Bakshi Banu Begum (; born September 1540—died 1596) was a Mughal princess and was the second daughter of Emperor

Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...

and his consort Gunwar Bibi. Bakshi Banu was thus the older

half-sister A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raise ...

of the Mughal Emperor

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

Early life

Bakshi Banu Begum was born in September 1540 in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. Her mother was Bibi Gunwar. Gulbadan Begum noted in 'Humayunama' that during Gunwar's pregnancy everyone said, 'a son will be born'. In 1543, she was part of the large group of Humayun loyalists who fell into the hands of Askari Mirza, Humayun's half-brother; her infant half-brother

(born in 1542) was also part of the party. In the depth of the winter of 1545, she was sent with Akbar from Qandahar to

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

by the orders of her uncle, Askari Mirza; the two children were escorted by their attendants and foster mothers.

Betrothal to Ibrahim Mirza

In 1550, at the age of ten, Bakshi Banu was betrothed by her father to Ibrahim Mirza, eldest son of Sulaiman Shah Mirza,

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Badakhshan Badakhshan is a historical region comprising the Wakhan Corridor in northeast Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic ...

, and his wife Haram Begum, the daughter of Sultan Wais Kulabi Qibchaq Mughal. The family of Sulaiman Mirza, though their paternal ancestress Shah Begum, claimed descent from

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

. Ibrahim Mirza, who was six years older than Bakshi Banu, was killed in 1560 at 26. She was twenty years of age.

Marriage to Sharif-ud-din Husain

In the same year as the death of Ibrahim Mirza, she was given in marriage by Akbar to Mirza Sharif-ud-din Hussain Ahrari, the

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

Mewat Mewat (; ) is a historical and cultural region which encompasses parts of the modern-day states of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh in northwestern India. Geography The loose boundaries of the Mewat region generally include parts of th ...

upon his victory over Amer. His father was Khawaja Moin Ala-ud-din, one of the leaders of Khawal. His mother was Kichak Begum, the daughter of Mir Ala-ul-Mulk Termizi and Fakhr Jahan Begum, the daughter of Sultan

Abu Sa'id Mirza Abu Sa'id Mirza ( Chagatay/; 14248 February 1469) was the ruler of the Timurid Empire during the mid-fifteenth century. Born a minor prince of the Timurid dynasty, Abu Sa'id quickly established himself as the most prominent among his warring re ...

. After his marriage to Bakshi Banu, Akbar appointed him the

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Begum, Bakshi Banu Mughal princesses 1540 births Year of death missing 16th-century Indian women 16th-century Mughal Empire people Daughters of emperors