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Umar Shaikh Mirza II

Umar Shaikh Mirza II (Persian: عمر شیخ میرزا; 1456–1494) 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.

His first wife and chief consort was Qutlugh Nigar Khanum, a princess of the Chagatai Khanate and daughter of Yunus Khan of Moghulistan. Umar Shaikh 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 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]

His son Babur describes him as a devout Muslim who never neglected the 5 daily prayers.[2]

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.[3] This identification is one that is used by historians.[4]

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 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 is known to have been Ahmad and Mahmud's maternal grandfather.[5]

Consorts

He had a total of seven consorts:

Children

Sons

He had three sons:

Daughters

He had six daughters:

Death

Umar died on 10 June 1494 at age 37 after the building which he was in collapsed.[citation needed] He was succeeded by his son, Babur.

Notes

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ F. Dale, Stephen (2004). THE GARDEN OF THE EIGHT PARADISES: Babur and the Culture of Empire in Central Asia, Afghanistan and India (1483-1530). Brill. p. 174.
  3. ^ Babur (1922). The Babur-nama In English (Memoirs of Babur). Vol. I. Translated by Annette Beveridge. London: Luzac & Co. p. 13.
  4. ^ B. S. Chandrababu, L. Thilagavathi, Woman, Her History and Her Struggle for Emancipation (2009), p. 201
  5. ^ Babur (1922, pp. 13, 33)

References