Alex Rutherford
The fourth and (I think) penultimate installment of the ‘Empire of the Moghul’. The book begins with Jahangir quelling Khusrau’s rebellion and ascending the throne. This episode, as well as his machinations to get back Mehrunissa, give us a sense of the ruthlessness in him.
The book also brings out the chequered relationship between him and Khurram, who was also a favourite of Akbar. Though the main protagonists appear to be these two, the book is brought to life by Mehrunissa, portrayed as an intelligent and shrewd queen who will stop at nothing to make sure that she is a relevant force in the scheme of things. As Jahangir succumbs increasingly to opium and alcohol (possibly encouraged by the queen) she takes control of the running of the empire and then tries to ensure that Jahangir’s successor would also be her puppet. The narrative also features Europeans in fairly prominent roles and is a representation of their increasing presence in the subcontinent.
The struggle between Jahangir and Khurram in this book evokes a sense of deja vu- it was only in the previous book that we saw Akbar vs Jahangir. It reinforces the politics of the time and some sort of unstated rule that a Mughal emperor somehow must struggle his way to the throne even though it would seem that it was his, and delivered on a platter. It then goes onto show how the power and responsibility thus gained is, many a time, a burden to shoulder. I actually found the author dwelling on this on multiple occasions, and that was quite interesting.
The narrative is fast-paced, and though I found some of the battle scenes boring after a while, it is amazing how the author didn’t really have to rely on ‘fiction’ to make the plot exciting. Such was the intrigue at the Mughal court. In essence, it actually turned out to be a better read than its predecessor.
