Overview
Previous Year UPSC-CSE Questions By the end you will be able to draft model answers for the following UPSC questions. Each question carries a collapsible framework showing how to approach it in the exam.
- UPSC Prelims 2008 GS-IDuring the time of which Mughal Emperor did the English East India Company establish its first factory in India?
How to approach this Prelims question
Approach: Recall the date of the first English factory (Surat, 1613) and the reign in which it falls (Jahangir, 1605 to 1627). Match the emperor to the date.
Trap to watch: Akbar (died 1605) is the close distractor; the Surat factory of 1613 and Sir Thomas Roe (1615) both fall in Jahangir's reign, not Akbar's.
Key facts to recall:
- First English factory: Surat, 1613.
- It falls in Jahangir's reign (1605 to 1627).
- Sir Thomas Roe, James I's ambassador, came in 1615.
Answer signal: Jahangir.
- UPSC Prelims 2019 GS-IWho among the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to album and individual portrait?
How to approach this Prelims question
Approach: Recall that Mughal painting reached its height under Jahangir, who favoured the album and the individual portrait over the illustrated manuscript of Akbar's day.
Trap to watch: Akbar is the close distractor (the illustrated manuscript flourished under him); the shift to the album and the portrait is Jahangir's.
Key facts to recall:
- Mughal painting reached its zenith under Jahangir.
- He favoured the album and the individual portrait.
- Akbar's studios favoured the illustrated manuscript.
Answer signal: Jahangir.
Jahangir, the son and successor of Akbar, ruled the Mughal empire from 1605 to 1627, in a reign best remembered for the rise of his queen and for the coming of the English. Born Prince Salim, he took the title Jahangir, 'Seizer of the World', hung the chain of justice at Agra, and left a frank memoir, the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri. The dominant figure of his later years was his queen Nur Jahan, who, with her father Itimad-ud-Daula and her brother Asaf Khan, held the real power at court. In his reign the English came in earnest, the envoy Hawkins and then the ambassador Sir Thomas Roe, and won their first factory at Surat. Jahangir was also the great patron of Mughal painting. This part covers the reign, Nur Jahan, the English, the art and the close, and the exam focus.
The Reign of Jahangir
The Accession, the Chain of Justice and the Memoir
What is the significance of Jahangir's reign: it carried on the work of Akbar in a quieter key, and is remembered above all for its art, its great queen, and the first firm coming of the English.
Prince Salim came to the throne as Jahangir in 1605. On the death of Akbar he took the title Jahangir, the 'Seizer of the World', and reigned for twenty-two years, until 1627. In the main he kept his father's system of government and his policy of toleration, and the empire he inherited held together through his reign.
He is remembered for the chain of justice and his memoir. Jahangir hung a golden chain of justice, the zanjir-i-adl, from his palace at Agra to the river bank, so that any subject who was wronged might ring its bells and bring his case before the emperor. He also kept a frank and vivid memoir of his reign, the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, full of his love of nature, painting and the curious things of the world.
The early reign was troubled by revolt. His eldest son Khusrau rebelled in 1606 and was crushed; and in the same year Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, was put to death after being charged with helping the rebel prince, a grave and fateful act of the reign.
Nur Jahan and the Court
The Rise of Nur Jahan and Her Family
What is the significance of Nur Jahan: she was the most powerful queen in the history of the Mughals, who for the later half of Jahangir's reign held in her hands much of the real power of the state.
Jahangir married Nur Jahan in 1611. Her name was Mehr-un-Nisa, the widowed daughter of a Persian noble; the emperor married her in 1611 and gave her the title Nur Jahan, the 'Light of the World'. A woman of rare beauty, ability and will, she came to dominate the court.
Her family rose with her. Her father, Mirza Ghiyas Beg, was raised to be the chief minister, the wazir, with the title Itimad-ud-Daula; and her brother Asaf Khan became one of the great nobles of the court. It was Asaf Khan's daughter, Arjumand Banu, the future Mumtaz Mahal, who married Prince Khurram, the later Shah Jahan, so binding the family yet closer to the throne. The figure below sets out the family.
Her power was real and open. With her father and her brother, Nur Jahan formed the dominant group at court, often called the Nur Jahan junta by later historians. Coins were struck in her name, and the royal orders were issued under her seal beside the emperor's, a thing without parallel for a Mughal queen.
The Coming of the English
Hawkins, the Surat Factory and Sir Thomas Roe
What is the significance of the English: the reign of Jahangir saw the first firm foothold of the English in India, the small beginning of what would in time become an empire.
The English came seeking trade. The first envoy of the English East India Company, Captain William Hawkins, reached Jahangir's court about 1609 and was kindly received, but won no lasting treaty. A few years later, in 1613, the English were allowed to set up their first factory, or trading post, at Surat on the western coast, the true start of their trade in India.
Sir Thomas Roe sealed the foothold. In 1615 came Sir Thomas Roe, the ambassador of James I of England, who stayed at Jahangir's court until 1619. By patience and skill he won for the Company firmer rights of trade, and his account of the court is among the most valuable of the age. The figure below sets out the coming of the English.
Art, the Frontiers and the Close
The Golden Age of Painting and the End of the Reign
What is the significance of the close: Jahangir's reign was the golden age of Mughal painting, but it ended in the rebellion of his ablest son and a struggle for the throne.
