

of

highly characteristic of

hill-

Humayun.

The

first

stages of the siege had been very unsuccessful.

fort

All the practicable approaches to the

were closely guarded.

cal precipice

bounded one

on which the

fort

was

determined to attack

it

An

almost verti-

side of the plateau

built,

and

by night on

Humayun
this side.

Accordingly steel spikes were prepared and

driven right and

left,

face of the

the form of a ladder.

emperor

cliff,

in

himself

three hundred

one by one, into the

accompanied a

men

to

The

party

the perilous

of

attack,

The Mogul Emperors

I02

Humayun was

which was

successful.

forty-first in

order to ascend.

was known that the

It

much

treasure,

find

to

till

was

they

was

counsel

to

and

this

drawn

off

rather,

prisoners be tor-

confessed.

The

The water

was followed.
from
in

emperor's

them with kindness,

treat

the treasure found

failed

Humayun's

juncture

this

contained

search

strict

advised that the

ofiicers

tured

In

it.

but

castle

the

a vast

and

cistern,

a chamber beneath

it,

according to information given by one of the

prisoners to his generous captor.

Humayun's great personal bravery and

his

these

two

Mirza-Askari, his youngest brother,

who

humanity are well exhibited

in

incidents.

was

left

in

charge of these

first

conquests,

soon beean to show his want of subordination.

At a

convivial party he took too

much

wine, and began to boast that he, too, was " a

kine and the shadow of Allah."

time the war with
ruler of

province

Berar,
of

lust at this

Sher-Shah, the Afghan

began

to be

serious.

The

Bengal was overrun by Sher-

Humayu7i,

of Hiiidtistan

Einpc7'oi'

103

Humayun was committed

the rainy season.
The sol-

Shah's forces, and

campaign

to a

deserted

diers

in

when they

Hindal marched
permission.

off his

could,

whole army without

Kamran

Prince

and Prince

set

out with a

large force from Kabul, professedly to sup-

port the emperor, but in reality to seize the

throne

he could do

if

Humayun
Agra, and

so.

was forced

retreat

to

to fight a battle with

towards

Sher-Shah

which he was disastrously defeated

in

His queen was captured,

1539).

army
met

totally dispersed.

at

Agra and were

The

my

and

his

three brothers

reconciled,

of defence was concerted.

(a.d.

It

is

and a plan
no part of

intention to recite the events of the next

campaign (1540), which ended in the complete success of Sher-Shah (who became

emperor

of India)

and Agra

and princes

and

in

the capture of Delhi

in the flight of

to Lahore.

At Lahore another

council was held.

was abundantly manifest

says one

was no

the emperor

to

the

"It

emperor,"

of the native historians, " that there

possibility of bringing his

brothers

The Mogul Emperors

104

and

his emirs to

any agreement, and he was

very despondent."
Prince Hindal marched away in one direction

Prince

set off for

Kamran

Kabul.

"

"

proved

faithless,"

and

His brothers then began

to shoot the arrows of discord at the target

of sovereignty," as the native chronicler has

Humayun now

it.

set

cast

up what remained

about for a place to

Sind, the

of his state.

province just south of Kabul, had been part

of Timur's conquests,

had overrun belonged

ants

who

emperor

and whatever Timur

to

any of

his descend-

could take and keep

set out for

On

it

so the

Sind with the remnants

way he stopped at the

camp of Prince Hindal, where he became violently and suddenly enamoured of the young
of his army.

his

daughter of Hindal's instructor. Sheikh Ali

Akbar Jami.
old,

She was but fourteen years

and had been promised

though not yet betrothed.

decided to marry her at once.

in

marriage,

The emperor
Though she

was not of suitable rank, her father was

a

seiyad,

Muhammad,

descendant

and

the

of

family

the

was

Prophet
distin-

Humayun, Empej-or of Hindustan

105

The mar-

guished for learning and piety.

riage took place the next day.

But Prince Hindal's camp was no place

for

the head of the state.

"

the

Ten

dci'viskes can sleep on one rug, but

same climate of the

eaj^th

cannot contain

two kings!'
Accordingly

Humayun plunged

into

the

deserts of Sind, relying on the promises of

one of

his

redeemed.
party was
living

on

vassals

there.,

During

this

desert

march the

reduced to the greatest

berries, lacking water,

by enemies. At the
in the

which were not

straits,

and harassed

solitary castle of

Amerkot,

midst of the "desert, the empress gave

birth to her son

Akbar (October

15,

1542).

The emperor was encamped some miles

distant when the news was brouo^ht to him.

He

had no

rich presents to give to the

senger and to his

ary.

He

little

party, as

mes-

was custom-

opened a single pod of musk, and

among his faithful

was named Jalalu-d-

distributed the contents

adherents.
din

The

child

Muhammad Akbar king

like the

odor of the musk

of kings

his

and

fame spread

The Mogul Evipcrors

io6

throughout the habitable world, according to

wishes of the

the loyal

little

band of the

emperor's followers.

Kandahar was held by Mirza-Askari as

It was
a dependent of Prince Kamran.
now Humayun's intention to win Askari to
his

cause,

When

and

find

to

an

asylum

there.

he was some one hundred and thirty

miles from the city, intelligence

came

that his

brother the Mirza was marching against him

with hostile intent, and that he must

This he did

safety.

infant

Akbar had

most

of

the

to

in

be

queen and a band

such haste that the

left In

party.

fly for

the

camp with

Humayun, with

of only forty others, fled

Akbar and those who were

to Persia.

the

left

behind were well treated by the Mirza, and

removed
sent

to

to

Kandahar, and the child was

Kabul.

As Mirza-Askari and

his

troops were returning with the young Akbar,

one

of

the

emperor's

faithful

plotted to steal the child from

to return

him

to his parents.

its

adherents
captors and

The

project

was discussed with the guards, and It was

decided that Humayun must have had good

Humayun, Emperor of Hindustan

reasons

leaving

for

brother's hands,

son

infant

his

and that

107
his

in

would not be

it

him

right either for the guards to give

up,

or for the emperor's immediate followers to

with

interfere

Upon
litter,

this

plans

not

understood.

fully

approached Akbar's

the warrior

and received from the chief

of the escort a little

fillet,

And

child's turban.

in

charofe

or ribbon, from the

from

with this pledge

one grim warrior to another, he set out to

join the fortunes of the flying emperor,
to bring
prince.

him the

These

and

news of the young

last

are not the savage

manners

of barbarians.

For three years the emperor had been

He now

Sind, exposed to every hardship.

set out for Persia to ask the help of

Tahmasp, the hereditary

Humayun
Persia,

agreed to

scale,

and was obliged

* His great ancestor

this artTurncnt

Timur was

was used

and

all

made on both sides.

restore Kandahar to
to

conform

observances of the Shia'^ sect of

t'.iat

Shah

friend of his family.

His reception was on a grand

kinds of promises were

in

the

Muhamma-

a S/iia; though

to chansje his beliefs.

to

do not find

The Mogtil Emperors

io8

dans

return for the assistance of a well-

in

equipped army of twelve thousand Persian

troops.

On the
Humayun

envelope

the

of

despatched

which

letter

Shah,

the

to

he

wrote these verses

Much

hath this aching head endured

Jilttch

among

And much
But

the rocks

among

the waters,

and mountains,

amoftg the sands of the desert

all (these sorrows no'w) are past.

Many more

sorrows

still

remained to him,

however, before his fortunes were retrieved.

His was a

life

of constant vicissitude

morning he dwelt in a house

In

the

In

the evening he

As if he had been

Prince

had no longer a

Kamran was

captured

Prince Hindal

Paradise or Heaven,

dwelling.

homeless.

Kandahar had been

been

like

reigning

Kabul.

his possession

in

from

in

him by

his

brother

had been recaptured

The

brother was marching against

at the

of a foreign army.

siege.

Askari

The
was

city

and

was now held by Mirza-Askari.

it

had

fourth

head

was taken after

pardoned, but

he

Humaytm, Emperor of Hindustan

was recaptured,

escaped,

and

imprisoned,

Kandahar was delivered over

and

109

the

to

Persians.

As

came

the winter

needed

shelter,

and

on,

as the Persian prince in

command opportunely
and made

at

made

once"

it

emperor

died, the

Kandahar, from the

captured
time,

Humayun's troops

Persians this

a winter's

march

Kabul.

to

Hindal joined the successful army,

Prince

and Prince Kamran abandoned

and

He

headquarters.

his

re-

fled

all

his forces

The young

emperor.

his capital

coming over

to the

Akbar (now

Prince

about three years old) was restored to his

After a few months

father.

out

on an

expedition

Humayun

set

Badakshan

against

(another one of Timur's conquests)

there-

upon Kamran returned and again captured

Kabul and the young Akbar with it. The
forces of

Humayun and Hindal

immediately

returned and closely invested the

native writers say
feeling,

"

city.

The

Kamran, with dastardly

ordered that the prince Akbar should

be exposed upon the battlements where the

balls

and shot of the guns and muskets

fell

no

The Mogid Emperors

But

thickest.

Almighty

Allah

Kamran was

him."

more, and Badakshan

obliged

now

fell

preserved

to

into

this occasion

hands,

/^zV

but was recaptured by the emperor

On

once

fly

Kamran became

in 1548.

the pris-

Humayun and Hindal.

The emperor displayed the greatest
kindness to Kamran, who again received the
oner of
"

emblems
set

of sovereignty."

at liberty

at

this

Mirza-Askari was

time,

and the

four

brothers ate bread and salt together in sign

of amity.

In a few months, however,

Kam-

ran and Askari again rebelled, and Kabul was

again taken by them, and the prince Akbar

(a precious

hostage) again

into their

fell

Once more the emperor attacked

Kabul, and once more Kamran was obliged

hands.

to fly.

These successive
flights,

They

raids,

captures,

sieges,

read like the annals of a band of Sioux.

represent to the

life

the history of the

Moguls before they were permanently established in India.

Such "history"

ably monotonous and dull, and

dismiss

it

we

with the thoudit that

is

intoler-

are apt to

all

this

was

Humayun, Emperor of Hindustan

among barbarous

four centuries ago,

But the wars

Turkistan.

same epoch, were they materially

We

modern war

that

forget

And

Napoleon's campaigns.
barous tribes
parallels in

do we

different

with

as to the bar-

not find almost exact

the cruel revolutions in South

In the Argentine
?

at the

began

American States even to-day?

ras

tribes of

Europe

in

1 1

In Brazil

In Chile?
In

Hondu-

There are no prisoners taken.

The

corpses of the dead

are terribly mutilated.

The

are looted,

captured

cities

and their

inhabitants inhumanly outraged.

It

was about

Kamran

wrote to

time

this

beg him to put an

to

end to their eternal wars.

he says,

brother,"

"

you

will

"

Oh,

my

unkind

what are you doing

For every murder that

side,

Humayun

that

is

committed on either

have to answer at the day of

Come and make peace, that manmay be no more oppressed by our quar-

judgment.
kind

rels."

Kamran's answer was the verse

He who would obtain
Must woo

sove7-eignty

for his

bride.

her across the edge of the sharp sword.

The Mogul Empero7's

112

And

the wars went

rebellion
failing

and

on.

ravaging provinces "

the family of the

in

Breaking

into

was an old

Emir Timur,"

says one of the native historians.

Hindal was sent to capture Kamran, and

could have done

so,

but furthered his escape,

and shortly afterwards was himself

a battle against the

killed in

Afghans under Kam-

ran's

command.

into

banishment, and afterwards made the

Mirza-Askari was ordered

when

pilgrimage to Mecca, and died (1558)

just

beyond Damascus.

It

was obvious that no terms could be

made with

Prince Kamran.

He was

finally

made

captured, deprived of sight, and he also

the pilgrimage and afterwards died at Mecca,

(1557).

Prince

Kamran was

of a sullen

and cruel

nature, though bold and enterprising.

inspired

no

unfortunate

she to

happy,

attachment

in

his

or apparently in any one, save his

officers,

exile.

permanent

He

wife,

who

followed

him

into

You gave me to my husband," said

her father, "when he was a king and
and would take me from him now
"

Humayitn, E77tperor of Hindustan

that he
no,

attend him faithfully wherever he

will

and blind and miserable

fallen

is

goes."

At

the sieo^e of Kabul he

young children

three

and threw

officers,

of

murdered the

one of Humayun's

mangled

their

bodies

He

over the walls to the besiegers.

gave

the wife of the same nobleman to the rabble

in

These

the bazaar to be dishonored.

were not only atrocious

acts

themselves, but

in

they were totally contrary to the customs of

war.

There

him and

is

no doubt that the emperor loved

all

his brothers with a sincere affec-

tion in spite of treacheries

When Kamran

presented himself before

make

the throne to

his submissions),

his

his neck.

said the emperor, " there

throw

it

past

as the

over, the
is

is

"Alas

alas !"

no need of

this

away."

As soon
was

submission (one of

he approached humbly with

hung around

a whip

beyond count.

past.

to ceremony.

ceremony

emperor exclaimed

Thus

far

prostration

of
:

"

What

is

we have conformed

Let us now meet as brothers

"
;

The Mogul Emperors

and embracing him with

made him

And

honor.

him
for

in

by

sit

his

side

then, in a

Turki (as

the

in

were the private speech

it

if

place of

moment, addressing

two descendants of Timur), he

close to me," as

emperor

tears, the

they had been

said, " Sit

little

boys

once more.

When

Hindal was

Prince

slain

by the

Afghans under Kamran, the emperor's camp

was on a
was

hill

above Hindal's.

Humayun

over,

After the fight

asked for his brother,

but " no one had the courage to

stood

and

on

the

been
little

called aloud

different
at

had

he

that

last

the

in

find him.

learned his brother's

overwhelmed with
in his tent.

One

grief,

"

darkness,

and sent two

for Hindal,

messengers to

him

The emperor

killed.
hill

tell

When

fate,

he

he was

and shut himself up

of the hiorh nobles found

the emperor in tears, and asked the cause.

"

Have you

not heard of the martyrdom of

Mirza Hindal?"

The

ness and good sense to reply

your own gain

less

"

had the bold-

chief
:

"You

lament

you have one enemy the

which was true indeed.

Humaytin, Emperor of Hindustan

The

rebellion of Prince

last

it

Kamran, and

conduct at the siege of Kabul,

his atrocious

had made

clear that he deserved

no mercy,

and that the safety of the state demanded

The emperor's

his death.

unanimously of

this

councillors were

opinion, and they pre-

sented a formal written petition and remonstrance,

begging that

justice

The emperor would

from

his

affection

for

not
his

be done.
consent, partly

turbulent

treacherous brother, partly from

promise to

his

placed

in strict

dying father.

his

and

memory of
Kamran was

custody, and the next morn-

ing orders were given that his eyes should

be lanced to deprive him of sight, though not

of

life.

was

in

bellion

Only so would he be harmless.

This

Kamran had been

in re-

1553, after

more or

less constantly for

twenty-

The emperor's orders were

Some time afterreceived and executed.
wards Kamran sent to beg for an interview.
"At midnight the emperor, lighted by a
lantern, and attended by five or six men of
distinction, repaired to Kamran's tent." The
emperor sat down and sobbed aloud as the

three

years.

The Mogul Emperors

1 1

blinded Mirza was led

how

to witness

He

in.

affairs

little

had turned out

according to his wishes, and

felt for his

how deeply he

brother's sufferings.

"The Mirza

He

called Allah

was told

who were in the

Mir Tardi Beg, Monaim
inquired

Bapus Beg (whose children he had

tent.

Beg,

slain),

and

some others on which he addressed them

Be all of you witnesses that whatand said
;

'

me

ever has happened to

my own
much

has proceeded from

misconduct and

affected,

Humayun,

fault.'

and wishing

to put an

end

to

the scene, his voice interrupted by convulsive

sorrow, faltered out

The

Fateheh.'*

recommended
care, who said
that subject
*

The opening
Praise be

Let us nov/ repeat the

Mirza, upon

this,

earnestly

his children to the emperor's

:

Set yourself at ease upon

they are

of the

to

Kuran

Allah, the

my own

a prayer.

Lord of

children.' " f
It

reads as follows:

the Worlds,

The Compassionate, the Merciful,

King of the day of Judgment I

Thee ive worship, and Thee lue ask for

help.

Guide us in the straight way.

The 'way of those

Not of
\

those upoji

whom Thou art gracious:

whom is Thy wrath, nor of the

to

erring.

Summarized from Erskine's Life of Humayun, Chapter

Book v.

III,

Humayuii, Emperor of Hindustan

For the

first

was possible
in the field

time

for

the emperor's reign

in

him

117
it

to undertake operations

without fearing the treachery of his

own brothers. His previous

failures are attrib-

uted by (foreign) historians to the levity and

weakness of
to

me to make

his father's

brothers,

if

if

All accounts seem

his character.
it

clear that,

if

he had not obeyed

admonitions to be kind to his

rival

he had done as his successors did

he had promptly put them to death

would have been

he

called a successful ruler

cruel to his brothers, perhaps, but kind to

He was

the world besides.

kind, even

Saif-Khan had once held

in

more than

often

magnanimous and

all

great-hearted.
his

whole army

check for half a day, while his over-lord,

Sher-Khan, was making good

through a mountain

defile.

escape

his

He was

finally

captured and brought to the emperor, bleeding from three wounds, and expecting death.

The emperor said: "Such it behooves a soldier

to be who should lay down his life to advance
;

his master's cause.

ever you choose."

ily is

set

you

free

Saif answered, "

with Sher-Khan

go wher-

My

fam-

wish to go to him."

The Mogtil Emperors

ii8

Now, Sher-Khan was a thorn

Humayun

the Moguls, but

"

have given you your Hfe

Humayun had

in

the side of

did not hesitate.

;

do as you

will."

a strain of romance in his

character, like that of the caliphs

who granted

favors to poets for their verses, to singers for

The

Ask a boon

"

their songfs.

of me."

following incident, which occurred dur-

ing the reign of his father,

is

an excellent

example of the romantic impulse and respect

for learning

which are parts of the Oriental

character

the

soldiers

town had been captured, and

everywhere for

sought
"

and plunder.

party of three entered

house," says Maulana

my

gold

Sadu-lla, "

father (who, in studying

my

and seized

and teaching

the sciences for sixty-five years, had, in the

and made

evening of his

life,

him

Others came and bound me,

and

prisoner.

sent

me

ordered

me

not grieve

sitting

on

reached his house, and

be bound with a chain, one

end of which was

did

present to the Mirza

The Wazir was

when
to

as

(Shah Husain).
a platform

lost his sight)

for

tied to the platform.

myself, but shed tears

Humayun, Emperor of Hindustan

for

my

asked
his

pen to

writing

for

no one
"

father's sad condition."

materials,

was

write, but

119

The Wazir
and mended

called away, leaving

but the captive.

in the place

approached the platform, and wrote, on

Wazir intended

the very paper on which the

to write, these verses

Do not your eyes see how I am zveeping.

And do you never say, weep no tnore?
And does your heart never suggest to you
That you should have pity upon me

When

the

garment of

"

Wazir returned he found the

released the poet,

writing,

his own,

who

the Mirza himself,

robed him

in

and introduced him

a
to

set the father free,

and restored their goods to the two prisoners,

dismissing them both with honor.

Everything was now favorable for the

conquest of India.
set

In

horse, invaded the

the

emperor

fifteen

thousand

1555

from Kabul with

out

Panjab, captured Lahore

from the Afghans, and took

Delhi and Agra,
the Prince
in the

possession of

Successful battles, in which

Akbar took

possession

re-

of

part,

confirmed him

Hindustan.

He

died

The Mogul Emperors

I20

effects of a fall in 1556, half a year

from the

Akbar (then

Delhi, and

return to

after his

thirteen years old) reigned in his place.

In this last invasion
that,

vow

Providence restored the sovereignty

if

would never again make

of India to him, he

slaves

Humayun made

of

He

true believers.

was fighting

against Afghans,

who were Musulmans, and

had no scruple

making a pyramid of
the fashion of Timur the

their

heads,

in

in

This

Tartar, but he did not enslave them.

last

pyramid

teen

years

heads was erected seven-

of

before

the

Massacre of Saint

Bartholomew.

The

success

reconquest

of

of

the

first

India was

produced no change

Humayun's mind.

in

He

for

battle

splendid
the

the

but

it

equanimity of

had always endeav-

ored, he said, to observe three principles of

conduct

first

of

then, energy in action

tion

in

success

integrity

all,

of

design

and, finally, modera-

ascribing

all

the glory to

an overruling Providence, and nothing to the

merits of man.

very curious chapter might be written

Humayun, Emperor

of Hindtistan

concerning the dreams of the emperors, as

recounted

in their

Putting to one

Memoirs.

side those architecturally elaborate dreams,

"

saw an eagle descend from the empy-

rean and

devour a dove,

announced by the emperor

so that the astrologers
to

mean

that ke

is

the

putting

which are

etc.,"

Durbar,

at his

may expound them

eagle, and his enemy
there

still

remain to us a considerable number of

evi-

the dove,*

these aside,

dently genuine dreams.

We

must regard Babar's account of

dream

of

genuine.

flower-gardens

the

He

recounts

throws on his thouo^hts

a lovely light

In the

Timur there are several cases

meant to be interpreted in public
one case which seems to

real,

and

secret

to

mind.

He

is

dreams

but there

be entirely

to give a glimpse into the

monarch's

recounting his

"

holy

"

(May, 1398,
After days of fighting and extreme

war against the

A.D.).

me

it

Memoirs

of

of

is

entirely

as

with real pleasure

it

And what

years afterwards.

his

infidel

Kators

* Such, for example, as the dreams of Olympias, mother of

Alexander the Great,

just before his birth.

The Mogul Einperors

122

Timur sleeps, and

dreamed that my sword

fatigue in the mountains,

dreams

what?

When

was bent."
others,
it

to

"

he awakes,

must be expounded.

this
"

dream, Hke
interpreted

be a certain token that Burhan Aghlan

As

had been defeated."

had been

dream

but

was

itself

is

it

clear,

true,

a matter of fact he
I

think, that the

and not a fabrication

intended to convey the idea that Timur was

Here

inspired.

event.

"

official

a small but genuine psychic

dreamed that my sword was

Humayun,

is

too,

had dreams de

circoiistance

dreams, meant to be interpreted

his favor.

It

is

in

related also that he had a

supernatural warning of his death

He

bent."

in

a dream.

himself says: "I lately rose after mid-

night to say the stated prayers and retired

again to rest

was
I

lying,

when

my eyes

just

before dawn, as

shut, but

my

heart awake,

heard a supernatural voice clearly repeat

these verses

Oh, Lord, of Thine infinite goodness make

Oh, call

He

to

me Thine own;

Thee thy poor lover; Oh, grant me

my

release.^''

repeated these verses frequently, with

Humayun, Emperor of Hindustan

deep emotion

and

wards that he met

was not long

it

123

after-

death by an accident.

his

Nizamu-d-din-Ahmad was the son of a

favorite noble of Babar's and Humayun's
His history

court.

emperor

of the

estimate

a standard one,

is

an intelligent observer,

is

"

doubt that

Humayun

is

is

sincere.

no reason

He

says

reigned for more than twenty-

and he was

five years,

when he

his writing

the fullest

Omitting a few

adjectives of convention, there

to

his

at least that of

who had

opportunity for judgment.'''

and

fift^^-one

years of age

His angelic character was

died.

adorned with every manly

age he excelled

all

virtue,

and

in cour-

the princes of the time.

All the wealth of Hindustan would not have

sufficed to

the

In

have maintained his generosity.

sciences

of

astroloo^y

eood
*
his

and

the

of the time

He came

men

all

learned

and great and

were admitted

into high favor with the

mathe-

He made good

matics he was unrivalled.

verses,

and

to his

so-

Emperor Akbar by marching

twelve hundred miles in twelve days, so as to be present at

the celebration of the thirty-fifth anniversary of his coronation at

Lahore.

124

^-^"^

ciety,

Mogul Emperors

and passed the night

The Hght

company.

on men of abihty

of favor shone

and worth during

his

in

Such was

his reign.

his

clemency that he repeatedly pardoned the

Kamran, when

rebellions of his brother, Mirza

he was taken prisoner and was

He

in his

was devout and ceremonious

power.

in all

re-

ligious observances."

His

"weary indecision" was

manifested

chiefly in the early part of his reign,

only

in counsel.

brave

in

He was

action, as

and then

always prompt and

became a descendant

of

Of Timur we may say what

Saint-Simon says of Peter the Great " Tout

Amir Timur.

montrait

en

lui

la

vaste

etendue de ses

lumieres, et qiiclque chose de continuelleinent

consequent^

All the descendants of

Timur

were distinguished for personal valor

courage of the heart.

Some

of

the

them

in-

herited from their great ancestor that cour-

age of the mind which made him capable

of

long,

patient,

unswerving devotion to a

resolution once formed.

But

Humayun was

not one of his heirs in this respect.

he had, but he was

Valor

deficient in resolution.

Htimayun, Emperor of Hindustan

125

Erskine, the author of a Life of Humayini,

has given another estimate of his character,

which

quote

"He was

man

of great quickness of parts,

His

but volatile, thoughtless, and unsteady.

disposition

was naturally generous,

and affectionate

and winning.

manners

his

His generosity

friendly,

polite,

finally

frank,

degen-

erated into prodigality, his attachments into

weakness, and hence to the day of his death

he was the prey of

He

was fond of

flatterers

literature,

verses,*

and had made,

it is

favorites.

and delighted

He

the society of the learned.

and

in

v/as a writer of

said, considerable

progress in mathematics and astronomy.

At

the time of his death he was about to construct an observatory,

and had already

lected the necessary instruments."

good Musulman,

rigid in the

"

col-

He was

observance of

the stated prayers and of the ceremonial of

the law."

"But though he was brave and

good-tempered,
his

virtues

fects,

all

liberal,

bordered on neighboring de-

and produced
*

and fond of learning,

As was

little fruit."

his brother

Hindal

also.

126

TJie

His

ment

Mog7il Emperors

father, Babar, has also left us a judg-

For a long time Humayun

him.

of

lived at the court

of

and shared

in

every detail

government, and was the inseparable assoemperor,

ciate of the

who was never

repeating that, as a companion,

tired of

Humayun had

not his equal in the whole habitable world.

He was

very flower of

the

His affection

courtesy.

genuine and sincere.

his

of

for

humanity and
his

father

was

In the forty-sixth year

age he transcribed Babar's Memoirs

with his

own hand, adding

commentary

of

own.

his

He was

uniformly kind and considerate to

his dependents, devotedly attached to his son

Akbar, to his friends, and to his turbulent

brothers.

The

misfortunes of his reign arose,

great part, from his failure to treat them

in

But we are obliged to esteem

with rigor.

him
for

for
it

was the

ise to his

loncr-sufferincr

this

faithful fulfilment of his

dying

The very

consideration,

prom-

father.

defects of

render him

less

of nations,

make

his

character, which

admirable as a successful ruler

us

more fond

of

him as a

Huinayun, Emperor of Hindustan 127

His renown has suffered

man.
reign

in that

his

came between the brilHant conquests

of

Babar and the beneficent statesmanship

of

Akbar

the

but he was not unworthy to be

son of the one

other.

and the father of the

The Mogul Emperors

128

CHAPTER

IV

SHAH AKBAR THE GREAT, EMPEROR OF

HliNDUSTAN (a.D. I556-1605)

The book

of the

Thousand Nights and a

Night begins with these words " Verily the

works and words of those gone before us have
:

become instances and examples to men of

our modern day, that folk may view what
admonishing chances befel other

and

folk,

may therefrom take warning and that they

may peruse the annals of antique peoples,
;

and

all

that

hath

betided

them,

thereby ruled and restrained.

fore be to Allah
of the Past an

who hath made

be

Praise there-

the histories

admonition unto the Present."

The works and words

to

and be

instances

and

of

Akbar

examples

are worthy

and

even

admonitions unto the present.

By command

of

the

Emperor Akbar

wazir, Abul-fazl, wrote the history of his

his
life,


Shah Akbar

the Great

129

and also a monumental book treating of the

eovernment and
It is

kino-dom.*

statistics of the

possible from this

work

Empire

lively picture of the

Moguls

of the

and the charac-

at the height of its splendor,

ter of its enlightened

to obtain

monarch

set forth in

is

the laws and customs which he prescribed.

Abul-fazl's style

abounds

smooth

in

flattery,

which seems offensive to a Western reader

chiefly because

it

addressed to a king

is

and kings are out of

however,

fulsome,

date.

than

the

It

is

no more

address

of

candidate for Parliament or Conorress to the

masters.

voters, his

As

reasonable people

disregard the latter sort of flattery, so

may
fore,
in

also discount the former.

we

have, there-

omitted most of the eulogistic passages

Abul-fazl's book, as they are merely con-

ventional,

and have but

little

genuine

siofnifi-

cance.
*-r
This volume,

the Ain-i-Akbari, has been twice translated

by Francis Gladwin (iSoo) and by Professor Blochmann (1S73).

edition of 1873

is

so interesting, so

double

title

to

supplemented by a
learned, as

to

scries of notes, so elaborate,

give

the

work

of Abul-fazl a

be regarded as one of the world's great books.

have quoted from both translations

lie

in this chapter.

The Mogul E.mperors

130

Akbar was the son

Humayun, and came

of

to the throne

in

1556.

He

reign

of

nearly

fifty

after

died in

than

the

The

years.

history of his wars and conquests

interesting

1605,

picture

is

of

far less

his

civil

Cfovernment.
Abul-fazl's

linger

book enables us

the

of

monarch

the

to trace

every detail

in

of

the administration of a vast and well-ordered

empire which extended from Persia to the

Ganges, and from Cashmere to the Deccan.

glance

at

the

table

of

contents

the following chapter-headings

The Household

the

Encampment

Royalty

of the

Perfume Office

Stables

Artillery

Camels,

Oxen

for

Regulations

Army
;

Ensigns of

Painting Gallery

Elephants,

Account

of

Horses,

Revenue Department

Each One

of the Fifteen

Provinces Governed by Viceroys

of the

for

Regulations for Teaching

the Public Schools

Particular

the

Regulations for the Public

Fights of Animals
in

Mint; the Harem; the

Journeys

for

among many

the Royal Treasuries

Jewel Office; the

Equipage

gives

Rent-roll

Empire; Religious Toleration; Descrip-

Shah Akbar
tion of
trines

Hindustan

131

Inhabitants

its

Customs,

its

the Great

etc.,

etc.,

its

Doc-

and

etc.,

thousand things besides.

" It

is

" that

universally agreed," says Abul-fazl,

the

employments

noblest

are

the

reformation of the manners of the people,

the advancement of agriculture, the regula-

and the discipline of the

tion of the offices,

army; and these desirable ends are not to

be attained without studying to please the
joined

people,

good management

with

economy

the finances and exact

penses of the state

in view, every class

What

an

paragraph

the

ex-

but when these are kept

of people enjoys prosperity!'

immense change
denotes

Akbar's ancestor
people

in

of

Compare

from

The
this

of ideal

that

this

Timur,

of

prosperity

of

with

terrible

the

the

marches and sieges of Timur, each marked

with

its

pyramids of human heads.

advance of agriculture
of the descendant of

who

This

is

The

the ideal

those Turki warriors

jeered at wheat, calling

it

" the top of

a weed."

The emperor appointed

treasurers

for

The Mogtil Emperors

132

who kept

each department,

and other jewels belonging

were valued and classed

was

seal

affixed, that

they might not be un-

Each ruby

"The

inscription,

These jewels cannot

Akbar's

of

to-day

pearls were strung

end of each string the

sorted or stolen.

the

crown

the

to

at the

and

scores,

monthly,

Diamonds

and yearly accounts.

quarterly,

in

daily,

of price bore

magnificent

all

be

Are any

lost.

European

rubies in

ruby."

collections

mint with fixed regulations and

officials

was established, and rules

for the fineness of

the precious metals v^re

with paid

down.*

laid

were

coins

Liorht

received
"

according to established discounts.

money matter will be satisfactorily

when the parties express their minds
*

Among

his jewellers

history

is

and every day

He was

curious.

from Syria and Persia

at

Goa

the journey

him a house and

shillings in

One

After

money."

five

Leades'

of the

company

and Fitch returned

published an account of his voyages.

from Queen

many adventures

Leades entered Akbar's service

home

clearly,

one of four Englishmen who travelled

Elizabeth to the Great Mogul.

monk

well, gave

six

to India in 1583, bearing letters

to very different ends.

settled^

was an Englishman, Mr. William Leades.

The king "entertained him very

slaves, a horse,

Every

to

(Storey)
;

they

came

became a

Newberry died on

England

in 1591,

and

Shah Akbar

the Great

133

then take a pen, and write down the state-

ment

As we read

handwritinor,"

leofible

in

we

these paragraphs

do not seem to be

the middle ages, until, by accident,

we

in

see

that "metals are formed of vapor and exha-

which

lation,

be particularly learned

to

is

Akbar

from books of natural philosophy."

brought

his

coins

and improved

purity

were weig-hed

One

of

The

to

best coin is that

the necessaries

for a legend

which

They

shape.

their

standard arate weiohts.

acjainst

them bore

standard of

fixed

is

of life, and which

employed in supplyitig men with

betiejits the

companions in the road

of God.

Special

Akbar

coinage alloys were invented by

who experimented

himself,

departments

Minute

from

rules

on deer-fights

religion

prescribed

should

" the leanness of elephants

thirteen classes,"

been

to

see

the

betting

conducted

be

all

metallurgy.

to

how

in

and

was divided

into

their food

had

if

stolen.

Akbar

inherited his desire for classifying

and organizing everything from

his

father

The Mogul Emperois

134

Humayun,

whom

in

the systematic tendency

was strongly developed, but whose vagabond

life

did not permit him to carry out his ten-

dencies to the

Humayun

full.

ning of his reign divided

The

three classes.

hermits,

Prophet, the

people into

his

all

royal family, the nobles,

the military chiefs, were the

religious

in the begin-

class

first

descendants

the

law

the

literati,

asfronomers, and the

the

of

officers,

poets, " besides

the

the

other

great and respectable men," were the second

class

lovely, the singers

third.

The

who were youn^

those

while

and musicians, were the

occupations of the days of the

week were apportioned

two days to each
occupation

even his
rather

of

life,

silly

and

to these three clalfces,

The more

class, etc.

guarding

his

soon broke up

serious

kingship,

this artificial

scheme, of which

and
and

have given

but a very small part.

Abul-fazl

thus

writes

Harem, or Seraglio

"

(feelingly) of

There

is,

in

the

general,

great inconvenience arising from a

number

women

the

dance of

but his majesty, out

his

of

of

abun-

wisdom and prudence, has made

Shah Akbar
it

subservient

to

the Great

135

public advantage

for

by

contracting marriages with the daughters of

the princes of Hindustan and of other coun-

he secures himself against insurrections

tries,

at

home, and forms powerful alliances abroad.^'

The harem

is

an enclosure of such immense

extent as to contain a separate

room

for each

one of the women, whose number exceeds

five

thousand.

They

and a proper employment

panies,

to each individual.

woman

panies a

one

are divided into com-

is

Over each

assigned

is

com-

of these

appointed to

And

rule.

selected for the care of the whole, in

is

may be

order that the affairs of the harem

conducted with the same regularity as the

other departments of the state."

