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READ: Khanzada Begum (Graphic Biography)

Khanzada Begum was a Timurid noblewoman who played an important political role in the Mughal Dynasty, demonstrating how the household and the state often overlapped.
The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.

First read: skimming for gist

This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?

Second read: understanding content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
  1. How was Khanzada Begum related to the first Mughal Emperors, Babur and Humayun?
  2. Why did Khanzada Begum marry Muhammad Shaybani Khan, and why were they divorced?
  3. How did Khanzada Begum help her brother in his conflict with the Uzbeks after her divorce?
  4. How did Khanzada Begum help her nephew rule?
  5. How does the artist use art and design to demonstrate the power and authority of Khanzada Begum?

Third read: evaluating and corroborating

In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
  1. How does this biography of Khanzada Begum support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about the “gunpowder empires,” and government generally, in this era?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading .

Khanzada Begum (Graphic Biography)

Writer: Trevor Getz
Artist: Liz Clarke
Khanzada Begum was a Timurid noblewoman who played an important political role in the Mughal Dynasty, demonstrating how the household and the state often overlapped.
Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.

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