Jahangir was the great patron of painting. He had a true and trained eye, and under him Mughal painting reached its height. He turned its emphasis away from the illustrated manuscript towards the album and the single portrait, and his studios produced exact studies of birds, beasts and flowers, and fine likenesses of the men of the court. The full account of Mughal painting belongs to a later part of this series.
On the frontiers there were gains and checks. In 1615 the long resistance of Mewar was ended, when its Rana, Amar Singh, made his peace with the empire on honourable terms. In the Deccan, however, the able minister Malik Ambar held the Mughals at bay for years, and the southern war dragged on.
The reign ended in rebellion. In his last years the ablest of his sons, Prince Khurram, the future Shah Jahan, rose in revolt, and the court was torn by the rivalries around the succession. Jahangir died in 1627, and after a sharp struggle, managed by Asaf Khan, the throne passed to Khurram.
UPSC Relevance and Exam Focus
Where Jahangir and Nur Jahan Fit in the UPSC-CSE Syllabus
This topic belongs to General Studies Paper I: medieval Indian history, and the reign of Jahangir is a favourite ground for questions, above all on the English and on Mughal painting.
The questions most often test the coming of the English (Hawkins, Sir Thomas Roe and the Surat factory), Nur Jahan and her family, and Jahangir's place in the story of Mughal painting.
Several linked points recur and are worth holding in working memory:
- The reign: Jahangir ruled from 1605 to 1627; Prince Salim was his name before accession.
- Nur Jahan: married 1611; father Itimad-ud-Daula (the wazir), brother Asaf Khan.
- The English factory: the first English factory was set up at Surat in 1613, under Jahangir.
- Sir Thomas Roe: ambassador of James I; at the court 1615 to 1619.
- Painting: Mughal painting reached its zenith under Jahangir, who favoured the album and the portrait.
| Person or event | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Jahangir | Prince Salim; reigned 1605 to 1627; the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri. |
| Nur Jahan | Mehr-un-Nisa; married Jahangir 1611; the most powerful Mughal queen. |
| Itimad-ud-Daula | Nur Jahan's father; the wazir; his tomb at Agra (the Baby Taj). |
| Captain Hawkins | First Company envoy; at the court about 1609. |
| Surat factory | First English factory in India, 1613, under Jahangir. |
| Sir Thomas Roe | Ambassador of James I; at the court 1615 to 1619. |
A 2008 question asked under which Mughal emperor the English East India Company set up its first factory in India, and the answer was Jahangir: the first English factory was established at Surat in 1613, in his reign.
A 2019 question asked which Mughal emperor shifted the emphasis of painting from the illustrated manuscript to the album and the individual portrait, and the answer was again Jahangir, the great connoisseur under whom Mughal painting reached its height.
Prelims MCQ practice
Each question below tests one specific concept on the topic. Click to reveal the answer and a full option-wise explanation.
Q1. Jahangir, who succeeded Akbar in 1605, was known before his accession by which one of the following names?
- Prince Khurram
- Prince Salim
- Prince Khusrau
- Prince Murad
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Prince Salim
Explanation.
Option (b) is correct. Jahangir was Prince Salim before he came to the throne; Khurram was the later Shah Jahan, and Khusrau the rebel son. Hence option (b).
Q2. Nur Jahan, the powerful queen of Jahangir, was married to the emperor in which one of the following years?
- 1605
- 1611
- 1615
- 1627
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 1611
Explanation.
Option (b) is correct. Jahangir married Mehr-un-Nisa, who became Nur Jahan, in 1611. Hence option (b).
Q3. Itimad-ud-Daula, who was raised to be the wazir of the empire under Jahangir, stood in what relation to Nur Jahan?
- Her brother
- Her father
- Her husband
- Her son
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Her father
Explanation.
Option (b) is correct. Itimad-ud-Daula (Mirza Ghiyas Beg) was Nur Jahan's father; her brother was Asaf Khan. Hence option (b).
Q4. Sir Thomas Roe, who stayed at Jahangir's court from 1615 to 1619, came as the ambassador of which one of the following?
- The Pope
- James I of England
- The King of Portugal
- The Dutch Republic
Show answer and explanation
Answer: James I of England
Explanation.
Option (b) is correct. Sir Thomas Roe was the ambassador of James I of England, sent to win trading rights for the East India Company. Hence option (b).
Q5. With reference to the reign of Jahangir, consider the following statements:
- The first English factory in India was set up at Surat in 1613.
- Asaf Khan was the father of Nur Jahan.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 1 only
Explanation.
Only statement 1 is correct. The first English factory was set up at Surat in 1613, in Jahangir's reign. Asaf Khan was Nur Jahan's brother, not her father; her father was Itimad-ud-Daula, so statement 2 is wrong. Hence option (a).
Q6. Mughal painting is generally held to have reached its zenith under which one of the following emperors?
- Babur
- Akbar
- Jahangir
- Aurangzeb
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Jahangir
Explanation.
Option (c) is correct. Mughal painting reached its height under Jahangir, the great connoisseur, who favoured the album and the individual portrait. Hence option (c).
Sources and Further Reading
Editorial Disclaimer
This article is for UPSC preparation. The account of Jahangir's reign rests on his own memoir, the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, the embassy journal of Sir Thomas Roe, and the standard scholarship on the Mughal Empire.
