Under Akbar The strategic proximity of Multan to Qandahar, combined with Rustam Mirza's elevated rank of 5,000 and substantial subsidy of 100
lakhs of (around 400,000
rupees), indicates, according to Ibáñez, that Akbar explicitly recognised Rustam as a legitimate claimant to Qandahar and intended for him to pursue its conquest. The funds provided, equivalent to nearly fifty times the annual salary of a (a commander of 100), would enable Rustam to maintain a force of approximately 5,000 cavalrymen. Conversely, the grandeur of Akbar's reception of Rustam may also have been intended to persuade Mozaffar-Hosayn Mirza, then engaged in conflicts with the Uzbeks, to surrender Qandahar to the Mughals, presenting India as a secure refuge for him and his family. Nevertheless, Akbar's recognition of Rustam Mirza's status facilitated a strategic marital alliance, with Rustam arranging the marriage of his eldest son to the daughter of Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan before leaving Lahore in 1593. Emulating Khan-i-Khanan's approach, Rustam refrained from joining Akbar's
Din-i Ilahi, the
syncretic religious movement promoted by the emperor among his key courtiers. In 1594, Rustam Mirza assumed the governorship of Multan and began administering the region. According to Abul Fazl's
Ain-i-Akbari, Rustam's rule was marked by oppressive governance, with his subordinates engaging in excessive exploitation of the populace. Consequently, local complaints reached Akbar, who, by the end of the same year, relocated Rustam to the of
Chittor. Ibáñez, citing ''
Ma'asir al-Umara'' by
Samsam ud Daula Shah Nawaz Khan, places this transfer in 1597, following the Mughal acquisition of Qandahar in 1595. He further argues that Akbar's primary objective was securing Qandahar, and Rustam's heavy taxation in Multan—described as "desolating the population" in
Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh by
ʽAbd al-Qadir Badayuni—was part of the mirza's efforts to finance and lead a potential Mughal invasion of the city. Singh expresses uncertainty about Rustam's whereabouts in 1595, noting that he was summoned to Akbar's court from the of
Sirhind, in the of
Delhi northwest of Multan, rather than Chittor in
Rajasthan, concluding that Rustam may have remained active in the greater
Punjab area. In 1595, Mozzafar-Hosayn Mirza, Rustam's brother, defected to the Mughal Empire and ceded sovereignty of Qandahar to the Mughals. To secure the region, Akbar dispatched an army of 10,000 in March 1595, but by April, rebellions erupted in Zamindawar and Garmsir, led by forces loyal to Rustam's rule. Acknowledging the potential instability of appointing Rustam, a local Safavid prince, as governor of Qandahar, Akbar opted to prevent the Bahrami-Safavid lineage from reclaiming regional influence by assigning its members prestigious but distant administrative roles. Thus in the same year, Mozzafar-Hosayn gained the (land grant) of
Sambhal and Rustam's
fief was expanded to include the rebellious northern
Pathan hills, where he was dispatched with a Mughal army to subdue the leader of the mountain chieftains, Raja Basu Dev of
Nurpur. Despite tensions with his second-in-command, Asaf Khan, Rustam Mirza successfully led his Mughal forces through the Pathan hills and besieged the fort of
Mankot, capturing Raja Basu within two months. Rustam then escorted Raja Basu to Lahore, where, in the presence of Akbar, Basu agreed to cede the Pathan region to the Mughal Empire. In 1597, Rustam was granted the governorship of
Raisen and its surrounding estates, where he resided for a period. Since 1600, Mughal forces under
Daniyal Mirza, Akbar's son, were engaged in a protracted siege of
Ahmednagar Fort during their campaign against the
Nizam Shahi dynasty of
Ahmednagar. The prolonged operation resulted in severe resource shortages and frequent enemy raids, placing the Mughal troops in a precarious position. In response to Daniyal's call for reinforcements, Akbar sent Rustam Mirza from
Burhanpur with an army and a substantial grant of one lakh (gold coins), into the
Deccan. Rustam joined forces with Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, the (commander-in-chief) of the Mughal invasion, and fought in the final assault that led to the conquest of Ahmednagar. In 1604, Khan-i-Khanan tasked Rustam and his son Iraj with leading a contingent of seasoned soldiers to the northern bank of the
Bhima River to escort Sultan Begum, daughter of
Ibrahim Adil Shah II of
Bijapur and the bride-to-be of Daniyal Mirza, to Ahmednagar for their wedding. In April 1604, Rustam's party reached Sultan Begum's camp, where he met Asad Beg Qazvini, an Iranian noble in Akbar's service who later documented the event in his memoirs. Asad Beg records that Rustam, accompanied by his
Rajput soldiers, formed the advance guard of the entourage, successfully escorting the princess to Ahmednagar before Daniyal Mirza's arrival, thereby completing the mission.
