Shah Jahan, on his father's death, though only fourth in right of
succession to the throne, speedily disposed of his brothers by means
very commonly adopted in Oriental royal families, and was enthroned at
Agra in 1648. Immediately afterwards he wreaked his vengeance on the
Portuguese, who had taken part against him in his rebellion against
Jahangir, by destroying their settlement at Hughli. The next year,
while on an expedition to suppress disorder in the Deccan, he lost
his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the lady of the Taj. For a long
time the Emperor abandoned himself entirely to grief, and he remained
faithful to her memory until his death.

The actual building of the Taj commenced in 1632. From this date until
1658, when Aurangzîb usurped the throne, was the most magnificent
period of the Mogul dynasty. The whole empire enjoyed comparative peace
and prosperity. Shah Jahan's just and liberal government continued his
father's and grandfather's policy of tolerance towards the Hindus, and
his administration, though conducted with great pomp and splendour,
did not press hardly upon the people. It was one of the greatest
epochs of Indian architecture; besides the Taj Mahal, the buildings
erected during these years include four of the masterpieces of the
Mogul period--the Jâmi Masjid, or Cathedral Mosque, of Delhi; the
Mûti Masjid, or Pearl Mosque, of Agra; part of the Agra Palace, and
the great palace at Delhi, of which only a small portion now exists.

It is said that as Shah Jahan advanced towards old age he abandoned
himself more and more to a life of pleasure and self-indulgence,
but his last years were darkened by the same kind of family intrigues
through which he himself had gained the throne. In 1657 the serious
illness of the Emperor brought these intrigues to a head. His eldest