The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-16

Ghyas Beg into his personal ser,-;o.
Thus Mihrunnisa grew up in the r
peror's household, until she ra.+ III
the age of a. when she was descr ,,ie9
as being a dream of loneliness. Not a.o5Cl
this, but she had a ready wit. and 10y
accomplished in the arts of music aos
making verse. u
1t is perhaps no wonder, then. tho.
when Prince Salim, the eldest Sou d.
the Emperor, happened by chance ~
gaze into her eyes, he should fan no.
sionately in love. This was romaptio
but exceedingly dangerous for an CO.
cerned, and when he informed Mibr,,,-
nisa's mother of his intention of mol
ing her daughter his wife, that nrac+;
cal woman foresaW that if the priv.
imperial should disclose his purnose -
the Emperor Ghyas Beg would car
tainly lose his position and might he
deprived of his head. She knew -
proud Shah Akbar the Great vi
enough to understand that he Womb
be terribly enraged at the idea. of sucb
a mesalliance. First she tried to re-
son the Prince out of his infatua+ion
but this failing, she decided to Law fbs
whole case before the Fmperor 80
petition him to settle it as he though+
best.
The Emperor was quick enougb -
settle it. He sent for one of his notIo
and married him promptly to Mihrnn1
niSa, comforting upon the happv cor,
pie, as a wedding present, the govern
ment of distant province, from
which it was intimated they We're No.
expected to pay visits to court IT,
he laid hands on the daughter of -
princely house and ordered his son -
marry her in the same rough anJ
ready fashion. Prince Salim was forcad
to obey. but not before he had ,,o,,-51
that Mihrunnisa was the soul of hi.
existence, and that he would vet NAL
her his wife.
So he waited until his father died
in 1865. Then his first act, on ascend
ing the throne as the Emperor Jaban-
CIR, was to dispatch a messenger n
AIihrunnisa's husband, ordering him
to divorce his wife and return her -
court, as his wife being dead. he in,
tended to proclaim Mihrunnisa En-
press. Naturally, Mihrunnisa's bus-
band was indignant, and pronntIy
Slew the envoy. But he, in turn was
as quickly killed by the envov's a.
PENDANTS, and Mihrunnisa was cor-
Quoted to court. But here a diffcuIt,,
arose in the way of Jahangirs nro.
ject. Mihrunnisa had never thougb+
seriously of the Prince imperial and
Z NY -iONSu IeE murdered husband
For over three years she wore monrn'
ing and refused to be consoled even
by the offer of sharing a throne. Rnt
at last the pleadings of Jahangir and
those of her family prevailed. and She
consented to be proclaimed Emnress
with the title of MUIR Mahal. or the
Light of the Palace.
From that hour until the dav of bar
husbands death, she practically ruled
the Moghul Empire. Jahangir seemed
content to worship her beauty. and
sank entirely under her influence She
promoted all her relatives to high Of
fees, and amid TIE endless intrigues
and rebellions guided the shin of stata
with mastery hand AS a child the
contemporary of Elizabeth of Eng
land, this humble Persian maid rose
to become the Elizabeth of the Fast
holding in her hands the supreme
power in Asia for sixteen years A.
her husbands death in 1927 she at
tempted to rule alone, but her son
Shah Jahan, succeeded in ,ubyertin9
her power, when she retired to live in
great splendor upon a magnificent AL
lowance, until she died at an age Of
over o. years. Michael White.