No Mughal emperor is historically confirmed to have married his own daughter. While the concept of incestuous relationships has occasionally appeared in historical accusations within royal courts, concrete evidence of a formal marriage between a Mughal emperor and his own biological daughter is not established in historical records.
However, Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, faced significant accusations concerning his relationship with his eldest and most influential daughter, Jahanara Begum.
Understanding Accusations Against Mughal Emperors
During various periods in the Mughal Empire, particularly in times of political instability or succession struggles, rumors and accusations were sometimes propagated to undermine key figures within the royal family. Such claims were often politically motivated rather than factual accounts of events.
The accusations against Shah Jahan are a notable example:
| Emperor Name | Nature of Accusation | Specifics of the Claim |
|---|
The claim that a Mughal emperor "married his own daughter" is historically unsubstantiated. However, there were accusations of an incestuous relationship propagated against Shah Jahan regarding his eldest daughter, Jahanara Begum.
Shah Jahan and Jahanara Begum: Unfounded Accusations
Shah Jahan, who reigned from 1628 to 1658, is widely known for commissioning the Taj Mahal. While his relationship with his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, was famously deep, his relationship with his daughter Jahanara Begum became the subject of rumors.
Jahanara Begum was a highly influential princess who wielded significant power in the Mughal court, especially after her mother's death and during her father's later years. After Shah Jahan fell seriously ill in 1658, Jahanara's influence in the Mughal administration grew immensely. It was in this context of her increasing prominence and proximity to the emperor that several accusations of an incestual relationship between Shah Jahan and Jahanara were reportedly circulated. These accusations are largely considered to have been politically motivated, potentially propagated by rivals during the turbulent period of succession struggles that followed Shah Jahan's illness, particularly by his son Aurangzeb.
There is no historical evidence to suggest that Shah Jahan formally married Jahanara Begum, nor that such an incestuous relationship, as suggested by the accusations, actually occurred. Mughal marital customs and Islamic law prevalent at the time would have strictly prohibited such a union. Daughters of Mughal emperors often held significant political and economic influence, but this did not involve marital ties with their fathers.
