Question

William Hawkins visited the Mughal court to secure a right to trade in Mughal ports during the reign of ____.
A. Akbar
B. Jahangir
C. Shah Jahan
D. Aurangzeb

Answer 1

Hint: The name of the ruler is a Persian word for ‘conqueror of the world’ or ‘world seizer’. He is considered as a weak and incapable ruler of the Great Mughal Empire. His reign lasted from 1605 to 1627.

Complete Answer:
- Sir William Hawkins was a diplomat of the English East India Company and he was also the commander of the ‘Hector’, the first ship of the East India Company that arrived India at Surat on the 24th of August in 1608.
- From Surat, he proceeded to the Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s Court in Agra in the year 1609. He was sent by the East India Company to obtain a formal permission for the establishment of an English factory in Surat. Emperor Jahangir demanded a handsome maintenance fee for the same, and also asked him to combat the intrigues of the Portuguese. On completing these favors, Emperor Jahangir granted him with the required license. This became the first distinct recognition of the English company in the east.
- Emperor Jahangir wanted to attach Sir William Hawkins to India and to his interests and hence, he persuaded him to marry a maid from the palace. Hawkins agreed to the Emperor’s advice and married Mariam Khan, an Armenian Christian lady. She was the daughter of an influential merchant who used to work in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
- But after a year or two, Sir William Hawkins fell into some disfavor with the Emperor and was allowed to depart from his kingdom. In November of 1611, Sir William Hawkins left Agra and reached Surat after three months.
- This encounter with Sir William Hawkins is one of the reasons why Jahangir was considered to be a weak and incapable ruler, since this permission was the open window for the British to enter India and exploit its resources and citizens for almost two centuries.

Hence the correct answer is Option (B) Jahangir.

Note: Emperor Jahangir also had foreign relations with Persia. He sent his Tahsildar, Khan Alam with ten Howdahs that were decorated in gold and silver. He did this to negotiate peace with the Persian King, Abbas I. They sought peace and Abbas I sent Khan Alam back to India with many valuable gifts. Emperor Jahangir also wanted to form an alliance with the Ottoman Sultan, Murad IV and wrote a letter to him for the same. But Jahangir died before his ambition could become a reality.