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On February 14, 1628, Shah Jahan became the Mughal Emperor at Agra. The first thing he did after securing his place at the throne was to blind and kill all his competitors
Crowned on 14th Feb 1628
The Mughal era is often remembered for its brutal wars of succession to the throne. Fifth Mughal Emperor Prince Khurram, better known as Shah Jahan, had a similar fascinating journey to reach the throne. His father, Emperor Jahangir, was known as Prince Salim before he ascended the throne. He was Akbar’s son, but Akbar wanted his grandson, Prince Khusrau Mirza to take over the throne.
Even though Khusrau Mirza was Salim’s eldest son, Prince Salim was not happy about Akbar’s wish at all. As soon as Akbar died, a fight broke out between the father and son. Prince Salim won the battle and he punished his eldest son Prince Khusrau Mirza for trying to betray him for the throne. At the mere age of 19, Prince Khusrau was blinded with a red-hot metal wire.
In the meanwhile, Jahangir’s third-eldest son, Prince Khurram demanded custody of Prince Khusrau. Khusrau Mirza was later killed by Khurram to eliminate any threat to his seat at the throne. Prince Khurram eventually grew closer to his father, gaining keen experience of the affairs of the court. However, his father was an opium addict.
In his old age, Jahangir’s tryst with opium worsened and his wife, Nur Jahan, took over his political affairs, but Prince Khurram had already been deemed the de facto heir of Emperor Jahangir.
Finally, on February 14, 1628, Prince Khurram succeeded the throne in Agra and took over as the Emperor. As soon as the throne was safely under his control, Shah Jahan imprisoned Nur Jahan and executed all his immediate male relatives who could prove to be a threat to him in the future.
Though the Mughal empire reached newfound heights under his rule, Shah Jahan bore the same fate that he subjected his brothers to – he died a cruel death at the hands of his son Aurangzeb in yet another fierce fight for power.
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