The harem was

was

chief

thus a state bureau

ous-adventures of his childhood, and

cess.

is

Of

worth while to give

all

who

was,

this foot-note to a correction of the

the royal families of the proud Rajputs, one only,

that of Oudipur, steadily rejected

the

peril-

often said that one of Akbar's wives was a Christian prin-

It is

error.

its

Maham Anka, who had been Akbar's

nurse and faithful attendant during the

* It

Mogul conquerors, and

all

to this

marriages with the house of

day has kept

according to the ancient Rajput customs.

its

blood pure,

The Mogul Emperors

136

prime minister

in fact, his

in

the early years of

his reign,
"

Each one receives a

salary equal to her

The pen cannot measure

merit.

of the emperor's largesses

the extent

but here shall be

given some account of the monthly stipend of

The

each.

ladies of the

first

from 1,610 rupees* down

Some"

down

to

from

paid

"Whenever any

twenty rupees, and others

rupees up to

forty."

of this multitude of

women

two

want anything, they apply

The

"

1,028 rupees.

to

the principal servants have from

of

fifty-one

are

quality receive

of the

inside

to the treasurer."

harem

guarded by

is

women," and there were eunuchs,

porters,

and

military guards at different distances outside,

each

in

a prescribed position.

The equipages

for journeys

and encamp-

ments were as complex as a town.

For

it

must be remembered that when the emperor

moved from
with him
slaves.

a city, the inhabitants

moved

merchants, families, servants, and

The camp was

simply the city under

tents.
*

A rupee may be

taken as about

fifty-five cents in

Akbar's time.

Shah Akbar
Akbar had various

name alone

his ancestors

the

Timur

Rectitude

is the

lost

of

his attentions

it.

He

eats but

course of twenty-four hours, and

he always leaves
is

all

and has made many

wise recjulations concernino-

what

of

his

in the straight road.

to the kitchen department,

in the

bore

means of pleasing God.

never saw any one

His majesty even extends

once

137

for petitions

was used with the inscription

seal

"

One
name

seals.

another,

up to

Great

the

off

with an appetite.

required for the harem

from morning to night."

"

is

But

going on

Trusty people are

appointed to the kitchen department, and his

majesty

is

not unwatchful of their conduct."

In Babar's time an awning was spread over

the kitchen to insure that poison should not

be dropped from above, and

was done under guard.

against

the

emperor's

all

the cooking

Moreover, attempts
life

were

provided

against by the appointment of tastejs, and

unmindful tasters were flayed alive

The

same precautions were taken by Akbar, and

the dishes were sent from the kitchen in nap-

The Mogitl Emperors

138

kins whose corners were fastened by a seal.

"

The copper utensils

tinned twice a month

and

for his majesty's use are

;

those for the princes

harem only once

the

time."

that

kingdom

of

Akbar drank only the waters

of

Everything was regulated

ordinances.

in

in this

" Salt-

the Ganges, cooled with saltpetre.

petre,

which

supplies

in the

composition of gun-powder

has been discovered by his

heat,

majesty to be also productive of cold."*

All the water for Akbar's use and

all

the

provisions were kept in vessels under seal,

and the magazines and gardens were guarded

by trusty servants.

This was necessary

realm where treachery abounded, the

in

classic

land of poisons.f

The

receipts for thirty dishes are given

the wazir.
benefit of

shall only

* The philosophy of Abul-fazl

is

that the animal

so extremely
f

"Chickee.

at a tortoise,

is

like that of the little girl

and remarks how passing strange

in
it

which supplies her with her combs should possess

little hair.

Ibn Batuta

Sultan

quote one, for the

young housekeepers.

Punch, who gazes

by

Mahmud

tells

us that there was a special seal-bearer under

(a.d.

997-1030) whose duty

water-jars used by that emperor.

it

was to

seal the

Shah Akbar

Ten pounds
and washed

of

wheat

until

one pound of

it is

the Great

made

flour

into a paste

reduced into two pounds

and the same

clarified butter,

quantity of onions

139

cardamoms, and

saffron,

ounce

cloves, each quarter of an

cinnamon,

round pepper, and coriander seed, each half

an ounce

green ginger and

ounce and a

To

the

salt,

Some add lemon juiced

half.

Western palate

seems indifferent

it

not.

menu

for

whether the lemon were added or

hundred

was

dishes

"

Akbar's dinner.

was

at

dinner,

each an

it

the

usual

One day when

his

majesty

occurred to his mind that

probably the eyes of some hungry one had

upon the

fallen

therefore, could

it

while the hungry were debarred from

He

therefore gave orders that every day

he eat
it ?

How,

food.

some hungry persons should be fed with

some of the food prepared for himself, and
that

afterwards he

should be fed."

majesty has a great disinclination for

and

he

provided

frequently
variety

of

says,

food

'

"

His

flesh,

Providence has
for

man,

but

through gluttony and ignorance he destroys

living creatures

and makes

his

body a tomb

"

The Mogul Emperors

140
for beasts.

leave

off

my

is

And

If

were not a king

eating

intention

to quit

on two days

by degrees.'

it

Akbar was

every week.

in

ceedingly fond of

fruit,

The

from Persia and Tartary.

rupees each

half

Samarkand were
"

fumes,

and

is

censers."

His

receipts for
is

burned

perfumes

faithful

in

and fumigated

gold and silver

minister gives

compounding

"

con-

is

scents.

many

long

also given of the flowers of the

and

cost

apples from

presence-chamber

the

best

exceedingly fond of per-

stantly scented with flowers,

with

ten for a rupee.

His majesty

ex-

and introduced many

muskmelons came from Tartary, and

two and a

it

he always abstained from meat

in fact

varieties

now

once, and

flesh at

would

list

country

of their seasons for blossominof.

0/ Marriages :

His majesty does not

approve of every one marrying more than

one

wife.

He

censures old

young husbands.

women who

take

His majesty maintains that

the eo7isent of the bride

and bridegroom, and

the permission of the parents, are absoltitely

necessaryU'

This

is

almost inconceivably ad-

Shah Akbar

the Great

141

vanced doctrine, when we remember the time

and

place.

consideration of the juvenile

marriages of the Hindus had formed Akbar's

opinions on this point.
"

Every day some capable person reads

who

his majesty,

date of the

always marks with the

month the

There

off.

hears every book from be-

He

ginning to end.

is

to

place where he leaves

hardly a work of science, of

genius, or of history, but has been read to his

majesty, and he

is

not tired of hearing them

repeated, but always listens with great avidity."

Many books were

command, and
world for the
pared by

Pope

of

a history of
last

having already

his

parts of the

all

thousand years was pre.

his order.

Rome

by

translated

for a

Akbar applied

to the

copy of the Pentateuch,

in his possession, so

he says,

the Evangelists and the Psalms in Persian."

" All civilized nations

Hindustan
naries."

is

As

particularly
in

have schools

famous for

semi-

everything else

Akbar had improvements

*

One

to

of the Persian poets declares that the

ally wriLten

by David

in the Persian dialect

in

its

but

the empire,

suggest

and

Psalms wer^ origin(Ross's Saadi.)

"

Mogill

The

142

what used

to take

Emperors

up years,

is

now accom-

plished in a few months, to the astonishment

"Every boy should

every one."

of

books

on

morals,

arithmetic,

read

agriculture,

mensuration, geometry, astronomy, physiog-

nomy, household matters, the

rules of govern-

ment, (theological, mathematical, and physi-

and history

cal) sciences,

of which

all

may

be gradually acquired,"
"

His majesty takes great delight

painting-gallery,

from the

art

caused

the

and having patronized

this

rei^n,

has

of

besfinninof

to

it

in

arrive

his

high

at

perfection."

Every week pictures were submitted

and the

artists

rewarded.

list

to

him

of

the

eighteen most eminent painters of his court

given.

is

one

(in

Books were illuminated

and

twelve volumes) had no less than

fourteen hundred illustrations.

all

also,

Portraits of

the chief officers were made, and bound in

volume "wherein the past are kept

in lively

remembrance, and the present are insured

immortality."

The
brother

library

of

of

his

Abul-fazl)

poet-laureate

contained

(the

forty-six

Skak Akbar

Great

the

143

hundred manuscripts, and Akbar's was

far

more

the

complete.

In

Jahangir's' time,

Lahore were

walls of the palace at

literally-

covered with portraits and other pictures.

Timur's picture gallery at Samarkand con-

mural

tained

paintings
"

Hindustan.

There

appears to

It

quite

peculiar

For a painter
has

life,

and

in

the other, must

me

as

come

God.

anything that
limbs,

its

dis-

a painter had

if

sketching

devising

recognizing

of

in

hate

that

"but such men

means
in

battles

many

are

painting," says Akbar,

like.

his

of

one after

to feel that he cannot

bestow individuality upon

work, and

his

is

thus forced to think of God, the giver of

life."

In the year 1570

Akbar

laid the founda-

tions of his city Futtehpore-Sikri, near the

residence

whom

of

the

eldest

his

Selim, afterwards

Saint

Selim

Shisti,

named
The
Jahangir).
son was

after

(Prince
site

was

not really suitable, and the city was aban-

doned

wonder

in

to

Agra was

Its

ruins

are

travellers.

The

great

1584.

built

by him

also.

If

to-day
fort

a
at

he had not

^-^^

144

Mogtil Emperors

been succeeded by two kings with a passion

for architecture,

Hke Jahangir, and especially

Shah Jahan, Akbar would have been famous

There is a sober solidity
as a builder also.

many

to

of his constructions

which renders

them to-day at once imposing and characteristic.

Particular

manufacture of

and

were

rules

artillery

musket the emperor had

dred separate beasts

its

the
;

by Akbar

appears that with one single

It

everything

Each one

for

and of small arms

these pieces were tested

all

himself.

in

down

laid

killed nineteen hun-

for in his hunting, as

he kept precise accounts.

else,

of the emperor's private

guns had

appropriate name.
Abul-fazl's description of the elephants of

India

is

most

interesting, but

for quotation.

It

It

is

time

is

far too

may be remarked

says that the natural

that of man,"

it is

life

long

that he

of this beast, "like

one hundred and twenty years.

noteworthy, too, that before Akbar's

it

was considered unlucky

elephants to breed

mounted

this

" but his

prejudice"

to allow

tame

majesty has sur-

this

superstition.

Shah Akbar
" His

the Great

145

majesty being very fond of horses,

droves are constantly arriving, so that at this

day there are

in

his stables twelve

Akbar paid

horses."

a salary to an official

whose business

of his stables,

thousand

it

was

to

burn

a kind of mustard-seed to avert the evil eye.

The

express-service of the empire was done

on swift camels, and not by horses.

At every

on the principal routes a postman

six miles

was stationed, and besides these "a great

number

of

are waiting in the

camel-riders

palace for the purpose of carrying orders or

messages, the instant they are ready to be

despatched,

to

the

most distant extent of

the realm."

Whenever his majesty marches at the

head of his army the road is carefully measured, by means of bamboo rods, by persons
appointed for that purpose. The units of
measure were one guz (equal to about thirty"

three inches), and one

five

thousand

gzcz."

erozih,

The

which equals

ancient definitions

of these standard measures are worth quoting, that

for

some

we may comprehend

the necessity

of the reforms of Akbar.

In one

The Mogul Emperors

146

province the crouh,

standard

or

" the greatest distance at

was

measure,

which may be

heard the ordinary lowing of an ox."

other, " a

man

placing

upon

it

it

crouh."

to pluck a green leaf, and,

is

walk with

his head, to

becomes dry

this distance,

In an-

until

it

they say,

is

quote part of one of the tables

given
"

6 hairs of a mule's

tail

make one

6 barley corns

24 inches

The
makes
"

" barleycorn
its

"

of

one inch.

"

one guz."

our old arithmetics

appearance here.

His majesty

is

exceedingly fond of music,

and has a perfect knowledge of

This

art,

the

as

barleycorn.

"

its

principles.

which the generality of people use

means

of

inducing sleep, serves

amuse him, and to keep him awake."

The Emperor Babarwas not fond
dus, nor of Hindustan, as

Abul-fazl says
"
ble,

of Hin-

we have seen

but

Summarily the Hindus are

courteous

to

retirement,

religious, affa-

strangers, cheerful,

ored of knowledge, lovers of

to

to

able

in

justice,

business,

enamgiven

grateful,

Shah Akbar

the Great

147

admirers of truth, and of unbounded

in all their dealinofs.

what

to

is

it

fly

fidelity

Their soldiers know not

from the

of

field

battle.

They have great respect for their teachers,

and make no account of their lives when
they can devote them to the service of God."

This unbounded panegyric ought to stand

Unfortunately, in another place, Abul-

alone.

expresses a different opinion

fazl

" In

short,

some have the

disposition

some who

of

There are

and others are demons.

angels,

he says

for the merest trifle will

commit

the greatest outrages."

As

work was

Abul-fazl's

to pass

under the

eye of the king, he improved the opportunity

to give

little

moral lessons to inculcate an

even temper, or to strengthen the position of

good wazzrs.
which

sages, of
"

There are many such

I

shall

quote but one

wise prince never suffers

pas:

himself to

be led away by reports, but exercises

his

circumspection and makes diligent investigation,

seeing that truth

common

and

it

is

scarce and falsehood

behoveth him to be more

especially doubtful of whatever

is

said to the

The Mogul Emperors

148

prejudice of those

by peculiar marks

whom

he has distinguished

of his favor, as the world

general bears them enmity even without

in

cause,

and the wicked frequently put on the

appearance of virtue to compass the destruc-

But Akbar, though

tion of the innocent."

hasty
friends

and

was

faithful

his wazir, in particular,

to

his

enjoyed

favor to his last day, and was sincerely

his

mourned
"

temper,

his

in

after his death.

The Manner

in

which His Majesty spends

His Time.
"

On

ness of

this
all

depends the welfare and happi-

ranks of people.

It is his

majesty's

constant

endeavor to gain and secure the

hearts of

all

Amidst a thousand

men.

cares,

he suffers not his temper to be disturbed,

but
to

is

He

always cheerful.

do that which

is

He

He

to

lull

them

listens to

what

never suffers him-

be led away by wrath.

story-tellers

to the

mind on profound

and abstract speculations.

self to

ever striving

most acceptable

Deity, and employs his

every one has to say.

is

to

Others employ
sleep,

but his

Shah Akbar

the Great

149

them

majesty, on the contrary, listens to

He

keep himself awake.

self

austerities,

pays regard to external forms,

any

in

He

avoid cause for reproach.

at or ridicules

upon him-

exercises

both inward and outward

to

and

order to

never laughs

religion or sect

he never

He

omits the performance of any duty.

is

continually returning thanks unto Providence

and scrutinizing

his

own

He

conduct.

is

ever sparing of the lives of offenders, wishing to bestow happiness upon

His majesty

his subjects.

everybody twice

visible to

is

all

He

the course of twenty-four hours.

in

often

appears at an open window, and from thence

receives petitions withotit the intervention of

any person.

He

tion of justice

considers an equal distribu-

and the happiness

jects as essential to his

own

Making every allowance

felicity."

for the obsequious-

ness and servility of an Oriental

clear that Abul-fazl

is

* This
show.

is

by no means

official, it is

here describinof some-

thing between the ideal which

set before himself,

of his sub-

and the

Akbar

reality

really

which he

true, as the present chapter will

abundantly

The Mogul Emperors

150
attained.

The

possible.

Perhaps

was nearly the highest

ideal

no

The

Aurelius has had a higher one.

must be judged by the

his plans.

Marcus

but

ruler

reality

practical success of

do not know that many West-

ern rulers have surpassed him, and certainly

no Oriental monarch has come near to

this

excellence.*

What,

then, in fact, should a benevolent

and wise ruler do

of Akbar's
for a

for his subjects

model of

practice, just as

* Sher-Shah, the Afghan king

who

dustan, and whose dynasty was in

to have originated very

religious toleration.

finance,

tude, manliness,

of the administrative reforms

;

the

knowledge
rival."

of business,

Two

"

lie

was

far

behind him

in

his business

that

is,

and administrative

of Akbar's advisers, then, were

skill,

men

and one of them, Abul-fazl, a wonder-

and elevated statesman.

in the financial

Hindus

but

fortunate in having a great min-

Mr. Horace

"Whatever

in Mill's ///af/a, declares explicitly:

have been

Humayun from Hin-

turn overthrown by /flcbar,

Abul-fazl says of him, that "for honesty, recti-

of the very highest ability,

fully liberal

Insti-

surveyed the

Rajah Todar Mai, who had learned

under Sher-Shah.

he was without a

Akbar was

Timur's

He
drove

its

many

which are usually credited to Akbar

ister of

acts

government might almost be taken

tutes are admirable theory.

seems

The

Hayman

arrangements of Akbar,

essentially to

it

Rajah Todar Mai.

a great king to utilize such ministers.

Wilson,

merit there

may

belonged
It

to

required

Shah Akbar
land and divided

it

the Great

151

He

into classes.

equalized

In times of famine and distress

the taxes.

"His

he partly or totally remitted them.

majesty abolished
fixed standard

He

arbitrary taxes.

all

measures after which he ascer;

tained the value of the lands,

The

revenue accordingly."

and fixed the

duties on

manu-

factures were reduced one-half (to five per

The complicated and

cent.).

were either

of official fees

or

much

simplified,

unjust systems

totally abolished

and the

officials

v/ere

usually paid by the state, instead of extorting

for themselves

what the peasants could give

and yet

Full statistics were collected,

exist.

and the imposts were then

of ten years.
of the state

ments.

thousand ways the

affairs

were settled on a definite basis of

law, instead of

no space

In a

fixed for a period

on shifting caprice.

There

is

to present the details of these enact-

Perhaps the quickest

method

of

exhibiting them will be to give brief extracts

from

the

" instructions

These were the actual

for

rules

empire was administered, at

latter part of the reign.

the

officers."

by which the

least

during the


The Mogul Emperors

152

The

Viceroy.

"

He

must constantly keep

view the happiness of the people

in

not take away

deliberation

life until

who apply

those

them not be

after the

most mature

for justice, let

with delay

afflicted

made

safe

let

him consider

let

him

let

accept the excuse of the penitent

roads be

he shall

it

the
his

duty to befriend the industrious husbandman."

The Cazi
partiality

(judge).

and avarice,

"

Divesting himself of

let

him distinguish the

oppressor from the oppressed, and act accordingly."

The Cootwal
"

kind of provost-marshal).

(a

His own conduct must

strictly

learn

he

honest

be upright

the idle he shall oblige to

some trade

upon coins short

of weight

shall take exactly the deficiency

more)

and

he shall

prohibit

(and no

drinking of

the

spirituous liquors, but need not take pains to

discover what
allow a

widow

men do
to be

in secret

burned contrary

inclinations."

TJie Collector

he shall not

of the Revenues.

"

to her

He

must

consider himself the immediate friend of the

husbandman

he must not require any inter-

Shah Akbar
mediary

he must

the Great

assist the

man with loans of money, and

needy husbandreceive

and convenient periods

at distant

reward

153

skilful

management

his

demands do not exceed

let

him

collect

payment
he must

let

him see that

his

agreements

the revenue with kindness

vexatious taxes must not be exacted."

These
formal
the

extracts are but specimens of the

and elaborate instructions given to

The

officials.

documents

some of these
There is reason to

originals of

exist to-day.

believe

that

degree.

At

they were obeyed

a great

in

events, they certainly repre-

all

sent the ideal towards which this

monarch

strove.

His

life

horrors

the

years a.d.

Borgia was but

Caesar

1605.

The

covered

the

of

sack of

just

1542dead.

Rome had

endured for seven months of the year 1527.

Elizabeth of England reigned from 1558 to
1603.

The very

scientific

value

first

English book of any

(Robert

metic) was printed

Recorde's

Arith-

The Massacre
of St. Bartholomew was in
The
1572.
Spanish Armada was defeated in
1588.
in

1540.

^^^^

154

Shakespeare's

first

poem was

printed

The

1600.

first

treatise

in

Rome

Jorclano Bruno was burned in

1593.
in

Mog2il Emperors

on the law of

and the Habeas Corpus Act were

Witches were exenearly a century later.
cuted in Enorland until 171 2, and were
nations,

burned

in

France

till

Luther {circa

1780.

encounters

with

the

Spain,

17 18;

in

1530)

had

devil.

till

personal

When

Blaise

Pascal was a year old he was bewitched, and

only rescued by the application of a plaster

made from herbs plucked

before sunrise, by

a virgin of seven years, and bruised

the blood of a cat belonging to the

with

sorceress (1621).
as a witch,
in

down

and he had the greatest

saving his

(1620)

Kepler's aunt was burned

difficulty

mother from the same

fate

Kepler himself, the leading man of

science in central Europe, declared that the

reality of witchcraft could not

died

in

1630.

Russia, France, Spain, Italy,

Germany, were no better

India.

It

governed

than

might very well be debated

the actual condition of the English

was

He

be denied.

to be preferred to that of the

if

people

Hindus

Shah Akbar

the Great

of the central provinces

tively mild rule of

under the compara-

Akbar.*

Akbar was but little over

of age when he ascended the
this time until

155

thirteen years

From

throne.

he was eighteen, he remained

under the tutelage of a great noble, Bairam

Khan,

prime

his

and guardian.

minister

From him Akbar

learned

and he saw

operation the rough and

in daily

the art of

war

ready methods of government which were

We

usual.

might

They

Timur.

call

them the methods

were, in

fact,

of

Timur's methods

modified by the progress of culture and chivalry

*

under intelligent and generous princes

It is difficult

for us to realize the veritable condition

of the

peasantry of Europe in the beginning of the seventeenth century.

If

it

should seem that the comparison in the text

to India,

beg

ness of the peasants of

of 1709 in France was exceptional,

taxes,

also

for

exceptional

cases

and loaning money.

be

made

too favorable

to

Feillet,

wretched-

France a century after Akbar,

Manoires de Saint- Simon, year 1709, chapter

provided

is

to refer to a graphic portrayal of the

In

no doubt.

xxix.

in the

The misery

But Akbar's policy

by distributing food, remitting

this

connection reference

Histoirc die Panperisine,

and

to

may
La

Bruyere's famous paraijrapli on the French peasants, in his chapter

De r Homme.

The

facts for

England are

to be

found

in

Professor

Thorold Rogers' History of Prices, and some conclusions therefrom

in the

Nineteenth Century for June, 1893, page 932.

The Mogul Emperors

156

Babar and Humayun.

like

doubt

Akbar's

that

There

grave defect.

If

on

reflections

methods impressed upon him

little

is

these

at least

he were to rule

one

in India,

it

essential to be at peace with the great

was

Hindu

This could not be unless the

chiefs,*

old political methods were

made more

liberal.

law of

every

fundamental

Moreover, the

Muhammadan

empire was the law of the

Kuran, interpreted, be

it

remembered,

by

bigots.

was

It

clear that the millions

of

could not be ruled by such a code.

and

relis^ious toleration

Hindus
Political

were therefore forced

upon Akbar, and he became convinced that

the old methods must be greatly changed.
probable that Bairam

It is

these

the

views

it

is,

at

harem intrigued

eighteenth

treating

his

did not share

rate, certain, that

against

year Akbar

(sending him

pardoning

any

Khan

him.

dismissed

In

his

Bairam

on the pilgrimage to Mecca,

outbreak into rebellion, and

him with considerate generosity), and

* There were nearly a hundred Hindu princes,

very powerful.

many

of

them

Shah Akbar
assumed the

the Great

157

From

sole authority.

(1560) Akbar ruled alone.

this

year

Until the eigh-

teenth year of his reign (1573) he was perpetually occupied in suppressing rebellion, or

conquering new provinces

in

until

then

that

vast

his

and

it

was not

possessions

were

These

early

reduced to an orderly empire.

years w^ere necessarily years of strife and of

successful military activity.

Abul-fazl

end

of

came

this

to his court in 1574, at the

first

period.

Up

to this time

Akbar had been a good Muslim, making

pilgrimages, and circumambulating the tombs
of saints.

This second period of

his

reign

(1574-1605), though not free from wars and

rebellions,

chiefly

memorable

for

its

peace-

triumphs.

ful

"
is

is

His majesty, who knows what high regard

due to approved customs of antiquity,

continually

endeavoring

acquainted with them

of

who was

as

appear proper."

to

make

is

himself

and then, regardless

the institutor, he

adopts such

Toleration of the Hindu and Persian heretics

was, particularly in the latter part of his

158

The Mogul Efuperors

reign, the

keynote of Akbar's

As

duct.

Abul-fazl

persecution, after
it

obliges

men

well

" Religious

says,

defeats

all,

political con-

own ends

its

to conceal their opinions, but

produces no change

in

them,"

In the flowery

language of the TJiousa7id a7id One Nights,

this principle deserves to

" written with

be

needle-gravers on the corners of the eye-balls,

as a

warner to whoso

will

His early toleration

in

be warned."
religious

matters

was succeeded by the establishment

religion

eclectic

represented

emperors had done.

of celestial power,

which Akbar himself

in

Deity

of an

much as
The sun,

the

Roman

as the

symbol

was worshipped daily by the

while the people saluted the emperor

ruler,

as the representative of that

has various

Abul-fazl

Divine
as the

Faith," or the "

new

belief

was

power on

references

to

earth.
"

The

Divine Monotheism,"

called,

and

purpose to

extract a few of them.-

There

is

nothing more curious

history than the formation of

must not rudely

past,

but

it

reject

all

in

human

creed.

It

the beliefs of the

may modify them

so as to meet

Shah Akbar
demands

the

"

Faith

the Great
"

of the present.

The Divine

was prosperous under Akbar, and

survived for a while under

successor, but

went on
of

159

it

under the sway

left

manifold native

its

immediate

died a natural death as time

and India was

his

it

and of

sects

little-

altered Islamism.

Four

times

daily the

thanks to the Deity

and

sunset,

emperor returned

at daybreak, at noon, at

at midnigrht.

mysteries are in honor of

"All these orrand

God and
;

if

ignorant

people cannot comprehend their meaning,

is
it

to be

blamed

Every one

is

who

sensible that

our duty to praise our benefactor, and

is

consequently to praise this Fountain of Light,

Sun, and more

the

especially

behoveth

it

princes so to do, seeing that this sovereign

of the heavens sheddeth his divine influence

upon

the

monarchs

earth.

His

majesty has also great veneration for

fire in

general,

and

of

the

for lamps, since they are to

accounted rays of the greater

be

Once

light."
fire

was

brought down from heaven by a crystal

lens,

year,

and

near the vernal

" this celestial fire

equinox,

was committed

to the

The Mogul Emperors

i6o

care of proper persons

"

(Abul-fazl himself
"

being the chief of these)

and when the

new

year expires they catch

Huge

fire."

candles of camphor, in candlesticks of massy

gold and

by

So minutely were

night.

lated,

that the

number

palace (fire-pots

by the age
eight

camp

lighted the emperor's

silver,

moon.

the

were

flambeaux

flambeaux

in the

torches) was regulated

of

of

of

his affairs regu-

At new moon

lighted

from

the

fourth to the tenth day, one less was burned

each night, so that on the tenth day one was

and so on throughout the lunation.

sufficient,

The
was

very quantity of
specified.

0/ Spiritual Gtiidauce, that

decrees of God mankind are in

Again he
"

and rags per torch

oil

by the

disposed

general
actions,

says,

and

to

" thus different

beliefs,

and

respective

condemn those
bodies of

amuse

may be

men

their

of others;"

with

their

"

Some-

illusions."

good fortune

revealed.

own

hold different

themselves

dreams and

times, through the

the truth

applaud

to

of mankind,

When

a private

person arrives at such a degree of knowledo-e,

Shah Akbar

the Great

i6i

he keeps silence from the dread of savage

human forms

beasts in

an emperor,

given

to

knew

that

indeed,

veil

fit

did,

occasion

the

light

is

astrologers

Akbar," then,

to

"

speak.

to

His

however, for some time, cast a

over this mystery, that

known

this

if

as

was given

it

is

majesty

but

it

might not be

to strangers."

Finally he proclaimed his divine attributes,

and

miraculous power was

his

in various

ways

manifested

who came

those

near him

increased in knowledge, and the poor and

He

needy loved him.

and cured

diseases.

others

as

circumstances

many,

according

recreated

says

the

with

to

may

their

sublime

courtier,

place for giving a

in

foretold the

future

" His majesty instructs

and

capacities,

are

discourses."

" this
full

require

is

But,

not the proper

account of the manner

which he instructs mankind, nor of the

numerous miracles he has performed. Should

my life

be sufficiently prolonged, and should

have leisure enough,

compose a volume on
ject.

it

is

my

intention to

this interesting

sub-

The Mogul Emperors

62
It

willing to

postpone

and

clear

is

it

Faith

had no

"

good Abul-fazl was

the

that

plain

is

his

promised volume,
that " the

enough

Divine

This

real interior vitality.

was too much based on reasonings.

religion

There were no mighty miracles and signs

manifest upon which to rest
acles " ascribed to
"

affairs.

it.

The

" mir-

Akbar are poor and cheap

Faith

believing what

is

is

Akbar

true," as the little school-child wrote.

did not

make

lordship

demands on the credu-

sufficient

They acquiesced

lity of his sectaries.

not

they rejoiced

in

in his

the sunshine of his

favor; they prospered under his just and even

The

rule.

and under
the

his

immediate successor but even

;

emperors held

Jesuits

endured under him,

state religion

and Mollahs

and admitted

lightly,

it

open debates

to

in their

presence, and proposed to put the power of

prayer to physical

tests.

Akbar's toleration

is

summed up

well

in

an inscription written by Abul-fazl for one

of the temples of

Cashmere

Oh

God, in every temple

language I hear

see people

spoketi, people

thai see

praise Thee.

Thee,

and

in every

Shah Akbar

the Great

163

Polytheism and Islam feel after Thee.

Each

religion says.

If

be a

it

Thou

mosque, people

art One, tuithotU equal.

murmur

the holy

Christian church, people ring the bell

I frequent

Sometimes

Christian

the

prayer ; and if

from

it be

love to Thee.

and

cloister,

someti?nes

the

mosqjie,

But

Thou whom I seek from

it is

Thy

elect

veitlier

Heresy

But

temple to temple.

have no dealings with heresy nor with orthodoxy ; for

of these stands behind

and religion

to the heretic,

the dust

the screen
to the

of Thy truth.

orthodox.

rose-petal belongs to the heart

of the

of

perfume-

the

seller.

The foregoing account

is

mostly drawn

from Abul-fazl's book of the Regulations of

Akba?'.

rupt

its

have not been willing to

inter-

orderly flow with commentaries from

the other native historians of the reign, but

have preferred to present extracts from their

various accounts together in one place.

The Emperor Jahangir

trait
It

of Akbar,

would seem

He

says

"

with learned

he was

his father,

to

My

in

his

Memoirs,

be of the highest authority.

father used to hold discourse

men

of

illiterate, yet,

ing with

gives us this por-

learned

all

persuasions

though

from constantly convers-

and

clever

persons,

his

language was so polished that no one could

The Mogul Emperors

164

discover from his

conversation that he was

He

uneducated.

entirely

understood

the

elegancies of poetry and prose so well, that

it

impossible to conceive of any one more

is

proficient."

many

great

had read

times,

and

description

this

to

failed

reconcile

entire illiteracy with the possession of deli-

when I found what I

be a solutipn. Akbar ascended the

cate critical faculties,

suppose to

throne at the age of thirteen, after a youth

full

of accidents

and

perils

and

vicissitudes.

From a paragraph in the history of Mir

Yahya Masum, whose son was chosen to be
his preceptor in the
it

appears

that

knew not how

"at that time the prince

to read

" at that

phrase

second year of his reign,

time

and

"

write."

indicates that he sub-

sequently became "literate."

that his father

of

was not educated

last

years

of

This instructor

dullatif^was the
ciple

in his

youth,

not surprising, considering the events

is

the

reien.

And Jahangir's

probably means no more than

description

which

The very

of

*'

first

Humayun's troubled
Mir Abof Akbar's

to teach

peace-zuith-all," a

him the

prin-

doctrine which

the Great

Shah Akbai'
was then
name.

definite

enough

165

have

to

a special

Akbar's sixteenth year he had

In

another tutor, and read with him "poems

in

mystic language."

highly

would

read and

write

grammar and

its

position.

in

those days

Arabic,

understand

educated youth

its

of

rules

poetic

com-

Large portions of the Kuran he

would know by

heart.

his mother-tongue,

Persian

would be

and he would be able to

repeat nearly the whole of the

poems

of Hafiz

and Saadi, and many verses from Firdausi.

He

would be familiar with the biographies

He

kings and princes.

would know a

of

little

mathematics and astronomy and somewhat of

music.

The descendants

of

Timur kept up a

knowledge of the Turki language certainly as

late as the time of Jahangir,

pose

who

could com-

in Turki.""''

"Akbar was
tendency to be

of middling stature, but with a

tall

wheat-color complexion,

rather dark than fair; black eyes and eye* For an amusing sketch of a perfect education,

tlie

reader

should refer to the tale of Abu-al-Husn and his slave-girl Tawad-

dud

in I.ady

Burton's Arabian Nights, vol.

iii.,

p. 277.

The Mogul Emperors

66

brows

stout

body

open forehead and chest

...

long arms and hands.

He

had a very

loud voice, and a very elegant and pleasant

way

of speech.

His manners and habits were

quite different from those of other persons,

and

his visage

was

godly dignity,"

full of

so

says his son Jahanglr.

Like
hunter.

his

ancestors,

Akbar was an eager

In one day he personally slew six-

He

teen of the swift wild asses of the desert.

ornamented the mile-posts near Agra with

"

some hundreds

which had been killed

stagfs "

He

of thousands of the horns of

in

his hunts.

once rode two hundred and twenty miles

within
filled

with

"

hours.

forty-eight

instances

His history

is

romantic courage,

of

and he seems to have been stimulated by an

instinctive love of

danger as often as by any

rational motive."

He

perfectly fulfilled the

ideals of personal chivalry

in

his day.

among

These

which were current

ideals

the Arabs, and

in

had

their sources

India they were

modified by the Rajput standards of military

valor

no

mean

origin

and descent.

The

following instances of chivalry and loyalty

Shah Akbar
show how

the Great

fully these ideals

in practice

167

were carried out

One

by the Turki warriors.

of

Timur's sons (Jahangir) was pursuing Kuni-

mer Addyn and overtook

threw himself forward and

authority cried out, "/

and perished

him.
a

in

soldier

tone

of

am Kummer Addyn,"

meter's stead.

in his

Kokah and Babar were taken

by an Uzbeg Khan.
Oasim an-

Qasim
prisoners

nounced that he was Babar, and was cut

Babar

leaving

pieces,

Khan, a high

escape.

to

to

Bairam

Humayun's (and the

officer of

guardian of young Akbar), was surprised by

Abul Oasim, a man

an enemy.

was mistaken

stature,

about to be

forward and said

"No,"

Bairam."

my

onl}'-

as he

So
and

is,

let

in

It

off."

his over-lord

heroic

(whom Akbar

am

Abul Oasim, "he

sacrifice himself for

was

Abul was

so.

is

me.

slain,

Bairam escaped.

