Salima Sultan Begum | 4th Wife of Akbar the Great

Salima Sultan Begum Early Life

Salima Sultan Begum
Salima Begum and Abdul Rahim were escorted to Ahmedabad after Bairam Khan’s assassination in 1561. (Source- Wikipedia)

Salima Sultan Begum was born on 23 February 1539, in Kannauj India. Salima Sultan also known as Bibi Salima Sultana. Salima’s maternal grandfather was emperor Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and his first Mughal Emperor. Salima Sultan is a very intelligent, brave, and not jealous begum. Salima was the daughter of Akbar’s paternal aunt, Gulrukh Begum, and her husband, the Viceroy of Kannauj, Nurudin Muhammad Mirza. Salima Sultan Begum was the Mughal emperor Akbar’s third wife and chief consort. Salima Sultan was a senior-ranking wife of Akbar and had much influence over her husband and his son, Jahangir

Salima Sultan Begum Facts

Born 23 February 1539, Kannauj, India
Death 1613 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
HusbandBairam Khan (Marriage 1557 – Death 1561) Akbar the Great (Marriage 1561 – Death 1605)
HouseTimrud Dynasty

Education

Salima Sultan Begum was a highly educated and accomplished woman. Salima was also a passionate lover of books and was very fond of reading the French language. She was a gifted poet and writer. Salima loves books and is fond of reading, reaching Akbar’s use for the library. The writer Abdus Hayy, the author of Ma’asir al-Umara, quotes writer one of her famous completes. 

Marriage

Salima Sultan Begum Marriage to Bairam Khan

Bairam khan Military Commander
First Husband of Salima Sultan

At 18, Salima Sultan Begum married the considerably older Mariam Khan on 7 December 1557 in Jalandhar, Punjab. The marriage enhanced his prestige among the Mughal nobles, making him a member of the imperial family. Who were his first wife and the mother of his son, Abdul Rahim. Barium khan died shortly in 1561. Baraim Khan didn’t grant permission for the empire’s decision to Akbar. Baraim Khan was not rich in the Mughal empire, so Akbar left the bairam khan from the Mughal sultanate. Akbar dedicated the Hajj trip to Bairam khan, and he was suddenly attacked by the Afghans in the middle of the way and killed by Bairam khan.  

Salima Sultan Begum Marriage to Akbar

Akbar The Great
2nd Husband of Salima Sultan Begum

Akbar was shocked to hear the sad news of his former teacher and guardian’s death. Salima Begum was a widow to Bairam khan, so Akbar decided not to marry another person from any other sultanate. Salima Sultan remained attached to Sultanat, so Akbar thought of marrying Salima. And finally, Akbar married Salima Sultan on 7 May 1561. Salima, Sultan Akbar’s second wife, was very special. The richly talented Salima was Akbar’s only other wife apart from Ruqaiya Sultan Begum, Salima Sultan, who was a very important lady in the Mughal court. 

Political Influence at the Mughal Court

Salima Sultan Begum had much influence over Akbar and her stepson Salim. Salim And Akbar’s son and father do not have a good relationship with each other. Salima Sultan helped her son and father with good relationships, and the 1660s eventually helped pave the way to thone for Salim, 1601s Allahabad, against her father setting up an independent Mughal Court Allahabad and Salim Shah ” his father alive. He also planned and executed the assassination of Akbar’s counselor and close friend Abdul Fazal. It was a very critical situation in the end. Salima Sultan Begum and Hamida Bano Begum pleaded for his forgiveness, and Salima Begum wished for it to be allowed.  

Salima Sultan Death

Salima after suffering illness, Salima Sultan Begum died in 1613 in Agra, India. Her step-son Jahangir on her birth and descent; her body was laid at Mandarkar garden in Agra. Jahangir was Salima’s sultan begum natural was very epic, and she was adorable abroad with good qualities. This degree of women’s skill is rarely found inside Salima. 

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