Sher Afghan Quli Khan
Encyclopedia
Ali Quli Istajlu, 'Sher Afgan Khan', also mentioned as Ali Quli Khan Istaju 'Sher Afgan Khan' was a Mughal
courtier
, earlier serving in Persia, who became the jagirdar of Burdwan in West Bengal
(1605–1607). He was also the first husband of Nur Jahan (Mehrunissa), who later married Jahangir
and became Empress
of India
.
He was given the title Sher Afgan Khan, by Prince Salim, Jahangir
, after his meritorious actions, during a war with the Rana of Mewar
. Ali Kuli Istaju, was educated under the instructions of Shah Ismail II
of Safavid dynasty
in Iran
. Like his wife, Sher Afgan was also an immigrant from Persia, who fled from Iran, to Kandahar
, then in India.
He was the father of Mehrunissa's only child, a daughter, also called Mehurinissa, like her mother, though later called Ladli Begum
, after she married Prince Shahryar, the fifth and youngest son of Jahangir
and rival to Shah Jahan
.
, the third Safavid Shah
of Persia (1576–78). After the Shah's death, Ali Quli came to Kandahar, and at Multan
he met Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana
who made him a royal employee while in the field.
Later, on Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana's recommendation, Ali Quli received a mansab, Thatta
(in present day Pakistan). During the following years he rendered distinguished services to Akbar, and moved to the royal courts at Lahore.
Soon after his arrival at the royal courts in 1594, Ain-e-Akbari suggests, Akbar ordered his marriage to the seventeen-year-old Mehrunissa (the future Empress Nur Jahan), daughter of Mirza Ghias Beg. Ghias’s wife had access to the royal harem, and on her visits there she was often accompanied by Mehrunissa. There Prince Salim
reportedly saw her and fell in love with her, and in order to avoid scandal, Akbar quickly married her to Ali Quli. Some historians suggest that when Prince Salim saw her, she was already engaged to be married to Ali Quli, and thus the prince couldn’t marry her on that account.
When Prince Salim revolted against Akbar, Ali Quli sided with Akbar against the prince, but when Selim finally ascended to the Mughal throne in 1605 and took the name Jahangir, he pardoned Ali Quli along with all those who favoured Akbar instead of him. Ali Quli was made a jagir
dar and received the region of Bardhaman
in east Bengal as his domain.
, also in the province of Bengal
. Numerous Mansabs and titles were bestowed on his son Sheikh Farid who eventually became the Governor of Budaun
. His descendants still live in a fort (now in ruins) in Sheikhupur, Budaun.
In 1607, Qutb was instructed to send Sher Afgan Khan to the court as he was accused of negligence and siding with Afghan rebels and transferred. Sher Afgan Khan refused to obey. Seeing this, Qutbuddin started off for Bardhaman, while he sent Ghiasa, the son of his sister, in advance to pacify Sher Afgan and bring him to the court. So upon his arrival on May 30, 1607, Sher Afgan duly went to meet him, accompanied by two men. At that moment Qutb signaled his men to arrest Sher Afgan, who stepped forward in alarm and attacked Qutbuddin sensing treachery. Qutbuddin was fatally wounded, and seeing this, his men surrounded Sher Afgan and killed him instantly.
Qutbuddin, who was fatally wounded, died later in the night. This caused much grief to Jahangir as he mentions in his memoirs, Tuzk-e-Jahangiri
, where he also mentions his elation at the death of Ali Quli and hopes that “the blackfaced wretch will for ever remain in hell”.
The claim that Ali Quli was killed because the emperor coveted his wife has been discounted by many later historians, who cite the fact that if Jahangir had had any such intentions, he wouldn’t have bestowed upon Ali Quli the title Sher Afgan, or pardoned him after he ascended the throne, or given him Bardhaman.
Another historical writer, Khafi Khan, mentions another tale about Ali Quli's death, which is said to have been related by Nur Jahan's mother. According to her, Sher Aghan did not die immediately when he was attacked by Qutbuddin's men, but wounded as he was, he managed to get to the door of his house with the intention of killing his wife, whom he did not wish to fall into the emperor's hands. But her mother would not let him enter, and told him to mind his wounds, especially as Mehrunissa had committed suicide by throwing herself into a well. “Having heard the sad news, Sher Afkan went to the heavenly mansions.” Historians do not credit this tale, however.
His tomb is situated within the shrine complex of the poet ‘Bahram Saqqa’, in the present day city of Bardhaman
in West Bengal
, next to the tomb of Qutbuddin.
at Agra. As the story progresses, in March 1611, during the New Year day’s (Nauroz) celebrations, Prince Salim happened to see Mehrunissa at Meena Bazar (Agra
) and immediately fell in love with her.