Akbar captured the strong

after

and, brave and faithful

he wishes to

him

the latter stepped

a manly voice, "

said

attendant

imposing

Bairam, and was

for

when

killed,

of

defence
shot with

castle of Chitor

by Rajah Jeimall
his

favorite

gun

The Mogul Emperors

68

named Sangrant) and

To honor

his brother.

the extraordinary valor of these high-born

Akbar

adversaries,

mounted on

up

set

elephants, at the gates of

royal city of

Says

Delhi.

Bernier, "

two huge elephants, mounted

indescribable

press

awe and

fill

These

me

with

To

sup-

respect."

instance must suffice.

dangerous

his

by the two

heroes, are full of grandeur, and

One more

statues,

their

revolt,

Akbar marched

an army of three thousand men four hundred

and

fifty

miles

season, and

in

nine days,

the rainy

completely surprised the rebel

army (which was much

larger than his

own)

The few who were

sleeping in their tents.

alert could

in

not believe that

they saw the

emperor, since there were no war elephants

in his train.

"The

royal ranks that

an

it

feelincr ran throuo^h the

was unmanly

enemy unawares, and

until

to fall

that they

he was roused."

upon

would wait

Akbar accordingly

ordered the trumpeters to sound the onset

the rebel

army prepared

for action,

and was

routed and overwhelmed.

While Jahangir, the son

of

Akbar, was

Shah Akbar

Great

the

169

yet the heir-apparent, his tendency to cruel

punishments had begun to show

matters of state he was ever inexorable

all

and
a

In

itself.

On

relentless.

who had

servant,

against his
this

came

policy

in

different,

one occasion he ordered

life,

joined

be flayed

to

to the ears of

conspiracy

When

alive.

his father,

such cases was

usually

whose
very

so

and whose nature was kind,

wrote his son a severe

letter,

he

reprobating his

conduct, and saying that as he himself was

unable to see even a sheep stripped of

skin without horror,

him how

his

it

son could

was inconceivable
inflict

could be very brief and

upon occasion.

he sent

this letter

" If

to thee

Akbar

peremptory, how-

To

a dilatory

envoy

thou dost not return

to court with Asad, thou shalt see

happen

to

such an awful

punishment upon a fellow creature.

ever,

its

what

and to thy children."

will

Vari-

ous anecdotes show that he had a violent,

though

not

vindictive,

temper.*

clemency was of very gradual growth.

* See Herbert's Travels, edition of 1638,

p. 71.

His

The Mogul Emperors

JO
"

The emperor used

ing prayers,

to retire after even-

during which time the

serv-

when they
reappear.
That
come out earlier

ants dispersed, assembling again

expected

majesty

his

to

evening he happened to

He

than usual.

up

coiled

in a

saw a luckless lamplighter

Enraged

careless sleep.

at

the sight, he ordered him to be thrown from

the tower, and he was dashed into a thousand

The

pieces."

on guard were

officers

We

graced and their places given to others.

have

this story

from one of the

dis-

In

latter.

the twelfth year of his reign eight thousand

Rajputs were slaughtered after the surrender

at Chitor

in the

seventeenth he ordered the

tongue of a captive to be cut out

in

the

eighteenth he raised a pyramid of two thou-

sand heads
various

in the fashion

portions

sanctioned,

or

of

punishments and

Timur

earlier

his

directly

of

ordered,

and

reign

in

he

barbarous

This was before

torture.

he had come under the influence of Abulfazl,

and while he was

But

still

young man.

for every such act of violence, a score

of wise

and humane enactments can be

cited.

Shah Ahbar

Great

the

In the seventh year of his reign

it

171

was decreed

that the wives and children of soldiers cap-

tured in war should no longer be

in the

made

slaves

eighth the onerous taxes on pilgrims

were removed

in

the ninth the poll-tax on un-

believers (a mighty multitude) was abolished *

;

the

in

twenty-fifth

made,

order to

in

dence of taxation

equalize

sonal

may be

He was

"

to unite

emblem
all men

Shah

of justice.
in

had anticipated

Hindu

dealing with his

infidels,

cited.

mon-

subjects.

He

His object

common bond

century before Akbar's time the

Cashmere Ali

per-

other

a powerful, world-subduing

arch, the very

was

his

among many

these,

inci-

and Akbar

up the custom by

presence

instances,

the

the twenty-eighth the

in

obligatory suttee was abolished,

himself broke

the

all

names and occupations)

inhabitants (giving

was

census of

full

Muhammadan

many

ruler

of
of

of Akbar's reforms in

abolished the hated tax on

forbade the slaughter of oxen, and was, besides, an ardent

patron of learning and of the

were familiar

to

arts.

These and other

Akbar through verbal repcwts and,

like

matters

after the twelfth

year of his reign, through the translation of the history of Cashmere

which Faizi was preparing.

too.

was no new thing

teenth century

it

in

The
India.

doctrine of universal toleration,

During the whole

of the

was preached and practised by the Sikhs.

six-

The Mogul Emperors

72

He strove to be the king of all his

He maintained four hundred and

peace."
subjects.
fifteen

Of

Ma^tsebdars

these,

commanders

fifty-one

were

Hindus,

of

horse.

the

rest

Moguls, Usbeks, Afghans, Turks, and Persians.

Shah Jahan had

Mansebdars, of

whom

were Hindus.

It

six

hundred and nine

one hundred and ten

was simply impossible

to

govern these chiefs and their followers by

the

rigid

law of

As Lord Tennyson has

to his poem of Akbars

political necessity.

notes

said in

the

Drea7n,

" His

Tolerance was a

Islam.

tolerance of religion, and his

abhorrence of religious persecutions, put our

Tudors

to shame."

The most

interesting incidents of his reign

are connected with the

Divine
this step

Monotheism."
was

his

foundation of "the

His chief adviser

in

wazir Abul-fazl.

Shaikh Mubarak, a distinguished and

lib-

eral-minded scholar, had two yet more distin-

guished and libokTal-minded sons

poet (born
the

1547),

statesman,

Akbar (born

Faizi

and Abul-fazl the

the

writer,

and the prime minister of

1551).

It is

necessary to

know

Shah Akbar
something of

of

Akbar's

during the

larger

was

Faizi

life.

173

whose influence

family,

this

predominant

was

the Great

part
intro-

first

duced

at court in the twelfth year of Akbar's

reign,

and became

came

Abul-fazl

and

his friend

six years later, in

Akbar, now thirty-two years

favorite.

when

1574,

old,

began

to

have some respite from his incessant wars

Shaikh Mubarak was bred

and expeditions.

an orthodox Sunni, had become, more or

a Shia, and

tions,

had investigated the various

India and of Persia.

reliofions of

poems

Faizi's

less,

often turn on religious ques-

which are sometimes treated mystically,

but frequently

Like

entals,

verses

is

it

to
;

love

of

but,

the

with

as

beautiful

give a

critical

other

boy who

Abul-fazl promises at

beloved.

time

simple devotion.

poets, he deals with the universal

all

passion

in a spirit of

edition

is

of

Faizi's

critical

mands me

down some

it is

love which does not travel

along the road of

to write

the

some future

* " but now," he says, " but now,

brotherly love

Ori-

nicety

that

com-

of his verses."

promise which he redeemed.

The Mogul Emperors

74

copy a few of the many extracts so

shall

given, partly to illustrate the nature of the

poetry of the age, partly to exhibit the char-

emperor

acter of the poet, and that of the

who admired and

loved him.

These verses are from

Oh Thou who
Thy

from

exlstest

Thy

cannot bear

Science is like blinding desert

the

town of Literature

7vorld

Human

is

Thy peifection.

and Thy glory

think of Thee destroys reason ;

baffles

Thy essence confounds

sand on

the road to

Thy

thought.

perfection

a mere hamlet compared with the

of the alphabet of Thy

Each brain

is

spell the first

love.

full of the thought of grasping Thee ; the brow of

Plato even

Oh man,

wisdom ;

of Thy knowledge.

knowledge and thought combined can only

letter

abidest forever, sight

cannot express

light melts the understanding,

to

and

Eternity,

light, praise

Odes

Faizi's

bwned

with the fever heat of this hopeless thought.

thou coin bearing the double stamp of body

do not

know what

and

spirit,

thy nature is; for thou art higher than

heaven and lower than earth.

Thy frame contains

the

image of the heavenly and the

loiver regions ;

be either heavenly or earthly, thou art at liberty to choose.

Do

not act against thy reason, for

put not thy heart on

Be ashamed of
title

If thou

of

illusions,

thy appearance ;

'''sum-total,"

it

for

is

a trustworthy cowisellor /

the heart is a lying fool.

for thou pridest thyself on the

and art yet but a marginal note.

wishest to understand the secret meaning

prefer the welfare of others

and others with

sugar.

to

of

the phrase "to

thy own,^' treat thyself with poison

Shah Akbar
My dear

Son, consider

how

Great

the

175

short (he time is that the star of good

fortune revolves according

thy wish j Fate shows no friend-

to

ship.

The companion of my
scratching of

If I were

the spirit

The

is

is in

of the age could bear

following

Ghazals

comprehensive genius ; the

harmony for my

bring forth what

to

my

loneliness is

my pen

my

ear.

mind, I wonder whether

it.

couplets

from

are

the

I melted my heart, and laid the foundation for a

I have too often patiently patched up my torn heart.

It were better if

new

one ;

Although

life

far from

a distance

I cannot show
with

is

thee is

an approach

to

death, yet to stand at

a mark of courtesy.

ungratefulness

to

Love.

Has

he not overwhelmed

me

performed ;

it

sadness and sadness?

cannot understand the Juggler-trick

introduced

of my

Thy form through

eye, into the large space

cannot coittain

which

so small

of my

love

an aperture as
heart,

and

yet

the pupil

my

heart

it.

The most -uonderful thing I have

once the pearl, the ocean,

and

seen is Faizi's heart ;

it is

at

the diver.

This verse from the Rubais goes very far

in flattery of

the emperor

The Mogul Emperors

176
If you

to

'ivish

never see

Thy

it

see

the

path of guidance as I have done, you

zvithout

old-fashioned prostration

Akbar and you

tvill

having seen the king.

of no advantage

is

thee

to

see

see God.

Akbar had been, in all outward respects at

least, a good Muslim up to the year 1574,
making pilgrimages

Unquestionably

etc/'

revolvino;

relioious

previous.

The

to

tombs

to the

of saints,

mind had been

his

doubts for some

time

influence of Abul-fazl seems

have confirmed Akbar's disposition, and

to

have stimulated definite inquiry.

Shah Nawaz Khan (born

authority, says of

1699), a standard

him that "It has often

been asserted that Abul-fazl was an

it

more

is

man
at

is

no doubt that he was a

of lofty character,

peace with

mous
mind

to his

and desired to

He

men."

all

enemies

public

service.

he was pure

writer.

was an

Abul-fazl

live

was magnani-

he was incorruptibly honest

he was a pan-

just to say that

There

theist.

infidel

"His pen was more

his

in

in

the

elegant

feared

than

* In the twelfth year of his reign he destroyed or mutilated

the fine

doubt

monuments

of

Chitor,

partly

for

but partly, also, for religious ones.

political

reasons,

no

Shah Akbar

He

Akbar's arrow."

ministrator, a loyal

the Great

177

was an excellent ad-

and devoted

subject,

liberal patron, a considerate friend.

share of the glory of Akbar's reign

large

directly

is

Such a king deserved such a

due to him.
wazir.

Bedauni (one of
ans,

that

and a man
"

Akbar

the

emperor's

histori-

of learning) says of Abul-fazl,

looked upon him more favor-

ably than he did upon

me

" ingratiated

by

himself

"

that Abul-fazl

unremitting

his

devotion to the king's service, by his temporizing disposition, by his duplicity, by his

study of the king's sentiments, and by his

boundless

flattery."

Abul-fazl's flattery

was

boundless at times, but not more so than the

He was

habit of the age demanded.

silly

about

it,

like the courtier

who

never

told

Le

Roi-Soleil that the rain at Marly was not wet.

Abul-fazl's fortunes (deservedly) rose

became
"

from

"

zvazir.

my

I,"

till

he

says Bedauni,

inexperience and simplicity, could

not

manage

like

my

to

advance myself."

position,

any other."

But poor

He

"

do not

and should be glad to be

himself was

much

to

in

blame

The Mogul Emperors

78

for his ill-fortune, as he

and

left,

from

and was so

ri^ht

foolish as to be absent

duties for a long time without a

his

leave.

made enemies

The king

did not like him (though

was doubtless appreciated), and

his learning

on one occasion spoke harshly to him

"

court.

From

at
"

that day," Bedauni says,

my

have abandoned

presumptuous and conBoth Abul-fazl and

troversial manner."

his

distinguished brother Faizi were constantly

kind to Bedauni for a space of forty years.

He

was never

tired of reviling them, partly,

no doubt, from sheer envy of their success.

It is

truly

only

fair to

say,

however, that he was a

Muhammadan, and

devout

religious beliefs

that

his

were daily outraged by the

doings and sayings

of

these

free-thinking

heretics.

(much against his

Maha-Bharata
for the
the

Poor Bedauni was

will)

to translate

emperor's

librar}'.

What

a task for

"The consequence

believer!

two

translated
surdities

set

of

be amazed.

sections,

which

the

at

a true

was, that

the puerile ab-

creation

Such injunctions

as

may

well

one never

Shah Akbar
heard of

What

against turnips

the Great

not to eat, and a prohibition

"

"

But such

be employed on such works

wrote the preface.

his

Allah

and

infidelities

also translated the

years in the task.

translated

fate

to

" Abul-fazl

"

defend us from

Bedauni

absurdities!"

Ramayana, spending four

He

seems

presented the complete book, "

We

my

is

have been

to

better pleased with this work,

praised."

179

for,
it

when he

was greatly

Goa

learn that a Jesuit from

many Greek

treatises

the

for

emperor's library.

The Aifi-i-Akbari
the

of

of Akbar's

history

Abul-fazl

change

presents

of religious

who was
new religion. The

opinions from the view-point of one

himself high-priest of the
wazi'i' of

Akbar puts the most favorable

struction

upon every circumstance.

The

historians also contain

native

con-

many

references to the establishment of the Divine

Faith,

be

and the more important extracts

copied

edition

note of

of

here.

Professor

Abul-fazl's

fifty

shall

Blochmann's

work devotes a long

pages to a history of Akbar's

religious views.

It is

very largely composed

i8o

The Mogul Emperors

of extracts

from Bedauni

and these extracts

are carefully arranged in chronological order.

Bedauni was certainly a prejudiced witness

and a disappointed courtier; but he was, no

man

less certainly, a

Allowance should be made for

and courage.
his bias

but his testimony deserves the most

careful attention.

Blochmann's

fessor

of intelligence, learning,

shall extract

translation

of

from ProBedauni

the most significant paragraphs, in order to

present both sides of a most important ques-

Akbar

tion.

praise that
" It

too great a

man

to

need any

not his just due.

was during these days

Abul-fazl

He

is

is

(a.d. 1574) that

came the second time

laid before the

emperor

to

court.

(as a present)

a commentary on (one of the verses of the

Kuran)

and, though people said that

been

written

much

praised."

by

his

father,

it

had

Abul-fazl was

Bedauni now gives an account of the persecutions to which Abul-fazl and his two sons

had been subjected

Akbar's reign.

in

the

early

They were not

years

of

orthodox

Stmnis, and they had been obliged to

fly

for

Shah Akbar
their lives

and to keep

had been

Faizi

Great

the

i8i

hiding for safet3\

in

called to court as a poet,

and

had been received graciously on that account,

His influence over Akbar

as has been said.

grew rapidly and surely

and

his

and soon

younger brother were high

own

favor throuofh their

They

introduction.

his father
in

Akbar's

merits and on his

did not persecute their

early enemies.

"During the year 1575 many places of

worship were built by command of his majThe cause was this. For many years
esty.
previously the emperor had gained remark-

The empire had

able and decisive victories.

grown

extent from day to day

in

had turned out

leisure

time

the day.

Kuran and the Tradi-

reverence

and law, were the order of

His majesty passed whole nights

thoughts of

From

his

Sufism, scientific discussions, inquiries

into philosophy

in

and passed much of

in discussing the

tions.

everything

His majesty had thus

well.

for

God his
Him who
;

heart was
is

the

full

of

true Giver.

a feeling of thankfulness for his past

successes, he

would

sit

many

morning

alone.

The Mogul Emperors

82

prayer and melancholy,

in

on a large

stone which lay near the palace,

spot,

with

gathering the
"

head bent over

his

flat

in a

lonely

his

chest,

bliss of early hours."

The emperor

had, from his youth, taken

He

delight in the society of learned men.

always treated them with respect and honor.

He

listened to their discussions of nice points

of science, of the ancient and

profited

and peoples and

sects,

He

palace

special

twentieth

modern

by what he heard."

of religions

such

for

and he
built

assemblies

in

year of his reign (when

thirty-three

years

and

old),

had four

halls.

ants of

the

sat

many

The

palace

the southern,

in

and the wise

Shaikhs and

in

the north,

" men-of-ecstasy

eastern, the nobles of the court

sympathy with

the

he was

In the western, the descend-

Prophet

sat the learned

spent

nights there in their company.

ern, the

history

learning.

When

was too fatigued with business

" in

who were
his

the
in

majesty

to attend these

meetings, he sent one of his nobles in his

place,

choosing a

man

" in

whose

and gentleness he had confidence."

kindness

Shah Akbar

Some
court,
in

the Great

183

idea of the constitution of Akbar's

and

men who assembled

the wise

of

these congresses, can be obtained from the

given at the end of

biographies
history,

Bedauni's

which relate to thirty-eight Shaikhs

and holy men, sixty-nine "learned men,"

fif-

teen physicians, and no less than one hundred

The names of three

monks who lived at court have come down
to us
Rudolpho Aquaviva, Antonio de Monand

fifty-three

poets.

serrato, Francisco Enriques.

for

were

discussion

night.

They were

were often very

Chief

Justice,

in

held

These meetings
every Thursday

fully attended,

far

and they

from orderly.

the

meeting-hall,

"

called

Hadji Ibrahim an accursed wretch, and

up

The

lifted

his stick to strike him."

Muhammad

predicted that Islam would be

divided into seventy-two heretical sects

and

there were representatives of enough hostile

parties in these meetings to bring their dis-

cussions

to

violent

terminations.

Akbar

became frankly disgusted with what he saw

and heard
father,

and

in his meeting-hall.

Abul-fazl, his

his brother, did not fail to point

The Mogul Emperors

184

out the scandal of

at

it

to the emperor, though,

appears they did not join freely

first, it

in

the disputes.

Akbar's

was the

disofust

He

perversion from Islam.

his

in

staofe

first

soon went farther.

*On one occasion he commanded the presence

of a high doctor of the law, " as he wished

newly come

emperor

to

court were
"

oppose him.

to

some others

Abul-fazl and

annoy him."

to

by the

on

set

His majesty took

According to

every occasion to interrupt."

an order previously given by Akbar, some

those

of

present began to

stories of the

him
was

in

many

diso^raced,

invited guest,

offensive

mon,

badger

The doctor

and odium was thrown on the

set a

''^"

trap for the

the law by asking

At a

later meet-

that the
four.

maximum number
Muslim

The names
five

Muslim doctors

how many

he could lawfully maintain.

to

Akbar, who had as many wives as Solo-

ing,

were

and

ways.

cause which he represented.

is

scandalous

tell

There
for a

women

is

no doubt

good Muslim

practice has always

of eleven wives are given by

thousand

in the

of

free-born wives

winked

Biochmann.

harem, including servants.

There

Shah Akbar
at an unlimited

the Great

number

185

of wives for kings

but Akbar put the question as a matter of

Muslim

theory.

was the

wives, what, then,

many

he could have but four

If

legal status of the

Rajput prin-

free-born and high-born

Were they concubines ?

Dare the Muhammadan doctors insult the
emperor's wives ? The trap was not a fair
one. The Muslim doctor who was the victim
cesses in his

harem

on that occasion, closed

his part of the dis-

when he
Very well,"

cussion with a very sensible remark,

"

saw that the case was hopeless.

said he, "

have nothing more to add

as his majesty pleases."

was found who, then and

made very long

ceedings," as

well

uncompromising

there,

were now banished

gave a decree
"

The veteran

faces at these pro-

they might.
the

of
;

The most

religious

new

heretics

orthodox

came

court and were received into favor, and

"

heresies sprung up.

just

complaisant Cazi

that such marriages were legal.

lawyers

to

new

His majesty had the

early history of Islam read to him, and soon

commenced

to think less well

concerned with

it.

"

Soon

"

of ever)thing

after, the

observ-

The Mogul Einperoi^s

86

ance of the
belief

prayers and

five

down

Prophet, were put

and the

with

the

bHnd-

as rehgious

and man's reason was acknowledged

ness,

the

basis

priests

also

as

connected

everything

in

fasts,

of

came

and

frequently,

majesty inquired into the

belief,

Portuguese

religion.

all

his

their

of

articles

which are based on reason."

In the year 1576 Bedauni again chronicles

the arrival of

new

evenine discussions

continued, and be-

still

came more and more

mental truths of

The Thursday

heretics.

The fundawere now called in

violent.

Islam

question.

In

1578

Bedauni writes: "His majesty,

had

shown every

till

now,

was

diligently searching for truth.

sincerity,

But

heretic

principles,

he had been

doubt the truth of Islam.

perplexity into
his

real

his

much neglected
and,
men
low
of
and
he was by

education had been

surrounded as

and

the

object, the

forced

Falling from one

other, he lost

search

sight of

for truth

when the strong embankment

law and our excellent faith

to

of

and

our clear

had once been

Shah Akbar
broken

and

through,

colder,

the Great

majesty grew colder

his

after the short space of five

till,

of

Muhammadan

his heart.

Matters then

or six years, not a trace

feeling

was

in

left

became very

1S7

different."

come
make the

In 1595 Bedauni says matters had

to such a pass that a request to

pilgrimage to Mecca would have subjected

the asker to capital punishment.
"

based on some elementary prin-

faith

ciples traced itself (gradually)

of his heart,

and there grew the conviction

that there were sensible

(and

in all ages).

like

knowledge

to be found,

why should

The

man

"

the

transmigration of
in his heart."

emperor that "the

per-

referred to the ruler of the age,

and that the nature of a king was holy.

this

to

took deep root

Flatterers told the

or

"

doctrine of

souls, especially,

which was scarcely a

Islam,

thousand years old

fect

some

in all religions

be confined to one religion

a creed

"

men

true

If

was thus everywhere

truth

on the mirror

way many agreeable

to the emperor."

"

things were

" In

said

Learned monks brought

The Mogul Emperors

88

the gospel.
the

truth

ordered

His majesty firmly believed

of

the

Christian

Murad

Prince

and

religion,

(then

eight

in

years

old) to take a few lessons in Christianity."

"

These accursed monks applied the

best of

all

rest

thinof

The Brahmin

even devils would not do."

Bal

Bir

the

God's blessings
whole house a
which

prophets

on him and his

Rajah

descrip-

Muhammad,

Satan to

tion of a cursed

"

impressed upon

the

em-

peror that the sun was the origin of every-

The emperor

thing.

from some

learned,

Hindus, formularies to reduce the influence

and read them

of the sun to his subjection,

morning and evening as a

religious exercise."

The sun was venerated

as

the chief

ligfht

and benefactor of the world, and as a friend

to kings,

who used

it

to

mark periods and

eras.

Akbar next prohibited

two reasons

the

slaughter of
"

because

the

Hindus devoutly worship them," and,

sec-

cows,

ond,

for

"

because

illness "

(as

first,

physicians

flesh as difficult of

of

it

represent

their

digestion and productive

very likely

is

in

the hot

Shah Akbar
climate

Akbar was

India).

of

practical in his

he was

at the

he had

full

same time devout.

and

eminently

enactments, while

religious

trust

189

"Although

hope of

heavenly

he neglected no material means

assistance,

one of

of success," says

Fire-worshippers

also

and taught their

fire

the Gi'eat

his ofBcIals.

came

religion,

to the

court

and the sacred

(lighted with a lens at the vernal equi-

nox) was committed to the care of Abul" Fire

fazl.

is

one of the signs of God," said

the

emperor, " and one light from

the

many

lights of

among
" In the

his creation."

twenty-fifth year of his reign he prostrated

himself before the sun

evening the whole

respectfully
"
in

when

in public

court

the

and

had to

in

the

rise

up

lamps were lighted."

These sentiments had been long growing

the emperor's mind, and ripened

gradu-

ally to a firm conviction."

"In the year 1579

his

majesty was anx-

ious to unite in his person the powers of the

state

and those of the church,

for he could

not bear to be subordinate to any one."

made an attempt

He

to read the public prayers

The Mogul Emperors

igo
in

some verses

the mosque, ending with

Faizi's

He

Lord has given

Tlie

And

of

has guided

And

me

has removed

vie the empire,

and a strong arm.

a wise hear I,

in righteousness

his power,

is

justice.

fnan's understaiiding.

His praise surpasses

Great

and justice.

from my thoughts everything but

Allahu Akbar

Fear or the hope

of

promotion continu-

brought new converts to Akbar's views.

ally

In the year 1579

Akbar

mation which declared

his

issued a procla-

judgments to be

of higher validity than those of the religious

doctors, and which virtually

to be infallible.*

opinion

of

If

pronounced him

there were a variance

upon questions

decree of the king was to be

of religion, the

"

ing.

is

his majesty, in his unerr-

not in opposition to the Kuran, and which

for the benefit of the nation,
*

He had

law, for

signed

made

Kuran

it

shall

be

previously obtained the sanction of the doctors of the

form's sake.

The document which

they (reluctantly)

the emperor the spiritual as well as the temporal chief

of the nation.

the

if

and bind-

iudement, should issue an order which

inois

Further,

final

"The

intellect of the just

as the basis of the law.

king" took

the place of

Shah Akbar

the Great

binding and imperative on every

to

sition

shall

it

191

man

oppo-

involve damnation in the

world to come, and loss of religion and property in this

"

life."

His majesty had now determined to use

the formula

and Akbar

*
:

is

There

is

no

God

beside God,

God's representative

but as

'

he found that the extravagance of

this led

to contentions, he restricted the use of

to

it

a few people in the harem."

In this

same eventful year the emperor

"distinctly denied the existence oi jiiuis, of

angels,

and of

ble world,

as

all

other beings of the

well

prophets and the saints

mony

the

as
;

miracles

invisi-

of

he rejected the

the

testi-

of the witnesses of our faith, the proofs

of the Kiiran, the existence of the soul after

death and future rewards and punishments

so far as they differed from metempsychosis."

Later on, his partisans strenuously insisted

on the miracles performed by Akbar

they were

spoke

feeble

at his birth,

matters

was one

at

the

and

but

best

he

carried no

conviction.

The long beard was worn by

all

good

The Mogul Bmperors

192

Muslims,

Akbar ordered the

but

court to appear with

of his

This was

in the

officers

shaven

faces.

year 1592, when he was

fifty

years old.*

Akbar became more and more ready

to

claim the dignity of a prophet, or even divine

He

honors, says Bedauni.

tolerant

opposition, and

of

also

became

in-

deported good

(and stubborn) Muslims as slaves, exchanging

them

Turkish

for

horses.

"His

majesty

was now (1582) convinced that the millennium was drawing near." f The coinage was
changed

to

show the era

a history of the
written

it

should be
""

of the millennium

thousand years was

past

was

ordered that prostrations

made before

the

have, however, a beautiful portrait of him, in which he wears

a white beard, parted and brushed sidewise in the

It

Wine

king.

must have been painted

The

Hindu

face

is

fashion.

nervous,

expression, fine to the verge of anxiousness.

almost querulous

in

In middle

face

life his

late in his life.

was strong and somewhat coarse.

Portraits,

taken in his last years, represent him with a long white moustache

and a

full

represents

enough
f

him without

to see a picture of

We

may

delusions.

beard closely clipped.

recall that

beard.

Akbar

Europe

medal struck

after his death

have never been fortunate

in his youth.
in A.D. looo

was subject

to like

Shah Akba7'
shops were licensed

in

the Great

193

Pigs and dogs

Agra.

looked on as unclean.
were no longer
o

tomb was even

splendid

Certain of the ceremonial

Akbar's hounds.

ablutions were abrogated.

It

The

marry a cousin.

to

one of

for

built

was forbidden

prayers of Islam

and the pilgrimage were prohibited.

era

of

Hegira was

the

Persian

was

year

solar

feasts of the Zoroastrians

Jesuits of

abolished.

introduced.

were revived.

Agra and Lahore exhibited

way every

doubted and

"In

in fear,

"

The good were

"

and the wicked were secure."

majesty saw

in

was

doctrine of Islam

ridiculed."

The
new
The
The

repre-

sentations of the birth of Christ in wax.

the same

the defeat of one

His

party a

own infallibility." One

Muslim MuUas wrote, in derision

proof of his

of the

This year the emperor has claimed prop he fskip,

Next

year, if

Everything

aloof.

emperor
13

"

wills, he will be

not

did

Akbar, however.
held

God

Many

Rajah

Only

tell

go
of

God.

smoothly with
the

Bhagwan

best
to

the

new

sect

said

us where the

men

that

so

is,

Mogul Emperors

'^^^^

194

may

Islam

declared that

Sinofh

Man

Rajah

believe."

and

knew,

he

Hinduism he knew, but besides these he

knew no other
iers had made

One

religion.
his

of the court-

fortune by proposing to

introduce the custom

of prostration before

Another, with an eye to

the king.

exclaimed, "

Oh

that

had been the inventor

"

of this little business

profit,

devout Muslim

courtier used to say his prayers in the audi-

When Akbar

ence chamber.

asked him to

say them at home, he replied

this

Whereupon Akbar

give orders."
a

fool,

and cancelled

In 1583

My

king,

your kingdom, that you should

not

is

"

called

him

his grant of land.

new orders

of various kinds were

Hindus." Akbar wore

made
the Hindu mark on his forehead, and the
to " please the

Brahminic thread.
alchemy, and showed

gold

made by

"

His

majesty learned

in public

"

him."

names

told the
like

of

his

of the

Cheating Brahmins

collected a set of a thousand

scrit

some

and one San-

majesty the Sun,

and

emperor that he was an incarnation

Ram

and

others.

They

also

brought

Shah Akbar
Sanscrit

said

verses,

the Great

have

to

195

been

from the sayings of ancient sages,

it

was predicted

should

up

rise

in

that

in

which

conqueror

great

taken

who would honor

India

Brahmins and cows, and govern the world

They wrote

with justice.

paper and

old-looking

emperor,

who

Bedauni

new

but

he has said

showed

in

his say

Professor

evidence

in

shows how

"

the

it."

the history farther, with

what has gone before

:

the side of the

Muslim has been presented

ously.

to

it

believed every word of

carries

details,

nonsense on

this

good

and vigor-

well

Blochmann sums up the

few words,

saying

that

it

Akbar, starting from the idea

of the divine right of kings, gradually

came

to look upon himself as the (high priest)

God and

of the age, then as the prophet of

God's vicegerent on earth, and

lastly as

deity."

We

have an account of the kine's change

of religious

Hakh.
this

ment

"

opinions, from Shaikh

One

of

the

stranee

incidents of

year (1578) was the king's

of the national relieion,

Nuru-1-

abandon-

which became

The Mogul Emperors

196

many people weak

a stumbling-block to

The king was

the faith."

tendance

mind was

the

ascertaining

of the nature

to

his

They,

subjects discussed in

the

of

fact,

did, so far as

Abul-fazl's

wise

suspicions

of

motives, which were derogatory

and but

character
in

common

day after day, something

feared

was

men

as

is

deserved."

Akbar would

he subsequently

or even possible.

politic,

account

little

that

assume divine honors,

the

The

assemblies, entertained

king's

on

solely bent

"

truth."

people learning,

these

at-

at the assemblies for religious dis-

cussion, "for his

the

constantly in

in

the discussion

of

He

interesting.

of

says

" Sufis, doctors, preachers, lawyers, Sunnis,

Shias,

Brahmans, Buddhists, Christians, Jews,

Zoroastrians, and learned

were gathered together

bly.

Each one

his assertions,

and heated."

earnest

of every belief

in

the royal assem-

fearlessly

brought forward

and the contentions were long

Jesuit from

comers, and offered,

and

men

"

Goa

refuted

all

with perfect calmness

conviction,"

to

undergo

ordeal of the fiery furnace with the

the
Bible

Shah Akbar
in his

V It

The emperor

made experiments in natural

was ordered that some twenty
should be kept

infants

religion.

suckling

a secluded

in

doc-

challenge was

angry words.

with

refused

The

Kuran.

the

197

Muhammedan

hands, against the

tors with

also

the Great

place

where they should not hear a word spoken,

so as to test the accuracy of the tradition

which

says,

inclination

was
It

to see

came

'

to

Every one
religion.' "

is

with an

born

This experiment

what creed they would

incline to.

to naught, for "after three or four

years the children

experiment

all

The

came out dumb."

may have been suggested by

Herodotus' account of a similar experience,

which led to equally unsatisfactory conclusions.

The
Sherar,

following judgment, written by Mr.

C.S.I.,

presents a view of Akbar's

religious experiments which

to

quote.

It

is

not

the

Akbar's character, and

complete account.

On

it

it is

worth while

received view of
certainly

not a

is

the other hand, there

very

is

a shade of truth in

It

should be weisjhed alone with the

it,

at the

least.

rest.

The Mogul Emperors

198

Mr. Sherar says

at

new

doctrines,

"Akbarwas more amused

new theories, new objects

of veneration, than
culties

burdened with the

diffi-

which surrounded the acceptance of

And

them.

there

surely

no parallel be-

is

tween a grave and powerful mind bowed

down, everlastingly, with the stern dilemmas

whence and whither ?

of that great enigma,

and the
that

superficial

was too

nently

restless to

any

to

curiosity of an intellect

bind

itself

code

particular

permaopin-

of

ions."

For my own
judgment

part,

have found no brief

of Akbar's faith so entirely satis-

who says:
Akbar owes

factory as that of Elphinstone,

" It

to his internal policy that

his

is

place in that highest order of princes,

reiofns

that
as

have been a

blessings to

whose

mankind

and

policy shows itself in different shapes,

it

affects

religious or

Akbar's tolerant
his reign,

and appears

independent of
origin

of

spirit

the

was displayed early

to

Muhammadan
listen,

in

have been entirely

any doubts

him, however, to

government.

civil

of

the

faith.

divine
It

led

without prejudice.

Shah Akbar
to

the

doctrines

involved

him

members

of

of

the Great

other

199

enmity with the

in

and

reliofions,

bigoted

own, and must thus have

his

contributed to shake his early belief, and to

dispose him to question the infallible author-

of a

The

the Kuran.

ity of

new

advantages

political

which should take

religion,

classes of his subjects, could not

over, to occur to him.

his reign

in

he was assiduous

and

places,

the

In the

in

in

more-

fail,

part of

first

visiting sacred

men

attendance on holy

twenty-first

in all

year of

even
he

reign

his

spoke seriously of performing the pilgrimage

to

Mecca.

