SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Between Empires: Shah ´Abbas I through the Eyes of Shahjahan Padshah I

Diplomatic relations between the Safavid and ´Usmanli (Ottoman) Empires have received much attention in recent literature. This illustrated lecture refocuses attention along the easterly axis to explore diplomatic relations with the newly reconstituted Timurid (Mughal) Empire in South Asia. Contrasting strongly with the shrillness of ´Usmanli-Safavid exchanges, here we find a different atmosphere. Under the reigns of Shah ´Abbas I and Jahangir Padshah, relations flourished with a unique intensity characterised by accommodation and amity.With the successions of Shah Safi and Shahjahan Padshah I, a new order marked by policies of increasingly aggressive realpolitik altered this dynamic. As a prince, however, Shahjahan strove to cultivate good relations with the older avuncular Shah ´Abbas, even during his rebellion. As the shah continued to enjoy an extraordinarily positive reputation in Timurid South Asia for generations after his death, this paper argues Shahjahan’s princely diplomatic relations were the determining factor.