Empress Nur Jahan Part 1: Nobody Puts Nur in a Corner | 75

Even The Royals

Wondery

Society & Culture

4.4 • 844 Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This two-part series is all about Empress Nur Jahan, who rose from Persian refugee to become the most powerful woman in the Mughal Empire. As a girl, Nur Jahan wanted nothing more than to forge her own fate. But as she gets older, she finds herself trapped inside the emperor’s harem. To gain her freedom, she’ll have to charm the emperor with her wits and political savvy. But the more power she gains, the more her enemies at court want to see her gone.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Wonderie Plus subscribers can listen to Even the Royals early and ad-free right now.
0:04.1	Join Wonderly Plus in the Wonderry app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:08.0	A quick note about our show.
0:09.7	We do a lot of research for our stories, but we also aren't your high school history class,
0:13.5	so some details and scenes are dramatized.
0:16.2	And today's episode contains language that only an empress can get away with.
0:20.3	So please be advised.
0:28.2	Okay, Eresia, have you ever felt trapped? Like you were stuck in a situation and you just didn't know how to get out of it? Yes. Is it your improv team? No, it was my first
0:41.1	day working at TGI Friday. Oh, God. And it was like a Friday night. I had like finished my
0:48.0	training so I was on my own, but they put me in the busiest section. And I just remember being in the
0:54.0	kitchen and be like, I have no way to get out of this. I was in hell. And I just remember being in the kitchen and be like, I have no way to
0:55.8	get out of this. I was in hell. And I was like, I can't live like that. Amazing. All right. Well,
1:02.5	today's royal definitely felt trapped. Norjahan was born into a 16th century Persian noble family,
1:09.4	but lived during a time when women were largely supposed to be kept out of view.
1:14.5	She's destined to live a caged and sheltered life, but dreams of more.
1:19.0	So when she catches the eye of the Mughal Emperor, she seizes the opportunity to attain power unheard of for women at the time.
1:26.2	So before we keep going, Eresha, I'm guessing you may not
1:29.9	know a lot about the Mughals. Who are you kidding? I would destroy a category on Jeopardy called the Mughals.
1:36.0	Okay. Well, for the listeners, then, here's a little refresher. So starting in the 16th century,
1:43.2	the Mughals ruled a cosmopolitan empire that at its peak stretched across parts of modern-day India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
1:51.6	The empire was known for embracing other cultures and practicing religious tolerance.
1:56.5	But around the time that Nord Jahan is born, the rules change for women in society.
	...

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