The

religion

seems to have been pure Deism,

tion to

mitted
It

Akbar

of
in

addi-

which some ceremonies were perin

consideration of

human

infirmity.

maintained that we ought to reverence

God

accordincr

to

derived from our

knowledgre

the

own

reason,

of

him

by which

his

unity and benevolence are sufficiently established

that

we

ouo^ht to serve

him and

to

seek for our future happiness by subduing

our bad passions and practising such

tues as are beneficial to

mankind

vir-

but that

The Mogul Emperors

200

we should
of

aiiy

error

not adopt a creed on the authority

man, as

like

necessary

all

were

ourselves.

men

for

If

to

object of adoration, by

might

fire

it

were absolutely

have some

means

visible

which they

of

raise their souls to the Divinity,

recommended

He

priests,

no public worship, and no

about

food,

except
as

had

no

restrictions

recommendation of

tending to exalt the mind.

His only observances were salutations

sun, prayers at midnight

Akbar /r^^/Z^r^

as permitted them,

all his
it

to the

and daybreak, and

meditations at noon on the sun.

as

Akbar

that the sun, the planets, or

should be the symbols.

abstinence,

and

liable to vice

But

ceremonies, as well

may be doubted whether

they had not gained some hold on his imagi-

He

nation.

seems to have been by nature

devout, and, with

all

his scepticism, to

have

inclined even to superstitions that promised

him a
is

closer connection with the

Deity."

It

necessary to pause for a jnoment and to

remark

that, while these

nently true,
sixteenth

we

judgments are emi-

are trying this ruler of the

century by the standards of our

Shah Akbar

own

day.

It

the Great

how

wonderful

is

201

the test

is

met.

"In these days

esty asked

how

it

maj-

1575-/6), his

(a.d.

would be

if

he engraved

God
mean

the words Allahu-Akbar (which means

is

made

but which can be

great,

Akbar is God^ upon the

The ambiguity was pointed

to

imperial

coins."

out to him, and

"

he was displeased, saying that

it

was

self-

evident that no creature, in the depths of his

impotence, could advance any claim to divin-

The words

ity."

were, however, finally so

engraved.

Of Akbar's revenue arrangements we have

this account

tent)

by Bedauni (who was a malcon-

" Regulations

were

circulated,

but

eventually these were not observed as they

ought to have been."

He

admits the excel-

lence of the regulations themselves, but gives

instances where the peasants' lands were laid

waste,

and

their

wives

and

through the rapacity of the

"many

of

the

officials

children
officials.

were

brought

account" and punished; even tortured.

spite of this, the fate of the

sold

But
to

In

husbandman and

The Mogul Emperors

202

of the soldier

was hard; "but

the emperor's good

and

where annihilated, and

One

much wanted."

of the oppressions of

W. W. Hunter)

in

life-like

picture

Muhammadan

officers

" All

districts of the empire.

he says, " were crushed with an equal

classes,"

tyranny

were not so

of the Sivaite poets of

the sixteenth century, gives a

remoter

this,

enemies were everysoldiers

Bengal (quoted by Sir

in the

all

was so great

fortune

flourishing, that his

for

fallow lands were entered as arable;

and, by a false measurement, three-fourths

of a bigJui \were taxed as a full bigha.

deducted

The

more than one

treasury

officers

rupee

seven, short weight and exchange.

in

The husbandmen
threw their

cattle

kets, so that

'

from their lands and

fled

and goods into the mar-

a rupee's worth of things sold

for ten annas.'"

In another native authority

this

place

some

of

we read: "At

emperor's officers

the

were directed to protect the cultivated land

in

the vicinity of the

trustworthy

camp

men were

examine the land

and, besides this,

directed to carefully

after the

army had

passed,

Shah Akbai'
and
tice
is

to

to assess the

became a

Great

the

damage done.

rule in

all his

justice.

provinces

of

It

is

This prac-

campaigns."

certain

mildly governed.

It is

It

that the older

kingdom were

the

"^

emperor was

plain that the effort of the

do

203

and

well

beyond a doubt that

frequent instances of misrule and oppression

occurred everywhere, especially in the newly

conquered

districts.

Akbar

sary for

to

It

was obviously

be tolerant

neces-

in

religious

matters for the sake of political

stability.

How much

of his even-handed justice

mild benevolence
necessity,

it is

sprang

from

the

But

not possible to say.

and

same
leav-

ing to one side all^questions as to interior

motives, the writings of the native historians

show

was marked

that the emperor's reign

by the most consummate

personal character
distinguished

Babar

is

political skill.

far less

His

engaging and

than that of his grandfather

he did not leave so

cent buildings as

Shah Jahan

many
;

magnifi-

but he con-

* The troops of the Fronde (1652) regularly pillaged the quarters

of Paris

which they chanced

in the heart of an

to hold, precisely as

enemy's country.

if

they had been

The Mogul Emperors

204
solidated

a great

state

even generous laws, and

wise,

left

We

empire behind him.

just,

and

homogeneous

are used to repre-

kingdom

sent to ourselves the

Mogul

by

of the Great

as a barbaric state, ruled

by a semi-

fabulous monster of bloodthirsty disposition.

more

inspection

careful

empire which

bear

will

shows

close

an

us

comparison

with the states of Europe at the same epoch.

The blood
that

it

of

Timur had been thinned

so

ran calmly in the veins of a great

statesman and a good king, and the

lust of

mere conquest was replaced by a sincere

desire for "the happiness

and prosperity of

the husbandman."

The

character of the

India in Timur's day

is

chapter of this book.

them.

The

Mogul invaders

indicated

in

the

of

first

Their acts portray

history of Babar, six generations

later, sufficiently

culture which

displays the high ideals of

were held by the chief men

of his time.

Music, oratory, poetry, were cul-

tivated even

by sanguinary military

They maintained
architects,

at

musicians,

their

courts,

leaders.
painters,

astronomers.

The

Shah Akbar

the Gi^eat

205

doctors of the religious law were learned

the

fashion

speculative

begun

had

or

prevailed,

Akbar opened

the

and

to

prevail.

road of promotion to

Western

the nations of

all

time,

Arabian ideals of military chiv-

eloquent.
alry

the

of

in

Asia.

Persians,

Afghans, Turkis, Hindus, were welcome at

his court,

and

all

were on equal terms.

In

intellectual matters this intermixture of races

and religions showed

and

liberality

itself in

ideals of

in

great freedom

culture.

famous book from the Shah-Namch

Mahabharata was

in

The

to

the

Akbar's library.

religious questions a revolution

plished.

Every
In

was accom-

standards of military chivalry,

which had been based on Turki and Arab

models, were modified by the customs of the
splendid Rajput soldiers.

These processes went on during the reigns

of Jahangir

and of Shah Jahan.

until the reign of

ceived a check.

Aurangzeb

We must

the period between

was not

that they

fio-ure to

was

re-

ourselves

Akbar and Aurangzeb

one of remarkable freedom.

peasants' condition

It

as

suppose the

not especially differ-

The Mogul Emperors

2o5

ent from what

officials,

and

great

were free

to

now

it

But the host of

Is.

small, military

and

civil,

do or to think as they

liked,

performed

their

they

that

provided, only,

duties fairly well, paid their regular tribute

to the king,

and did not meddle with plots

acralnst their rulers.

one Interfered with

no one troubled himself

doings, and

their

No

about the opinions of his neighbors.

There

was no " non-conformist conscience," and no

Inquisition to be taken account of by any

When Aurangzeb came

man.
this

happy

the rleld
conduct,

under
1658.

state of things

to the throne,

was changed, and

law of Islam became the rule of

as

we

liberal

shall

rule

see

but

India

was

during the years 1556-

Jahangir, Emperor of Hindustan

207

CHAPTER V
EMPEROR

JAHANGIR,

HINDUSTAN

OF

(a.D.

1605-1627)

Contribution towards a Natural History

of Tyrants
But if

Casar, the empero7-, should adopt you, no one could

endure your arrogance.

The most
reign

Epictetus.

and character of

on the

authority

interesting

prince

this

the

is

Diary of Sir TJiomas Roc, English Envoy

The
to his court from James the First.
narrative has real literary merits, and is
inspired by a sound

good

trast of the characters of the

the envoy,

who esteemed each

marked and most

words are given when

"March
the

Lizard

the
;

it

is

i6th (1615)
the

26th

other,

follows

as

con-

emperor and
Sir

interesting.

Journal commences

The

sense.

most

is

Thomas's
very

his

practicable

we

lost sight of

we saw

the

coast

The Mogul Emperors

2o8
of Barbary

and on the 5th of June

bay

came

From

Hne

cut the

anchor

to

Cape

Saldanha, next the

of

Hope."
till,

we

April the 14th

of

in

the

Good

thence the voyage continued

on the 26th of September, Sir Thomas

landed at

where the

Company had

India

"continued

much from
force,

Surat,

its

British

factory.

East

Here he

the 30th of October, suffering

till

the (native) governor, who, by

searched

what he thought

many

chests

and took out

fit."

On

day the envoy

this

departed on his land journey to the capital

of the Great

Mogul.

His mission was to

conclude a treaty of commerce, and to

col-

outstanding debts due to English mer-

lect

chants.

How

important the commerce of

England with India was becoming, may be

read

in

immense.
16 1 3

By

Mill's

history.

Eight voyages

The
in

profits

the years 1603-

yielded an average of 171

the 14th of

November

were

Sir

per cent.*

Thomas had

reached Brampore, which he guessed to be

two hundred and twenty-three miles beyond

* Tavernier says that the profits of the Portuguese were 500 or
eveu 1000 per cent.

Jahangir, Emperor of Hindustan

Here he was met by an

Surat.

who conducted him

the king,
in

made

side of a wall, so that

making

officer

lodging
"

to his lodgings

his excuse that

was conducted to

court

whose outward

right

made him

a gallery that

in

told

refused,

under him, railed

tow^n,

with carpets.

and the prince

all

his

body;

the great

with their hands before

The

slaves.

overhead with a

place was covered

rich canopy,
It

was

and under foot

like a great stage,

sat at the

upper end of

Having no place assigned me,

before him, he refusing to admit

up the steps or to allow me a

14

to a

where

in,

bowed

went within, where were

like

that as

and went on

reverence, and he

of the

me

must touch the ground with

m.y head, which

them

was."

it

found about a hundred gentlemen on

approached

men

the

the prince (Par-

visit

He sat high
went around. An officer

tent

was the best

it

found

horseback.

place

my

lay in

the town, as

in

of brick in the

wiz, a son of the emperor), in

all

officer of

the town, which were " four chambers hke

ovens, and no bigger,

so

209

it.

stood right

me

chair.

come
Having

to

The Mogul Emperors

my

received

presents, he offered to

another room where

sit

into

should be allowed to

by the way, he made himself drunk

but,

go

out of a case of bottles

gave him, and so

This was our envoy's

the visit ended."

first

struggle with Indian etiquette, and here, as

always

after,

he stood up mightily for the

ambassador of the King of

dignity of

an

England.

The

termination of the ceremony

was not unusual either

for prince or

empe-

From his meeting with the prince. Sir

Thomas proceeded on his journey, passing

ror.

through the country of the Rajah Rama,

"who

is

lineally

descended from Porus, that

warlike Indian monarch overcome by Alex-

ander the Great."

On

January

lo,

1616, he

had arrived

at

the court of Jahangir, and presented himself

at the

noon.

durbar (audience)

Here

" the

at four in the after-

Mogul

sits

daily to enter-

tain strangers, receive petitions

and presents,

give

out orders, and to see and be seen.

And

here

it

will

be proper to give some

account of his court."

"

None

but eunuchs come within the king's

Jahangir, Emperor of Hindusta7t

private lodgings, and his

him with

The

every morning shows himself to the

people at a window.

women, who guard

weapons.

warlike

At noon he

Mogul

common
is

there

again to see elephants and wild beasts fight,

men

the
rail.

under him within a

of rank being

he comes to the durbar

After noon

aforementioned.
of the clock, he

After the supper, at eight

comes down

to the Gtizalcan,

a fair court, in the midst of which

of freestone,

courses

No
at

of

where he

business of state

a throne

Here he

sits.

things

indifferent

is

dis-

very affably.

done anywhere but

is

one of these places, where

it

is

publicly

canvassed, and so registered, which register

may be seen for two shillings, and the common people know as much as the council,
so -that every day the king's resolutions are

the public news, and exposed to the censure

of every scoundrel."
"

Before

to use the

durbar

my

audience

customs of

had obtained leave

my

to conduct

me

rail,

nearer.

At the
before him

country.

was conducted right

entering the outward

met

two noble slaves

At

the

first

rail

The Mogul Emperors

made a low reverence, at the next another,

His
and when under the king a third.
I

reception was very favorable, but does not

need particularizing."

When

"

came

cross-legged

on a

in

found him

little

throne,

sitting

clad

all

in

diamonds, pearls, and rubies, before him a

table of gold,
plate, set all

him

on

to

whom

equipages,

in

he com-

wines

So drinking

great flagons.

and commanding others,

became the

a thousand

of

pieces of gold

drink, froliquely, several

standing by

his lords

fifty

with stones, his nobility about

in their best

manded

about

it

majesty and

his

finest

men

all

ever saw

humours."

Apparently the business of the envoy did

"

not advance.

March the

first

rid

out to

see a house of pleasure of the king's, seated

between

two mighty

from the sun.

delight,

and

began the

festival

of

king, which,

of
all

and defended

a place of melancholy,

On

safety."

great presents
the

It is

rocks,

the

the

nth

New

sorts

of

March

Year,

when

were offered

to

though not equal to report,

were yet incredible enough.

On

the

12th

Jahangir, Emperor of Hindustan

another audience, and on

March came

of

213

when "I pressed to have

the peace and commerce with England settled
after a solemn manner, which the Mogul
13th another,

the

ordered should be done."

It

may be noted

here that delay in attending to the missions

of envoys

and

dismissing them was con-

in

sidered a proof of the king's dignity, and

that

it

was many a long day before Sir

Thomas had

his treaty signed

due the English merchants

"

On

of his

nation on suspicion of felony, and

sent him to

pose of at

me

my

in

will.

irons, as a slave, to dis-

This

a great favor, for which

adding that
nor thought

God
him

settled.

Mogul condemned one

the 23d the

own

and the debts

looked upon as

returned thanks

England we had no

in
it

is

lawful to

make

equal to a beast, but that

as a servant,

well, give

him

and

if

with."

the image of
I

would use

he behaved himself

his liberty.

was well pleased

slaves,

On

This the Mogul

this, as

on every

other occasion, the English envoy conducted

himself with sense, and with a simple dignity

which evidently impressed the autocrat, who

The Mogul Empei^ors

2 14

was never

tired of

showing him marks

of his

appreciation.

One must
all

read the original narrative

detail to obtain the full sense of the

its

men

dramatic contrast between these two

of different countries,

whose mutual respect

was founded on something deeper than

At one

of the durbars. Sir

Thomas

alone in a high place of honor.

Chan
I

in

"

race.

stood

Asaph-

(the king's brother-in-law) insisted that

among

should rank myself

refused at

first,

the nobility.

but then removed to the

other side, where only the prince and young

Rama
Chan."

were, which

avail, " so

more disgusted Asaph-

complaint to the king was of no

I

kept

my

"

place in quiet."

On

the 31st of March, the king dined at Asaph-

Chan's house,
to

it,

all

the

way from the palace

which was an English mile, being

under

foot

with

silks

and

velvets

laid

sewed

together, but rolled up as the king passed.

They reported

that the

cost ;^i50,ooo."

.^

Little

feast

and present

progress was

made

in tlie business, as usual.

"On

June

i8th, the king

commanded one

Jaka7tgi7^,

Emperor of Hind2istan

brother's

of his

sons,

who had been

per-

suaded to become a Christian, with a design

to

make him odious

Sir

Thomas),

lion

that

to the people (so says

to lay his

hand on the head

of

was brought before the king,

which he refused out of fear

upon which

the king bid his youngest son go touch the

lion,

who

did so without receiving any hurt.

Whereat the king took occasion to send his

nephew away to prison, where he is never
like to see daylight."

In July a

"

gentlewoman

of Nur-Mahal's

punished for a breach of decorum.

"

was

The

woman was set up to the armpits in

earth close rammed about her, with her

poor
the

feet tied to a stake, so to continue three

days

and two

time

nio-hts.

If

she died not

in that

she was to be pardoned."

"

On August

the 9th, a hundred thieves

were broujjht chained before the Mos^ul, with

their

accusation

without further ceremony

* Four of Jahangir's nephews were baptized by

names

of Philippo, Carlo, Henrico,

Eduardo

tlie

Jesuits

by the

and the doors of the

palace at Lahore bore "the images of the crucifix and of the Blessed

Virgin," so says Herbert in his Travels.

The Moo 21 1 Emperors

2i6

he ordered them to be carried away, the

chief of

them

to be torn in pieces

This was

the rest put to death.

by dogs,
the pro-

all

and form," and the sentence was carried

cess
out.
"
ing"

Seven months were now spent

in solicit-

the signing and sealing of the articles of

peace and commerce, and nothing obtained

week

but promises from

some

of

king's sons for

men

foresee
"

death.

the struoro;les between the

power
civil

The whole

the nobility are sad

full

at court.

war upon
court

is full

The

wisest

the

king's

of whispers

the multitude, like

rumor and

of

week and from

During October the envoy

day to day."
recites

to

itself,

without head or

noise,

order, rages, but applies not to

any proper

means."
Sir

Thomas

says

"

The

history

of

country for variety of matter and the

this

many

subtle practices in the time of Akbar-Shah,

the

father

of

this

were well worth

king,

come from such

despise them and

writing; but because they

remote

parts,

many

will

by reason these people are esteemed bar-

7
;

Jahangivj Emperor of Hindustan

them

barous, few will believe

I

forbear

deliver as

making them

many

though

equalled."

It is

About

a loss not to have had this

obliged to

make

the "knock-

head against the ground," which Sir

ing^ his

Thomas had

being

this

number among them

;

ceremonious

nine mules very fair

seven camels laden with velvet

two chests of Persian hangings

forty

muskets

of

wine

two rubies
;

fourteen

sweet waters

after the

rich

one

twenty-one camel loads

camel loads of

seven

of

rose

distilled

water
;

five

seven

swords

same manner; seven Venetian

looking-glasses, and

that

one

eight carpets

daggers set with precious stones

set

clocks

five

camel laden with cloth of gold

of silk

brousfht

three times nine Arabian and

Persian horses,

and large

He

"

refused to do.

presents

cabinet

be

time came the ambassador of

this

who was

Persia,

easily

good an observer.

history from so

for

one age, would not

believe, for

state,

and adages,

subtle evasions, policies, answers

as

could

and notable acts of

rare

and therefore

public,

these so

fair

was out of countenance when

and
I

rich

heard

The Mogul Emperors

In

it."

fact,

meanness of the presents

tlie

which Sir Thomas had brouo^ht from Eno^land

was a
the

thorn

constant

larsfe

mastiff-doo^s

thoroughly appreciated
told

him

why

the

as

in his

seem

side.

Only

have been

to

and the emperor

plainly that he could not understand

monarch

of

so

great

country

England should send so poor a

list

of

presents.
It is easily to

be seen that the real success

Thomas' mission was due

of Sir

sonality,

and not

to the

to his per-

fame of England or

to the value of his gifts.

"These people know the best

of merchandise,

of all kinds

and are served by the Portu-

guese, Venetians, and Armenians with

rarities of

Of

his reception to

is

much

"

caused

be diligently observed, and

found he was not favored above

It

the

Europe."

the Persian envoy he says

point, but

all

me

at

any

less in several particulars."

worth while to add that when the

Persian ambassador took his leave, he pre-

sented the king with other thirty horses, and

received in return three thousand crowns.

Jahaiigir, E7nperor of Hindustan

The king removed

from

and

his palace,

to a

camp

one of

at

219

a few miles

his

audiences

the English envoy had a glimpse of "his two

principal wives,"

one of

been Nur-Mahal.

"

whom must

They were

there had

been no other

monds and

pearls

When

Then

light,

retired,

their

the king

if

dia-

and were so

supposed they laughed

but

show them.

sufficed to

looked up they

merry that
"

had

indifferently

smoothed up

white, with black hair

have

came down the

at me."

stairs

with

such an acclamation of health to the kingf as

would have outroared cannon.

servants came, and

his

Then one

of

on the king's

girt

sword, and hung on his buckler set

all

over

with diamonds and rubies, the belts being of

On

gold, suitable.

his

head he wore a

rich

turban with a plume of heron's feathers, not

many, but long.

hung a ruby

On

one side of

other side a diamond as large

an emerald
staff

like a heart,

much

in the

middle

bigger.

His

was wound about with a chain of ereat

pearls, rubies,

his

his turban

unset, as big as a walnut; on the

and diamonds,

drilled.

About

neck he wore a chain of most excellent

The Mogul Emperors

220

pearls, the largest

Above

ever saw.

his

elbows armlets set with diamonds, and on

his

three rows

wrist

of

various sorts;

his

hands bare, but on almost every finger a

rincT."

in

The king and

coaches made

lish

carriage

the queen, Nur-Mahal, rode

which Sir Thomas Roe had

They had not

brought out as a present.

been willing to use so plain an

same

the

covered with gold

pattern, only

and gems, somewhat to

Jahangir's

his discomfiture.

Memoirs no reference

mission

the

affair as

had had others made on

original one, but

the

Eng-

after the pattern of an

from

England,

is

In

made

to

except a bare

mention of these carriages.

So they proceeded
a great

wonder,

to the

having been set up and

finished in four hours, yet

twenty English
vale

showed

camp, which was

miles

in

was not

it

compass.

was

with carriage, and ashamed of

for five years' allowance

me

than

"

The

like a beautiful city, for the bag-

gage made no confusion.

vided

less

ill

my

provided

equipage

would not have pro-

with an indifferent suit answerable

Jahangir, Empe7'or of Hindustan

the

to

so

others,

returned to

my

221

poor

house."
"

You may add

authority, "that the

to

all

says another

this,"

Grand Mogul keeps nigh

him two or three thousand brave

be always ready upon occasion

horses, to

as also eight

or nine hundred elephants, and a vast

num-

ber of mules, horses, and porters to carry

all

the great tents and their cabinets, to carry

his wives, kitchens,

water, and

all

household

he were

the other necessaries for the

court

in

its

obliged to follow the

migrations, finding

and food as best he might.

his lodgings in

abandoned
tiful " that

castles of

transporta-

He

took up

or sometimes on the

tents,

Rajput

rajahs, so beau-

a banished Engrlishman miofht be

content to live there."

trigues of the court,
'*

if

home."

at

The envoy was now

tale

Ganges

which he hath always about him, as

field

tion

stuff,

which

will

He

learns the in-

and promises

to tell a

discover a noble prince, an

excellent wife, a faithful counsellor, a crafty

step-mother,

an ambitious son, a cunning

favorite,

reconciled

all

by a patient king,

The Mogul Emperors

222

whose heart was not understood by any

But

those."

all

deems

cannot find that he

He

promise.

his

king embrace a

sees

of
re-

patient

this

ragged dervish after

dirty,

conversing with him familiarly for an hour,

which

him

left

" in

admiration to see such

virtue in a heathen prince, which

in

emulation and sorrow

mention

wishing either that

our Christian princes had

this devotion, or

that this zeal were guided

by a true

light of

the gospel."
"

Laws

The

people have none written.

these

king's

judgment binds

gives judgment with

much

who

sits

and

patience, both in

and criminal causes, where sometimes

civil

he sees execution done by his elephants, with

too

much

delight in blood.

of provinces rule

them,

izing

by

his

and take

His governors

commissions authorlife

and

goods

at

pleasure."

"In revenue the king doubtless exceeds

the sums I dare not
either Turk or Persian
;

name

but the reason.

no man has a

foot.

All the land

He

maintains

is

all

his

that

are not mechanics, by revenues bestowed on

Jahangir, Emperor of Hindustan

Favor

them.

and

rich

got by frequent presents

The Mogul

rare.

He

die.

is

takes

223

all

that

money, only leaving

their

all

heir to

is

the

widow and daughter what he

To

the sons of those that die worth two or

some small

three millions, he gives

He

to begin the world anew.

is

pleases.

lordship

of counte-

nance cheerful, not proud by nature, but only

by habit and custom,

very affable

and

full

for

night

at

gentle

of

he

is

conversa-

tion."

One

evening

these

of

more minutely described

fell

conversations
"

The good king

to dispute of the laws of Moses, Jesus,

and Mahomet, and

he turned to
shall

drink was so kind, that

in

me and

be welcome.

said

am

Christians,

in love,

a king

you

Moors, Jews,

he meddled not with their faith

all

is

they came

and he would protect them from

wrong; they

under

his safety,

and none

and

often

re-

peated, but in extreme drunkenness, he

fell

lived

should oppress them

to

weeping and

kept us

With

till

this

to

this

divers passions, and so

midnight."

we

leave Sir

Thomas

with

re-

The Mogul Emperors

224
oret,

many

so

of his

own adventures being

untouched upon.
"

The

Jesuits have a church at Agra," says

and a building which they

Bernier,

"

college,

where they privately

call

instruct

the

children of (some) thirty Christian families,

collected

know not how

in

Agra,

and

induced to settle there by the kind and charitable aid which they receive from the Jesuits.

This religious order was invited hither by

Akbar, and that prince not only gave them
an annual income for their maintenance, but
permitted

and

them

The

Lahore,

warmer patron
sorely

in

oppressed

Agra

build churches in

to

found

Jesuits

Jahangir, but

by

Shah

monarch deprived them

and destroyed the church

their

That
pension,

Lahore and the

greater part of that at Agra."

"'^

Jahangir's attitude towards religion

set forth in the following story,

not be true, but which

is

still

they were

Jahan.

of
at

is Vvell

which may

ben trovato.

The

Muslim doctors had admonished him against

* His

empress,

Mumtaz-i-Mahal,

was,

reason, especially unfriendly to Christians.

for

some

unknown

JahangiTy Emperor of Hindustan 225

the use of forbidden meats,

etc.

becoming impatient, inquired

in

the use of every kind of

The

permitted.

what reHgion

meat and drink was

reply was, in the Christian

"

reHgion alone.

Jahangir,

We

must, then," said the

emperor, "all turn Christians."

Blochmann {Ain-i-Akbari,

Professor

310, 477, 619) has collected a

account for

Their number

amusing

an

instance

emperor's easy-going fashions.

nioirs,

Jahangir

his child,
ter,

is

whom

says

the

In his Ale-

Prince

that

of

may

Parwiz,

the son of Zain Kokah's daugh-

he married

the forty-first year

in

There

of Akbar's reign.

ever that

pp.

of twenty-

and there easily

four of Jahangir's wives,

may have been more.

list

no doubt what-

is

Parwiz was born

in

the

thirty-

fourth year, long before Jahangir had seen

the daughter

of

apparently, that

which one of

his

Zain.

Hence

it

follows,

Jahangir had forgotten to

many wives he was indebted

for his second son.

The
in

his

acts of Jahangir are given at length

own Memoirs and

writings

of

the

native

in

some

historians.

of

the

In

the

The Mogul Emperors

2 26

following chapter of this book the history of

the last years of
it

his reign

not the history which

is

to

interest

Americans.

Europeans,

and

Our

is

desire

But

recited.

is

of

is

special
less

still

to

comprehend

to

the character of this powerful and autocratic

we understand

ruler, as

of France from the

The

that of Louis

XIV

Memoirs of Saint-Simon.

native historians are but poor substi-

duke who has written

tutes for the literary

the annals of the reign of the Very Christian

And

King.

Jahangir's

Memoirs

worth quoting, and give but a

of his personality.

are seldom

slight picture

append a few extracts

from various sources which have a sort of

value,

and reserve the more important

for

the next chapter, which treats of the reign

of the emperor's wife,

who,

many

real ruler of the state for

"

We

read

One

night

the

in

Memoirs

it

it

years.

Jahangir

of

my mind

mals and birds

had

my

and told them how

formerly was.

occurred to

was the

all,

turned the discourse of

courtiers on the chase,

fond of

after

At

the

whether
killed

same time

all

the ani-

could not be

Jahangir, Empej^or of Hindzistan

The

calculated."

twelfth

to

his

result

was that from

his

year he had killed

fiftieth

own hand,

17,168 animals and birds with his

"and the following

227

an account of them

is

in

detail."

4f

K-

-Jfr

Of these 86 were

-K-

90 wild boars,

tigers,

1,372 deer, 13,964 birds, etc.

Two young

nobles of the city were very

dissipated, " lived in

great pomp, and did not

They amused them-

care for the emperor."

selves

by passing the palace

noisily,

in pleasure-boats,

though they had often been warned.

Jahangir gave a hint to one of his

officers,

and the young men were incontinently

sinated,

assas-

and the emperor's peace was

turbed no more.

Jahangir was fond of cruel

He

and unusual punishments.

revived the

impalements and flayings

barbarous

which had been almost forgotten.

ingenious, too.

dis-

number

of

alive

He was

Amirs had

graced the imperial cause by a defeat.

caused

the

painted
traits

in

in

portrait

of

each

Amir

to

dis-

He
be

miniature, and, taking the por-

hand,

one by one, he showered

The Mogul Emperors

28

abuse on each Amir before the assembled

In another instance, the emperor

courtiers.

caused the offenders' heads to be shaved and

women's

be thrown over their

veils to

faces.

Thus arrayed they were paraded through

city

on donkeys, seated so as

donkeys'

Sewing the

tails.

was a favored mode

the

fastening

face the

to

eyelids together

of punishment, as also

the

inside

culprit

As

newly-killed animal.

the

of a

skin

the skin dried the

victim perished.

"With

the object of acquiring information

about the history of Kabul,

Babar's Memoirs, which

was written with

his

all,

own

used to read

except four parts,

hand.

To com-

plete the work,

copied those parts myself,

end

added some paragraphs

and

at the

in

the Turki language to show that they were

written
in

Hindustan, yet

inor an(^ writingf

Here
of

Though

by me.

is

am

was brought up

not deficient

in read-

Turki."

a specimen of the religious debates

which he was so fond.

"

One day

served to some learned Hindus, that

foundation of their

reliction rested

ob-

if

the

on their

Jahangir, Emperor of Hindustan 229

belief in

the ten incarnate gods,

tirely absurd,

because

in

it

such a case

was en-

became

it

who

necessary to admit that the Almighty,

infinite,

is

must possess a
"

length, and depth."

definite breadth,

After a long discourse

they admitted that there was a

whom

no corporeal form and of

definite notion "

no

God who had

they had

(which appears to have

agreed with Jahangir's own ideas).

had represented him by these ten

as to raise their

minds up

told

them they could not

this

means."

incarnations
first,

is

more

"

attain that
his

ten

then

end by
(nine)

to be referred to here at

and the Great First Cause

the king

figures so

to him.

Vishnu and

seem

They

practical

at last

but

and positive than

explicit.

Jahangir was fond

Urfi, a

man

too

fond

of real talent.

of the poet

These verses are

his
Cling to the

hem of a heart which saddens

the tiightingale ;

The more I exert myself,

calm, the

at the plaintive voice

of

for that heart knoivs something.

the

more I come

ocean'' s centre is at the shore.

into trouble ; if

I am


The Mogul Emperors

230
Not

a grain shall be taken of that "which thou hast reaped,

htit

harvest shall be demanded of that which thou hast not sown.

The emperor

down,

sets

Memoirs,

in his

that certain tribes "associate and intermarry

Hindus, giving and taking daughters.

with

As

for taking," he says, "

matter

it

does not so much

but as for giving their own daughters

heaven protect us
Here

is

"
I

one of the king's experiments

"

the trivial fooHng of a muddled brain.

it

As

has been several times asserted that laugh-

ter arises

from eating

majesty

saffron, his

determined on making a
and, therefore, sent for a

trial

of

its effects,

condemned

criminal

and made him eat (a large quantity)

presence.

On

him.

It

his

did not occasion any change in

the next day he gave him double

the quantity, but

smile,

in

much

it

less

did not even cause him to

to laugh."

The

royal ex-

perimenter neglected an important element.

He

should

first \i2i\^

pardoned

\i\^

criminal

Jahangir describes, in his Mefnoirs, one of

the classic feats of Indian jugglery

produced a chain,
threw one end of

fifty
it

"

They

cubits in length,

and

towards the sky, where

Emperor of Hindustan

Jahaiigir,
it

remained as

if

231

fastened to somethinof.

dog was brought, and immediately ran up

and disappeared

the chain

the

in

same manner a hog, a panther, a

the

and a

down

lion,

were successively sent up, and

tiger

At

equally disappeared.

all

In

air.

the chain and put

discovering

they took

last

into a bag,

it

no one

what way the different animals

in

were

made

tricks

were shown to Ibn Batuta, the Arab

to

traveller, in

to him,

The

1348.

made

my

jugglers'

who sat next

comment on the

Kazi,

a skeptical

"Wallah!"

whole performance.
is

Similar

vanish."

said he, "it

opinion there has been neither going

up nor coming down, neither marring nor

mending;
a

is

'tis

capital

occurred

in

alhhocus-pocus."

As

witness.

The emperor

the daytime, he was, in

hood, sober.

One

trick,

been described by others

also.

and
of

if

it

all

likeli-

could not ask for better

evidence for this famous

jugglers

probably

this

which has
If

Indian

can hypnotize an entire audience,

they can then suggest to each

that he sees

every individual

what

can

is

desired,

member
and

if

be forced to recollect

The Mogul Emperors

232
all

the details of the performance, the trick

is

explicable.

we must

Otherwise,

share

Jahangir's bewilderment."''"
In the sixth year of his reign (a. 11. 1020),

Jahangir coined his famous gold

one face

a portrait of the emperor in the

is

act of raising a wine-cup to his lips

other

The

is

On

niohitr.

on the

the sun in the constellation of Leo.

inscription on

the coin

Persian.

in

is

Perhaps no more extraordinary coin was ever

tions.

The emperor broke with all

The Muhammadans at least,

Sunni

sect

minted.

did

statues and

efifiories.

Wine was abhorred

coin

this

head of the church.

Pope should

strike a

medal

It

it

of

was

who was

celebrated by the head of the state,

also the

of the

not permit the making of

good Muslims, and on

all

tradi-

was

as

if

the

defiling the cross

and denying the Holy Ghost.f

* Since the foregoing was written

Andrew Lang {Contemporary Review

to regard the explanation

by hypnotic

and Mr. Frank Stockton has adopted

The Magic Egg {The Century

\ It

is

have noticed that Mr.

seems

illusion as, at least, plausible

it,

out and out, in his tale of

for June, 1894).

not strictly correct to say that Jahangir was the head of

the orthodox church.

who

for September, 1893)

The

successor of

Muhammad

has the custody of the relics of the prophet

is

l,his

that person

cloak, teeth.

Jahangir, E^nperor of Hindustan 233

The

face

and

interesting,

is

an unflattered likeness, as
Jahangir which

of

traits

authentic.

The jaw

and broad

at

astute

and

is

is

it

probably

resembles por-

it

accepted

are

heavy, the nose long,

the base, and the expression

same year another

In the

sly.

coin was minted, where the wine-cup

changed

as

ex-

is

book (which can only be the

for a

Kuran), and on which the expression of the

emperor's face

tude

is

one of dignity

is

and refined

he

His

entirely changed.

is

his face

no longer the

is

atti-

softened

violator, but

the protector, of the law.

has been surmised that the

It

first

coin

gave such occasion of scandal (as well

it

might) that the second was struck to take

its

place.

This may be

minted

explain

to

difficult

in

later, in

the year

it

then becomes

why another
a.ii.

