Characters
The Royal Lineage
(The Begining)
After his annexation of the Delhi Sultanate (The heart of all Sultanates of Hindustaan) which was known as the bloodiest war of it’s time, The Former Sultan Akbar Arif-ul-Mulk Bahadur Shah of Islamic Persian-Timurid and Mongol descent came to be known the Shahenshah-e-Hindustaan
During the 15th century, At the height of his reign, The former emperor married 4 woman as a consquence of his alliance set for the conquest of sultanate.
those woman came to be known as the 4 Queen consorts, The Malika-e-Hindustaan of which the Former chief consort (1st wife) Malika-e-Hindustaan Razia Banu Sultana Begumof the Hindu-Rajputana clan birthed 6 of his children
1. Shahzada Mirza Jalaludin Shahbaz-ul-Mulk (Deceased)
2. Shehzada MirzaSikandar Zafar-ul-Mulk(The Current Ruler)
3. Shehzadi Izz-un-nissa Jahan Aara Begum
4. Shahzada Mirza Shahrukh Alamgir-ul-Mulk
5. Shahzada Mirza Dara Asadullah Khan
6.Shahzada Mirza Murad Bakht Bahadur (Deceased at the time of birth)
_________________________________
The Emperor 👑
-Sultan Sikandar Zafar-ul-Mulk Shahenshah-e-Hindustan (32)
(Sikandar, the Victor of the Kingdom, Emperor of Hindustan)
The Queen consort of the Emperor👸🏻
- First Wife/ Cheif Consort (27) : Malika-e-Hindustan Mehr-un-Nissa Begum-e-Koh-e-Noor
(Queen of Hindustan Sun of Women, Lady of the Mountain of Light)
Formerly known as Mewar ki Rajkumari, Padmavati Rathore
- Second Wife/ Consort (25): Malika-e-Hindustan Gulrukh Zainab Sultana-e-Ruh Afza Mahal
(Queen of Hindustan Rose-Faced Zainab, Empress of the Soul-Refreshing Palace)
Daughter of the Wealthiest and most Influential Nawab of India from Awadh
The Royal Concubines of the Shahi Harem
( The Royal Concubines often included women with royal/Nobel backgrounds though not always necessary. They were often taken princesses of the kingdoms conquered/ defeated or were sisters/daughters offered by nawabs as gifts in return for autonomy of province)
The Concubinage System also follows an Heirarchy in the Shahi Harem
1. Baadshah Begumān-e-Khayaal/Mahbooba-e-Khass/ Golden-tier Concubines:
(Empresses of the Sultan’s Imagination/Privileged Beloved/Golden-tier Concubines)
(Includes the utmost favourite Concubines of the emperor and hence have more power than the other concubines but still less than the queen consorts. Women of this tier were skilled in mannerism/Tehzeeb and were very talented and beautiful, they had also mastered the art of seduction and various ways to please the emperor)
Zeenat-ul-Husn Begum (24)-1stRoyal Concubine and Emperor’s beloved cousin
Nafisa Mah-e-Parastan Begum (24)-2ndRoyal Concubine, The 2nd Queen consort- Malika Zainab’s cousin
Qudsia Khatoon (22)-3rdRoyal Concubine and daughter of the famous singer, Taansen Abdullah
Firoza Chandbibi Mehrgul (24)-4thRoyal Concubine
Ruqayya Qamar-un-Nisa Begum(27)-5thRoyal Concubine, The emperor’s eldest brother- Jalaludin’s wife
2. Mahbooba-e-Mukhtasir/ Silver-tier Concubines:
(The Choosen one/ Silver-tier Concubine)
(Included women with special talents and unique beauty recognised by the emperor hence were given a higher status than the rest in the harem but were still considered inferior to the golden tier concubines)
Nilofer Simin Dil-ruba-A Persian Dancer,9th Royal Concubine
Qamar Afghani- Kabul ki Rajkumari,19th Royal Concubine
Anuragini and Nayantara- Sisters and Satara ki Rajkumaria,17th and 18th Royal Concubines
3. Sāyah Zanān-e-Haram/Zeenat-e-Taqreeb/ Iron-tier Concubines:
( The Shadow woman of Harem/Adornment of Ceremony/Iron-tier Concubines)
(The lowest in heirarchy of power and autonomy in the Harem. Mostly included woman who were captured princesses of the defeated kingdom who the emperor had met once or twice in his life. They were often reserved to grace their presence in grand ceremonies. The ‘Iron’ word meant strength and the woman in this tier reflected the kingdoms conquered by the emperor)
