I had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of all the children of Prince Salim. He had five boys and ten girls. All five boys lived to adulthood. According to Jahangir’s autobiography, only one girl lived to adulthood. Why did most of the baby girls not survive?
| Birth Order | Mother of Child | Child’s Given Name | Birth Date | Death Date | Survived to Adulthood |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shah Begum (ManBai) | Sultan-un-Nissa (Nithar) Begum | 4/22/1586 | 9/5/1646 | lived 60 years |
| 2 | Shah Begum (ManBai) | Khusrau Mirza | 8/3/1587 | 1/26/1622 | lived 35 years |
| 3 | Malika Shikar Begum | Ouffet Banu Begum | 4/6/1589 | c. 1/1/1592 | |
| 4 | Sahib Jamal | Parvis Mirza | 10/31/1589 | 10/28/1626 | lived 37 years |
| 5 | daughter of Raja Darya Malbhas (Derya Komm) | Daulat-un-Nissa Begum | 12/24/1589 | c. 7/24/1590 | |
| 6 | Karamsi Begum (Beiby Karmitty) | Bahar Baunu Begum | 10/9/1590 | 12/9/1590 or 9/8/1653 | lived 63 years |
| 7 | Jagat Gosain (Jodeh Bai) | Begum Sultan Begum | 10/9/1590 | c. 9/15/1591 | |
| 8 | Sahib Jamal | no name given | 1/21/1591 | 1/28/1591 | |
| 9 | Jagat Gosain (Jodeh Bai) | Muhammed Khurram | 1/5/1592 | 1/22/1666 | lived 74 years |
| 10 | Sahib Jamal | no name given | 10/14/1594 | 3/14/1595 | |
| 11 | daughter of Abdullah Khan Baluch | no name given | January 1595 | January 1596 | |
| 12 | Nur un-Nisa Begum | no name given | 8/28/1595 | c. 4/15/1596 | |
| 13 | Jagat Gosain (Jodeh Bai) | Luzzat-un-Nissa | 9/23/1597 | c. 1603 | |
| 14 | Sahib Jamal | Jahandar Mirza | c. Nov, 1605 | ???? | ???? |
| 15 | Jagat Gosain (Jodeh Bai) | Shahryar Mirza | 1/16/1605 | 1/23/1628 | lived 23 years |
Inconsistencies
So there are two inconsistencies with this information. One was previously mentioned in a prior blog regarding Jahandar, the son of Sahib Jamal.
The other is the date of death of Bahar Baunu Begum, his fourth daughter.
Jahangir’s autobiography states Bahar Baunu Begum died after two months, but there is much evidence that shows she lived for over 60 years. She survived well into the realm of the Shah Jahan and was buried next to her grandmother in the Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani in 1653.
Was this mis-translated by Major David Price? Or was Jahangir confused and wrote the wrong information?
In The Mumtaz Chronicles, this would be a great starting point for a future story.
In Book 3, The Milk Line, I have Sahib Jamal’s daughters alive, when the history books say they died. Does the Jahangir have other daughters that he said died, that actually lived? Is there a reason Jahangir would want to document something other than the truth?