Under Jahangir During the early years of Emperor
Jahangir's reign (), Rustam Mirza remained active in the Deccan, dedicating significant efforts to suppressing
Malik Ambar, the leader of the Nizam Shahi resistance. Despite his endeavours, Rustam was unable to subdue the resilient opposition. and was thus recalled by Jahangir to
Agra in 1612. Since his arrival at the royal court coincided with the death of
Mirza Ghazi Beg of
Thatta, Jahangir elevated his to 5000/5000, which was Ghazi Beg's own rank and appointed him the of Thatta. According to ''Ma'asir al-umara'', the emperor provided Rustam with guidance on administering justice and instructed him to expel the
Arghuns and
Tarkhans, who had dominated the region since the early 16th century, along with their long-standing , Khusrau Khan the Circassian, who had served their family for four generations, to prevent potential rebellions. Mir Abdur Razzaq, a member of the distinguished Iranian Ma'muri family, was appointed as Rustam Mirza's treasurer in Thatta. His duties included overseeing revenue
disbursements, assessing the (revenue assessment), and allocating to Rustam and his dependents. Although Rustam was able to completely eradicate any remaining Arghun-Tarkhan influence over the
Sindh, his governance was marked by excessive harshness, leading to numerous complaints. Consequently, in 1615, Jahangir recalled Rustam to court and briefly imprisoned him in
Gwalior under the supervision of
Anup Rai, the head jailer, where his oppressive tendencies were "cured". Shortly thereafter, Rustam was released, welcomed back to court with favour, and saw his daughter married to Jahangir's son,
Parviz Mirza. He was promoted to a rank of 6,000 and appointed of
Allahabad. During the rebellion of Prince Khurram (future
Shah Jahan) in 1622, Rustam was tasked with safeguarding the eastern territories of Allahabad against the rebel forces. Following the capture of
Jaunpur by Khurram's troops, Rustam provided refuge to the city's fugitive governor, Jahangir Quli Khan, and organised defenses to counter the advancing rebel army. Khurram deployed Abdullah Khan to seize Allahabad, and the commander established a camp at
Jhusi, across the
Ganges River from the city. Rustam and his forces withdrew to the
Allahabad fort in response. Abdullah Khan crossed the river using boats, launching a siege with artillery and muskets, and briefly entered the city. Despite assurances from Rumi Khan, head of Khurram's artillery, that the fort's capture was imminent, Abdullah Khan, displaying unexpected hesitation, withdrew back to Jhusi. Shortly thereafter, the approaching imperial forces relieved the siege. Rustam was recalled from Allahabad after the end of the rebellion in 1626 and reassigned to govern
Bihar. He served as the final of Bihar under Jahangir. Rustam's tenure ended either in 1627, shortly after Jahangir's death or in February 1628, when Shah Jahan () replaced him with Mirza Bar Khurdar, also known as Khan-i-Alam.
Later years and death and his wife, Belqis Banu Begum, daughter of Rustam Mirza Due to advancing age and
gout, Rustam Mirza withdrew from administrative duties and settled at the Mughal court in
Agra, where Shah Jahan granted him an annual pension of one lakh and twenty thousand rupees. In 1632, Shah Jahan's son,
Shah Shuja, married Rustam's daughter, Belqis Banu Begum, an event commemorated by the
chronogram:
Mahd Belqis ba sar manzil Jamshed amad (The lady Bilqis—
Queen of Sheba—came to the house of
Jamshid). According to
Amal-i Salih by
Muhammad Saleh Kamboh, the wedding adhered to traditional customs, including the application of
henna, the distribution of
brocaded robes, and trays adorned with flowers,
betel leaves, sweets, and perfumes, all conducted with "utmost propriety". Shah Nawaz Khan notes that another of Rustam's daughters married
Dara Shikoh. Rustam Mirza died in Agra in 1642 at the age of 72. Following his death, when Agra's (tax collectors) attempted to seize his possessions, his widow armed the household's
maidservants with muskets, disguising them as men, and declared that her family would not be treated like ordinary officials. Upon learning of her defiance, Shah Jahan, impressed by her resolve, allowed Rustam's family to retain all his belongings except his elephants. == Marriage and issue ==