Mehrunissa and Prince Salim were married two months later, on May 25, 1611, which made her Jahangir's twentieth wife as Nur Mahal, ‘Light of the castle’, and in 1616, she was given the title Nur Mahal or Nur Jahan, ‘the Light of the World’.
Ali Quli's daughter, who, like her mother, was named also named Mehrunissa, later named Ladli Begum
, was married to Prince Shahryar, Jahangir's fifth son in 1620. Shahryar went on to briefly occupy the Mughal throne at Lahore, under the maneuvering of Nur Jahan, after the death of Jahangir on October 27, 1627. He was later captured by Mughal forces led by Asaf Khan, and − first blinded by the orders of Prince Dawar
− was later executed by Asaf Khan, at the order of Shah Jahan
, who finally ascend to the Mughal throne after executing all his remainder brothers.
After Qutbuddin’s death, the next subedar of Bengal was Quli Khan (1607–1608) and when he died, Islam Khan (June 1608–died August 1613).
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
courtier
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
, earlier serving in Persia, who became the jagirdar of Burdwan in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
(1605–1607). He was also the first husband of Nur Jahan (Mehrunissa), who later married Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
and became Empress
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
He was given the title Sher Afgan Khan, by Prince Salim, Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
, after his meritorious actions, during a war with the Rana of Mewar
Mewar
Mewar is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Pratapgarh, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later...
. Ali Kuli Istaju, was educated under the instructions of Shah Ismail II
Ismail II
Ismail II was the third Safavid Shah of Iran.-Life:Ismail was the son of Shah Tahmasp I by a Turcoman mother, Sultanum Bekum Mawsillu. In 1547, he was appointed governor of the province of Shirvan where he led several expeditions against the Ottomans...
of Safavid dynasty
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Like his wife, Sher Afgan was also an immigrant from Persia, who fled from Iran, to Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
, then in India.
He was the father of Mehrunissa's only child, a daughter, also called Mehurinissa, like her mother, though later called Ladli Begum
Ladli Begum
Ladli Begum was the daughter of Nur Jahan and her first husband Sher Afghan, and was married to Mughal prince, Shahryar....
, after she married Prince Shahryar, the fifth and youngest son of Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
and rival to Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
.
Life
Ali Quli Khan Istaju was the safarchi (table-attendant) of Ismail IIIsmail II
Ismail II was the third Safavid Shah of Iran.-Life:Ismail was the son of Shah Tahmasp I by a Turcoman mother, Sultanum Bekum Mawsillu. In 1547, he was appointed governor of the province of Shirvan where he led several expeditions against the Ottomans...
, the third Safavid Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
of Persia (1576–78). After the Shah's death, Ali Quli came to Kandahar, and at Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
he met Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana
Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana
Khanzada Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana , also known as Rahim was a composer in the times of Mughal emperor Akbar, and one of his main nine ministers in his court, also known as the Navaratnas; he is most known for his Hindi couplets and his books on Astrology...
who made him a royal employee while in the field.
Later, on Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana's recommendation, Ali Quli received a mansab, Thatta
Thatta
Thatta is a historic town of 220,000 inhabitants in the Sindh province of Pakistan, near Lake Keenjhar, the largest freshwater lake in the country. Thatta's major monuments especially its necropolis at Makli are listed among the World Heritage Sites. The Shah Jahan Mosque is also listed...
(in present day Pakistan). During the following years he rendered distinguished services to Akbar, and moved to the royal courts at Lahore.
Soon after his arrival at the royal courts in 1594, Ain-e-Akbari suggests, Akbar ordered his marriage to the seventeen-year-old Mehrunissa (the future Empress Nur Jahan), daughter of Mirza Ghias Beg. Ghias’s wife had access to the royal harem, and on her visits there she was often accompanied by Mehrunissa. There Prince Salim
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
reportedly saw her and fell in love with her, and in order to avoid scandal, Akbar quickly married her to Ali Quli. Some historians suggest that when Prince Salim saw her, she was already engaged to be married to Ali Quli, and thus the prince couldn’t marry her on that account.
When Prince Salim revolted against Akbar, Ali Quli sided with Akbar against the prince, but when Selim finally ascended to the Mughal throne in 1605 and took the name Jahangir, he pardoned Ali Quli along with all those who favoured Akbar instead of him. Ali Quli was made a jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
dar and received the region of Bardhaman
Bardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....
in east Bengal as his domain.
Death
Shaikh Khubu, Qutbuddin Khan Koka, (Khan-i-Chishti), was the foster-brother of Jahangir, as his mother was a daughter of Shaikh Salim. When Jahangir ascended the throne of Mughal Empire in 1605, Qutbuddin was made the ‘subedar’ (Governor) of Bengal, by replacing Raja Man Singh. Meanwhile Sher Afghan Ali Quli Istajlu was tuyuldar of BardhamanBardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....
