June 17 1631

Mumtaz Mahal (Jewel of the Palace), 38, third wife of Shah Jahan of India, dies in Burhanpur, Deccan, from postpartum haemorrhage during the birth to their 14th child. Arjumand Banu Begum, 14, and Prince Khurram (who reigns as Shah Jahan 1628-58), 15, were betrothed in 1607 and married on May 10 1612. He builds the Taj Mahal (commissioned in 1631 and completed in 1653) in her memory for about 32-million rupees. He dies on January 22 1666 and is buried next to her