Umar Shaikh Mirza II
Umar Shaikh Mirza II (1456–1494 C.E.) was the ruler of the Fergana Valley. He was the fourth son of Abu Sa'id Mirza, the Emperor of the Timurid Empire in what is now Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and eastern Iran.
| Umar Shaikh Mirza II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ruler of Ferghana | |
| Reign | 1469–1494 |
| Predecessor | Abu Sa'id Mirza |
| Successor | Babur |
| Born | 1456 Samarkand, Uzbekistan |
| Died | 10 June 1494 (aged 37–38) Ferghana, Uzbekistan |
| Spouse | Qutlugh Nigar Khanum (m.1475) Ulus Agha Fatma Sultan Agha Makhdum Sultan Begum Umid Aghacha Yun Sultan Aghacha Agha Sultan Aghacha |
| Issue | Khanzada Begum Babur, Mughal Emperor Jahangir Mirza II Nasir Mirza Mihr Banu Begum Shahr Banu Begum Yadgar Sultan Begum Rukaiya Sultan Begum |
| House | House of Timur |
| Father | Abu Sa'id Mirza |
| Mother | Shah Sultan Begum |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
His first wife and chief consort was Qutlugh Nigar Khanum, a princess of the Chagatai Khanate and daughter of Yunus Khan of Moghulistan. Umar had two other wives and had three sons and five daughters from his wives. His eldest son was Babur Mirza from his wife Qutlugh Nigar Khanum. His sons from this other two wives were Jahangir Mirza II and Nasir Mirza. His eldest son Babur Mirza founded the Mughal Empire in 1526 and was the first Mughal Emperor of India.
Umar Shaikh Mirza died in a freak accident in Aksi fort, North Fergana, on 10 June 1494. It occurred when he was in his dovecote, which was built at the edge of the building, collapsed, thus making eleven-year-old Babur, the ruler of Fergana.[1]
Family
His mother
Umar Shaikh's mother was not explicitly named in any historical sources, including the Baburnama, his son Babur's autobiography. This was somewhat unusual, as Babur provided the maternal ancestry for many of his prominent relatives. However, Babur did refer multiple times to a certain Shah Sultan Begum (d. 1501) in a way that suggested she was Umar Shaikh's mother.[2] This identification is one that is used by historians.[3]
Shah Sultan Begum's own background was never stated. However, Khwand Amir, the vizier of Babur's uncle Sultan Mahmud referred to Umar Shaikh as "the own younger brother" of Sultan Mahmud and Sultan Ahmed. If this wording were interpreted to say that they were full brothers, this would mean that Shah Sultan Begum was mother to all three rulers, and thus the daughter of Aurdu-Bugha Tarkhan Arghun, who was Ahmad and Mahmud's maternal grandfather.[4]
Consorts
He had a total of seven consorts:
- Qutlugh Nigar Khanum (m.1475), daughter of Yunus Khan of Moghulistan and Aisan Daulat Begum;
- Ulus Agha (div.), daughter of Khwaja Hussein Beg;
- Fatima Sultan Agha, daughter of one of the begs of Mogul Tumans;
- Makhdum Sultan Begum, known as Karaguz Begum;
- Umid Aghacha, a concubine who died before Mirza;
- Yun Sultan Aghacha, a Moghul concubine;
- Agha Sultan Aghacha, another concubine;
Issue
- Sons
He had three sons:
- Babur - with Qutlugh Nigar Khanum;
- Jahangir Mirza (1485 - 1508) - with Fatima Sultan Agha;
- Nasir Mirza (1487 - 1515) - with Umid Aghacha;
- Daughters
He had six daughters:
- A stillborn daughter - with Ulus Agha;
- Khanzada Begum (1478 - 1545) - with Qutlugh Nigar Khanum;
- Mihr Banu Begum (born 1481) - with Umid Aghacha;
- Shahr Banu Begum (1491 - 1542) - with Umid Aghacha, married to Junaid Barlas;
- Yadgar Sultan Begum (born 1494) - with Agha Sultan Aghacha, married to Abdul Latif Sultan, son of Hamza Sultan;
- Rukaiya Sultan Begum (1494 - 1528) - with Makhdum Sultan Begum, married to Jani Beg Sultan;
Notes
- Abraham Eraly (17 September 2007). Emperors Of The Peacock Throne: The Saga of the Great Moghuls. Penguin Books Limited. p. 18. ISBN 978-93-5118-093-7.
- Annette Susannah Beveridge, The Bābur-nāma in English: (memoirs of Babar) (1922), p. 13
- B. S. Chandrababu, L. Thilagavathi, Woman, Her History and Her Struggle for Emancipation (2009), p. 201
- Beveridge (1922, p. 13, 33)
References
- "Mirza Muhammad Haidar". Silk Road Seattle. University of Washington. Retrieved 2006-11-07.
On the occasion of the birth of Babar Padishah (the son of Omar Shaikh)