Yasmeen Ara-6thRoyal Concubine
Fareedan-7thRoyal Concubine
Tahira Jahan-8thRoyal Concubine
Chitralekha - Mysore ki Rajkumari,10thRoyal Concubine
Rajasvini-11thRoyal Concubine
Vasudha-12thRoyal Concubine
Kalindi- Magadh ki Rajkumari,13thRoyal Concubine
Kumudvati-14thRoyal Concubine
Yamunapriya Dharanidevi-15thRoyal Concubine
Madhulika Devi- Bundelkhand ki Rajkumari,16thRoyal Concubine
Yashodhara- Gwalior ki Rajkumari,20thRoyal Concubine
GulabJaan Shahbano-21stRoyal Concubine
Hafisa Begum- Daughter of Dhaka ke Nawab,22ndRoyal Concubine
MahaSavitri- Sindh ki Rajkumari and the23rdRoyal Concubine
Gayatri Devi-24thRoyal Concubine
Anjuman Tajwar-e-Kohistani- the most beautiful sister of Junagarh’s young Nawab,25thRoyal Concubine
Mohini (20)- Garhwal ki Rajkumari and the 26th Concubine of the Mughal Emperor (Female Lead)
The Prince and Princess-
1) Shehzada Mirza Jalaluddin Khurshid-ul-Mulk (12): The eldest son and the crown prince, Son of Sultan Sikandar with his 1st wife/cheif queen consort- Mehrunissa/ Padmavati
2) Shehzada Mirza Farrokh Zaman Bahadur Alamgir (10) : The 2nd son of Sultan Sikandar with his 2nd wife/queen consort- Zainab
3) Shehzadi Zuleikha Begum-e-Hindustan (6): Daughter of Sultan Sikandar with his 2nd wife/queen consort-Zainab
4) Zebunnisa Khursheed Mahal (6): Daughter of Sultan Sikandar with his 2nd Concubine- Nafisa
(Children of the Emperor with the concubines were considered part of the royal family but not pure royal blood hence were not given the status of Shehzada or Shehzadi, it was exclusively reserved for the children of the emperor with his queen consorts)
This concludes the not so brief introduction of the Emperor’s Harem. There are offcourse many more characters that will be introduced with time as the story goes by and layers of every character wil come unfold eventually.
_______________
Glossary: (For those who are not familiar with the terms used)
Sultan – A sovereign Muslim ruler; similar to a king.
Sultanates- Multiple Kingdoms
Shahenshah-e-Hindustaan – Emperor of India (literally: “King of Kings of Hindustan”). Supreme title of sovereignty, reserved for a monarch who rules over multiple kingdoms or sultanates.
Shahzada / Shehzada – Prince. A son of the Sultan, usually with royal maternal lineage.
Shehzadi / Shehzadi – Princess. A daughter of the Sultan, typically from a queen consort.
Bahadur – Valiant / Brave. An honorific often added to royal male names.
Mirza – A noble title meaning Prince or Son of a noble family. Originally of Persian origin.
Malika-e-Hindustaan – Queen of India. Title of the queen consorts of the emperor.
Begum – A respectful title for noble or royal women (similar to “Lady”).
Sultana – Empress. A feminine form of Sultan, often used interchangeably with Begum in certain contexts.
Rajkumari – Princess (of Hindu royal descent, typically from regional kingdoms).
Nawab / Nawabzada / Nawabzadi – A regional ruler (governor/duke), with Nawabzada and Nawabzadi meaning son or daughter of a Nawab.
Shahi Harem – Imperial Harem. The secluded palace quarters for women of the royal household.
Mahal – Palace
Cultural and Historical-Dynastic References:
Timurid-Mongol: Refers to a dynasty descended from Timur (Tamerlane), a 14th-century Central Asian conqueror. The Timurids combined Turco-Mongol military tradition with Persian culture. Many rulers in the Indian subcontinent, including the Mughals, claimed Timurid ancestry.
Rajputana: A historical region in northwest India, now mostly in the state of Rajasthan. It was home to the Rajputs, a warrior caste known for their martial code and honor. “Rajputana” means Land of the Rajputs.
