Jahangir Mirza (c. 1472 – c. 1515)[1] was a Dughlat prince and briefly the ruler of Yarkand (1514). He was the eldest son of Mirza Abu Bakr Dughlat.[2]

Jahangir Mirza
Dughlat prince
Babur being entertained in Ghaznī by Jahāngīr Mīrzā
Borncirca 1472 (1472)
Died1515 (aged 42–43)
Yangi Hissar
SpouseKhadija Sultan Khanim (4th daughter of Ahmad Alaq)
Mothera daughter of Isan Bugha Khan

Biography

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During his father's reign as ruler of the cities of Yarkand, Kashgar and Khotan, Jahangir did not play a major role in the government.[2] The only event recorded of him during this time is his marriage to Khadija Sultan Khanim, the youngest daughter of Ahmad Khan.[inconsistent] She was captured by Abu Bakr during the attack on Aksu.[3]

Mirza Aba Bakr's reign was brought to an end in 1514 when Sultan Said Khan invaded Kashgaria. Judging his army to be incapable of putting up an effective resistance, he handed over Yarkand to Jahangir Mirza and promptly headed south for Khotan.[2] Jahangir Mirza, however, having been suddenly thrust into his position with little experience to aid him, decided that maintaining his position in the face of Sultan Said Khan's army would be impossible. Five days after the departure of his father, he destroyed his treasures and allowed the citizens of Yarkand to pillage what they pleased[4] so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of the khan. He then retreated to Sanju in what is modern day Pishan County.[3]

When Sultan Said Khan's forces arrived, he surrendered without a fight and disavowed his father. Seeing that Jahangir Mirza had disavowed his father and had treated his marriage with Khadija Sultan Khanim with honor, Sultan Said Khan pardoned him and celebrated the occasion with a feast. That winter, however, Jahangir Mirza was murdered in Yangi Hissar. The identity and motives of the assassins were unknown.[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ Muhammad Haidar says (p. 329) that he is 42 years old in 1514, but he is notoriously unreliable with dates.
  2. ^ a b c Muhammad Haidar, p. 323
  3. ^ a b c Dughlát Muhammad Haidar (1895). The Tarikh-i-rashidi: A History of the Moghuls of Central Asia; an English Version. S. Low, Marston and Company. pp. 328–330. Mirza Jahangir had not followed his father to Tibet, but that he had settled down in the district of Sanju. ... Mirza Jahangir came out to receive him, offering rich gifts ... Mirza Jahangir was born of one of the daughters of Isan Bugha Khan... when Mirza Aba Bakr captured Aksu ... the fourth daughter of Alacha Khan fell into his hands. ... When she was of age, he gave her in marriage to his son Jahangir Mirza. The latter, arriving now in the Khan's presence, was received with respect, and this fourth daughter of Alacha Khan, whose name was Khadija Sultan Khanim ... The Khan showed favour to Jahangir Mirza, ... entered him among the men of trust around his person, and promised that feasts should be celebrated in honour of Khadija out of regard for her noble birth. ... One night towards the end of that winter, Jahangir Mirza was killed in Yangi-Hisar, together with several of his followers. It was never known who committed this deed.
  4. ^ Muhammad Haidar, p. 326

References

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