Nūr Jahān's journey to becoming Emperor Jahāngīr's wife
I can explain how Mehr al-Nesā came to be known as Nūr Jahān.
Nūr Jahān's journey to becoming Emperor Jahāngīr's wife
I can explain how Mehr al-Nesā came to be known as Nūr Jahān.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Growing up in India, Mehr al-Nesā married a Mughal official and together they had a baby daughter.
- However, her husband was killed after an argument with the local governor, and Mehr al-Nesā became a widow.
- At this time, widows were welcomed to the Mughal Emperor's court to keep his wives company.
- The emperor, Jahāngīr, had nineteen wives; when he saw Mehr al-Nesā he fell in love with her straight away.
- They married and she was given a new title, Nūr Jahān (Light of the World), and became his favourite wife.
Keywords
Official - an official is someone who works for someone important like the Mughal Emperor
Widow - when someone becomes a widow, it means their husband or wife has died
Court - a court is a place where the emperor would gather and make decisions about the empire
Title - a person's title is a word such as ' Sir', ' Lord', or ' Lady' that is used in front of their name, or a phrase that is used instead of their name
Common misconception
Pupils may be confused by the emperor having 20 wives.
Explain to pupils that in some countries and some religions you can marry multiple people. However today in the UK, it is illegal to marry more than one person.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of serious crime
- Depiction or discussion of nudity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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