1023,

coin

three

was
years

which the wine-cup again appears.

The sun on

these coins serves to recall the

fact that the

emperor was born on a Sunday.

beard,

etc.),

and who

These

titles

belong

successor).

but

so,

But

in

rules the sacred cities of

to the Sultan of

Mecca and Medina.

Constantinople (the Khalife

India the orthodox doctors of the

declared the emperor to be the head of the church.

law had

Mogul

^^^^

234

Ei7iperors

Jahangir also caused a silver medal to be

soon after his father's death, which

struck

bears

the

effigy

of

The

Akbar.

face has

only a moustache, and not the beard of the

Yet the obverse

orthodox Muslim.

medal bears the profession

God

no

is

but

of faith

of the

There

God ; Muhammad

the

is

Apostle of God.

With
tyrants.

lived

is

this

may

we

leave

The atmosphere

nest

this

of

which

they

foreign to us, and their actions

seem

in

wild and barbarous to us Western folk

live

our orderly lives between

lines

which we do not overstep.

who

well-drawn
"

Custom
makes us

makes cowards of us all," and habit

These Oriental despots were
unreflecting.
no more savage or vindictive or careless than
the Caesars

them

and we have long ago accepted

as part of our ancestry.

It is clear that

Briton,

Sir

Thomas Roe,

a model

was continually and unconsciously

comparing the Emperor Jahangir with

own English
tage of the

his

king, not always to the advanlatter.

Even

to us,

who have

crossed the seas and the centuries, there

is

Jahangir^ Emperor of Hindustan 235

something

not

totally

unfamiliar

in

this

Oriental nature freely displayed under strange

and outlandish conditions.

Coelu7n,

nan ariimimt mutant, qui trans

mare currunt.
Note.

The description of Jahangir's coins on pages 232 ct

was written

the only ones then available to me.

several respects.

Coins of the

seq,

after consulting the older authorities (Marsden, etc.),

Those

It is

not strictly correct in

interested should refer to Dr. R. S. Poole's

Mogkul Emperors, London,

Vv'here plates of these coins

are given.

iSg2, pages Ixxx, 62, etc.,

The Mogul Emperors

236

CHAPTER

VI

NUR-MAHAL (tHE LIGHT OF THE PALACE),

EMPRESS OF HINDUSTAN (a.D. 161 I-1627)
In the history of the reigns of the Great

Moguls,

women

the

seldom appear, except

devoted or

the

of

intrioruinfT

in

royal

the

character of

wives and

whose words are never heard on

the curtain which shuts

The

world.

the

throne

make

There

is

fierce

light

of

mothers,

this side of

them away from the

penetrates

twilight

house

which beats upon

the

harem only

to

mystery and intrigue.

one great and striking exception

in

the person of the Empress Nur- Mahal, whose

reign was nearly contemporaneous with that
of

King James

Elizabeth, and

I.

of England, the successor of

who may

fairly

be compared

with that great English queen.

We are more or less familiar in the Western

world with the power of
ment.

women

in

But our Western heroines

govern-

Frede-

NUR-MAHAL

Nur-Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

Madame de

gonde, Joan of Arc,

who

personages

been

could be

The Indian queen,

heard.

Stael

237

have
and

seen

after the time of

Babar, was confined to the harem, and could

be seen only by her nearest relations, and

could be heard only from behind the curtain.
I

have met but two works which give a

sense

realizing

women

power

the

of

Oriental

of

namely, the brilliant novel of Kip-

The Nmilakha (1892),

and the Memoirs of a certain wazir, one
ling

and

Balestier,

NIzamu-1-Mulk Tusi
hundred years
history

is

(a.d. 1092),

The wazirs whole

earlier.

interesting.

His accounts of the

power of female intrigue are

from what

have

of the ladies of

against

some eight

said,

pathetic.

the

"

Now,

disadvantages

the royal household being

us {wazirs)

may be

But

learned.

the advantages of their being in our favor

are

equally numerous," as

show by a story too long

he goes on to
to

He

relate.

quotes the words of a powerful minister

who

resigned his office and went to govern

remote province, as an example.

made him

prefer

it

to a

rank

in

"

What

which he

The Mogul Emperors

238

"O Imam!"

dom?"
"

have not told

but
I

king-

the ex-minister says,

even to

this secret

my

sons,

not conceal the truth from you.

will

over the whole

influence

exercised

have resigned that power on account of

Jamila Kandahari (one of the queen's ladies).

For years

government

me

had the management of

my

in

in everything.

darkness before

my

remedy against the

all

the

hands, and she thwarted

For

reason there was

this

eyes,

and

Now

evil.

could find no

have sought

retirement, and have procured release from

all

such troubles.

Allah pleases,

If

escape her machinations

shall

in this distant

prov-

mce.

The
Akbar

Emperor Jahangir had succeeded

in

the year 1605.

^^'^

t:he thirty-first

year of Akbar's reign he had rebelled against

his father,

ment

and had

in the

enue (thirty

To remove

set

up a separate govern-

Penjab and appropriated the revlacs of rupees) to his

his chief

enemy

own

at court,

use.

he had

basely murdered his father's prime minister

and attached

friend, the

and had embittered the

learned Abul-fazl,

last

days of his great

Nur-Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

239

and rebellious

acts.

sire

"

by

violent,

About

fazl

cruel,

my

the close of

was wearing on

at

Abul-

exterior

He was

not

my
my

convinced

me

that

which he sold to

high price.

His bearing

friend.
if

plausible

his

the jewel of probity,

father

father's reign

fully

he were allowed to arrive at court he

would do everything
the

indignation

Under

this

in his

my

of

power

invited

Singh to annihilate Abul-fazl on

God

promising him favors.

prise

flight,

his journey,

were

and he himself murdered.

me

was sent

to

Jahangir's

own

Allahabad."

put

to

His head

Such

is

account.

Akbar's death
at a disgraceful

at

Nar

aided the enter-

followers

Abul-fazl's

me.

against

father

apprehension

to excite

is

ascribed to his vexation

and public quarrel between

Jahangir and his son

Khosrou about the

merits of their respective elephants at a fight

of animals.

He

was remorseless, even

vindictive,

in

the punishment of crimes against the state

that
a laree

is,

and

against himself

this

seems

in

measure to have been a matter of

The Mogul Emperors

240

settled policy

on

Jahangir had an

his part.

intimate horror of everything that tended to

disturb the indifferent thoughtlessness of his

and careless

self-indulgent

In the early

life.

portion of his reign he was obliged to stamp

out a rebellion fomented by his son Khosrou.

His own words are

my

Lahore, and took

ion built

seat in the royal pavil-

and

father,

number of sharp

up,

stakes

upon which thrones

despair
to

my

by

"I entered the castle at

directed that

should be set
misfortune and

of

caused the seven hundred traitors

be impaled

this there

cannot

"a more excruciating pun-

the

for

Than

alive.

be," he goes on,

ishment,

culprits

die

in

lingering

torture."

His

son

was

between the

captured,

finally

of

lines

impaled victims, and

then

imprisoned.

He

tears

and groans

for his

and no doubt

He

doubtless

in

paraded

spent the time

past

misconduct,

deadly fear for his own

recalled

in

his father's

life.

express

declaration that " Sovereignty does not re-

gard the relation of father and son

it

is

said

king

should

and

deem no one


Nur-Mahaly Empress of Hindustan
his

Kingship

relation."

knows

241

no

kin-

ship.

much

Jahangir always evinced "too

in

delight

blood," and his violence was often due to

intoxication

time

"

by wine or opium.

took to wine drinking," he

From

from day to day took more and more,

it

had no

drinking
I

upon me, and

effect

drank

Finally, he

in

spirit,

nor

fourteen of

the day, and six at night."

"

(and courageous) physician.

years

until

resorted to

was warned to stop by a

was good, and

and

In the course of nine years

spirits.

got up to twenty cups of

which

that

says, "

life

was dear

faithful

His advice

and for

fifteen

have kept to six cups, neither more

Opium took

less."

abandoned

Two

cups.

the

place

of

the

of his brothers died

from drunkenness.
In spite of

many

excellent,

character.

this

dark picture, there are

even admirable,

He was

traits in his

self-indulgent and capri-

cious, rather than deliberately vicious.

very

first

act of his reign

"chain of justice"

in

was

to set

his palace at

The
up the

Agra

a golden chain sixty feet long, reaching from

16

The Mogul Emperors

242

On

the ground to his chamber.

were sixty golden

bells,

this chain

and a suitor

for

justice could call the emperor's attention to

claim without the

his

any

intervention of

person.*

His Memoirs, from which

have already

quoted, are addressed to his sons and

ciples,

and begin thus

" First, let

them know

and that the

eternal,
it

dis-

that the world

less care

not

they have for

Act towards your

the better.

is

inferiors as

you wish that your

superiors

towards you."

clear that the Jesuits

of

Goa had

It

is

mark

left their

* The idea was not original.

established

the

for

(a.d. 1211) at Delhi,

same end.

should act

and indeed he

The drums

of

Humayun were
Altamsh,

Sultan Shamsu-d-din

" made an order that any man who suffered

from injustice should wear colored clothes.

Now

all

the inhabit-

ants of India wear white clothes, so that whenever he rode abroad

and saw any one

in a

and took means

to render

(even) with this plan,

night,

and

colored dress he inquired into his grievance,

and

him

said,

justice.
*

But he was not

Some men

wish to give them redress.'

So he placed

of his palace two marble lions on two pedestals.

iron chains

round

their necks

it

at the

These

from which hung great

victim of injustice came at night and rung the

Sultan heard

satisfied

suffer injustice in the

bell,

lions

bells.

door

had

The

and when the

he inquired into the case and gave satisfaction to

the complainant."


Ntir-Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

was wonderfully tolerant

of

243

religions,

all

although he did not (openly) go so far

this direction

"

as his father.

No

kine was

ever more generous and kind to beggars

to

mendicants

religious

-fakirs

in

or

"

or

more

anxious for new light from holy men.

Jahangir had been born

famous Muslim

by
"

the house of a

in

and was

saint,

his

name

famous place of worship

(Selim).

neighborhood," he says, "and

in

it

at first called

in

is

went

this

to see

the possible chance of meeting

some

fakir from whose society

might derive

man

is

as rare as the

advantage

but such a

philosopher's stone, and

all

that

saw was

a small fraternity without any knowledge of

God, the sight of

whom

filled

my

heart with

nothinor
o but reorret."
o

He
court,

from

encouraged

and was lavish

his

Sundays).
art,

all

sorts of learning at his

in

distribution of alms

audience window every week (on

He was

and devoted

to

fond of architecture and

the beauties of natural

scenery and flowers, even childishly

his

way

to

so.

On

Kashmir the army marched along

Mogul Einperors

^-^^

244

a river bed, " and the oleander bushes were

in

full

bloom, and of exquisite color, like

peach-blossoms.
to bind

bunches of the flowers

bans, and

that

"it

goes on,

such that

sio^ht

take one's eyes off

As

the

air

drinking wine.

amazingly on
It

is

was

He

it."

indulged myself

In short,

enjoyed myself

march,"

this

surprising to us to meet this appre-

ciation of nature in the

it is

it

was very charming

(and the flowers beautiful),

in

in their tur-

the flowers were so beauti-

was a

impossible to
"

attendants

thus devised a beautiful garden."

At another camp
ful

my

ordered

Mogul

character, but

Chengiz-Khan, that

a genuine quality.

bloodthirsty savage, in describing a spot in

Tartary,

says,

" It

is

a beautiful

grazing

o-round for roebucks, and a charmino- restino;

place for an old

man

"

as he then was.

the Moguls, nature was beautiful, but

it

To
was

something outside of themselves the Greeks

;

felt

themselves a part of

it.

Jahangir goes on to say, " Kashmir

delightful country in the seasons of

and of spring.

visited

it

is

autumn

and found

it

Ntir-Mahal, E^nprcss of Hindustan

even more charming than

There

no other place

is

saffron

is

245

had anticipated.

the world where

in

The

abundantly cultivated.

so

sometimes two miles

fields of saffron are

and they look very beautiful

length,

distance.

It

has such

a strong

people get a headache from

Kashmirians whether

it

that

asked the

had any such

upon them, and was surprised by

at a

smell
I

it.

in

effect

their reply,

which was, that they did not even know

what headache was."

land

no

"The

surface of

so covered with green that

is

carpet

place was

be

to
full

spread

of wonders,

upon

it

the

requires

The

it."

and they showed

the sceptical king a fountain of "unfathomable depth."

He

ordered

sounded by a

it

stone and a rope, and the depth turned out

to be nine feet.

He was
manly

sports,

mighty hunter,* brave, fond of

devoted and affectionate to his

friends, always providing that

their actions

did not affect the safety or welfare

state,
*

He

and again rHat cctait

had

v/ild boars.

killed eighty-six tigers with his

hii;

of

the

and cruel

own hand, and

ninety

The Mogul Emperors

246

and vindictive

deeply attached to his

of the

"

How

can

his

Her

that she

my

youth.

me

that

for

and

me was

such

affection for

not care to

did

It

is

be

did

not care to eat or

recorded, also, and

is

it

very

Nur-Mahal had
"

Before

never knew the real meaning

of marriage."

upon

For four

live.

true, that after

married her,

to her in

effect

empress he declared,

his

She was

was married

Her death had such an

likely to

become

her excellence

one hair of mine.

and

bride,

days and nights

drink."

Amber, and

of

would have given a thousand sons

ransom
first

the daughter

rebellious son Khosrou.

describe

good nature?
as a

first wife,

Rajah Bhagwan Das

mother of

the

He was

the contrary case.

in

The

Persian

woman was made

of different clay from the daughters of the

Rajput princes.

These extracts from

a

picture

of

the

his

own

capricious

sayings give

despot

who

succeeded to the just and benevolent Akbar.

Professor Dowson, the editor of Elliott's

History of India as told by

its

oivn

His to-

Nur-Mahal, Empress of Hmdustan

made

rzans, has

247

a calm estimate of Jahanglr's

character.

The autobiography proves Jahangir to

have been a man of no common ability. He
"

records

weaknesses and

his

faults with candor,

confesses

and a perusal of

this

his

work

alone would leave a favorable impression of

and

character

his

talents.

He was

fond

of jewels, of flowers, of architecture, a lover

a mighty hunter.

nature,

of

have been

was sober

just,
;

He

seems to

and even generous, when he

but even as prince-royal he was

noted for his ruthless punishments when he

was

in his cups."

Such

was

the

king

who

received

the

sovereignty of India from the dying Akbar,

and who then

all

"

began to win the hearts of

the people and to rearrange the withered

world."

While he

he had seen

young

girl of

in

was

yet

crown-prince,

the women's

apartments a

remarkable beauty for

whom

he formed a passionate attachment.

was

Mihrunnisa,

afterwards

This

Nur-Mahal.

Her mother found means to lay

before Akbar, who remonstrated

the

with

case
his


The Mogul Emperors

248
son,

and who, the better to guard against a

mesalliance, married the girl to one

own

officers, Shir- Afghan- Khan,

his

whom

on

bestowed a government

in distant

The newly wedded

departed

pair

of

he

Bengal.
their

to

government, and the prince was duly married

and

to the grand-daughter of a great rajah,

became a power

in

the state, warring and

making war, sometimes

on

own account

his

The grandfather

for his father, oftener

in rebellion.

of

Nur-Mahal had been

wazir to the governor of Khorassan.

In

circumstances

his

consequence of adverse

son Mirza Ghiyas Beg set out for

stan to

retrieve his fortunes.

His caravan

was plundered, and he was reduced

poverty.

When

Hindu-

to abject

he reached Kandahar,

in

year 1585, his wife was delivered of a

child,

Mihrunnisa

the

sun

of

afterwards called Nur-Mahal.

had

their condition

become

was exposed on the highway

of the chief

took

girl

Vv'omen

So desperate
that the infant

to perish.

One

merchants of the caravan, see-

ing the beauty of the child, and

pity,

the

her up and

moved by

resolved to educate

Nur-Mahal, ETnpress of Hindustan

own

her as his

to seek for a nurse,

nurse

in

care was

and the only available

relation thus strangely brought

about was the turning point

When

first

the party was, naturally, the child's

The

mother.

His

daughter.

249

they

reached the

their career.

in

Fathpur,

city of

Ghiyas Beg was presented to the Emperor

Akbar, and

in

he was raised

a short time

to the office of superintendent of the house-

and the fortunes of the family were

hold,

made.
"

He was

considered

and

skilful

ing

business.

both

exceedingly clever

in

writinor

He

had

and

in transact-

studied

the

old

poetry, and had a nice appreciation of

the

meaning

of words,

bold and elegant"

and

accomplishments

commend him

would

" His leisure

and

which

emperor.

the

to

moments were devoted

study of poetry and style

osity

handwriting was

his

to the

his gener-

and beneficence to the poor were such

that no one ever turned disappointed from

his

door."

He was

prosperity, and

to the

full.

on

improved

the hio-h

road

to

his opportunities

"In the taking

of

bribes

he

The Mogul Emperors

250

most uncompromising and

certainly was
less "

His

wife, too,

was a woman

fear-

of note.

Jahangir relates that she invented attar of

roscs.^

"

ing the

oil

She conceived the idea

rose-water

which
is

also,

heated, and the

The

and

fine

needlework,

son Asaf-Khan rose

under the succeeding

the

In

tomb

64

said,

and

Their

also.

prime minister

and no subject of

reign,

of the

he died, and was buried near

Emperor

His palace

ter.

be

the arts

in

king ever enjoyed a like pros-

Indian

perity.

to

daughter,

it is

she wrote a few Persian poems

an

was found

oil

was unusually accomplished

of painting

when

rises to the surface

be a powerful perfume."

to

of collect-

lion dollars,

in

Jahangir, his mas-

Lahore had

and the jewels,

plate,

which he

left

were valued

millions.

His

daughter

at

cost a mil-

and money

over twelve

Arjamand

(after-

wards Mumtaz-i-Mahal) married the Prince

Khurram (afterwards Shah Jahan).

In the
died,

first

wife had

and he had ascended the throne.

* Anfar, an
roses,

meantime Jahangir's

however.

Arab novel

of the eighth century, mentions

In

adar of

"

Nur- Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

the

first

251

year of his reign he sent his foster-

Kutbu-d-Din to Bengal as viceroy,

brother

and charged him with a mission to procure

the divorce of Nur-Mahal and to send her to
Details regarding

him.

are not known, but

it

these

is

negotiations

certain

that

they

were received with anger by Shir-Afghan,

her husband

and probably Nur-Mahal never

heard of them at

all.

At

all

events, she

appears to have been sincerely attached to

her

first

husband.

In the second year of the reign, the vice-

having received commands to send Shir-

roy,

Afghan
his

to court,

government.

made an
The men

official

of

to

visit

the

viceroy

crowded around Shir-Afghan, who had only

two attendants, and who asked

what

this

kind of proceeding meant.

viceroy ordered his

engaged

men

to stand apart,

in a conversation in which,

the desires of the

clared,

" quietly

The
and

no doubt,

emperor were again de-

and a promise of immunity given

case the husband should prove

complaisant.

However

this

may

docile

in

and

be, the out-

raged noble immediately killed the viceroy

The Mogiil Emperors

252

with a dagger which he had concealed, and

was himself

once cut to pieces by the

at

viceroy's troops.*

The

future empress

was attached

and

to Agra,

the suite of the

empress

Jahangir was sorely distressed by

dowager.
the death
cause,

to

was sent

of

foster-brother

his

Nur-Mahal seems

and

such

in

to

have

re-

pulsed his offer of marriage with disgust, and

have made the emperor forget

to

her.

"She

remained some time without notice."

"

some time

"

This

must have been about four

was not

until the sixth year (a.d.

years, for

it

161

the reign that "the days of mis-

of

fortune drew to a close, and the stars of her

* One of the historians
ently.

He

likely),

but managed

intending to

hands.
to

him

kill

not killed outright (which

is

un-

his wife rather than to let her fall into Jahangir's

that his wife

to the

differ-

drag himself to the door of his house,

Nur-Mahal's mother would not

herself into a well.

went

to

end of Shir-Afghan

relates the

says that Shir was

let

him

enter,

and declared

had already committed suicide by throwing

" Having heard the sad news, Shir-Afghan

heavenly mansions."

stories is appropriate here

The Muslim comment on such

Allah knows

remarks of Shir-Afghan's death in

his

if this

Memoirs

be true.

Jahangir

that he hopes

"the

black-faced wretch will forever remain in hell," which seems cruel

and

in

keeping with his character.

Nur- Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

good fortune commenced

wake

as

bride's

and to

to shine,

were from a deep

it

253

The

"

sleep."

chamber was prepared, the bride was

Hope

decorated, and desire began to arise.

was happy.

key was found

closed

for

doors, a restorative for broken hearts

on a certain

New

and

Year's festival she (again)

attracted the love and affection of the king."

Thus lamely does the native chronicler recite

" She was soon made the favorthe history.
She received at
ite wife of his majesty.
first the title of Nur- Mahal {the light of the
palace), and after some days that of NurJahan-Begam

queen, the

{the

light

of the

world)"

Up

had led the usual

to this time she

life

of an Oriental lady of rank, hidden from the

eyes of men, and having only an occult

ence upon the petty

ernment.

At one

personage

in India,

influ-

affairs of a small

gov-

became the

chief

step she
"

All her relatives were

elevated to the highest offices of the state.

Her

father

became prime

minister,

and the

king and his relatives were thus deprived of

all

power.

Nur- Mahal managed the whole

Mogul Emperors

'^^^

254
of

affairs

realm, and

the

honors of every

description were at her disposal, and nothing

was wanting to make her an absolute monarch,

except reading the Khutba *

The

name."

abandoned

Persian

the desert

in

veritable ruler of

"

twenty- six years old.

another

Day by

No

She was granted the

She would

in

sit

By

struck

order of

to it

under her

seal.

the balcony of her palace

(as to a king) and

superscription

and dignity

rights of sovereignty.

while the nobles would

Coin was

day," says

grant of land was bestowed

upon any woman, except

added

She was now

historian, " her influence

increased.

her

had become the

India.

all

in

who had been

child

present
to

listen

in

themselves

her dictates.

name with

her

this

Kin^ Jahangir,

.gold

has a hundred splendors

by receiving the impression of the

name of Nur-Jahan

the queen.

"

She signed

king.

At

last

all

/armans

jointly with the

her authority reached such a

pitch that the king

* The

was such only

official

prayers.

in

name.

Nur- Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

255

"She commands and governs

day

at this

harem with supreme

in the king's

authority,

having cunningly removed out of the harem,

by marriage or other handsome ways,

either

women who might

the other

all

jealousy

many

and having also

alterations

almost

own

were

made

by deposing and displacing

to dignities other

and

of

alliance."

time the

this

new ones

and particularly those

creatures,

of her blood

By

the court

the old captains and officers, and

all

by advancing
her

in

give her any

affairs of

in excellent shape,

the

kingdom

and the self-indulgent

Jahangir laughed and said that he had be-

stowed the government on the most competent.

As

and meat.
the

for himself,

When

he asked only wine

he was

physicians (who

ill

he dismissed

were indeed of small

account), and depended only on the empress,

"

whose

theirs.

sense
" It

is

and

experience

impossible

to

"

exceeded

describe

beauty and wisdom of the queen

in

matter that was presented to her,

if

culty arose she immediately solved

it."

was benevolent

to

all,

protecting

the

any
diffi-

She

some from

The Mogul Entpero7's

256

tyranny, and
"

portioning penniless orphans.

She won golden opinions from

The

greatest of

all

people."

all

her benefits was

in

modi-

fying the tyrannical and capricious conduct

of

tlie

own

emperor, and

in

introducing by her

and good

intelligence

aided

in

powerfully

taste,

the wise conduct of state affairs by

now wazir, something like a

steady polic3^
The affairs of the kingdom
her

father,

were prosperous
attainable
taste

was

easily

through Jahangir's good nature

The

tact.

bestowed

justice of a sort

the court was magnificent by her

liberal

and her

on

justly her

praise which has been

another

due.

''

Indian

is

She was endowed with

every princely virtue, and those

nize her actions

Sultana,*

most severely

who
will

scruti-

find in

her no fault but that she was a woman."

had

Jahangir
eldest,
in

had been

disgrace.

four
in

sons

Khosrou,

the

open rebellion and was

His father had always disliked

him, but the people attributed his exclusion

from the court to the

Khan and

the empress.

influence

He

of

Asaf-

died suddenly

* Rezia Bec;um, circa a.d. 1240.

Nui'-Mahal, Empress of Hindiistan

"of a

colic,"

while

brother Shah Jahan, at

emperor was
uted

(very

ill

and

when the

a time

his death

falsely)

likely

custody of his

the

in

257

to

was

attrib-

keeper.

his

Prince Parwiz, the second son, was a brave

more.

Shah

Jahan had shown very high military

talents,

and dissipated

soldier,

and

little

He

and had obtained great successes.

and was

married a niece of Nur-Mahal's,"

sustained

at

court

powerful influence

this

(at

and

had

time)

by her

for this reason,

and

because of his marked talent for government,

he was the favorite of

To

his father.

all

people, even to the greatest nobles, he was

cold and haughty.

"

He

was

by

flattered

some, envied by others, loved by none."

The youngest son of Jahangir was Prince

Shahriyar, who was affianced to the daughter
who was born to Nur-Mahal of her alliance
with the unfortunate Shir-Afghan-Khan,
to the time of their

engagement, Nur-Mahal

* His favorite wife was Arjamand, better

Mahal

(the exalted of

many

known

as Mumtaz-i-

the palace), the daughter of

the niece consequently of Nur-Mahal.

at her death, in

1630, she

Up

was buried

She was born

in the

sons and daughters to Shah Jahan.

Asaf-Khan
in 1590,

and

Taj-Mahal; she bore

The Mogul Emperors

258

had been a strong partisan of Shah Jahan.

But

had made him overbearing,

his success

and the empress began

never mould him to her

could

Her

to reaHze that

she

purposes.

was thus transferred

to

the

cause of Shahriyar, where her interest

lay.

At

influence

very juncture the father of Nur-

this

Mahal

which was

died,

all

the

more

unfor-

tunate, as the contentions of the princes

among

of their various partisans

began

nobles

be

to

brother Azaf-Khan,

who became prime minwas

stead,

ister

in

weak

to master events, which

The power

to worse.
daily,

and

if

must be done

Mahal

were

it

of

far

too

went from

ill

Shah Jahan grew

to be

curbed

at

all, it

Accordingly Nur-

once.

at

high

Her

troublesome.

father's

his

the

and

cast about for a general

who should

be devoted to her cause, to lead the imperial

armies.

Her eye

one of the

was a

crreat

saiyid, a

of high family.
(if

we

are

to

" directly to the

fell

upon Mahabet-Khan,

nobles.

Mahabet-Khan

descendant of the Prophet,

His lineage
believe

is

to

one of

prophet Moses."

be traced

his

family)

Mahabet-

Nur-Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

Khan

in

259

youth entered the service of

his

Jahangir, then crown-prince, and

became a

prime favorite with him by (treacherously)

murdering a Hindu rajah who stood

prince's way.

Thomas Roe

Sir

in

calls

the

him,

however, a noble and generous man, well

beloved by

men

all

and he had

the most eminent of

general,

all

accompanied

risen to be

This

the nobles.

for

time

by

the

emperor, and later by Prince Parwiz, drove

Shah Jahan away from the vicinity of Agra

and into the Deccan and so thorough was
Shah Jahan's defeat that Jahangir felt at
;

liberty to go, for

two successive summers, to

Kashmir,

The emperor had

and docile son

much

father

by

Akbar, and had given his

and anxiety by

pain

opposition.
ten-fold

to

not been a very loyal

All this was returned

conduct of his

the

Shah Jahan.
him by name

Jahangir

him "the wretch."

word

'

is

wretch

'

referred to."

occurs here,
"

to

open

him

own son

does not mention

in parts of his

calls

his

Memoirs, but

"Whenever

the

my

who

it

is

The pen cannot

son

describe

The Mogul Emperors

26o

what

have done for him, nor the anxiety

and grief which oppress me during the (miHtary) marches which

pursuit of

in

The

him who

is

am obHged
no longer

my

son."

Mahabet-Khan

connection of

close

make

to

with Prince Parwiz led to the fear that he

would endeavor

the

and

was

it

resolved

court,

to deprive

But

life.

him

with

warriors

" to

bring

him

of honor, property,

had

he

Asaf-Khan's

him

cleverly

and

designs,

to disgrace,

through

had

brought

four,

or

five

thousand

united

in

one

cause."

abiding place of

bank

Rajput

He

been

built.

Asaf-Khan,

of

so brave

heedless
left

of

to

"

The

where a bridge

Mahabet-Khan with
the

also

court

at

this

his

bridge.

notwithstanding the presence

and daring an enemy, was so

the

him on that

children

"

emperor was on the

of the River Behat,

army came
"

the

and

seen

brought with him the war-elephants.

had

ruin

to

Accordingly Asaf-Khan recalled him

him.
to

and

throne,

the

upon

place this prince

to

emperor's

safety,

that

he

side of the river with the

and women.

He

sent

over also

Nur- Mahal, Empress of Hindtistan

261

arms,

etc.,

the baggage, the

the

treasure,

Mahabet-Khan

even to the very domestics.

perceived
stake,

at

friend

that

his

Hfe

and

that

he

He

court."

at

had

not

were

a single

resolved on

bold

With about two hundred Rajputs

stroke.

at the chief entrance

he suddenly appeared

Let us quote the account

to the royal tents.

of

and honor

one of the royal household who was an

"

eye-witness.

Mahabet-Khan rode

door of the state room and

then went
exclaimed,

exceeds

He

'

did

in

alio-hted.

my

simplicity

This presumption and temerity

bounds.

all

moment,

and

forward,

the

to

go

will

not

If

in

trouble

you

will

wait

and make a report.

himself

to

answer,"

down a board partition.

The emperor came out from behind
it,
and seated himself.
The Khan ap"

His attendants tore

proached

him

respectfully,

and

said,

'

have assured myself that escape from the

hatred of Asaf-Khan
I

shall

is

be put to death

impossible, and that

in

shame,

have

therefore boldly and presumptuously thrown

myself on your

Majesty's protection.

If

The Mogul Emperors

262

death

deserve
order,

that

punishment,

or

may

suffer

give

your pres-

in

it

the

ence.

But

it

was

for the

Khan

flocked

for his troops

in,

to

make

terms,

and the emperor

was a prisoner without a blow.

Jahangir

was wild with

instantly

controlled

but almost

rage,

and began that course

himself,

of dissimulation which led to his release in

He

consented to ride out before

the troops on

an elephant to the hunting-

the end.

ground, and was then forced to go to the

Khan's quarters.

All

time

this

Khan had taken no thought

and he determined to make
" But,

also.

thinking that

as
his

of

Mahabet-

Nur-Mahal,

her a prisoner

happened, Nur-Mahal,

it

Majesty

had gone

out

hunting, took the opportunity to pass over

the

to

river

Asaf-Khan.

"

pay a

visit

to

Mahabet-Khan

her

brother

bitterly

pented of the blunder he had made

in

re-

not

securing her at once, and he proceeded with

the emperor
riyar,

to the house of Prince

where they spent the

" After

Shah-

night.

Nur-Mahal had crossed the

river,

"

Nur-Mahal; Empress of Hindustan

summoned

she

the chief nobles, and ad-

all

dressed them in reproachful terms.

she said,

'

This,'

has happened through your neg-

and

lect

263

What

arrangements.*

stupid

never entered into the imagination of any

one has come to pass, and now you stand

stricken with

shame

must do your best

The

for

You

your conduct.

to repair this evil.'

bridge had been destroyed, and the

nobles resolved to pass the river at a ford,

and

to give battle to the rebel.

The
was

ford was a bad one, and everything

whose

"

confusion.

in

account

crossed one

is

the

(says

quoted

branch of the

officer

had

above)
river,

standing on the brink of the

and was

other, watch-

At this time
an officer of the empress came and said,
The Begam wants to know if this is a
ing the working of destiny.

'

time

for

delay

boldly forward.'"
the press,

in

It is

Khan.

and

irresolution.

The empress

Strike

herself

was

mounted on an elephant, and

impossible not to suspect treachery on the part of Asaf-

Though Nur-Mahal was

wife of Shah Jahan.

his

sister, his

daughter was the

The Mogul Emperors

264

opposite

reached the

nearly

was defended by swarms

attendant in the

howdah was wounded, and

with

the

not

was a brave and

skil-

who had

hunter

single

shot.*

forced

to

defeated.

This could

blood.

affright her, for she

ful

Her

of Rajputs.

pulled out the arrow and was

the empress

covered

which

shore,

However,

turn

back,

Asaf-Khan

timers

killed

was

she

and

with a
at

last

army was

the

fled to his fort,

which

was invested and captured, and Asaf bound

Khan.

Mahabet-

support the cause of

himself to

The emperor and

mained prisoners

re-

Khan, who gave

the

of

Nur-Mahal

orders in their name.

"

His majesty,

and

gentleness,-)-

*In

to

was a

tiger in tlie

be surrounded.

smell of the tiger

stand
feat.

has

still;

and

made

to take

told

read: "

My

neighborhood.

Nur-Jahan

huntsmen reported
ordered his retreat

to fire

my

musket.

The

the elephant very restless and he would not

good aim from a howdah

is

a very

difficult

Mirza Rustam, who, after me, has no equal as a marksman,

fired three or

four shots from an elephant's back without effect.

Nur-Jahan, however, killed

f

great good nature,

his

own Memoirs we

Jahangir's

that there

in

had now become reconciled

this tiger

with the

Which, beyond a doubt, were assumed.

first

shot."

Nur-Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

to

265

Mahabet-Khan, and showed him great

favor, so that he

felt

quite secure on that

side.

Whatever Nur-Mahal

peror

in

and he bade him beware,

some

Besides, he had lost

and public."

less watchful.

of his best soldiers

She suggested

to the

to order a review of the troops,

was an over-lord

as she

had a design

Nur-Mahal worked against him

in the fight.

emperor

for she

Mahabet became

upon him.

em-

he repeated to the Khan,

private,

in private

said to the

and

of a district near by,

she mustered a formidable array of cavalry

devoted to her cause.

The

review was held, and Mahabet-Khan

was prevailed upon

many

own

of his

to absent

himself with

troops, lest blood should be

His weakness induced him to

again shed.

accede, and he left the emperor surrounded

by only a portion

of his

Rajputs.

At the

review, the cavalry of the empress pressed

close

around

this

guard and overawed

it,

and

once more the emperor was his own master

saved

by

his

own

crafty dissimulation

by the more manly energy

and

of the empress.

Mahabet-Khan received peremptory orders

The Mogul Emperors

266
to

march

at

once against Shah Jahan, and to

He

send Asaf-Khan back to court.

hesitated

to obey the latter order, " which greatly en-

Beeam," who sent him a second

rasfed the

message which cowed him, and which was

He

promptly obeyed.

set off

on

his

journey

with about two thousand troops, and joined

his fortunes with Prince

Shah Jahan, whom

he had been sent to destroy.

It

was

at this very time that Prince

died in " a heavy sleep."

