New Delhi: The Mughal Empire, one of the most powerful empires in the history of India and also of the world history, was largely dominated by men. The emperors were all males and the courtiers and the nobles also belonged to the same gender. However, despite the barriers of the patriarchal society, there were Mughal women who carved out their legacy on their own right, like Nur Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. One of those Mughal women was Salima Sultan Begum. She passed away on this day in 1613 and in this article, we will take a look at her life and legacy.
Salima Sultan Begum: Babur’s grand-daughter and Akbar’s wife
Salima Sultan Begum was born on February 23, 1539, to Gulrukh Begum, a Mughal princess and her husband Nuruddin Muhammad Mirza who was the Viceroy of Kannauj. Her father was a scion of the illustrious Naqshbandi Khwajas who were extremely respected. Notably, Gulrukh Begum was Babur’s daughter, the founder of the Mughal Empire.
Salima was Emperor Akbar’s half-cousin and she lost her mother when she was just an infant. An accomplished woman, she was highly educated and extremely talented and tactful. She was fluent in Persian and was famous as a poet who used the pseudonym Makhfi. She loved to read books and had a great library of her own.
Salima Sultan Begum and her marriage to Bairam Khan
At that time, Bairam Khan was one of the most powerful members in the imperial court who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of the Mughal Empire after Humayun died and Akbar was yet to come of age. On n December 7, 1557, the marriage between Khan and Salima Sultan Begum took place in Punjab’s Jalandhar. While Salima was 18 years old, Khan was in his fifties when the marriage took place. It was probably a reward to Khan for his services to Humayun. However, the marriage came to an end in 1561 when Khan was assassinated after being stripped of powers in the Mughal court.
Becoming the wife of Mughal Emperor Akbar
After the death of Bairam Khan, Akbar married Salima on May 7, 1561. She became a senior-ranking wife of Akbar and wielded immense influence in the Mughal court. However, she remained childless all throughout her life and brought up Murad Mirza for the first few years of his life, one of Akbar’s son who was born to a concubine.
The power of Salima Sultan Begum in Mughal court
Salima Sultan Begum was an immensely powerful figure in the Mughal court during the reigns of Akbar and his son Salim (later Jahangir) and wielded much influence over both the emperors. In the early 1660s, when the relationship between Akbar and Salim had turned sour and the latter revolved against his father, it was Salima Sultan Begum and Hamida Bano Begum who brokered the reconciliation between the two. She also played a key role in securing the pardon for the Khusrau Mirza, Jahangir’s eldest son and also of Mirza Aziz Koka, the foster brother of Akbar after Khusrau revolted against his father. Salima passed away on January 2, 1613, in Agra at the age of 73 due to illness.
Salima Sultan Begum, granddaughter of Babur and wife of Emperor Akbar, was a significant figure in the Mughal court. Highly educated and a talented poet, she wielded considerable influence, mediating disputes between Akbar and his son Jahangir. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
