ReaganRiordan at 09:11, 31 January 2026

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{{Infobox royalty
| consort =
| name = Bakht-un-Nissa Begum
| image =
| caption =
| title =[[Princess|Shahzadi]] of [[Mughal Empire]]
| reign =
| spouse = {{unbulletedlist|Shah Abdul Ma'ali|Khawaja Hasan Naqshbandi|}}
| issue = {{unbulletedlist|Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman|Mirza Wali|}}
| house = [[Timurid dynasty|Timurid]]
| father = [[Humayun]]
| mother= [[Mah Chuchak Begum]]
|religion=[[Sunni Islam]]| birth_date = {{circa}} 1547
| birth_place = [[Badakhshan]]
| death_date = 2 June {{death year and age|1608|1547}}
| death_place = Akbarabad (present day [[Agra]]), [[Mughal Empire]]
| burial_place =
| full name =
}}

'''Bakht-un-Nissa Begum'''{{Cref2|a}} ({{circa}} 1547 – 2 June 1608) was a [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] princess and a daughter of the Mughal emperor [[Humayun]].

==Birth==
Bakht-un-Nissa Begum was born in 1547 in [[Badakhshan]]. Her mother was [[Mah Chuchak Begum]]. On the night of her birth Humayun had a dream, and it occurred to him that she be named ''Bakht-un-Nissa'' ({{langx|fa|{{nq|بخت النساء}}|lit=fortunate among women}}). Her siblings included [[Mirza Muhammad Hakim]], Farrukh Fal Mirza, [[Sakina Banu Begum]], and Amina Banu Begum.<ref>{{cite book|author =[[Gulbadan Begum|Begum, Gulbadan]]|title=The History of Humayun (Humayun-Nama)|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society|year=1902|pages=185–186}}</ref>

==Marriages==
===Shah Abdul Ma'ali===
[[File:6 Dust Muhammad. Portrait of Shah Abu'l Ma‘ali. ca. 1556 Aga Khan Collection.jpg|thumb|A [[Persia]]n miniature of [[Shah Abu'l Ma‘ali]], as a scholar, by [[Dust Muhammad]], 1556–64.{{sfn|Branfoot|2018|pp=54-56}} He wears the ''[[Tāj-i 'Izzat]]'' headdress of [[Humayun]].<ref name="BRAN52">{{harvnb|Branfoot|2018|p=52}} "He is here shown writing an inscription, which identifies him as Shah Abu’l Ma‘ali ‘kashgarı’, states he was once close to the late emperor (referred to by his posthumous name, Jannat Ashiyani, or He who Dwells in Paradise), and attributes the work to Master Dust the Painter (Ustad Dust-i Musawwir). The dating of this small, exquisite work is far from established but, despite
the appearance of a Taj-i ‘Izzat, Humayun’s posthumous name points to after the emperor’s death"</ref>]]
During Mah Chuchak Begum's rule at Kabul, [[Shah Abu'l Ma'ali]], who belonged to the family of the great [[Sayyid]]s of [[Termez]], who had escaped from the prison at [[Lahore]], arrived at Kabul and approached her for refuge. Mah Chuchak welcomed him, was generous to him and gave her daughter Bakht-un-Nissa Begum's hand in marriage to him.<ref name="harbans">{{cite book|first=Harbans|last=Mukhia|title=The Mughals of India|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|date=April 15, 2018|pages=142|isbn=978-0-470-75815-1}}</ref> However, soon Abdul Ma'ali grew tired of the dominating and interfering ways of Mah Chuchak. He wanted Kabul for himself. So he killed Mah Chuchak in 1564.<ref>{{cite book|author=Annemarie Schimmel|title=The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture|publisher=Reaktion Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-861-89185-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/empireofgreatmug00anne}}</ref> Hakim Mirza was rescued by Sulaiman Mirza of Badakshan, who defeated and killed Abdul Ma'ali and helped Mirza Hakim to keep his hold over Kabul.<ref>{{cite book|title=Akbarnama of Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak - Volume II|first=Henry|last=Beveridge|year=1907|publisher=Asiatic Society, Calcutta|pages=320–21}}</ref>