Parwiz

illness

was

attributed to excessive drinking, but, as

Mu-

His

hammadans say in doubtful cases, " Allah

Poisonings were
knows if this be true."
suspected
of

in

this reign as freely as in that

XIV

Louis

France, a century

later.

the custody of his brother

Shah

He was

in

Jahan.

The

of

twenty-second year of the reign

had now begun.

of Jahangir

all-powerful, but

the forces

were increasing.

came

ill,

and was obliged

ease,

fell

the

ill,

of

Shah Jahan

Sultan Shahriyar also beto leave

where the emperor had gone.

himself

Nur-Mahal was

Kashmir,

The emperor

with a return of his old

asthma.

He

dis-

refused wine, and

Nur-Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

rapidly

267

grew worse, and died October

28,

1627, at the age of fifty-nine years.

Shah Jahan was his designated successor,

but Nur-Mahal clung to the vain idea of
retaining the reins of government which she

had held so long, and intrigued

Sultan

Shahriyar to rebel.

to

cause

The sons

of

Shah Jahan were still in the female apartments with Nur-Mahal, but they "were not
safe with

her,"

and they were accordingly

removed from her charge.

1628,

all

By February,

obstacles had been removed, and on

the 6th of that

month Shah Jahan ascended

the throne after Shahriyar had been captured

and
"

blinded.'^

Thus had he (through

a sea of blood

attained the highest post and dignity of the

* Shahriyar was the most beautiful of

when he was troubled with

by Mukawab Khan.

all

the princes.

Once

a severe pain in his eyes, he was cured

The emperor heard

of his cure and cynically

remarked, that no doubt his eyes would remain entirely well until
they were put out by his brothersas indeed came to pass.
To
insure a safe

title to

the throne,

Shah Jahan

felt

obliged to do away

with the sons of his brothers Khosrou, Parwiz, Daniel, and Morad.
All these were executed and buried at Lahore, and their heads
sent
to

Shah Jahan.

the throne.

His reign was not troubled by

rival claimants to


The Alogul Emperors

2 68

Eastern world, surrounded with delights and

guarded by a power,

When

sistable."

his conceiving, unre-

In

Herbert wrote

this

(in

1638) the favorite Mumtaz-i- Mahal had been

dead eight years, and

was rumored he had

it

taken her daughter to wife, " incest of so

high nature that that yeare his whole empire

was wounded with God's arrowes of plague,

pestilence,

and famine,

this

thousand yeares

before never so terrible."

Nur-Mahal's influence was now completely

name

gone, and her

her death
respect,

in

1645."

not again heard of

is

till

She was treated with

and received a handsome income

ninety-four thousand dollars (two lacs) a year

as empress-dowager.

She wore no color but

white after the emperor's death, abstained

from
*

and appeared to

entertainments,

all

At the age of

sixty years.

Professor Blochmann

(p.

510) says

she died at Lahore in a.h. 1055 at the age of seventy-two.

{Agra Guide) has the same remark.

to have

been A.D. 1585.

Akbar was

Keene

believe the date of her birth

in

the

Penjab directing the

campaigns against Kashmir and the Afghans during 15S6 and

1587.

It

was

at this time, I think, that

was presented
Historians, vol.

to the
vi., p.

emperor
404.)

in the

the father of
city

Nur-Mahal

of Fathpur.

{Native

Nur-Mahal, Empress of Hindustan

devote her

life

entirely to the

husband.

She

is

buried

in

memory

tomb

at

269
of her

Lahore,

near Jahangir.
It

almost

is

impossible

compare the

to

career and talents of an Asiatic and a West-

ern

The

ruler.

circumstances

and our familiar standards

unlike,

utterly

are
fail.

Bad,

weak, and cruel as Jahangir was, he does not

seem more despicable than James I. of England, for example, who was his contemporary.

His empress was unsuccessful

her plans, where no

skill

in

wisdom would

or

have prevailed, while Elizabeth of England

succeeded

in

her policy.

contemporaries of the

If

While she

Mahal was the greatest

if

we

are forced to

to the great Elizabeth for a

comparison even.

Asia,

We

think of the

empress,

Indian

shall not find her equal.

go back

we

lived,

personage

not in the whole world.

term of
Nurin

all

The Mogul Einperors

270

CHAPTER

VII

SHAH JAHAN AND AURANGZEB, EMPERORS OF

HINDUSTAN (a.D. 1628-1658 AND A.D.
1658-I707)

The

reigns
in

Bernier, a

man no

gives

princes

a famous work by

recounted

Thomas

two

these

of

Monsieur

less intelligent than Sir

Roe.

are

preface

some small account

of

to

his

him.

volume

Mon-

"

sieur Bernier, after he had benefited himself

for

many

years by the converse of the famous

Gassendi, and had seen

him expire

in

his

arms, succeeded him in his knowledge, and

inherited his opinions and discoveries, (then)

embarked

for Egypt, stayed

above a whole

year at Cairo, and took the occasion of some

Indian vessels to pass to Surat, and abode

twelve

years

Mogul.
merit the

at

His

the

of

the

Great

prudent conduct made him

esteem of

Fazel-Khan,

court

who

his

since

is

generous master,

become the

first

SHAH JAHAN

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

minister of that great

empire, to

271

whom

he

taught the principal languages of Europe,

he had translated for him the whole

after

philosophy of Gassendi from the Latin, and

whose leave he could not obtain to go home

till he had eot for him a select number of

European books, thereby

our best

to sup-

ply the loss he should suffer of his person.

Never a

traveller

went from home

more

capable to observe, nor hath written with

more knowledge, candor, and

And

after

this

Surat in the year 1655.

who
that

the

preface

begins by reciting

Bernier

"

integrity."

his

history

of

arrival

at

found that he

reigned there was called Shah Jahan,

is

to say, king of the world.

the tenth of those

He was

who were descended from

Tamerlane, which signifieth the lame prince,

who married

his

near kinswoman, the only

daughter of the prince of the nations of

Great

Tartary,

(thus)

communicated

stranorers

that

called

Moguls, who have

their

name

to

now govern Hindustan,

the
the

country of the Indians, though those that

are

employed

in public

charges and

ofifices,

The Mogul Emperors

272

and even those that are

listed in the militia,

be (from) nations gathered out of

all

coun-

most of them Persians, some Arabians,

tries,

and some Turks."

"

found also at

my

Shah

arrival that this

Jahan, of above seventy years of age, had

four sons

and two

daughters

some

that

years since he had made these four sons

vice-kings, or governors of
it

provinces

was almost a year that he was

a great sickness, whence

that

fallen into

was believed he

it

would never recover; which had occasioned

a

orreat

(all

division amono- these four brothers

empire), and had

laying claim to the

kindled

about

among them

five

a war which

years, and which

lasted

design here to

describe."

We

cannot follow the very intelligent nar-

Aurangzeb,

rative of Bernier of the rise of

one of the four sons,

compactly

which
is

is

set

forth

in

a larre book of

to

power.

the

original

itself.

The

is

work,

intricjue

so close and constant that the narrative

can scarcely bear condensation.

to

This

my

purpose to give

in Bernier's

It

is

more

own words

Shah Jahan and Aiirangzcb

some

of the Incidents of

He

sonal knowledge.

273

which he had per-

was

at this court In

the quality of a physician under salary from

one of the great lords who was, he

most knowing man

Asia."

In

be necessary to name the children

It will

of the king

"

The

eldest of these four sons

was

called Dara, that

was

called Sultan-Sujah, that

prince
zeb,

name

the

which

throne

Bakche, as

the

the

of

Darius

eldest

Begum-Saheb, that

is,

is,

the second
the valiant

was Aurang-

ornament

fourth

you should

If

The

plished.

is,

of the third

signifies

that

says, " the

was

of

the

Morad-

say, desire

accom-

daughter was

called

the mistress princess;

and the youngest, Rauchenara-Begum, which

is

as

much

as bright princess, or the splendor

of princesses."

Here

is

Bernier's penetrating estimate of

the character of the

tyrants
in

"

good

exceeding

members

of this nest of

Dara, the eldest son, wanted not

qualities.
civil

and

He

was

liberal,

gallant, witty,

but entertained

so good an opinion of his person that he was

intolerant of

all

counsel, so that even those

Mogul Emperors

^-^^^

74

most affectionate

to

him were shy

in

anger and affronted

Though he was

even the greatest nobles.

Muhammadan

in public,

a mere heathen

in

laxness

turned

much

against

and

is

it

Hindus and

religion

in

he was, probably,

private,

that he encouraged both

This

dis-

He was

covering secret intrigues to him.

extremely passionate

of

was

certain
Jesuits.

afterwards

his advantaofe

in

the

struorofles for the throne." *

" Sultan-Sujah, the

second son, was much

humor of Dara, but he was more close

and more settled, and had better conduct and
of the

dexterity."
"

Aurangzeb, the third brother, had not

that

Dara

gallantry
;

nor surprising

presence

of

he appeared more serious and melan-

was much more

judicious,

understanding the world very well.

He was

choly, and, indeed,

reserved,

crafty,

dissembling

and exceedingly versed

in

inasmuch that for a long while

* Dara's adherents were chiefly Hindus, and the prince translated the Upanishads from Sanscrit into Persian.
Miiller

the

makes

basis

of

Professor

the curious remark that Dara's Persian version

the

Latin

declares that his system

is

translation

founded.

Max
was

upon which Schopenhauer

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

275

he made profession to be {2^ fakir, renouncing the world, and feigning not to pretend at
to the crown, but to desire to pass his life

all

in

In the mean-

prayer and other devotions.

time he failed not to

with dexterity,

had the
tion of
"

skill to

art,

make

maintain himself

Shah Jahan,

He

and secrecy.
in

also

the affec-

his father."

Morad-Bakche, the youngest of

the least dextrous and

He

a party at court

the

least

all,

was

judicious.

cared for nothing but mirth and pastime,

to drink, hunt

and

liberal,

and shoot

he was very

and

bragged

in his

arm and

despised cabals,

openly that he trusted only

civil

sword."
"
est,

Concerning the two daughters, the

eld-

Begum-Saheb, was very beautiful and a

great wit, passionately beloved of her father.

It

was even rumored that he loued her to

that degree as

is

hardly to be imagined.

had given her charge to watch over

and

to

table,

have an eye to

all

that

and she knew perfectly

to

He

his safety

came

to his

manage

his

humor, and to bend him as she pleased.

She stuck

entirely to

Dara, and

espoused

The Mogul Emperors

276

cordially his part, because he

had promised

come

her that so soon as he should

crown he would
which

is

(find a

husband for her)

almost never practiced

Indostan"

in

were so

(as the royal princesses

to the

rank

far in

above any subjects).

Bernier relates one of the adventures of
as " they are not

amours

like

ours, but attended with events dreadful

and

this princess,

tragical."

It

appears that she received one

of her lovers into her apartments,

and

that,

Shah Jahan was about to enter, she had

nowhere to conceal him except in one of the
as

larore

hot-water caldrons

The emperor

feigned

made
see

to

after a long visit sternly

till

Her

"

the

man was

a fire

and did not

dead.

Rauchenara-Begum,

sister,

in.

nothing, but

commanded

to be built beneath the bath,

leave

to bathe

never

passed for so handsome and witty as Begum-

Saheb, but she was not

less

cheerful,

and

comely enough, and hated pleasures no more

than

her sister

but

she

addicted herself

wholly to Aurangzeb, and consequently declared herself an

enemy

to

Begum-Saheb and

Shah Jahan

Aurangzeb

Mumtaz-I- Mahal, their

Dara."

to

ajid

had been dead

some

for

277
mother,

and was buried

years,

She

her glorious tomb, the Taj-Mahal.

in

died in giving birth to the younger

"So Shah

sister.

Jahan, finding himself charged

with these four princes,

pretending to

the

all

crown,

come

of age,

all

enemies to one

another, and each of them secretly forming

a party, was perplexed enough as to what

was

fittest for

him

to do."

They were

too

powerful to be imprisoned, and he was constrained to set

them over

distant parts of the

empire, though this course gave each of them

power and an army

trifling

of his own.

incident

placed Aurangzeb in

alliance with Emir-Jemla, luazii- of

Golconda.

These two great men were not long together

till

all,

they framed large designs.

the

And,

first

of

emperor was presented with "that

great diamond which

Presents

is

esteemed matchless.*

and intrigue put the two friends

new powers, and gave

and every gain to them
Dara, who was with his

into the possession of

them new armies

seemed a

loss

to

" This was the Kohinur.

The Mogul Emperors

2/8

father at court.

Shah Jahan
must die.

In the midst of these events

fell sick,

and

Mighty armies were

was thought he

it

raised

by Dara

at

Agra and Delhi by Sultan-Sujah in Benby

gal
by Aurangzeb in the Deccan
Aurangzeb caMorad-Bakche in Guzarat.
;

joled the latter into joining forces with him,

and the two

set out for

Agra

to take posses-

sion of the kinordom should their father be

dead

" to kiss his feet

should he be

alive,

and to deliver him from the hands of Dara."

a letter to Morad, Aurangzeb says, "

In

need not remind you,

pugnant to

my

government.

of

my

"

What,

While Dara and

sigh only for the

then, should

fortunate king, do,

have no
at all

Agra

re-

real disposition are the toils

Sujah are tormented with a

minion,

how

brother,

who

life

thirst

of

Sultanfor do-

fakir''

2.

Shah Jahan,

this un-

seeth that his sons

recfard to his orders

who

is

informed

hours that they march apace towards

at the

head of their armies, and who

at

this conjuncture finds himself sick, to boot,

in

the hands of Dara, that

is,

of a

man who

Shah Jahan and Aurangzcb

breatheth nothing but war
it

with

all

who prepareth

for

the marks of an enraged resent-

ment

asfainst his

he do

in this

to

279

abandon

brothers?

extremity?

them

to

But what could

He

constrained

is

He

his treasures.

is

forced to send for his old and most trusty

captains,
to

whom

he knows for the most part

be not very affectionate to Dara

he must

command them to fight for Dara against

own blood, his own children, and those

whom
he

is

them

obliged forthwith to send armies against

all."
first

Aurangzeb

all

for

he had more esteem than for Da'ra

The
were

his

not

were

Morad-Bakche,

and
far

in

was a decided victory

battle

from

arms.

Agra.*

An army

and

for

they

Immediately
of

one hun-

dred thousand horse, twenty thousand

foot,

and four thousand cannon was levied for

the cause of Dara,
in

who

forced a great battle

which he was hopelessly defeated and

* In this battle the hoivdah of Prince Murad's clepliant

stuck thick with arrows as a porcupine with quills."

It

"was

was long

preserved as a curiosity, " also as a memorial of the bravery of a

descendant of Timur."

28o

The Mogul Emperors

obliged to

fly

victorious

brothers came

desperate

in

case, while his

gates of

the

to

Agra, where presently the emperor's guards

were overpowered and he was subject to their

man was

" If ever

will.

astonished,

Jahan was, seeing that he was

snare

the

others,

which

he

himself was

that

Auranezeb master
prisoned

by

done

death

to

was defeated

in

prepared

for

and

fortress."

Morad-Bakche was imwily

his

into

fallen

imprisoned,

of the

a short time

In

had

Shah

by violence.
a

and

brother,

pitched

had been, and was again.

soon

Sultan-Sujah

battle

All

as

Dara

things

fell

out contrary to both these vanquished and

unfortunate

By

men.

Bernier met

Dara

strange

after

his

accident

worst defeat,

and saw him march away with an escort of

no more than

five

had led hundreds

later

hundred

cavalry, he

of thousands.

he again saw him

in chains,

who

few days

a prisoner,

borne on an elephant through the streets of

Delhi.

"This was none

of

of those brave elephants

Ceylon or Pegu, that he was wont to

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

ride on, with gilt

covers

and

dirty

and

harness and embroidered,

was an old

it

nasty,

animal,

caitiff

an

with

seat

pitiful

281

open to

all

cover

torn

old

very-

the

sun.

There was no more seen about him that

necklace of big pearls which those

wont

are

wear.

to

of coarse

vest

linen,

All

head

scarf over

like a varlet."

By the vehement advice

sister,

Rauchenara-Begum,

death,

and

to

his

bloody

he was put to

was brought

head

when brought, he wiped

and

after

ing,

and bury

The

which,

it

was the

a-weeping, say-

fell

Ah, unfortunate man

"
;

with a handker-

it

he was satisfied

very head of Dara, he

youngest

of his

Aurangzeb, that he might see

chief,

with a tur-

dirty,

ban of the same, and a wretched

his

was

dress

his

all

princes

Take

it

away

"
it.

'

family of

Dara was disposed

by death or by imprisonment.

of either

Sultan-Sujah

fled to the sea-shore

by the Ganges' mouth,

and

sufferings

after

his flight.

incredible

perished

Shah Jahan was confined

tual prison until his death.

The

in

in

a vir-

walls of his

The Mogul Emperors

282

apartments

were covered with gilding, but

them

the monarch ordered

be smeared

to

over with rough mortar as more suited to

humbled

his

condition

and

his

in

last

days he grew very devout.

And

"

lust of

reigning had

brothers,

four

six years,
left

endeth this war, which the

thus

after

among

kindled

had lasted

it

those

five

or

from 1655 to 1660 or 1661, which

Aurangzeb

the peaceable possession

in

of this puissant empire."

"

To

conclude,

those

of

who

will

judge

for

getting

shall

doubt

not

have read

that

my

most

history,

ways taken by Aurangzeb

the

the

empire very

violent

and

horrid.

"

pretend
only

desire

not

reflection

unhappy custom

plead

for

he

before

that

condemned,

to

be

him, but

be altogether

made

of this state,

on

which,

the
leav-

ing the possession of the crown undecided,

exposeth
est.

little

it

am

to the

conquest of the strong-

persuaded that those who

weigh

this

whole

take Aurangzeb for a

history, will

shall

not

barbarian, but for a

Shah Jahan

a?id Atirangzeb

283

and rare genius, a great statesman,

great

and a great

king.

"

the beginning of his reign Aurangzeb

At

wisdom

received with admirable

who had come

advancement. The

his

former

to court expecting great

tutor

interview

reported by

is

Bernier directly from the recital of one

who

was present.
"

'

What

that

is it

you would have

Can you reasonably

make you one of the
court

me

Let

instructed

me

that

desire

should

chief noblemien of

you,

tell

have

nothing would have been more

my
had

you

if

you should

as

me?

of

done,

But

just.

where are those good documents you should

have given

me

taught
I

know

me

In the

that

all

not what

greatest king

first

place you have

Europe was nothing but

little

was he

island, of

of Portugal,

which the

and next

he of Holland, and after him, he of England

and as

to the other kings, 3^ou

them

sented

me

telling

to

me

as

raphy

have repre-

our petty

that they tremble at the

of the kings of Indostan.

You

rajahs,

names

Admirable geog-

should rather have taught

me

The Mogtil Emperors

284
exactly

distinguish

to

their strength, their

of

fighting, their

names

of

ers of

this

me

my

You had

empire.

the Arabian tongue.

much time upon

lose so

to

whom

him

time

is

to

mind

to

am much

having made
a language, as

the son of a king should

an honor to

the

grandsires, the famous found-

to you, forsooth, for

obliged

inter-

you

have scarce learned of

ests.

if

way

governments, and

customs, religions,

me

dijfferent

and to well understand

states of the world

teach

those

all

think

it

to be

be a grammarian

so precious for so

he

many

weighty things, which he ought betimes to

learn.

instructed
tial

to

Ought you not

me

on one point,

to

have

at least, so essen-

be known by a king, namely, on the

reciprocal duties between the sovereign and

his subjects

the art of

Did you ever

war,

draw up an army

me

that

in battle

Henceforth

who thou

to

me

in

besiege a town, or
array

Happy

for

consulted wiser heads than thine

on these subjects
lage.

how

instruct

art,

Go
let

or what

withdraw

to thy vil-

no person know either

is

become

of thee.'

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

285

And

"

thus did Aurangzeb resent the pedantic instructions of his tutor." *

Bernier's narrative has great merit,

and

it

has been given consecutively without interruption from

other
the

In

reasons.

authorities, for
place,

first

it

which we can understand, since

by one

ourselves

of

an

is
it

several

a recital
written

is

He

Occidental.

was especially qualified as an observer,

for

he was the friend and pupil of the learned

Gassendi, and fully acquainted with classic

He

and Western knowledge.

sician

was the phy-

and friend of the most learned man of

the court of the Great Mogul, and had special

opportunities for knowing the events of the
time.
*

In one instance, at least, he

am tempted

to

add

in

a foot-note the instructions given by

the great Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid to his

" Never undertake to teach

anxious to give
till

all

me

superfluity.

of equity in

my

me

When

do

so,

you see

decisions, lead

mentor Al-Asma'i.

in public,

Make

advice in private.

ask you, and when

able to

is

give

me

it

and do not be too

your custom

to wait

a precise answer void of

that I am departing from the way

me back again with gentleness, and

without harsh words or reprimands.

such things as are most requisite for

my

Instruct

me

principally in

public speeches, and never

employ obscure or mysterious terms or recondite words."

There spoke a tyrant who understood human nature

and

his

own

nature in particular.

in general,

The Mogul Emperors

286
a

had

private,

in

tlie

emperor

from the direct report of

who was

master

which the

conversation

report

At

present.

one of

least

emperor's letters which he quotes,

actually

saw

he

in the original.

His work was written

after his return to

Europe, when he had no reason to

He

thing but the exact truth.

to fear

his

tell

any-

had nothing

from the displeasure, and nothing to

hope from the

favor, of

the

court.

This

cannot be said for the native historians of

They wrote

India.

the

for the

eye and ear of

monarch, and their narratives usually

represent

the

official

In certain cases

view of past events.

the native author

has not

published his history during his lifetime, but

kept

it

secret,

and has spoken

freely.

His

family, in this case, suffered in his stead for

the posthumous publication.*

On

the other hand, the native historians

had the

cfi'eat

advantaofe of first-hand knowl-

edge such as a foreigner could but rarely

possess.

The

extracts

which

follow

* This was notably the case of Bedauni.

have

been

(See Chapter IV.)

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

chosen from Sir Henry

Elliott's

287

invaluable

collection, for the

purpose of illustratino- the

characters of the rulers and of their times.
Little

attention

torical

sequence of events.

this

sort

has been

must be sought

histories, like those of

ter,

Mill

paid

and

the his-

to

Knowledge
for in

of

professed

Elphinstone and Hun-

Elliott.

Shah Jahan.

glimpse of Shah Jahan when he was but

crown-prince is given in the narrative of Sir

Thom.as Roe, who says

settled a countenance, nor

"

never saw so

any man keep so

constant a gravity, never smiling, nor

in face

showing any respect or difference of men,

but mingled with extreme pride and contempt of all." He was then but twenty-five
years old, cold, haughty,
soldier,

silent,

an able administrator.

"

a competent

He was

flat-

tered by some, envied by others, loved by

none."
The inevitable struggles for the succession to the throne of his father, Jahangir,

brought

him

into

sharp conflict with

his

The Mogul E^nperors

288

brothers, his father, and the

Empress Nur-

Mahal.

The
to

tlie

professional

historian

dreary task of following their wars

and conquests

if

he wishes to understand the

But these events

course of political events.

throw

little

on the character of the

X\<A\\.

Everywhere we

personages.

husbandman

living in

approach of

at the

condemned

is

find the

Hindu

and

flying

his village

comers.

all

they are

If

on a peaceful mission, he must furnish provision for their beasts;

war,

his

husbandman we have the

the

chief,

king

all

the

over-lord,
of

for action,"

them

Above

ravaged.

are

fields

they are bent on

if

the petty

soldier,

great

and

warriors,

the

noble,

the

"craving

all

Their expeditions were

all alike,

and the history could be prepared before-

hand on one

of

two models

was successful or not

gems appear and

so.

either

the war

The same

reappear.

On

strata-

the death

of a king, his sons strive for the succession.

The army

of each pretender, at

reenforced by those
little

to lose.

The

first

who have much

small,

is

to gain or

unsuccessful princes

fly

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

go on the pilgrimage

to Persia,

imprisoned for

life,

289

Mecca, are

to

are blinded with hot irons,

accordingf to the decrree of the discomfiture

The

or the mildness of the kincr's temper.

of

recital

the

events

these

of

details

monotonous a dormir debout;

is

unless, indeed,

from time to time we can catch some glimpse

of the real personality of the ruler,

and hear

his very accents or read his very writings.

The

reign

eventful

than

respects.

It

none of

his

through the
public

Shah Jahan

of

that

of

even

is

Jahangir

less

these

in

was peaceful because he left

It is memorable
rivals alive.
surpassing

which

buildings

loveliness

caused

he

the

of

to

be

erected.

The Taj-Mahal, "a dream

designed by Titans
lers;"* the

Pearl

Mumtaz-i-Mahal, "

beauty of the Indies,

Mosque

he never enjoyed any other

she

it

of

was raised

Agra, "the
in

his wife, that extraordinary

whom

marble,

and finished by jewel-

* Bernier says of the Taj that

Bibi,

in

honor of Taj-

and celebrated

he loved so passionately that

woman

it

is

while she lived, and that

died he was in danger to die himself,"

said

when

The Taj has been

described a thousand times, but never with more delicate insight

than by M. Andre Chevrillon in the Revue des

Deux Mondes,

The Mogul Emperors

290

purest and loveliest house of prayer

world

the

"

of the

palace

mosque

great

same

and exquisite constructions

The

reign famous forever.

the

the

Delhi

of

royal city

in

these

noble

make

will

his

early period of

cruelty to his enemies and extermination of

the rival claimants to the throne was suc-

ceeded by an era of peace, prosperity, and

magnificence

by

which

he

alone

now

is

remembered.

The

public buildings absorbed

enormous

The famous "peacock throne" was

sums.

alone valued at above sixty million dollars. *

One

of

was

rubies

its

breadths wide

fingers'

"

upwards

{sic)

by two

of
in

three

length."

This was, perhaps, the famous stone, " the

tribute of the world," given

by Shah Abbas

The

royal treasuries

of Persia to Jahangir.

overflowed with jewels and gold and

civ,

vol.

she lived the king

While
liair

page 91 (iSgi).

she bore

like to die

world

this

Mumtaz-i-Mahal has no public

was held captive

him many sons and daughters

in her
is all

memory he

in
;

at

history.

the tresses of her

her death he was

raised the chief building of the

her history, and

it is

round

enough.

* According to Tavernier, a French jeweller,

India.

silver.

who

travelled in

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

"In the course
had come

gems

house, each

into

the

the

imperial

jewel-

These were given

goldsmith

chief

mous

valuable

one of which might serve as

an eardrop for Venus."

to

many

of years

291

throne.

make

to

was

canopy

Its

the

fa-

literally

covered with gems and was supported by

columns

twelve

set

with

On

pearls.

the

top of the canopy was a peacock wdth ex-

tended
three

thick

tail

steps

were

with precious

This throne remained the wonder

stones.

of India until

Shah,

incrusted

The

gems.

with

set

in

it

\vas carried aw^ay

1739.

-^^

is

but

displaced

and dispersed.

its

to be

still

Teheran,

chief

by Nadir-

jewels
It

is

seen

in

have

been

even

now

valued at thirteen million dollars.*

Tavernier the jeweller has his word to say

of the Taj-Mahal.

one sees

Jahan

is

"Of

all

the tombs which

at Agra, that of the wife of

the most splendid.

It is at

Shah

the east

* There were six other thrones, Tavernier says, and the native
historians describe one

which was also ornamented with peacocks,

arranged two and two.

See a paper by Dr. Ball, on the engraved

gems

of the Moguls, in Proc. R. Irish Acad., vol.

iii.,

p. 3S0.

The Mogul Emperors

292

end of the town, by the side of the

a great square surrounded by

square

is

river,

In

This

walls.

a kind of garden divided into com-

partments like our parterres,

places where

we put

and black marble.

but

gravel there

...

in

the

white

is

witnessed the

commencement and accomplishment

of this

great work, on which they have expended

twenty-two

years,

thousand men worked

Shah Jahan began

which

during

twenty

incessantly.

to build his

own tomb on

the other side of the river, but the war which

he had with his sons interrupted his plan,

and Aurangzeb, who reigns

disposed to complete

at present,

is

not

Tavernier has

it."

also left an expert's opinion on the crownjewels,

at

which he was permitted to examine

leisure.

The

curious

in

such

matters

should consult his Travels in India, edited

by V.

Ball.

Shah Jahan's entertainments were on a

magnificent

scale.

The

festival

given

on

his accession, together with the presents to

his ofihcers, cost eight million dollars.

gifts

to

the

two sacred

cities

His

were on a

Shah Jahaii and Aurangzeb

corresponding
of this year

Among

"

scale.

was the despatch

stick

studded with

tomb

of the

Q-ems

293

the

events
candle-

of a

the

to

revered

Medina), on

whom

be the greatest favors and blessings."

The

Prophet

was

candlestick

(in

amber,

of

about eighteen pounds, and

covered

gems,

with

and
it

weighed

was

literally

monster

including

diamond from Golconda, which alone was

valued at
"

lars.

over seventy- five thousand dol-

One

taxed to
a

holy

cities

of

peace)."

provinces was

subject

provide magnificent gifts besides,

and

ant

the

of

special

embassy

was

sent

to

the

under the charge of a descend-

the
All

Prophet
these

whom

(on

and

other

were dispersed when the sacred

be

the

splendors

were

cities

despoiled by the Wahabees.

This lavish expenditure was the mark of

a peaceful and prosperous reign.

was not oppressive, and

grew

to

be kind

in

his later

the revenue was

and the surplus was devoted

government works.
popular with

The king

He was

his officers,

to

years
plenty,

immense

certainly very

especially in

the

Mogul Emperors

294

T^^^^

latter part

of his reign.

most

that

to

It is

be noted

Shah Jahan

of the anecdotes of

which have come down to us represent the

king as always worsted

an exchange of

in

repartee.

Rai Bhara Mai says that

happy times the prosperity

greatly

increased

of

domains which

that

Shah Jahan's
the land was

in

Akbar's reign yielded but three

in

now

lacs,

yielded ten, and that this was the rule with

some few

"

exceptions.

Notwithstanding the

great area of the country, complaints were

few that

so

only

Wednesday, was

one

fixed

istration of justice;

day

upon

and

in

week,

the

for the

admin-

was rarely even

it

then that twenty plaintiffs were found."

The

subordinate courts

districts
full

seem

to

liberty of

cases

of blood

in

the

country

have been organized with

appeal, so

feuds

that

and

finally

concerning

only
reli-

gious matters came directly to the king.

Aurangzeb.
Bernier has given strong evidence to the
great

qualities

of

Aurangzeb.

The

native

Shah Jahan and Atirangzeb

own way,

each in his

writers,

judgment.

295

confirm

the

have extracted a few para-

graphs from the very complete histories of

this

and

reign,

own

emperor's

some

have given
letters

almost

in

full

the

of
;

but

The Ruin
refer to the succeeding chapter
of Aurangzeb" for a masterly picture of the
"

whole career of the puritan emperor, from

his

austere

of his

youth to the troubled ending

power.

The Habits and Manners of

Aurangzeb.
"

Be

known

it

going to describe

refined

monarch,

morals

his

own

Almighty

the

worthy

of

this

according

them with

of the

work
is

a correct manner the

In

excellent character,

the

Emperor

to the readers of this

humble slave

that this

the

as

he

habits,

and

most virtuous
has

witnessed

eyes."

The emperor, a great worshipper of

God by natural propensity, is remarkable
"

for

his

rigid attachment to religion."

regularly
prayers,

makes
fasts,

the

and

appointed

vigils.

He

ablutions,

Several

pages

The Mogul Emperors

296

devoted to a

are

" In

acts.

of

list

sacred

his

backbiting or falsehood

no word of

court
is

must have been a blessing

allowed

Under the

"

which

a country of

in

and a glaring novelty

intrigue,
"

meritorious

his

in

courts.

dictates of anger or passion

" Islam

he never issues orders of death."

is

everywhere triumphant, and the Hindu tem" All the

ples are destroyed."

the

mosques

in

empire are repaired at the public ex-

pense."

works

digest

all

the

theological

the royal library was ordered to

in

be prepared,

The very

any inquirer

might

on the points of orthodoxy.

essence

was

of strancje

that

so

satisfy himself

leit-motiv

of

the

of

long reign

its

the return from the worship

Islam.

(rods to

"The emperor

himself

is

perfectly

ac-

quainted with the commentaries, traditions,

and law

and he

learned

the

heart after ascendino: the throne.

made two

copies of

it

with his

which he sent to the two holy

"

So long

Kuran by

He

even

own hand,

cities."

as nature keeps the garden of

the world fresh,

may

the plant of the pros-

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

perity of

honor continue

dignity and

garden

preserver of the

this

of

of

The

fruitful."

four daughters of Aurangzeb were

One

297

all

pious.

them knew the Kuran by

heart.

Another was an Arabic and Persian scholar

in

and poetry, and learned

prose

Muhammadan

been

having

law,

in

the

taught

under the emperor's own eyes.

It is

interesting to take note of the effect

of intermarriages

upon the purity

of blood of

Mogul emperors.

the (so-called)

Babar was

the sixth in direct descent from Tamerlane,

and was
line.

pure Turki stock

of

His

mother,

Mogul,

Babar

was,

partly

Mogul.

descendant

One

of

pure

Chengiz-Khan.

partly

and

his

Turki

and

wives

was

to

Humayun,

was her

Babar,

every reason

was

the male

a relation of Sultan Husein

Mirza of Herat
of

of

therefore,

Maham-Begam,
cessor

however,

in

believe

mother was pure Turki.

son.

suc-

There

is

Humayun's

that

Her

the

father

was a

direct descendant of Tamerlane.

Humayun made

a rash marriage of

incli-

nation during the period of his misfortunes

The Mogul Emperors

298

and wanderings

At

(a.d. 1541).

his brother,

camp he married

Prince Hindal's,

the

young

daughter of Hindal's preceptor, Sheikh Ali

Akbar Jami

she was not fourteen years of

age, and far below the

emperor

rank,

in

al-

though she was a descendant of the Prophet,

and counted

least

at

one

among

saint

her

Her father's family was from

Her name was Hamida.*
Khorassan.
Akbar the Great was the son of Hamida

ancestors.

and

his son

Jahangir was born of Akbar's

marriage with the daughter

Bihari

rajah,

Shah Jahan,

Mal.f

was the son

cessor,

of

of Jahangir's

Hindu
his

first

sucwife,

Maldeo

the granddaughter of the Rajah

of

Jodhpur.

Shah
mother

Jahan's
of

all

queen

favorite

his sons

and

the

was Mumtaz-i-Mahal,

the niece of Nur-Mahal (Jahangir's queen),

daughter

the

of

Asaf-Khan,

the

grand-

daughter of Mirza Ghiyas Beg, a Persian.

Aurangzeb, the emperor, was

*

Her

Mary,
t

was Maryam Makani

dwelling with

son

of

the Virgin

She was not a Christian.

Her

period.

title

the

title

was the Maryam uzzamani

Mary of the age,

of the

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

and

Mumtaz-i-Mahal,
little

Turk! blood

acters of the

In

had,

but

therefore,

The

veins.

his

299

char-

male ancestors are well known.

