A closer look

Forget everything you think you know about secluded royal wives. While Emperor Jahangir was busy battling addiction, his twentieth wife, Nur Jahan, effectively seized control of the world's wealthiest empire. From behind the harem walls, she hunted tigers, designed architectural marvels, minted imperial coins with her own name on them, and personally owned the massive merchant ships that dominated the lucrative pilgrimage trade to Mecca.