WOMEN IN MEDIEVAL INDIAI. MEDIEVAL INDIAA. BACKGROUND1. INDIA'S HISTORY GOES BACK TO 2500 B.C.E.a. INDUS CIVILIZATION - 1ST ONE2. 2ND CIVILIZATIONa. ARRIVAL OF ARYANS - C. 1500 B.C.E.b. ESTABLISHED (1) CASTE SYSTEM(a) 4 MAJOR ONES(2) REINCARNATION(3) LOWERING OF WOMEN'S STATUS(4) HINDUISM(a) RELIGION STILL IN MAJORITY TODAY(5) SACRED SCRIPTURES(a) VEDAS, UPANISHADS, LAW OF MANU3. NEXT MAURYAN EMPIREa. MAJOR LEADER ASHOKA - BUDDHISTB. MEDIEVAL INDIA1. 1526 BABUR THE TIGERa. DESCENDANT OF GENGHIS KHAN & TAMERLANEb. ESTABLISHED GREAT MUGHAL DYNASTY c. REALLY MUSLIM IN RELIGIONd. BUT PERSIAN, MUSLIM, MONGOL & INDIA IN CULTURE2. GRADUALLY EXTENDED MUSLIM POLITICAL POWER OVER INDIA3. BUT NUMBER OF PRACTICING MUSLIMS ALWAYS SMALL FOR MAJORITY OF INDIANS4. AKBAR - GREAT EMPEROR WHO PRACTICED RELIGIOUS TOLERATION5. HIS SON JAHANGIR MARRIES NUR JAHANII. NUR JAHAN - MEHR-ON-NESA, MIHN-UN-NISA, OR MEHRUNISSAA. GENERAL REMARKS1. BORN 15772. DAUGHTER OF PERSIAN a. WHO WAS IN SERVICE OF MOGHUL JAHANGIR3. SHE MARRIED PERSIAN SHAR AFKUNa. WHOM JAHANGIR POSTED TO BENGALb. SHE HAD A DAUGHTER LADILI BEGAM(1) WHO MARRIED PRINCE SHAH IRYAR(a) SON OF JAHANGIR4. HER HUSBAND SHER AFKUN DIED IN 1607a. POSSIBLY AT JAHANGIR'S INSTIGATION5. WIDOW NUR JAHAN BROUGHT TO COURT AS a. LADY-IN-WAITING TO SALIMA(1) WIDOW OF PREVIOUS MOGHUL AKBAR6. EMPEROR JAHANGIR MARRIED NUR JAHAN 4 YEARS LATERa. GAVE HER NAME NUR MAHAL(1) LIGHT OF THE PALACEb. AT TIME OF MARRIAGE SHE 347. EMPRESS & DE FACTO RULER OF INDIA 1611-1627INTERMITTENTLY8. MOST POWERFUL & CONTROVERSIAL MUGHAL WOMAN 9. SHE GAVE HER BROTHER, ASAF KHANa. GIVEN HIGH-RANKING POSITION(1) SECOND ONLY TO THAT OF HER FATHER(a) WHO WAS PROMOTED TO CHIEF MINISTER10. NUR JAHAN SOON MADE HERSELF INDISPENSABLE TO DEPENDENT ALCOHOLIC KING11. SHE ALSO PRACTICED WHAT OTHER SCHOLARS REFER TO AS POLITICS OF PROCREATIONa. THEY GAVE BIRTH b. THEN EDUCATED & DIRECTED POTENTIAL HEIRS IN COMPETITION AMONG PRINCES TO SUCCEED THEIR FATHER12. HER MOTHER DISCOVERED ATTAR OF ROSESa. REWARDED WITH PEARL NECKLACE13. CLEARLY FAMILY HAD TAKEN OVER PALACE14. NUR JAHAN, HER BROTHER & HER FATHER DOMINATED POLITICS OF REALM15. NUR JAHAN MAKING DECISIONS & OTHERS CARRYING THEM OUT16. BRITISH AMBASSADOR SIR THOMAS ROE WROTE HOME TO FUTURE KING CHARLES I THATa. NUR JAHAN GOVERNS HIM AND WINDS HIM UP AT HER