Of the female we know next to nothing,

excepting always the famous Empress NurMahal.

way

In a general

blood

of

strain

Hindu

the effect of the

not difficult to trace

is

in

the characters of the successive monarchs as

we

follow

the

line

from

the

frank,

bold,

generous Babar, through the humaner, and

though

not

Jahangir,

the

down

king,

youth

less

to

indolent

The

to

to

self-indulgent
in

his

very model of a magnifi-

aristocratic

Hindu.

chief characteristics

are

reign

and

and

Akbar,

Shah Jahan, who was,

at least, the

cent, cold,

adventurous,

be

of

attributed

Aurangrzeb's

more

Muhammadanism than to
perament.
When we consider that
bio-oted

to

tem-

his
all

his

these

kings are of the stock of Chengiz-Khan and

of the

Amir Timur,

savage

that

blood

the gradual thinning of

by the

richer,

luxurious

Hindu and Persian streams

serves

least this brief digression.

at

more
de-

The Mogtd Emperors

300

On
as

Aurangzeb could be

occasion,

Timur

When Sambha

himself.

as cruel

and Kab-

kalas were taken prisoners, and were abusive

to

him whil^

chains before the throne, he

in

ordered their tongues to be cut out, " that

they might no longer speak disrespectfully."

" After that their eyes

and

finally they,

death with

were

were to be torn out,"

with ten others, were put to

a variety

of

" infidels

Hindus,

These

tortures.

Muhamma-

(not

"

dans), however.

Shah Jahan was kept

at

end

the

of

his

closely in the citadel

reign,

and Aurangzeb

communicated with him only by

one of them

he

states

his

letters.

position

apparent humility, and, recounting his

tories over his brothers,

hopes

"

with
vic-

soon to be

" It is clear to

free of this business."

In

your

Majesty that Almighty Allah bestows his

trusts

upon one who discharges the duty of

cherishing his
people.

It is

that a wolf

is

subjects

and protecting the

manifest and clear to wise

not

fit

for a shepherd,

men

and that

no poor-spirited man can perform the great

duty

of

governing.

Sovereignty

signifies

Shah Jahaii and Atcraugzcb

301

protection of the people, not self-indulgence

and

Thus

libertinism."

proudly, though in

outwardly respectful form, he

his

justifies

who

course to his captive father and king,

had been a wolf and not a shepherd.

His crafty
letters to

spirit

appears

Murad Bakhsh, where he

have not the slightest liking

take any
deceitful
is,

that

part

in,

may make

for,

my

the

"

When Murad

sincere

or wish to
of

this

only desire
(to

you may conand

friend

was a prisoner

was necessary

in

ally."

Aurangzeb's

to send

secretly, for fear of a rescue.

him away

Four elephants

were prepared, and were sent under escort

On

four different directions.

the

But whatever course you may take

me your
it

his

pilgrimage

against our brother (Dara),

camp,

says

the government

and unstable world

Mecca).

sider

one of

in

captive

prince

was

one of these

placed,

but

his

on which one, and

partisans could not

tell

dared not attack

four.

all

in

Though Aurang-

zeb was endowed with every kind of courage,

physical and moral, he was ever crafty and
suspicious.

It

was not

in

his nature to

be

The Mogid Einpcrors

302

frankly bold like Babar

but as age came on

he grew kinder and more indulgent to erring

human
of

though no

nature,

distrustful

less

it.

He journeyed

with Wariness, and where he halted

There Wariness halted herself, his comrade.

We

have a picture of the king

a Neapolitan traveller.

though

the

year of his age, by Gemelli,

seventy-sixth

tion,

in

is

it

It

is

worth quota-

but a superficial and

trivial

The Neapolitan

portrait at the best.

could

not comprehend a nature like the emperor's.

"

Soon

the king

after,

came

in,

leaning on

a staff forked at the top, abundance of courtiers

going before him.

vest, a

He had

on a white

turban of the same white

tied with a gold web,

stuff,

on which an emerald

of a vast bigness appeared amidst four

ones.

hano-intj

the

silk

the

His shoes were after

fashion,

without hose.
flies

little

sash covered the Indian dagger

at the left.

Moorish

and

Two

and

his legs

servants put

naked,

away the

with long white horse-tails; another, at

same

time, keeping off the sun with

green umbrella.

The king was

of low stature.

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

303

with a large nose, slender and stooping with

age (he was now seventy-six years

The

has been said).

old, as

whiteness of his round

beard was more visible on his olive-colored

When

skin.

he was seated, they gave him

down
Then he

his

cimeter and buckler, which he laid

on

his left side, within the throne.

made

a si^jn
O wdth his

business to draw near

two

for those that

had

who being come

up,

hand
;

secretaries, standing,

took their petitions,

which they delivered to the king,

their contents.

them with
and by

his

admired

to see

telling

him indorse

own hand, without

his cheerful, smiling

him

spectacles,

countenance seem

pleased with the employment."

After the audience of the

grandsons and the great

sons and

kingf's

was over,

officers

the king retired, and the court returned to

their tents, led

by the provost-marshal, w^ho

was preceded by a great trumpet

copper eight spans long.

trumpet made

me

"

That

foolish

made a
our swine-herds make

laugh, because

noise much" like that

of green

it

to call together their swine at nieht."

In the fiftieth year of the reign,

when he

The Mogul Emperors

304'

was eighty-eight years

seriously
for

old,

Aurangzeb

fell

His son, Azam-Shah, wrote

ill.

leave to visit him, urging that the

air

his station did not agree with his health.

of

" This displeased the emperor,

who

replied

that he had once written a letter of exactly

the same effect to

when he was

ill,

answer that every

and that

Shah Jahan,
he was told in

air (Jiawa)

was suitable to

his father,

a man, except the fumes {Jiawd) of ambition."

Aurangzeb writes

To

before his death.

"

Health to thee

came a stranger

stranger

what

depart,

his

My

Old age has arrived

two sons not long

to his

heart

heir

he says

is

near thee.

weakness subdues me.

into

and a

this world,

knowing nothing of myself,

am, or for what

am

instant which has passed in

only sorrow behind

it.

The

destined.

power hath

valuable time has been passed vainly.

ments

my

may be

left

have not been the

guardian and protector of the empire.

a dread for

My
have

salvation and with what tor-

punished.

Though

have

strong reliance on the mercies of Allah, yet

regarding

my

actions fear will not quit me.

Shah Jahari and Aurangzeb

Come,

what may,

then,

my

grandson,

whom

ter) appears afflicted

To

thoughts of

foolish

Farewell."

younger and most beloved

my

nearest to

heart.

it

the fruits of

profit

my own

none of the

came here

Be cautious

will

arise),

upon my head.

death come fast upon me.

however
It is

deceitful, yet

that

or that their

The agonies of
The courtiers,

must not be

ill-treated.

necessary to gain your ends by gentle-

ness and

art.

am

ever good or evil

you.

alone,

faithful are slain (in the troubles

which he foresees
fall

and imperfections.

sins

...

depart.

depart a

my own insignificance,
me ? I carry with me

Surprising Providence
I

son,

My son,

"

Now

and lament

what does

miseries

the only

is

the Prince Kam-Bakhsh, he writes

and alone

daugh-

(his

nothing but disappointment.

Farewell.

his

stranger,

but the

see,

but Allah

my

prayer to

last

cannot

The

judge of hearts.

Farewell.

my

The Begam

desire affects me.

women produce

have launched

Give

vessel in the waves.

305

No

going.

have done,

it

Whatwas

for

one has seen the departure

The Mogul Emperors

3o6
of

own

his

soul,

but

see

that

mine

is

departing."

To him
that

all

the moral of his long reign was

Abdulrahman
years have
of time

He,

vanity.

is

old,

in

" Fifty

reigned, and in so long a course

count but fourteen days which have

some vexation."

the emperor was nearly ninety years

and had reigned

to the

Caliph

the

Spain, might say

of

not been poisoned by

When

like

mercy

fifty years,

He

of Allah.

left

a letter he renounced the

magnificent tomb.

"

dust quickly to the

Carry
first

he departed
a will

pomp

and

of

this creature of

burial

place,

and

consign him to the earth without any useless coffin,"

His funeral expenses

he wrote.

were paid from money which he had himself

earned by transcribing the Kuran, and they

were limited to the smallest possible sum.

According to the

will of the king, his

mortal

a tomb con-

remains were to be deposited

in

structed during his lifetime.

**A red stone

three yards

in length,

two

a few inches in depth,

tomb.

On

this stone

is

in width,

and only

placed above the

was hollowed out a

Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

307

place for the reception of earth and seeds,

and odoriferous herbs there diffused their

fragrance round about."

One

of Aurangzeb's high nobles has left us

an affecting account of the emperor's death.

"

My

attachment to his majesty was so great

observing his life to be drawing to a

that,

close,

did not wish to quit the presence.

The emperor called me to him and said

Separation now takes place between us, and

'

our meeting again

uncertain.

is

Forgive,

whatever wittingly or unwittingly

then,

may have done against thee, and pronounce

the words Iforgive, three times, with sincerity
of heart.
As thou hast served me long, I
also

forgive

thee whatever

knowingly

or

otherwise thou mayst have done against me.'

Upon

hearing these words sobs became like

my

a knot in

speak.

At

throat,

last,

edly pressed me,

the words

by heavy

made

I forgive,
sobs.

me

had not power to

after his majesty

had repeat-

a shift to pronounce

three times, interrupted

He

peated the words,

ordered

and

shed

many

and, after

to retire."

tears, re-

blessing me,

The Mogul Emperors

3o8

Khafi-Khan,
writes of

who knew Aurangzeb

him that

well,

" of all the sovereigns of

the house of Timur, no one has ever been

so distinguished for devotion, austerity, and
justice.

In

courage,

and

long-suffering,

sound judgment he was

But,

unrivalled.

from reverence to the injunctions of the law,

and
he did not make use of punishment
;

without punishment the administration of a

country cannot be maintained."
plan

and

project

that

he

"

So every

formed

came

(finally) to little good."

He was

the last of the

can be called great.

Mogul kings who

.^

M'l

AURANGZEB

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

CHAPTER
THE RUIN OF AURANGZEB

VIII
;

OR THE HISTORY

OF A REACTION
Sir William

By

309

Wilson Hunter, LL.D.,

K.C.S.I.,

C.I.E., ETC.

When

Dr. Johnson wanted a

modern

ex-

ample of The Vanity of Huma7i Wishes, he

But
took the career of the Royal Swede.
during the same period that witnessed the
glories

brief

Charles

of

Twelfth

the

in

Europe, a more appalling tragedy of wrecked

ambition was being

Within a year

of

Aurangzeb, the

last

set out with

Within

India.
*

his

enacted

the' East.

in

Charles's birth
of

grand army for Southern

year of Charles's

William Wilson

is

Hunter, the author of

by whose kind permission

circulate

fatal

necessary to explicitly say in this place that the British

It is

in

1681,

the Great Mughals,

copyright in this chapter

duced

in

this
it

in

it,

the property

American book

of Sir

it

is

repro-

with the authority, however, to

England and the Colonies.

Edward

S.

Holden.

The Mogul Emperors

3IO

march

army

i/oS, Aurangzeb's grand

to Russia in

by a quarter

lay shattered

and defeat

of victory

was dying

of old age

of a century

Aurangzeb himself
and a broken heart

while his enemies feasted around his starv-

ing camp, and prayed heaven for long

life

whose obstinacy and de-

to a sovereign in

The

spair they placed their firmest hopes.

Indian emperor and the Swedish king were

men

alike

highest
able

of severe simplicity of

courage, and

personal

The memory

will.

of both

life,

of
is

of the

indomit-

stained by

History can never forget that

great crimes.

Charles broke an ambassador on the wheel,

and that Aurangzeb imprisoned

and murdered

As

emperor fought and conquered

so

grander

was

lines,

father

his brethren.

But here the analogy ends.

arena,

his

character

his

and

the Indian
in

laid

his catastrophe

a mightier scale.

He knew how

a wider

out

on

came on
to

turn

back the torrent of defeat, by commanding

his

elephant's

ground
swift

in

yet

the

legs

to

be chained to the

thick of the battle, with a

deliberate valour

which Charles

The Ruin of Aurangzed

might have envied.

He

meshes of a homicidal

could

311

spread the

intrigue, enjoying all

the time the most lively consolations of

gion

and he could pursue a

humane repugnance

with

reli-

State policy
the necessary

to

crimes, yet with an inflexible assent to them,

From

which Richelieu would have admired.

the meteoric transit of Charles the Twelfth

history

learns

its

highest purpose

when he used

point a moral, or adorn a

ruin of

sturdy English

probably put that vainglorious career

satirist

to

The

little.

tale.'

Aurangzeb the downfall

Empire

dates,

it

From

of the

and the history of

to

the

Mughal
modern

India begins.

The house

of

Timur had brought with

it

to India the adventurous hardihood of the

steppes,

Tartar
dian
in

and the unsapped

tent.

the

vitality of

Babar, the founder of the In-

Mughal Empire

in 1526,

was the

sixth

descent from Timur, and during six more

own dynasty proved prolific

marked types. Each succeeding

generations his
of strongly

emperor, from father to son, was, for

for good, a

genuine original man.

In

evil

or

Babar

The Mogul Emperors

312
himself,

The

literally

Lion,

dynasty had

produced

Humayun,

knight-errant

gee

man
and

Akbar,

in

its

hero

epic

its

and royal

its

It

Auranofzeb
stigmatise

now

was
a
as

bring

to

whom

ruler

in

refu-

drunkard

talented

magnificent palace-builder

Jahan.

Mughal

consolidator and states-

its

Jahangir,

in

its

the

Shah

in

forth

in

hostile writers

and

cold-hearted usurper,

whom Muhammadan

historians venerate as

a saint,

Aurangzeb was born on the night

4th of

November

1618,

and before he reached

the age of ten, his father,

succeeded

to

the

of the

Shah Jahan, had

throne of his ancestors.

His mother, The Exalted of the Palace, was

the last of the great queens
directed the fortunes of a

who shared and

Mughal Emperor.

Married when just out of her teens, she bore

thirteen children to her husband,

giving birth to a fourteenth.

years of

wedded

sorrowful.

infancy

life

Of her

in

Her nineteen

had been splendid but

children,

or childhood.

band raised

and died

eight died

Her bereaved

in

hus-

to her, in sight of his palace, the

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

most beautiful tomb
the

marble, with

its

bears her Persian

a

crowns

title

far countries

in

cupolas floating upwards like

bubbles into the sky.

Palace

It

bank of the Jumna, a dream

lofty

silver

in the world.

313

title,

To

this

The Exalted

day

it

of the

which travellers from many

have contracted into the Taj

Mahal.

She

left

behind her four sons and two

Her

daughters.

eldest surviving child

the Princess Imperial,

of the

World

The

the

Ornament

a masterful but affectionate

and not

girl of seventeen,
frailties.

named

was

Princess

free

from feminine

Imperial succeeded

to her mother's place in her father's heart.

During

the

remaining twenty-seven years

of his reign, she guided his policy

trolled his palace

and during

and con-

his last eight

years of dethronement and eclipse, she shared

his imprisonment.

travellers

at

Delhi

The

great rest-house for

was one of her many

splendid charities.

She died with the fame

of her past beauty

still

the age of sixty-seven.

to a saint's and to a

fresh,

unmarried, at

Her grave
poet's,

in

lies close

that cavipo

314

1^^^<^

Mogul Emperors

santo of marble

latticework,

and exquisite

and embroidered canopies

carving,

and gold, near the

of

Flail

beyond the Delhi

Pillars,

of silk

the Sixty-four

But only a

walls.

piece of pure white marble, with a

grass

little

piously watered by generations, marks

the

Let no rich canopy

sur-

princess' grave.

mount my

was her dying

resting place,'

junction, inscribed on the headstone.

grass

in-

This

'

the best covering for the grave of a

is

lowly heart, the humble and transitory Orna-

ment

of the

Man

of Chist, the daughter of the

World, the

disciple of the holy

Emperor
Shah Jahan.' But the magnificent mosque of
Agra is the public memorial of the lady who
lies in

that

The
Palace,

modest grass-covered grave.

eldest

son

of

The Exalted

One

year younger than

the Princess Imperial, he

became the object

of her ardent affection through

troubles that were to

devoted

was an

the

and the heir apparent to the empire,

was Prince Dara.

she

of

herself

fall

to

life.

upon the family

his

cause.

open-handed, high-spirited

contemptuous

of

advice,

In the

Dara
prince,

and destitute of

The Ruin of Auraiigzeb

He

self-control.

had a noble and dignified

except when

bearing,

315

he

At such moments he would

temper.

his

lost

burst out into

a tornado of abuse, insulting and menacing

the ereatest grenerals and officers of State.

The

observances of Islam, with

rigid

petual round of prayers and

were
all

And

seraglio.

wards Christianity and

fasts,

he had

madan, and Hindu to choose from,

Court and the

per-

Muham-

Christian,

religions.

rival

long

its

distasteful to his nature.

the

its

in

the

Dara leaned

to-

Hinduism.

contemptuously continuing

Muhammadan, he concocted

in

While

externals

an

for himself

easy and elegant faith from the alternate

teaching of a Brahman philosopher and

French

Jesuit.

He

shocked good Mussul-

mans by keeping an establishment

Hindus

to

of learned

translate their infidel scriptures

He

into Persian.

even wrote a book himself

to reconcile the conflicting creeds.

His next brother Shuja was a more

creet

young

prince.

nobles, courageous
well-laid plans,

Conciliatory

to

dis-

the

and capable of forming

he might also have been able

The Mogul Emperors

3i6

to execute them, but for his love of pleasure.

In the midst of critical

he would sud-

affairs,

denly shut himself up with the ladies of his

palace,

and give days and nights to wine,

and song, and dance

no minister of State

Like his elder

daring to disturb his revels.

brother, he too

fell

Suni

the

of

faith

away from the orthodox

Muhammadans.

Indian

But Shuja's defection was due to deliberate

He

policy.
sia,

adopted the Shia heresy of Per-

with the hope of winning the Persian

adventurers, then powerful at Court and in

the

army, to

side

his

in

the

struggle

which he foresaw must take place for the

throne.

Next

to

him

named The

in

the family

Brilliant

less talented

Lady

than her elder

came the princess

less beautiful
sister,

and

but equally

ambitious, and fonder of gifts and of display.

She attached

herself to the cause of the third

brother Aurangzeb,
after

herself.

born

fourteen months

The youngest

of

the four

brethren was Prince Murad, six years younger

than Aurangzeb.

Muhammadan

Murad grew up

knight

generous,

a model
polite,

The Riiin of Aurangzeb

317

despiser of Intrigue, and devoted to war and

the

He

chase.

boasted

and that

secrets,

sword to win

he

his

looked

way

he

that

had

only to

no
his

But as

to fortune.

years passed on, his shining qualities were tar-

nished by an increasing indulgence at the

table,

him,

and the struggle for the throne found

still

a brave soldier indeed, but also a

glutton and a drunkard.

In the midst of this ambitious and voluptu-

ous Imperial family, a very different character

was

being matured.

silently

Aurangzeb, the

third brother, ardently devoted

study.
heart,

In after-life he

and

his

knew

memory was

himself to

Kuran by

the

a storehouse of

the literature, sacred and profane, of Islam.

He

had himself a

facility for verse,

and wrote

a prose style at once easy and dignified, run-

ning up the complete literary gamut from

pleasantry to pathos.
to his Sons,

thrown

ofT

His Persian Letters

in the

camp, or on

the march, or from a sick bed, have

charmed

Indian readers during two centuries, and

sell in

the Punjab bazaars.

he transmitted

in

still

His poetic faculty

a richer vein to his eldest

The Mogul Emperors

3i8

whose verses survive under her

daughter,
norn de

But

plume

literary graces

margin of a

led

Incognita.

man

and sombre learning.

of

into the ethical

which

still

form the too exclu-

Muhammadan

orthodox

an

the stern religion of Islam.

tion of one unseen

prayer

personal

and grammat-

His whole nature was

education.

His

of the old scholastic philosophy,

ical subtleties

basis

merely formed the illuminated

solid

him deep

sive

The

the case of Aurangzeb, poetry and

in

tutor, a

of

God,

five

crowded celebrations

Its

its

filled

with

pure adora-

calm pauses for

each

times

day,

its

of public worship,

and

those exaltations of the soul which spring

from fasting and high-strained meditation,

formed

the

Aurangzeb.

youthful

which

he

pleasures,

on

his

realities

the

to

outer world

its

in

and

pageants

was merely an irksome intrusion

inner

life.

to

brotlier scornfully

The

moved, with

him wishing

To

existence

of

We
turn

shall

hermit.

presently see

His

eldest

nicknamed him The

young Muhammadan prince

devout temper the outer world was

Saint.

of this
at

that

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

time

full of

The

sadness.

319

heroic soldiers of

the Early Empire, and their not less heroic

had

wives,

place

given

to

vicious

and

The ancestors
of Aurangzeb, who swooped down on India
from the North, were ruddy men in boots.
The courtiers among whom Aurangzeb grew

delicate breed

of grandees.

up were pale persons

in

the founder of the empire, had

river

swum

every

which he met with during thirty years

campaigning,

of

Babar,

petticoats.

including

Indus and

the

the other great channels of the Punjab, and

the mighty Ganges herself twice during a ride

160 miles in two days.

of

The

luxurious

lords

around the youthful Aurangzeb wore

skirts

made

of

innumerable folds of the

white muslin, and went to war

On

a royal march,

in

finest

palankeens.

when not on duty with

the Emperor, they were carried, says an eyewitness,

ease

'

till

stretched as on a bed, sleeping at

they reached their next tent, where

they are sure to find an excellent dinner,' a

duplicate

kitchen

being sent on the night

before.

hereditary system of compromise with

320

Mogul Emperors

TJie

strange gods had eaten the heart out of the

Aurangzeb's

rehgion.

State

great-grand-

father Akbar, deliberately accepted that sys-

tem

of

compromise

the

as

Akbar discerned

empire.

Muhammadan

of

rulers

basis

that

all

the

of

previous

had

India

crushed between two opposite forces

been
be-

tween fresh hordes of Mussulman invaders

from without, and the dense hostile masses

of

Hindu population

the

within.

He

con-

ceived the design of creating a really national

empire

in India,

by

enlisting the support of

He

the native races.

married, and he com-

pelled his family to marry, the daughters of

Hindu princes. He abolished the Infidel

Tax on the Hindu population. He threw
open the highest
highest

offices in the State,

commands

the

in

and the

army, to Hindu

leaders of men.

The response made

ciliation
in

forms the most instructive episode

One Hindu

Indian history.

dued

to this policy of con-

for

Akbar

Bengal and Orissa

provinces

of

and organised, as

his

the
;

general sub-

great

finance minister, the revenue system of the

The Ruin of Aurangzcb

Mughal

Another Hindu general

Empire.

governed the Punjab.

southwards two

command
madan

rising

Calcutta.

went
thus

for

Muham-

not

his

far

from

led an imperial

and was Akbar's dearest

whose death the emperor twice

While Hindu leaders

mourning.

into

down

districts

field,

from

miles

Brahman bard

division in the
friend,

thousand

in

was hurried

third

Kabul, to put

in

321

commanded

the armies and shaped the

policy of the empire,

formed the backbone

Hindu revenue
of

its

officers

administration,

and the Hindu military races supplied the

flower of

confederation

Hindu, that
lono;

as

troops.

its

it

It

was on

Mussulman and
the Mughal Empire rested, so
of

interests,

endured.

Akbar had

not,

however,

been

content

He

believed

it

must be

with a political confederation.

that

if

this political

the empire was to

last,

based on a religious coalition of the Indian

races.

He

accordingly constructed a State

religion, catholic

be acceptable to

scheme

of a

enough, as he thought, to
all

his

subjects.

Such a

universal religion had, during

The Mogul Emperors

32 2

two hundred

years,

been the dream of Hindu

reformers and the text of wandering preachers throughout India.

On

the death of the

Bengal saint of the fifteenth century, the

Muhammadans and Hindus contended for

The saint suddenly appeared in
his body.
their midst, and,

commanding them

under the shroud, vanished.

to look

This they

did.

But under the winding sheet they found only

a heap of beautiful flowers, one-half of which
the

Hindus burned with holy

rites,

while the

pomp by the
In Akbar's time, many sacred
Mussulmans.
places had become common shrines for the
other half was buried

two

faiths

with

the Mussulmans venerating the

same impression on the rocks

print

of

their

prophet,

as

the

which the

foot-

Hindus

revered as the footprint of their god.

Akbar, the great-grandfather of Aurangzeb, utilised this tendency towards religious

coalition as an instrument of political union.

He

promulgated a State

religion, called the

Divine Faith, which combined

the

mono-

theism of Islam with the symbolic worship of

Hinduism, and with something of the

spirit

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

He

of Christianity.

323

worshipped the sun as

the most glorious visible type of the Deity

and he commanded the people

themselves

representative.
set

himself

before

the

Divine

The Muhammadan

lawyers

as

The Muhammadan

Majesty.

discovered that

which

as repugnant to

Hindu

human

body.

of

Poets glorified the new faith

Hindu

Christian gospel

the

of

birth

in

learned

men

and

the

scriptures

Roman

Jesus

men

medical

sentiment, was hurtful to the

the

his

beef,

the eating

Akbar had renounced

translated

to prostrate

to a decision supporting

their seal

priests exhibited

waxwork, and

duced the doctrine of the

intro-

The

Trinity.

Muhammadan beard was shaved

the devout Muhammadan salutation was discontinued
the Muhammadan confession of
orthodox

faith

disappeared

Muhammadan
Hindu.

At
of

calendar gave

coinage
place

to

the

the

length, a formal declaration of

apostasy was
religion

from the

drawn

up,

renouncing

Islam for the Divine Faith

the
of

the Emperor.

The Emperor was

technically the elected

The Mogul Emperors

324

Muhammadan

head of the

congregation, and

God's viceoferent on earth.

Pope had
nounce

A
'

called

was

It

the

to

re-

upon Christendom

terms the religion of Christ.

in set

Persian historian declares that

when these
he

effective letters of damnation,' as

them, issued,

if

as

'

calls

the heavens might have rent

asunder and the earth opened her abyss.'

As

a matter of

fact,

Akbar was a

One

cessful religious founder.

men

retired

surrection

from

was

his Court,

had no apostolic successor.

talented

or two grave

and a

drunkard, while

he

local in-

But Akbar

quelled.

easily

fairly suc-

His son, the

continued

to

exact the prostrations of the people, revived

the externals of Islam at Court, and restored

the

Muhammadan

coin.

confession of faith to the

Akbar's grandson, the palace-builder,

abolished

the

prostrations.

At the same

time he cynically lent his countenance to the

Hindu worship, took

toll

on

its

ceremonies,

and paid a yearly allowance to the Hindu

high-priest at Benares.

But neither the son nor the grandson of

Akbar could stem the

tide

of

immorality

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

325

which rolled on, with an ever-increasing

vol-

ume, during three generations of contemptuous

half-belief.

One

Akbar's younger

of

sons had drunk himself to death, smuggling

in his liquor in

when

the barrel of his fowlingpiece,

wine was cut

his supply of

quarter of Delhi

known

Devilsville, dates

from Akbar's

tide

of immorality

of superstition.

off.

The

Shaitanpara, or

as

reign.

brought with

it

The

the lees

Witches, wizards, diviners,

professors of palmistry, and miracle-workers

thronged the

capital.

physician at the

'

Here,' says a French

Mughal Court,

poor person his fortune

for

'

they

tell

halfpenny.'

Portuguese outlaw sat as wisely on his

of carpet as the rest, practising astrology

means

of an old mariner's

bit

by

compass and a

couple of Romish prayer-books, whose pictured saints and virq-ins he used for the

sisfns

of the zodiac.
It

was on such a world of

superstition

immorality,

and unbelief that the austere

young Aurangzeb looked out with sad

His

silent

aoostates

reflections

around

on

the

him must

eyes.

prosperous

have been a

The Mogtd Emperors

326

sombre

monotone,

passages in
breaks
'

But

them.'

Hke that

fierce

which

refrain

upon the Easter evening psalm,

in

in

it,

ominous

perhaps with

name
young

the

of the Lord,

prince in this

will

destroy

mood was

rebuke to the palace, and might become a

danger to the throne.

his

courage

No

one could doubt

indeed he had slain a lion set

from the intervening nets usually em-

free

ployed

in

At

the royal chase.

the age

of

seventeen, his father accordingly sent him to

Southern India, where the

govern

Hindu

Marathas and two independent Muhammadan kingdoms professing the Shia heresy,
might afford ample scope for his piety and
valour.

The

imperial

auspices,

took

army

many

eight

Aurangzeb,

years
at

of

and

time

the country.

But

viceregal

the age

his

for a

forts,

effected a settlement of
after

under

of the south,

of

splendour,

twenty-five,

re-

solved to quit the world, and to pass the rest

of

his

father

life

in

seclusion

and prayer.

angrily put a stop to

recalled

him

to

Court,

this

stripped

His

project

him

of

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

and deprived him

his military rank,

But next year

personal estate.

another

of

province

of

his

was found

it

expedient to employ Aurangzeb

ernment

327

in the gov-

two

and

years later he received the great military com-

mand

On

of Balkh.

swarmed

like locusts

attempt to beat them

enemy
camp. The

his arrival, the

upon

his

off lasted

till

the hour of

when Aurangzeb calmly

mounted from his horse, kneeled down in
evening prayer

dis-

the

midst of the battle, and repeated the sacred

The opposing

ritual.

general,

awed by the

religious confidence of the prince, called off

his troops, saying

man

is

to

that to fight with such a

seven years of wars and sieges

tan,

of

about

After

destroy oneself.'

in

Afghanis-

Aurangzeb was again appointed Viceroy

Southern India.
In 1657, his eldest brother, firmly planted

in

the

Imperial Court, and watching with

impatient eyes

the

Emperor, determined

He

failing

health

of

the

to disarm his brethren.

procured orders to recall his youngest

brother

Murad from

western coast

and to

his viceroyalty
strip

on the

Aurangzeb

of his

The Mogul Emperors

328

power

Auranorzeb
cal

These mandates found

the south.

in

besieoring^

Muhammadan

one of the two hereti-

Southern India.

capitals of

Several of the great nobles at once deserted

He

him.

leaguered

patched up a truce with the be-

and extorted a large sum of

city,

money from

He

boy-king.

its

had

pre-

viously squeezed a great treasure from the

other independent

Muhammadan kingdom

Thus armed,

the south.

at the cost of the

war,

Shia heretics, with the sinews

of

marched north

father,

Emperor, from

deliver

to

the

of

his

counsels

evil

he
the
the

of

Prince Imperial.

For the Emperor, now sixty-seven years of

age,

stricken

lay

The poor

with

disease.

terrible

knew

old palace-builder well

the

two essential conditions for retaining

Mughal throne
less

to

his

namely, to be perfectly

kindred, and

health himself.

In

the

to

be

in

the
piti-

perfect

early days of

Empire, the royal family had been knit

gether

in

bands of warm affection

chivalrous founder had given his

his son's.

own

the
to-

and

its

life

for

Babar, runs the story, seeing his

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

329

son sinking under a mortal disease, walked

three times solemnly round the bed, and im-

plored

God

own life and

few moments of

to take his

After a

the prince.

prayer, he suddenly exclaimed,

it

away

that

have borne

moment

his

it

and from

'
!

began

son

silent

have borne

away

spare

recover,

to

while the Lion Babar visibly declined.

But

during three generations, the Mughal dynasty had lain under the curse of bad sons.

Aurangzeb's

Emperor,

the stricken

father,

had been a rebel prince.

He

left

not one

male alive of the house of Timur, so that he

and

his children mio-ht

These children were now

the Empire.

Amid

prove his perdition.

excruciating-

be the sole heirs of

disease,

his

to

the pangs of his

son

eldest

grasped the central government

Dara

while the

next son. Prince Shuja, hurried north from

his Viceroyalty of

Bengal to seize the im-

perial capital.

Prince Shuja was driven back.

But there

was a son advancing from the south whose

steps could not be stayed.

been forced by

Aurangzeb had

his eldest brother's intrigues

The Mogul Emperors

330
to

assume the defensive.

It

seems doubtful

first,

he aspired to the throne.

His sole

desire,

he declared, was to rescue

his father

from

whether, at

This longing for the

from the world.

retire

religious life

had led to

when a young

and then to

evil counsellors,

prince

degradation

his public

asserted

it

itself

amid

At
mask

the splendours of his subsequent reign.

the present

crisis

served him for a

it

was genuine,

as to whether

it

and

perhaps entitle him to the

later

life

On

benefit of a doubt.

firmly
of his
for a

made up

his

mind

his previous

one point he had

:

that the apostasy

two elder brothers disqualified them

Muhammadan

He

throne.

accordingly

resolved to join his youngest brother, whose

viceroyalty lay on his

although a drunkard

orthodox

in

his

five years'

Each one

way north
in

and who,

private

life,

was

public belief.

war

of succession followed.

of the four brethren

knew

that the

stake for which he played was an empire or

a grave.

The

eldest brother, Dara, defeated

by Aurangzeb and betrayed

into his hands,

was condemned by the doctors

of the law for

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

his apostasy to Islam,

hunted out of

swamps

the

of Arakan,

The

of

him

is

last

Shuja, was

brother,

Bengal into

his viceroyalty of

barbarian king with

shelter.

to death as a

and put

The second

renegade.

331

and outraged by the

whom

he had sought

authentic glimpse

we

get

mountain into the

flying across a

woods, wounded on the head with a stone,

woman and three

The destiny of
followers to share his end.
the youngest brother, Murad, with whom
and with only one

faithful

Aurangzeb had joined

time hung

in

his forces, for

the balance.

The

some

tenderness

with which Aurangzeb, on a memorable occasion,

wiped the

brother's face,

assumed.

sweat and dust from his

was probably not altogether

But the more Aurangzeb saw of

the private habits of the

young

prince, the

At

less

worthy he seemed

last,

one night, Murad awoke from a drunken

of

the

throne.

sleep to find himself Aurangzeb's prisoner.

His friends planned

have safely
ress,

let

his escape

himself

and he would

down from

the fort-

but for an alarm caused by the weeping

of a lady

who had shared

his

confinement

The Mogul Emperors

332

and from

whom

saying farewell.

He was

not allowed another

Aurangzeb had him

chance.

nally for an old

mitted

he could not part without

tried

nomi-

murder which he had com-

when Viceroy

and executed.

Having

thus disposed of his three brothers, Aurang-

zeb got rid of their sons by slow poisoning

with laudanum, and shut up his aged father
in his palace

Then was

till

let

he died.
loose on India that tremen-

dously destructive force, a puritan

madan monarch. In 1658, in

mer that witnessed the death

the

Muham-

same sum-

of the puritan

Protector of Enorland, Aurancrzeb, at the ao^e

of forty, seated himself

Mughals.

The

half a century

is

on the throne of the

narrative of his long reign of

the history of a great reaction

against the religious compromises of his predecessors,

and against

their policy of concilia-

He

tion towards the native races.

himself three tasks

he resolved to reform

the morals of the Court

Hindus
to

to their

crush

kingdoms

the

set before

to bring

proper place as

two heretical

of southern India.

down

infidels

the

and

Muhammadan

The Ruin of Aurangzeh

The

333

luxurious lords soon found that they

had got a very

different master

from the old

Aurangzeb was an austere

palace-builder.

compound

of the emperor, the soldier,

the saint

and he imposed a

on

all

around

him.

