BOOK REVIEW DISCUSSION - EMPRESS: THE ASTONISHING REIGN OF NUR JAHAN

With author Professor Ruby Lal [Professor of South Asian Studies, Emory University]

and hosted by Lubaaba Al-Azami [University of Liverpool & Founder of Medieval and Early Modern Orients (MEMOs)]

Less than a decade after Queen Elizabeth I, a Muslim woman ruled an empire more than twenty-five times the size of Elizabethan England and vastly more diverse, spanning almost all of modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and large chunks of Afghanistan. In 1611, Nur Jahan became the twentieth wife of Mughal emperor Jahangir–and while other royal wives were secluded behind walls, she wielded unprecedented power, strategizing with senior counselors, minting currency, addressing the public, leading troops into battle, shooting tigers, and designing clothing and architecture (her design influenced the Taj Mahal).

Acclaimed historian Ruby Lal uncovers the rich life and world of Nur Jahan, rescuing this dazzling figure from patriarchal and orientalist cliches of romance and intrigue, while giving a new insight into the lives of the women and the girls during the Mughal Empire, even where scholars claim there are no sources. Nur’s confident assertion of authority and talent is revelatory. In Empress, she finally receives her due in a deeply researched and evocative biography that awakens us to a fascinating history.

Date and time: Wednesday 17th February 2021 @4pm UK