PLEASURE17. WHEN JAHANGIR FELL ILL IN 1620a. FROM THEN ON HIS POOR HEALTHb. COMPOUNDED BY ASTHMAc. & HIS USE OF ALCOHOL & OPIUM18. MADE IT IMPERATIVE FOR NUR JAHAN TO EXERCISE CONTROL19. HER FATHER DIED & HER BROTHER OCCUPIED ELSEWHERE DURING FINAL 5 YEARS OF JAHANGIR'S LIFE20. AT THAT POINT SHE BUILD "BABY TAJ"a. MORTUARY TOMB FOR HER PARENTS, SIBLINGSb. COMBINATION OF PERSIAN, HINDU & MUSLIM ARCHITECTUREc. PROTOTYPE FOR TAJ MAHALd. DECORATIVE FEATURES INCORPORATED HER HUSBAND JAHANGIR AS DRUNK IN BOTTLE OF WINE e. & HANDLES REPRESENTED BY SNAKES(1) REFERRING TO HER DECADENT HUSBAND21. NUR JAHAN RULED ALONE FROM INSIDE HAREM22. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT NUR JAHAN EVER BROKE PURDAH23. SHE EVEN HUNTED TIGERS FROM CLOSED HOWDAH ON TOP OF AN ELEPHANT WITH ONLY BARREL OF HER MUSKET EXPOSED BETWEEN CURTAINS24. IN 1626 SHE RODE INTO BATTLE IN ELEPHANT LITTERa. DISPENSING HER ORDERS THROUGH HER EUNUCH25. SHE ALSO CARRIED ON BUSINESSa. SPECIALIZING IN INDIGO & CLOTH TRADES26. AFTER HER DAUGHTER MARRIED SHAH IRYARa. NUR JAHAN BEGAN ACTIVELY TO WORK AGAINST SHAH JAHAN, 2(1) JAHANGIR'S APPOINTED HEIR TO THRONE27. AFTER JAHANGIR DIEDa. SHAH JAHAN ABLE TO SEIZE CONTROL28. NUR JAHAN QUICKLY ACCEPTED RETIREMENT a. PENSION OF 200,000 RUPEES YEAR29. SHE DIED IN 1645/6 AT AGE OF 68/930. MANY OF HER ENEMIES & LATER SCHOLARS HAVE PORTRAYED NUR JAHAN AS STRONG-WILLED MANIPULATOR OF JAHANGIR31. WOMEN WHO RULED IN THEIR OWN RIGHT OR ACTED ON BEHALFOF THEIR HUSBANDSa. RECEIVED NEGATIVE TREATMENT BECAUSE THEY SEEM TOTHREATEN ESTABLISHED ORDER32. WOMEN WHO HAVE PRESERVED POWER FOR THEIR SONS ARE DEEMED PRAISE WORTHY HOWEVERB. SHAH JAHAN & TAJ MAHAL1. JAHANGIR'S SON BY ANOTHER WOMAN 2. BUILDS TAJ MAHAL FOR HIS WIFE MUMTAZa. WHO DIES IN CHILDBIRTH DELIVERING HIS 14TH SON OR CHILDb. APPARENTLY MUMTAZ REQUESTED THAT HE BUILD ITIII. RELIGIOUS PRACTICES INVOLVING WOMEN IN MEDIEVAL INDIAA. GENERAL REMARKSB. ISLAM IN INDIA1. WOMEN OF THE COURT & HAREM TO STAY IN PURDAH2. NUMEROUS EXAMPLES TODAY OF BUILDINGS FROM MEDIEVAL INDIA TIMES SHOWING THISC. HINDUISM 1. FOR HINDUS CONTINUATION OF SAME GODS & GODDESSES AS ANCIENT INDIA HISTORICAL PERIOD2. SEE LECTURE FOR HISTORY 251D. PRACTICES OF SATI1. RITUAL IMMOLATION OF WIDOWS ON HUSBAND'S FUNERAL PYRE2. PRACTICED BY HIGHEST BRAHMAN CASTE & OTHERS3. NOT PRACTICED BY