Mirza Jawan Bakht (Mughal prince)

Mirza Jawan Bakht
Shahzada of the Mughal Empire
Mirza Jawan Bakht (left) and his brother Mirza Shah Abbas, c. 1850–60
Born	1841 Red Fort, Delhi
Died	18 September 1884 (aged 42–43) Yangoon, Myanmar, British Burma
Spouse	Nawab Shah Zamani
Issue	Jamshed Bakht
Full name Shahzada Mirza Mohammad Jawan Bakht Bahadur
House	Timurid
Father	Bahadur Shah II
Mother	Zinat Mahal

Mirza Jawan Bakht (1841 – 18 September 1884) was the son of Emperor Bahadur Shah II and Zinat Mahal. He was the fifteenth son of his father and the only son of his mother. His mother nursed the ambition of placing him on the Mughal throne. Unfortunately, the grand Dynasty ended tragically. Jawan Bakht's first child born was a stillborn son in 1859. His second child was named Jamshid Bakht. Jamshid had two sons named Bedar and Sikandar Bakht who died in 1980 and 1986 respectively.^[1]

Biography

His mother, Zinat Mahal, saved him all through 1857 rebellion and kept him in safe custody. She began promoting her son, Mirza Jawan Bakht, as heir to the throne over the Emperor's remaining eldest son Mirza Fath-ul-Mulk Bahadur. But due to the primogeniture policy of the British, this was not accepted. He led a spoilt life and was selfish.

He got married on 2 April 1852 in a grand marriage in Delhi to Nawab Shah Zamani Begum, his mother's niece. His mother planned his lavish 10-day wedding to elevate his stature for the throne.

After the Mughal emperor's death in Rangoon, he was buried there and Prince Jawan Bakht and his teacher Hafiz Mohammed Ibrahim Dehlavi arranged the funeral prayers and his burial. His son's name was Mirza shah bahadur Zafar Ali Mohamed Malthum Al Zakir Rashid bin khan.

References