===Khawaja Hasan===
After Abdul Ma'ali's death, Hakim Mirza married her to Khawaja Hasan Naqshbandi of Badakshan.<ref>{{cite book|title=Akbarnama of Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak - Volume II|first=Henry|last=Beveridge|year=1907|publisher=Asiatic Society, Calcutta|pages=364}}</ref><ref name="harbans"/> With Hasan, she had two sons, Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman and Mirza Wali. After Hakim Mirza's death, Mirza Badi-uz-Zaman fled to [[Transoxania]], where he died in exile. Bakht-un-Nissa Begum, and her son Mirza Wali joined the court, and Akbar did much to please her.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Emperor |last1=Jahangir|first2=Wheeler McIntosh|last2=Thackston|title=The Jahangirnama : memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India|url=https://archive.org/details/jahangirnamamemo00jaha |publisher=Washington, D. C.: Freer Gallery of Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Oxford University Press|year=1999|pages=[https://archive.org/details/jahangirnamamemo00jaha/page/303 303–4]|isbn=978-0-19-512718-8 }}</ref> In 1619, [[Jahangir]] married Mirza Wali to Bulaqi Begum, the daughter of Prince [[Daniyal Mirza]], the son of Akbar.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|publisher=Indian History Congress|year=2004|pages=599}}</ref>

==Governorship of Kabul==
Her brother, Hakim Mirza was the governor of Kabul. In 1581, he rebelled in Kabul, and advanced to [[Lahore]] invading [[Punjab]] on the way. Here he was checked by Man Singh, who was the governor of Punjab at that time. Akbar declared war on him and himself went to Kabul. Mirza Hakim went to the hills. Akbar pardoned him, but the governorship of Kabul was now given to Bakht-un-Nissa Begum. Akbar also promised not to show any kindness to Hakim if he misbehaved in future. After Akbar's return from Kabul, Hakim got his old position, but all the official orders were issued in Bakht-un-Nissa's name.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Margaret R.|last1=Greer|first2=Wapter D.|last2=Mignolo|first3=Maureen|last3=Quilligan|title=Rereading the Black Legend: The Discourses of Religious and Racial Difference in the Renaissance Empires|date=September 15, 2008|pages=62|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-30724-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Anne|last=Walthall|title=Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History|url=https://archive.org/details/servantsdynastyp00walt|url-access=limited|publisher=University of California Press|year=2008|pages=[https://archive.org/details/servantsdynastyp00walt/page/n121 107]|isbn=978-0-520-25444-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Rukhsana|last=Iftikhar|title=Indian Feminism: Class, Gender & Identity in Medieval Ages|publisher=Notion Press|date=June 6, 2016|isbn=978-9-386-07373-0}}</ref>

==Death==
Bakht-un-Nissa Begum died of consumption and hectic fever on 2 June 1608.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Emperor|last1=Jahangir|first2=Alexander|last2=Rogers|first3=Henry|last3=Beveridge|title=The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri; or, Memoirs of Jahangir. Translated by Alexander Rogers. Edited by Henry Beveridge|url=https://archive.org/details/b29352423_0001|publisher=London Royal Asiatic Society|year=1909|pages=[https://archive.org/details/b29352423_0001/page/144 144]}}</ref>

==Annotations==
{{Cnote2 Begin|liststyle=upper-alpha}}
{{Cnote2|a|She is also called by two other names, Najib-un-Nissa, and Fakhr-un-Nissa.<ref>{{cite book|first=Ruby|last=Lal|title=Domesticity and Power in the Early Mughal India|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=September 22, 2005|page=207|isbn=978-0-521-85022-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Monserrate (Padre)|title=The Commentary of Father Monserrate, S.J. on His Journey to the Court of Akbar|publisher=Asian Educational Services|year=1992|page=135 n. 207|isbn=978-8-120-60807-8}}</ref>}}
{{Cnote2 End}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last1=Branfoot |first1=Crispin |title=Portraiture in South Asia since the Mughals: Art, Representation and History |date=30 June 2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-83860-897-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eyaODwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 |language=en}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakht-un-Nissa Begum}}
[[Category:Mughal princesses]]
[[Category:1540s births]]
[[Category:1608 deaths]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian women]]
[[Category:16th-century Mughal Empire people]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian women]]
[[Category:17th-century Mughal Empire people]]
[[Category:Daughters of emperors]]

Bakht-un-Nissa Begum - Revision history

ReaganRiordan at 09:11, 31 January 2026