Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi (Persian: بدیعالزمان صفوی; died 1659) was a prince of the Safavid dynasty of Persia and a powerful amir at the Mughal court during Emperor Shah Jahan's reign. He is better known by the title Shahnawaz Khan or Mirza Deccan. Shahnawaz Khan was the father-in-law of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and his younger brother Prince Murad Baksh.
| Badi-uz-Zaman Safavi | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahzada of the Safavid Empire | |||||
_by_H%C4%81shim_(recto),_Persian_calligraphy_by_M%C4%ABr_%60Al%C4%AB_(verso),_folio_from_the_Minto_Album.jpg){kind=spacer} Badi-uz-Zaman Safavid by Hashim | |||||
| Viceroy of Gujarat Subah | |||||
| Tenure | 1637 – 1659 | ||||
| Died | 14 March 1659 Ajmer, Rajasthan, India | ||||
| Burial | Ajmer Sharif, Ajmer | ||||
| Spouse | Nauras Banu Begum | ||||
| Issue | Dilras Banu Begum Sakina Banu Begum Mirza Muhammad Ahsan Safavi Mirza Mu‘azzam Safavi | ||||
| |||||
| House | Safavid | ||||
| Father | Mirza Rustam Safavi | ||||
| Religion | Shia Islam | ||||
Family and lineage
editShahnawaz Khan was the son of Mirza Rustam Safavi,[1] who rose to eminence during Emperor Jahangir's reign. He belonged to the lineage of the old Mashad princes of Iran - his great-grandfather was a son of Shah Ismail I of the Safavid Empire.[2]
He was married to Nauras Banu Begum,[3] the daughter of Mirza Muhammad Sharif. The couple were the parents of two sons and five daughters, including Dilras Banu Begum, who married Prince Muhi-ud-din (later known as Aurangzeb upon his accession), the third son of Emperor Shah Jahan in 1637. Another daughter of his married Aurangzeb's youngest brother, Prince Murad Bakhsh in 1638.[4]
At the Mughal court
editShahnawaz Khan was made viceroy of Gujarat and ataliq to Shah Jahan's son, Prince Murad Baksh, at the time of his assignment to the Deccan.[5] Shahnawaz Khan was imprisoned by his son-in-law, Aurangzeb, in the Burhanpur fort in 1658 for not supporting him in the war of succession. Khan, instead of supporting his son-in-law, chose to support Aurangzeb's oldest brother, Crown Prince Dara Shikoh, the heir-apparent chosen by Emperor Shah Jahan. This resulted in a conflict of interests between Aurangzeb and him. Aurangzeb released him seven months later, upon the intercession of his eldest daughter Princess Zeb-un-Nisa and appointed him the viceroy of Gujarat.[6]
Death
editShahnawaz Khan died in battle at Ajmer on 14 March 1659 and was buried in Ajmer Sharif, Rajasthan by the orders of Aurangzeb.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Koch, Ebba (1997). King of the world: the Padshahnama. Azimuth Ed. p. 104.
- ^ Annie Krieger-Krynicki (2005). Captive princess: Zebunissa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb. Oxford University Press. pp. 1, 84, 92.
- ^ Indian Historical Records Commission (1921). Proceedings of the ... Session, Volume 3. The Commission. p. 18.
- ^ Waldemar, Hansen (1986). The Peacock Throne: The Drama of Mogul India. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 124.
- ^ Balabanlilar, Lisa (2015). Imperial Identity in the Mughal Empire: Memory and Dynastic Politics in Early Modern South and Central Asia. I.B.Tauris. p. 186. ISBN 978-0857732460.
- ^ a b Sir Jadunath Sarkar (1925). Anecdotes of Aurangzib. M.C. Sarkar & Sons. p. 35.
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