Ruqaiya Sultan Begum
| Ruqaiya Sultan Begum | |
|---|---|
| |
A consort, possibly Ruqaiya Sultan Begum, being attended to under a canopy. | |
| Born | c. 1542 |
| Died | January 1626 (aged 84) Agra, Mughal Empire |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| House | Timurid dynasty |
| Dynasty | Mughal dynasty |
| Father | Hindal Mirza |
| Mother | Sultanam Begum |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Ruqaiya Sultan Begum (alternatively spelled Ruqayya or Ruqayyah; c. 1542 – January 1626) was the first wife and one of the chief consorts of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar.
Ruqaiya was a first cousin of her husband and was a Mughal princess by birth. Her father, Hindal Mirza, was the youngest brother of Akbar's father, Humayun. She was betrothed to Akbar at the age of nine and married him at 14, but remained childless throughout her marriage. In later years, she raised Akbar and Mariam-uz-Zamani’s grandson, Khurram (the future emperor Shah Jahan).