Pir Muhammad (son of Jahangir)

Pir Muhammad Mirza (c. 1374 – 22 February 1407) was a Timurid prince and briefly succeeded as King of Timurid Empire after the death of his grandfather Timur the Lame.[1] He was the son of Jahangir Mirza who was the actual successor to the throne but had died before his father. Next in line was Umar Shaikh Mirza I but he too died.[1] Pir Muhammad's brother Muhammad Sultan was appointed Timur's heir, but he had succumbed to battle-wounds in 1403.[2][3] This left Shah Rukh, whom Timur considered too meek to rule and Miran Shah who suffered from mental difficulties post head trauma. Timur felt that none of his sons were capable of ruling so he named Pir Muhammad as his successor.[1]

Pir Muhammad
Timurid Prince
Born	1374
Died	1407 (aged 32–33) Afghanistan
Burial	Gur-e-Amir, Samarkand (present-day Uzbekistan)
Spouse	Sabur Sultan (granddaughter of Shah Shuja) Several other wives
Issue	Qaidu Buzanchar Jahangir Sanjar Makhdum Sultan Shah Sultan Biki Several other children
House	House of Timur
Father	Jahangir Mirza
Mother	Bakht Malik Agha of the Yasauri
Religion	Islam

Pir Muhammad had been Governor of Kandahar since 1392.[1] His territory extended from the lands west of the Hindu Kush to the Indus River.[4] In the fall of 1397 he led the first wave of Timurids into India, and was invested with the rulership of Multan.[4] However, none of Pir Muhammad's relatives supported him following Timur's death. He was unable to assume command in Samarkand. He went into battle twice against Khalil Sultan a cousin and the other claimant to the throne but was defeated. He was allowed to remain in his lands. However, six months later he was murdered by his vizier Pir Ali Taz in 1407.[1]

References

1. Peter Jackson, Lawrence Lockhart (1986). The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 6. Cambridge University Press. pp. 98–99. ISBN 9780521246996. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
2. Beatrice Forbes Manz, Power, Politics and Religion in Timurid Iran (2007), p. 16
3. Marthe Bernus-Taylor, Tombs of Paradise: The Shah-e Zende in Samarkand and Architectural Ceramics of Central Asia (2003), p. 27
4. N. Jayapalan (2001). History of India. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. pp. 50–51. ISBN 9788171569281. Retrieved 2 January 2013.