, also in the province of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Numerous Mansabs and titles were bestowed on his son Sheikh Farid who eventually became the Governor of Budaun
Budaun
Badaun or Badayun is a city in the north-central Uttar Pradesh state of northern India. According to famous British Historian George Smith Budaun was named after Ahir prince Budh. Badaun comes under upper doab of Gangatic plains. Pede from Badaun are famous throughout world.-Demographics: India...
. His descendants still live in a fort (now in ruins) in Sheikhupur, Budaun.
In 1607, Qutb was instructed to send Sher Afgan Khan to the court as he was accused of negligence and siding with Afghan rebels and transferred. Sher Afgan Khan refused to obey. Seeing this, Qutbuddin started off for Bardhaman, while he sent Ghiasa, the son of his sister, in advance to pacify Sher Afgan and bring him to the court. So upon his arrival on May 30, 1607, Sher Afgan duly went to meet him, accompanied by two men. At that moment Qutb signaled his men to arrest Sher Afgan, who stepped forward in alarm and attacked Qutbuddin sensing treachery. Qutbuddin was fatally wounded, and seeing this, his men surrounded Sher Afgan and killed him instantly.
Qutbuddin, who was fatally wounded, died later in the night. This caused much grief to Jahangir as he mentions in his memoirs, Tuzk-e-Jahangiri
Tuzk-e-Jahangiri
Tuzk-e-Jahangiri or Tuzk-i-Jahangiri is the autobiography of Mughal Emperor Nor-u-Din Muhammad Jahangir . Also referred to as Jahangirnama , Tuzk-e-Jahangiri is written in Persian, and follows the tradition of his great-grandfather, Babur , who had written the Baburnama; though Jahangir went a...
, where he also mentions his elation at the death of Ali Quli and hopes that “the blackfaced wretch will for ever remain in hell”.
The claim that Ali Quli was killed because the emperor coveted his wife has been discounted by many later historians, who cite the fact that if Jahangir had had any such intentions, he wouldn’t have bestowed upon Ali Quli the title Sher Afgan, or pardoned him after he ascended the throne, or given him Bardhaman.
Another historical writer, Khafi Khan, mentions another tale about Ali Quli's death, which is said to have been related by Nur Jahan's mother. According to her, Sher Aghan did not die immediately when he was attacked by Qutbuddin's men, but wounded as he was, he managed to get to the door of his house with the intention of killing his wife, whom he did not wish to fall into the emperor's hands. But her mother would not let him enter, and told him to mind his wounds, especially as Mehrunissa had committed suicide by throwing herself into a well. “Having heard the sad news, Sher Afkan went to the heavenly mansions.” Historians do not credit this tale, however.
His tomb is situated within the shrine complex of the poet ‘Bahram Saqqa’, in the present day city of Bardhaman
Bardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....
in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, next to the tomb of Qutbuddin.
Nur Jahan’s remarriage
After Ali Quli’s death, his wife (Mehrunissa), and their young daughter, were send to the royal harem, where she spent next four years as lady-in-waiting to one of the Jahangir's stepmothers, Sultana Begum, the mother of Khusrau MirzaKhusrau Mirza
Khusrau Mirza was the eldest son of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. His mother Manbai or Shah Begam was a Kachhwaha princess and the daughter of Raja Bhagwant Das. Prince Khusrau was born in Lahore on August 16, 1587...
at Agra. As the story progresses, in March 1611, during the New Year day’s (Nauroz) celebrations, Prince Salim happened to see Mehrunissa at Meena Bazar (Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
) and immediately fell in love with her.
Mehrunissa and Prince Salim were married two months later, on May 25, 1611, which made her Jahangir's twentieth wife as Nur Mahal, ‘Light of the castle’, and in 1616, she was given the title Nur Mahal or Nur Jahan, ‘the Light of the World’.
Ali Quli's daughter, who, like her mother, was named also named Mehrunissa, later named Ladli Begum
Ladli Begum
Ladli Begum was the daughter of Nur Jahan and her first husband Sher Afghan, and was married to Mughal prince, Shahryar....
, was married to Prince Shahryar, Jahangir's fifth son in 1620. Shahryar went on to briefly occupy the Mughal throne at Lahore, under the maneuvering of Nur Jahan, after the death of Jahangir on October 27, 1627. He was later captured by Mughal forces led by Asaf Khan, and − first blinded by the orders of Prince Dawar
Dawar
Dawar or Dawar Bakhsh, which means "God Given" was the ruler of the Moghul Empire for a short time between 1627-1628, immediately after the death of his grandfather Jahangir . It was the title given to 'Bulaki' on his accession to the Moghul throne...
− was later executed by Asaf Khan, at the order of Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
, who finally ascend to the Mughal throne after executing all his remainder brothers.
After Qutbuddin’s death, the next subedar of Bengal was Quli Khan (1607–1608) and when he died, Islam Khan (June 1608–died August 1613).