Of

like

austerity

humble

and

silent

demeanour, with a profound resignation to

God's

will in the height of success as in the

depths of disaster, very plainly clothed, never

sitting

on a raised seat

any vessel of

in private,

silver or gold,

food by manual labour.

nor using

he earned his daily

But he doubled the

royal charities, and established free eating-

houses for the sick and poor.

day he took

Twice each

his seat in court to dispense jus-

On Fridays he conducted the prayers

the common people in the great mosque.

tice.

of

During the month of

hours a night
assenibly

of

in

as a boy,

heart

of

faithful.

He

completed,

the task which he had

learning the sacred

begun

book by

and he presented two copies of

to Mecca,

hand.

he spent six to nine

reading the Kuran to a select

the

when emperor,

fast,

He

beautifully written with his

it

own

maintained a body of learned

men

Mogul Emperors

^-^^^

334

compile a code of the

to

Muhammadan

law, at a cost exceeding- 20,000/. sterling.

The

players and minstrels were silenced

on grants of land,
better

men

But they were

proclamation.

royal

The

life.

of prayer

if

settled

they would turn to a

courtiers suddenly

the

by

ladies

of

the

became
seraglio

took enthusiastically to reciting the Kuran.

Only the poor dancers and singers made a

They

struggle.

carried a bier with wailing

On

under the window of the Emperor.

his

Majesty's looking out and asking the purport

of the funeral procession, they answered, that
"

Music was dead, and that they were bear-

ing forth her corpse." " Pray bury her deeply,"

replied the
that

Emperor from the balcony,

henceforth

she

may make

" so

no more

noise."

The measures
seemed

for a time to promise equal success.

Aurangzeb
to the
of the

taken against the Hindus

at

once stopped the allowance

Hindu high-priest

at

Benares.

Some

most sacred Hindu temples he

elled with

lev-

the ground, erecting magnificent

mosques out

of their materials

on the same

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

sites.

He

335

personally took part in the

of proselytism.
sian biographer,

work

His Majesty,' says a Per-

'

'

the holy

himself teaches

confession to numerous infidels, and invests

them with

dresses

He

favours.'

finally restored the

He

dan Calendar.

Hindu

ings at the

and

honour

of

other

Muhamma-

refused to receive offer-

festivals,

and he

Hindu

a large revenue from

sacrificed

shrines.

He

remitted eighty taxes on trade and religion,

at a yearly loss of several millions sterling.

The goods
were

of

some

for

from duties

the

true

indeed,

believers,

time altogether

exempted

and were eventually charged

only one-half the rate paid by the Hindus.

These remissions

Aurangzeb

to resort to

his ministers

the

Hindu

revenue compelled

of

new

When

taxation.

remonstrated against giving up

pilgrim-tax, he sternly declined to

share the profits of idolatry, and proposed a

general tax on

the

infidels

That

instead.

hated impost had been abolished by Akbar

in

the

policy

previous century
of

as

part

of

his

conciliation towards the Hindus.

Aurangzeb revived the

poll-tax

on

infidels,

The Mogul Emperors

336
in spite of

lation.

They

rent the air with lamentations

When

under the palace windows.

of the faithful in the great

choked with

streets

Emperor paused
pliant
his

crowd

to

elephants

open
to

Hindu

was

mosque, he found
petitioners.

moment

for a

advance,

of rank, writes a

met a menial

commanded

trampling

The

foot.

unsparingly

Persian

If

historian^

his counte-

So low were the

nance instantly changed.'

native

races brought,

issued

forbidding any Hindu

an

the

detested

enforced.

of the tax-office,

palankeen, or on

The

for the sup-

then he

wretched people under

impost

he went

on Friday, to lead the prayers

forth in state

the

Hindu popu-

the clamours of the

that

Arab

proclamation
ride

to

in

without

horse,

a licence from Government.

While Aurangzeb dealt thus hardly with

the Hindu population, his hand

on the Hindu princes.

membered
nearly won
and that

that

the

He
Hindu

heavily

fell

vindictively re-

Rajputs

had

the throne for his eldest brother,

their

most distinguished chief had

dared to remonstrate with himself.

'

If

your

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

the brave

wrote

Majesty,'

337

Hindu Raja

of

places any faith in books by dis-

Jodhpur,

tinction

called

you

divine,

will

be

there

God is the God of all manGod of the Mussulmans alone.

instructed that
kind, not the

In your temples to His name, the voice of

prayer

is

a bell

is

raised

in a

shaken.

house of images, where

He

is

still

Aurangzeb did

worship.'

the object of

not venture

to

He

quarrel with this great military prince.

sought his friendship, and employed him

the highest and most dangerous posts.

on

Emperor tried to seize

The chivalrous blood of

in

But

his death, the

his

sons.

the

infant

Rajputs boiled over at

widow and the orphan.

lion

this

outrage on the

They

rose in rebel-

one of Aurangzeb's ov/n sons placed

himself

at

their

head,

proclaimed himself

emperor, and marched against his father with

70,000 men.
lowed,.

bitter

war

of

religion fol-

Aurangzeb, whose cause for a time

had seemed hopeless, spared not the Hindus.

He

burned their homesteads, cut down their

fruit-trees, defiled

away

their temples,

and carried

cartloads of their gods to the capital.

The Mogul Emperors

338

There he

thrust

their faces

downwards, below the steps of the

images, with

the helpless

great mosque, so that they should be hourly

trampled under foot by the

The

faithful.

Rajputs, on their side, despoiled the mosques,

burned the Kuran, and insulted the prayer-

The war ended

readers.

Hindus

sion of the

submis-

in a sullen

but the Rajputs became

thenceforth the destroyers, instead

supporters,

Having
Hindus

the

of

the

Mughal Empire.

brought

thus

of

of the north,

low

the

infidel

Aurangzeb turned

his

MuhamIndia.
The

strength against the two heretical

madan kingdoms

of southern

conquest of the south had been the dream

of the

Mughal dynasty.

tions,

each emperor had laboured, with more

During four genera-

To

or less constancy, at the task.

tere conscience of Aurano-zeb

only

an

unalterable

part

of

it

the aus-

seemed not
the

imperial

policy, but an imperative religious duty.

erew

into the

fixed

best years of his

enteen to

forty,

idea of

his

life.

young manhood, from

It

The
sev-

he had spent as Viceroy of

the South, against the heretic Shia kingdoms

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

and the

infidel

When

Marathas.

339
the Vice-

roy of the South became Emperor of India,

he placed a son
ing the

in

Dur-

charge of the war.

twenty-three years of his reign,

first

Aurangzeb directed the operations from

But

distant northern capital.

sixty-three he realised that,

at the

forth,

now

capital,

never

to

man, from

his

The remaining

return.

twenty-six years of his

march, or

set

1681,

a white-bearded

life

armies

his

he

Accordingly, in

person.

age of

he was ever to

if

conquer the South, he must lead

in

his

he spent on the

the camp, until death released

in

him, at the age of nearly ninety,

from

his

lonor labour.

Already a great
chilled the

reigning,'

sense

Emperor's
he

said,

'

is

of

heart.

very shadow.'

had been

The

slain, as

art

of

that

awakened by

His brothers and

his accession to the

his

nephews

a necessary condition of

His own sons

throne.

were now impatient of

of

'

so delicate,

king's jealousy should be

had

isolation

his long reign.

them had openly rebelled

One

the conduct of

another was so doubtful that the imperial

The Mogul Emperors

340

guns had to be pointed against

The

able Persian adven-

who had formed

the most trustworthy

durino- a battle.
tiirers,

his division

servants

of

Empire,

the

were

nanced by Aurangzeb as Shia

Hindus had been alienated

one mighty force

The

infidels.

But

as

Never had the troops

mand.

heretics.

remained

still

discounte-

at his

of the

com-

Empire

been more regularly paid or better equipped,

although at

one

time

better

disciplined.

Aurangzeb knew that the army alone stood

between him and the disloyalty of

his sons,

between him and the hatred of the native

He now

races.

resolved to hurl

weiorht ag-ainst the

two heretical

its

whole

Muhamma-

dan kingdoms of southern India.

The

military

array

sisted of a regular

of

army

men, and a provincial

high

up

as

4,400,000.

the

of about 400,000

militia

The

Empire conestimated as

militia

was made

of irregular levies, uncertain in

number,

incapable of concentration, and whose services could only be

period.

The

regular

of contingents,

relied

on for a short

army consisted

partly

whose commanders received

The Ruin of Atiraiigzeb

341

grants of territory, or magnificent allowances

for their support, partly of troops paid direct

from the imperial treasury. The policy of

Akbar had been to recruit from three mutually hostile classes

the

Muhammadans
Muhammadans from
Suni

of the Empire, the Shia

beyond the north-western

The Shia

Hindu Rajputs.

conspicuous for their

skill,

On

for their valour.

and the

frontier,

were

generals

the Rajput troops

the eve of battle the

Rajput warriors bade each other a cheerful

farewell for ever

not without reason, as in

one of Aurangzeb's actions only

hundred

six

Rajputs survived out of eight thousand.

The
alry,

army

strength of the

200,000 strong.

lay in

The pay was

its

cav-

high, a

trooper with only one horse, says Bernier,

receiving not less than Rs. 25 (say 55
lings) a

month

large

sum

in

shil-

those days.

Cavaliers with parties of four or more horses

drew from
vear,

200/. to nearly 1,000/. sterling a

while a

commander

had an annual surplus of

after defraying

all

of five

thousand

15,000/.

expenses.

The

sterling,

sons of

the nobility often served as private troopers,

The Mogul Emperors

342

and the path of promotion lay open

commander

Originally

bound

maintain

to

was

cavalry

of

all.

number

equal

of

one-fourth of them to be match-

infantry,

lockmen and the

matter of

But,

archers.

rest

as a

the infantry were a despised

fact,

consisting

force,

an

to

of

picked

15,000

men

around the king's person, and a rabble of

200,000 to 300,000 foot soldiers and campfollowers

men

The

on the march.

matchlock-

squatted on the ground, resting their

pieces on a

wooden fork which they

on

backs

their

Bernier,

afraid,'

their

and, above

says

eyelashes

or

some

Ji'ji

lest

all,

should cause

or evil spirit

the

musket to

For every random shot which they

burst.'

fired

terribly

burning

'of

long beards

'
;

carried

under these disadvantages, the cavalry

discharged three arrows with a good aim, at

their

ease.

The pay

went as high

The

as

balls

a strong

force

swivel

guns

up

on

of

to

matchlockman

a month.

consisted

artillery

throwing

44^'.

of

of

112 pounds;

96 and

field-guns

camels

siege-train,

and

200 to

300

ornamental

The Ruin of Aurarigzeb

batteries of light guns,

The

artillery.

known

343

as the stirrup-

on a royal

stirrup-artillery

march numbered 50 or 60 small brass

mounted on painted

pieces,

each drawn

carriages,

by two horses, with a third horse led by an

At one time
assistant driver as a relay.

many
or

the gunners had been Christians

of

drawing

Portuguese,

The monthly pay

mensejn.

The importance

be estimated from

one of

battle with

army

of

left

Kandahar
cannon-balls,

30,000

fact,

that

about

in

on the

may
a

after

Aurangzeb

his brothers,

found 114 cannon

native

of

of the artillery

the

per

sterling

Aurangzeb was

under

artilleryman
JOS.

22/.

The

field.

1651 carried with

400,000

powder, and 14,000 rockets.

gun-

of

lbs.

it

The war

ele-

phants were even more important than the

artillery.

Experienced

generals

reckoned

one good elephant equal to a regiment of

500 cavalry

or,

matchlockmen,

at

if

double that number.

phants cost from io,ood/. downwards

to

1,000/.

kept

being a

5,000

of

by

properly supported

common

these

huge

price.

Ele:

500/.

Akbar

animals,

'

in

Mogtil Emperors

'^^^^

344
strength

like

ferocity

lions,'

mountain,

Under

courage and

in

Aurangzeb,

800 elephants were maintained

stables, besides the large

on service and

pitched

front,

battle

sometimes

number employed

commenced with a
The guns were placed
together with

linked

Behind them were ranged

chains of iron.
the

the royal

in the provinces.

mutual cannonade.
in

in

over

with

camel-artillery

swivel-guns,

ported by the matchlockmen

sup-

the elephants

were kept as much as possible out of the

first fire

the cavalry poured in their arrows

from either

flank.

The Emperor, on

a lofty

armour-plated elephant, towered conspicuous

in the centre
ful

chiefs

commanded

the

and

right

But there was no proper

wings.

enable the
wincrs

princes of the blood or power-

Emperor

and the

had done

its

to

rear.

work

staff

After the cannonade

of confusion, a tremen-

and elephants being pushed on

the horse

in front

from either flank to break the adverse

euns.

In

to

keep touch with the

dous cavalry charge took place

of

left

the hand-to-hand

and
line

onset that

The Rtim of A^irangzeb

345

followed, the centre division and each wing-

fought on

own account

its

and the com-

mander-in-chief might consider himself

nate

one of

if

his

fortu-

win^s did not eo over to

Emperor descended from

the enemy.

If

his elephant,

even to pursue the beaten foe

on horseback,

the

own

his

troops might

moment break away in panic, and

won victory be turned into a defeat.
With

all

its

in

the just

disadvantao^es, the weic^ht of

was such that no power then

this array

India could, in the long run, withstand.

weak point was not

the disorder of

its

its

in

Its

order of battle, but

march.

There was no

complete chain of subordination between the

commanders.

divisional

locust multitude

of followers ate

up the country

on either

The camp formed an

mense

side.

sometimes

city

five miles in

sometimes seven and a half miles

Dead

ference.
air.

'

for leagues

in

his

action

destitute

length,

circum-

beasts of burden poisoned the

could never,' writes Bernier,

which

in

words

countryman Dupleix turned

century
of

im-

later,

order,

and

into

'see these soldiers,

moving with

the

The Mogid Emperors

346
irregularity

how

thinking

a herd

of

easily

without

animals,

of

and twenty thou-

five

sand of our veterans from Flanders, under

Conde

or Turenne, would destroy an Indian

army, however

A
left

Bundela

vast.'

grand army has

officer in the

a journal of

its

operations, but without

number

mentioning

the

employed.

Aurangzeb found two

powers

in

southern India

Muhammadan
Bijapur

previous

of

Golconda and

Hindu

Hindu Rajputs

of the south

had

Hindu

with

During a hundred

years, the

sometimes

with

Muhammadan
perial troops,

kingdoms

less

sides

north,

toward
success.

Marathas had

the

independent

against

the

im-

sometimes with the imperial

troops against the independent

dan kingdoms

the

sovereigns

tried a like policy

Marathas,

sided

In

of the

Muhammadan

the independent

peas-

Akbar was con-

while

century,

distinct

Marathas.

the

as

troops

of

the heretical

first,

second, the fighting

ciliating the

the

kinofdoms

known

antry,

total

Muhamma-

exacting payment from both

and gradually

erecting

themselves

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

into a third

of

power

years

party which held

the

in

south.

^^y

the

balance

After

several

Aurangzeb subdued the

two Muhammadan kingdoms, and set himof

self to

fighting,

crush

finally

the

Hindu

Marathas.

In 1690 their leader was captured

scornfully

but he

rejected the

Emperor's offer of
pardon coupled with the condition of turning
Mussalman. His eyes were burned in their
sockets with a red-hot iron, and the toneue

which had blasphemed the Prophet was cut

out.

The

straw,

was insultingly exposed throughout

skin

of

his

head,

stuffed

with

the cities of southern India.

These and

similar atrocities nerved with

an inextinguishable hatred the whole Maratha race.

The

guerilla war of extermination

which followed during the next seventeen

years has scarcely a parallel in history.

The

Marathas

and

finally

first

decoyed,

then

baffled,

slaughtered the imperial troops.

The

chivalrous Rajputs of the north had stood

up against the shock of the grand arm.y and

had been broken by it.
The Hindu peasant
confederacy of the south employed a very

The Mogul Emperors

348

They had no

strategy.

different

Idea of

bidding farewell to each other on the eve

day on a pitched

of a battle, or of dying next

field.

They

unless

they were sure to win

word

altogether

meant

victory

for

'

to

to

fight

and their

plunder

the

Their clouds of horsemen, scantily

enemy.'
clad,

declined

with only a folded blanket for a saddle,

rode jeeringly round the imperial

swathed

in

cavalry

sword-proof wadding, or fainting

under chain-armour, and with

difficulty spur-

ring their heavily caparisoned steeds out of

a prancing amble.

charged
If

in force,

they pursued

If

the imperial cavalry

they charged into thin

in

air.

detachments, they were

man by man.

speared

Mughal army the

In the

an object of contempt.
fantry were

among

the world.

Skilled

was

foot soldier

The Maratha

in-

the finest light troops in

marksmen, and so

agile

as almost always to be able to choose their

own ground, they laughed

cavalry

camped

of

the

Empire.

at pleasure

at

The

the

heavy

Marathas

around the grand army,

cutting off supplies, dashing in upon

its

line

The Rtiin of Aurangzeb

349

march, plundering the ammunition-wag-

of

gons

at

river-crossings,

wearied

imperialists

attacks.

If

and

no

allowing

by

sleep

the

night-

they did not pillage enough food

from the royal convoys, every homestead

was ready

to furnish the millet

which was

all

and onions

When

they required.

encum-

bered with booty, or fatigued with fighting,

they

vanished

into

their

hill

forts

and

next morning fresh swarms hung upon the

imperial line of march.

and

rains

added

northern troops.
flowed the royal

to

The
the

tropical heats

miseries

of

the

One autumn a river overcamp at midnight, sweeping

away ten thousand men, with countless

tents,

The destruction only

ceased when the aged Emperor wrote a
prayer on paper with his own hand, and cast
horses,

it

and bullocks.

into the rising waters.

During
these

ten

years

disastrous

headquarters'

Aurangzeb

directed

operations, chiefly from

cantonment.

But

his

head-

quarters had grown into an enormous assemblage, estimated

by an

over a million persons.

Italian traveller

at

The Marathas were

The Mogul Emperors

350

now plundering

the imperial provinces to the

and had blocked the

north,

upper

with

nication

Emperor,

In

India.

and

lean,

commu-

line of

stooping

1698

the

under

the

burden of eighty years, broke up

his head-

and divided the remnants of

quarters,

forces into

One

two corps d'armee.

of

his

them

he sent under his best general to hold the

Marathas

The

check

in

the

in

open country.

other he led in person to besiege their

and

cities

The

forts.

hill

corps d'armee of

the plains was beguiled into a fruitless chase

from province to province

battles

in

months.

six

fighting nineteen
It

marched and

counter-marched, writes the Bundela

3,000 miles

in

one continuous

until the elephants, horses,

utterly

worn

and camels were

corps d'armce fared even

Forty years before,

for the throne, he

the

campaign,

out.

The Emperor's
worse.

officer,

common

in

the struggle

had shared the bread

soldiers,

slept

on

the

of

bare

ground, or reconnoitred, almost unattended,

several
spirit

leagues

in

front.

flamed up afresh

in

The

youthful

the aged monarch.

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

He marched

351

his troops in the height of the

Many

rainy season.

lost their horses,

of the nobles, having

had to trudge through the

Fort after fort

mire on foot.

despairing onslaught

fell

before his

but each capture

left

army more shattered and the forces of

At last his so-called
the enemy unimpaired.
his

sieges dwindled into an attack on a fortified

village

of

hemmed

banditti,

in within his

during

which

he was

own entrenchments.

In

1703 the Marathas had surprised an imperial

division on the
strong,

banks of the Narbada, 21,000

and massacred or driven

it

pell-mell

into the river, before the troopers could

saddle

their

horses.

In

even

1705 the imperial

elephants were carried off from their pasture-

ground outside the royal camp

the convoys

from the north were intercepted

rose to fivepence a
rate

more than

pound

in

the

and grain

army

ten times the ordinary price,

and scarcely reached even

in

the severest

when millions have died of

starvation.
The Marathas had before this
begun to recover their forts.
The Emperor
Indian famines

collected the wreck of his army, and tried to

The Mogul Emperors

352

But the insolent exulta-

negotiate a truce.
tion of the

plundered
officer,

enemy

him no hope.

left

pleasure,'

at

says

Bundela

the

every province of the south

'

a single

They

'

'

not

person durst venture out of the

camp.'

In 1706, a quarter of a century since the

grand army had

capital, the

set forth

Emperor began

accumulation of disasters.

up within

from the northern

his

camp

in

to sink

under the

While he was shut

the

far

south, the

Marathas had organised a regular system

of

extorting one-fourth of the imperial revenue

from several of the provinces to the north.

In the northwest the

Hindu Rajputs were

arms.

north, the warlike Jat

Still

further

in

Hindu peasantry were up in revolt, near the

capital.
Aurangzeb had no one to quell this
general rising of the Hindu races.

hammadan

The Mu-

who had served him so

prime of life, now perceived

generals,

well during his

that the end

was

themselves.

Of

near,

and began

to shift for

his four surviving sons,

he had

imprisoned the eldest during six years

finally released

him only

and

after eleven years

The Ritin of Aurangzeb

of

The

restraint.

son so

little

353

next and most favoured

trusted his father that, after one

narrow escape, he never received a

from the Emperor without turning
third son

letter

The

pale.

had been during eighteen years a

fugitive in Persia

from

his father's vengeance,

wearying the Shah for an army with which

The

to invade Hindustan.

fourth son had

known what it was to be arrested on suspicion.

The finances had sunk into such confusion
that the Emperor did not dare to discuss
them with his ministers.
With one last
effort, he
retreated to Ahmadnagar
the
;

Marathas insulting the

standing aside

to

Emperor to pass,
The only escape
peror was to

die.

of

line

allow the
in

of

litter

the

an awed silence.

left to
'

march, but

the worn-out

came

Em-

a stranger into

the world,' he wrote to one of his sons a

few days before the end,

I

depart.

save

brought nothing with me, and,

my human

away.

'and a stranger

infirmities,

have fears for

my

carry nothing

salvation,

what torments may await me.

trust in

God's mercy, yet terror

23

and of

Although
will

not quit

me.

my

Mogid Emperors

'^^^^

354
But,

come what may,

barque on the waves.

farewell

The

!
'

have launched

Farewell, farewell,

fingers of

mon-

the dying

arch kept mechanically telling his beads

the last moment.

He

expired on the 21st

in

the 91st year of his

February, 1707,

of

till

age and the 51st of

according to

his reign

the

Muhammadan

less

by our reckoning of time.

calendar

or two years

'

Carry

this

creature of dust to the nearest burying-place,'

he

said,

'

and lay

useless coffin.'

expenses to ten

it

His

the earth without any

in

will restricted his funeral

shillings,

which he saved from

the sale of work done with his

own

hands.

Ninety odd pounds that he had earned by

copying the Kuran, he
followers buried

famous

saint,

left to

His

the poor.

him beside the tomb

near the deserted

of a

capital

of

Daulatabad.

Never

when

the

since the Assyrian

Roman Emperor

of the javelin

wound

night

Julian lay dying

in his side,

perial policy of reaction

a catastrophe.

summer

ended

had an im-

in so

complete

The Roman Empire was

des-

tined to centuries of further suffering before

The Ruin of Aurangzeb

it

355

passed through death into new forms of

The

history of Aurangzeb's successors

The Hindu

swifter record of ruin.

life.
is

military-

races closed in

upon the Mughal Empire

Muhammadan

viceroys carved out for them-

kingdoms from

selves independent

membered

provinces.

monarchs were

set

its

its

dis-

puppet

series of

up and pulled down

seven

devastating hosts poured into India through

the northern passes

who would

new

set of invaders

take no denial landed from the

Less than a century after Aurangzeb's

sea.

Lord Lake, on

death,

his

entry into Delhi,

was shown a feeble old captive

of the

Hindu

Marathas, blinded, poverty-stricken, and half

imbecile,

whom

he

sitting

canopy,

compassionately saluted as

Mughal Emperor.
India

under a tattered

new

the

rule succeeded in

a rule under which the too rapid re-

forms of Akbar, and the too obstinate reaction

of

Aurangzeb, are alike impossible.

Periods of progress have alternated with

periods of pause.

But the advance has been

steady towards that consciousness of solidarity,

that enlightenment of

the

masses, and

The Mogtil Emperors

356

that capacity for political rights, which

the growth of a nation.

tion

of

native

the

Empire perished

it

It

was by the

races that the

is

Mughal

and united people

that the British rule will endure.

And ye,

that read these Ruines Tragical!,

losse, to love the lozv

degree;

And, if that Fortune chaunce you up to call

To Honour's seat, forget not what you be
For

he, that

aliena-

by the incorporation

of those races into a loyal

Learne, by their

mark

of himself is most

Shall finde his state most fickle

secure.

and unsure.

The Conquests of India

Appendix

357

THE CONQUESTS OF INDIAAPPENDIX

Alexander the Great
B.C.,

and with

knowledge

of

entered India 327

his

invasion

the

country

our

accurate

The

begins.

empire of Chandra-Gupta was formed on the

remains of Alexander's conquest, and endured

from 316 to 292

B.C.

His grandson, the mild

and pious Asoka (264-223

Buddhism
Ceylon.

throughout

An

coins

the

of

Tiberius have

Rome

(22-20

reigns

madanism was
India was

to

of

Nero

and
India

in

when Muham-

rising in Arabia.

a.d.,

and

Buddhism was superseded

India at about the period

died in 632

even

B.C.),

been found buried

in recent times.
in

India,

all

Indian embassy was sent to

Caesar Augustus in

many

b.c), established

Muhammad

and thirty-two years

invaded by his followers

later
;

and

and 977. The great Mahmud

(977 to 10 10) conquered the country from

again

in 711

The Mogul Emperors

358
Persia

the

to

Ganges, and established an

which

empire

lasted

when

11 86,

till

was overthrown by the Afghans

Muhammad
and one

of

existed

The

till

generals

even

till

remotest

about

dynasty,

1400

second

lak,

the

his

capital

from

successful

Kafur)

regions

successful revolt

Tughlak

the

which

was Allah-ud-

whose

Malik

(specially

1206,

288.

(1294-1316),

the

India.

capital at Delhi,

its

third great conqueror

din-Khilji

in

a viceroy, founded

his slaves,

a dynasty, with

Ghor.

of

Ghori was assassinated

overran

Southern

of

(1321) founded
which
endured

Muhammad Tugh-

A.D.

the

of

Delhi

removed

house,

Deccan.

the

to

Gradually his subordinate kings threw

allegiance

their
states.

and

set

up

date

from about

ment

of the country

1336.

of

Bengal

This dismember-

favored

of the fourth great invader,

Timur's invasion was

off

independent

The Afghan kingdoms

ful victories

it

the

progress

Timur.

in 1398.

After fear-

and slaughters, he returned to

Samarkand, which was the central

city of the

The Conquests of India

many

Appendix

petty kingdoms parcelled out

359

to

his

ruled

by

descendants.

was

India

by Afghan, by Turki

Hindu,
rajahs,

and

till

Babar,

war.

and

kings
the

from Timur, invaded

sixth

India

in

founded the Mogul Empire, so

1525, and
called,

at

all

descent

in

confusion,

in

left

which

theoretically

lasted,

the mutiny of 1857.

at

least,

Its real unity

power ended with the reign

and

Aurangzeb

of

in

1707,

Babar's was the

the

all

search

in

Humayun

conquest of India

invasions had

previous

razzias

first

of

plunder.

simply succeeded

the empire

his

in

been mere

His
not

son

losing

grandson Akbar organized

and consolidated

the

son and grandson of

Mogul power. The

Akbar (Jahangir and

Shah Jahan) ruled over a magnificent and

fairly homogeneous realm.
With Aurangzeb's long reign the solidarity of the

empire

ended forever.

The

principal dates in the period referred

to in this
for

book

are collected in

convenience.

In

what

follows,

most cases they are

The Mogul Emperors

360

from

simply copied

Sir

and Products

People, History,

Hunter's

hidian Empire

book, The

admirable

W. W.

Its

(Triibner's

Oriental Series).
A.D.

Irruption

of

Moguls under Timur (Tamer-

the

1398-99

lane)

Timur captures Delhi

Babar

sixth

in

1398

descent from Timur

born

1483

"

becomes king of Ferghana

i494

"

conquers Samarkand

i497

"

conquers Kabul

1504

"

invades India

1526

"

dies

1530

Humayun
"

Babar's

son

succeeds

1530

capture of Lahore and occupation of

the Punjab by his brother

**

campaigns

'*

defeated by Sher-Shah,
ruler of

"

finally

in

Kamran 1530

Malwa and Guzarat.

Bengal

retreat to Agra....

an exile

Sher-Shah

as-

cends the Delhi throne

returns to India

by
is

Akbar
"

1539

defeated by Sher-Shah; escapes

to Persia as

"

1532

Afghan

the

his

1540

defeat of the Afghans

young son Akbar

and

dies,

succeeded by Akbar

son of Humayunborn

at

Amarkat

1556
in

Bind 1542

succeeds to the throne under the regency

of Bairani

Khan

1556

The Conquests of India

Appendix

361
A.D.

Akbar^assumes

dom

direct

management

quells revolt of

of the king-

Bairam Khan..

"

invasion of the Panjab by Akbar's rival

"

subjugates

brother Hakim, Avho

is

the Rajput

defeated

kingdoms

1566
the

to

Mogul Empire
campaign

and

its

annexation

^572-73

reconquest of Bengal, which

nexed
"

1561-68

in Guzerat,

empire

to the

"

to the

1560

is

finally an-

empire

1576

insurrection in Guzerat (1581-93) which

finally

is

subjugated to the empire.

1593

"

conquest of Kashmir

1586

"

conquest of Sind

1592

"

subjugation of Kandahar, and consolidation of the

Mogul Empire over

all

India

north of the Vindhya mountains, as far

Kabul and Kandahar

as

1594

"

unsuccessful

"

Akbar's campaign

"

annexation of Khandesh, and return of

"

dies at

campaign of Akbar's

son,

Prince Murad, in the Deccan

Akbar

Jahangir

1595

Deccan

^599

Northern India

to

1601

Agra

succeeds
flight,

1605

his father

rebellion,

his eldest son

"

in the

Akbar

1605

and imprisonment of

Khusru

Nur-Mahal
Thomas Roe's embassy arrives

marries
Sir

court

606

1611
at his

16

The Mogul Emperors

362

A.D.

Kandahar captured by the Persians.

Jahangir
"
"

Rebellion of Shah Jahan, his son.

Mahabet-Khan

"

recovers

his

and Shah Jahan

"

1627

in rebellion

1627

Nur-Mahal

imprisoned

"

ascends the throne

"

Afghan uprisings

1627

1628
in

Northern In-

1628-30

dia

"

death of his wife

"

wars

"

Kandahar reconquered by

"

temporary invasion of Balkh by the

in the

umtaz-i- Mahal

Deccan

the

Moguls 1637

Moguls

1645

Nur-Mahal

"

Balkh abandoned by the Moguls.

Kandahar

dies

finally

1645
.

war

in the

1653

Deccan under Aurang-

zeb
"

"

Aurangzeb
"
**

1647

taken and held by

the Persians

"

1630

1629-35

"

"

1626

Mahabet-Khan

dies

Shah Jahan

162

1623-25

emperor.

seizes the

liberty

...

1655-56

disputes as to the succession to the

throne between the four sons

of

Shah Jahan

1657-58
1666

dies

deposes

Shah Jahan,

his father

Dara, his brother, executed

Shuja, his brother,

miserably

flies

1658
1659

and perishes
1660

The
Aurangzeb

Couqttests

of India

Appetidix

A.D.

Murad,

imprisoned and

his brother,

executed
"

166

Maratha wars,

under

who

Sivaji,

rebels
"

war

1662-65
the

in

Deccan

defeat

of

the

Moguls
"

Sivaji

1666

makes

peace,

and

obtains

favorable terms

"
"
"

1667

Sivaji ravages the

Deccan

1670

Sivaji defeats the

Mogul army

1672

the emperor revives the poll-tax on

non-Muhammadans
"

war with the Rajputs

"

Maratha successes

"

the

emperor

in

1667
1679

in the

Deccan 1672-80

person invades the

Deccan
"
**

guerrilla wars

1683
with

the Maratha wars

the Marathas..

"
"

the

1692

successes of the

Moguls
"

363

Marathas successful

1699-1701
1702-05

retreats

and dies

1707

706

The Mogul Emperors

364

A GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF
THE HOUSE OF TIMUR
[abridged from professor blochmann's
ain-i-akbari.]

TiMUR,

I.

1405)

A.H. 736 (a.d. 1336)

i>.

Jalaluddtn Miran Shah

II.

A.H. 769

b.

d.

A.H. 830

d.

860
VI.

d.

(eldest

son

A.H. 937

d.

3.

II.),

son of III.),

(eldest

b.

a.h.

of

V.),

1530)

viz.:

2.

b.

a.h.

888

(a.d.

buried at Kabul.

Jahangir Mirza.

Nazir Mirza.

Humayun

1508)

(eldest son of VI.),

d. A.H. 963

(a.d.

1556)

Humayun

had three brothers,

Mirza.

Askari Mirza.

VIII.

(sixth son of

(fourth son of IV.),

(a.d.

Babar had two brothers,

VII.

b.

A.H. 899 (a.d. 1494).

Babar

1483)

I.),

A.H. 873.

Omar-Shaikh Mirza

V.

(third son of

Sultan Abusaid Mirza

IV.

a.h. 807 (a.d.

A.H. 810.

d.

Sultan Muhammad Mirza

III.

d.

buried at Samarkand.

3.

Akbar

1542)

d.

buried at Delhi.

viz.:

4.

1014 (a.d. 1605)

2.

Kamram

Mirza Hindal.

(eldest son of VII.),

A.H.

a.h. 913 (a.d.

b.

b.

a.h. 949 (a.d.

buried at Agra.

Genealogical Table

House of

Timtir 365

Akbar had two brothers, viz.: 2. Mirza Muhammad Hakim, King of Kabul. 3. Sultan Ibrahim.
IX. Jahangir (third son of VIII.),
1569)

d.

A.H. 1037 (a.d. 1627)

Jahangir had
and Husain

four

b.

brothers, viz.:

d.

1076 (a.d. 1666)

A.H.

b.

5.

XI.

Lahore.

2.

Hasan

4.

Sultan

a.h. iooo (a,d.

buried at Agra.

Shah Jahan had four brothers,

2. Sultan
Parwiz.
Khusru.

2l\.

i,

(twins, died in infancy).

MuRAD. 5. Sultan Danyal.

X. Shah Jahan (third son of IX.),
1591)

a.h. 977 (a.d.

buried

viz.:
4.

i.

Sultan

Jahandar.

Shahryar,

Aurangzeb

i6i8);
abad.

d. A.H.

b.

buried at Daulat-

Aurangzeb had
6,

eight brothers, of

i. Dara Shikoh.
Murad Bakhsh.

need only mention

tan Shuja.

a.h. 1027 (a.d,

(third son of X.),

1118 (a.d. 1707)

Finis

whom we
2.

Sul-

UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY

AA 000 880 656

University of California

SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY

LOS

FACILITY

Parking Lot 17 Box 951388

ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388

305 De Neve Drive

Return this material to the library from which

it

was borrowed.