Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Jahangir
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Autobiographical writings by rulers offer valuable insight into their personalities, policies, and the court culture of their time. In Mughal history, several emperors left important personal or semi personal accounts. One of these is the Tuzuk i Jahangiri, a text that is often cited in questions about literature and sources of medieval Indian history. This question asks you to identify which emperor wrote that Persian autobiography.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The solution depends on matching each emperor with his known writings. Babar left the Baburnama, originally in Turkish or Chagatai, later translated into Persian. Akbar did not write his own autobiography; instead, his court historian Abul Fazl composed the Akbarnama and Ain i Akbari. Jahangir, however, wrote his own memoirs in Persian, called Tuzuk i Jahangiri or Jahangirnama. Aurangzeb left letters and firmans but not a formal autobiography comparable to the Tuzuk i Jahangiri. Recognising these pairings leads directly to the correct answer.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the Baburnama, which is associated with the founder of the dynasty, Babar, and was originally written in Turkish.
Step 2: Note that Akbar history is recorded mainly through Abul Fazl writings, not through an autobiography by Akbar himself.
Step 3: Remember that Jahangir composed his own memoirs in Persian, known as Tuzuk i Jahangiri or Jahangirnama.
Step 4: Recognise that Aurangzeb is known for his letters and firmans but is not credited with a full scale autobiography of this type.
Step 5: Since the text in the question is explicitly the Tuzuk i Jahangiri, match it with Jahangir.
Step 6: Confirm that none of the other emperors fits the description of having written this particular Persian autobiography.
Verification / Alternative check:
A quick way to verify is to keep a small mental list: Baburnama for Babar, Tuzuk i Jahangiri for Jahangir, and Akbarnama for Akbar but written by Abul Fazl. Whenever a question mentions Tuzuk i Jahangiri, the name Jahangir should automatically come to mind, just as Baburnama cues Babar. This pairing appears consistently in exam oriented summaries and ensures that you can answer quickly.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Babar: Wrote Baburnama in Turkish, not Tuzuk i Jahangiri in Persian.
Akbar: His reign is recorded by court historians such as Abul Fazl; he did not write the autobiography mentioned.
Aurangzeb: Known for letters and firmans but not for a memoir called Tuzuk i Jahangiri.
Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse the different Mughal chronicles because many titles sound similar. For example, they may wrongly associate Tuzuk i Jahangiri with Babur or Akbar simply because they remember the word Tuzuk. Another pitfall is to assume that the most famous emperor, Akbar, must be the answer whenever a literary source is mentioned. The best practice is to link each emperor with one or two specific texts and revise these mappings regularly.
Final Answer:
The Mughal emperor who wrote the Persian autobiography Tuzuk i Jahangiri was Jahangir.
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