Qasim Khan Juvayni ( bn, কাসিম খান জুইনি, Qasim Khan Juini, fa, قاسم خان جوینی) was a Mughal general and nobleman of the court of Mughal emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan. He also served as the Subahdar of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

, succeeding Fidai Khan, from 1628 to 1631. He is most notable for the capture of Hugli off the Portuguese firingis.

Background

Qasim Khan originated from

Sabzevar Sabzevar ( fa, سبزوار ), previously known as Beyhagh (also spelled "Beihagh"; fa, بيهق), is a city and capital of Sabzevar County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, approximately west of the provincial capital Mashhad, in northeastern ...

(in present-day

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

) which was historically part of greater Joveyn. His father was Mir Murad Juwaini, a renowned Syed of the town. Murad spent much of his life in the

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

(giving rise to the name Mir Murad Dakhini) before being appointed by Akbar as 5-year old Shah Jahan's archery trainer. In 1602, Murad died while serving office as ''Bakshi'' (paymaster) and military administrator of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

Life

Qasim Khan first served in

as ''Khazanchi'' (treasurer) during the reign of Islam Khan Chishti. Chishti was known to have treated Qasim and his brother, Hashim, very well. Qasim married Princess Manija Begum, the sister of Empress

Nur Jahan Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa P ersian: نورجهان (; – 18 December 1645) was the wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir from 1620 until his death in 1627. Nur Jahan was born Mehr-un-Nissa, as the daughter of a Mirza Gh ...

. This marriage led to Qasim being given the title of

Amir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

and receiving of a drum and flag. Consequently, he was sometimes in jest called by the officers of the court ''Qasim Khan Manija''. Qasim Khan was an established poet, known to have written a diwan. Qasim had a good relationship with Jahangir. The Emperor once requested Qasim to give him a glass of freshwater. As the earthen cup was so very fragile, it could not stand the weight of the water and broke. The Emperor looked towards Qasim Khan and said a verse: The cup was delicate, the water could not repose. Qasim Khan immediately spoke out the second half of the verse: He (or she) saw my condition, and could not restrain his (or her) tears. Jahangir later appointed him the Subahdar of

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...

. Qasim built a grand house for himself in

Agra city Agra City is a railway and bus station in the heart of the old city in Agra, India. It is near Belangunj, which is the trading hub of Agra. The station is a relic of the past and at present very few trains stop here. Overview Agra, the 16–1 ...

, which is now in ruins.

Governor of Bengal

He became the Subahdar of Bengal in the first year of Shah Jahan's reign in 1628, replacing Fidai Khan. He was promoted to the rank of

mansabdar The Mansabdar was a military unit within the administrative system of the Mughal Empire introduced by Akbar. The word ''mansab'' is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. The system determined the rank and status of a government official an ...

with 5,000 soldiers and horses. At this time, the Portuguese (Firingi) settlers had a provocative hold of the port-town of Hugli, taking part in immoral activities, slavery and forced conversions of Bengalis into Christianity. Shah Jahan wished in restricting the acts of the Portuguese in Bengal. In February 1632, Qasim Khan sent an army led by his son, Inayatullah Khan. The Mughals finally took possession of Hugli in September for three months. They slew about 10,000 Firingi men and women and drove the rest out from the town. This brought about the end of the Portuguese slave trade and forced conversions in Bengal. He died three days afterwards in 1632.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan Juvayni, Qasim Mughal generals 1632 deaths Subahdars of Bengal Year of birth unknown

Background

Life

Governor of Bengal

See also

References