Subah of Lahore

The Subah of Lahore (Punjabi: لہور دا صوبہ, romanized: La(h)ōr Dā Sūbāh; Persian: صوبه لاهور, romanized: Sūbah-yi-Lāhor) was one of the three subahs (provinces) of the Mughal Empire in the Punjab region, alongside Multan and Delhi subahs, encompassing the northern, central and eastern Punjab. It was created as one of the original 12 Subahs of the Mughal Empire under the administrative reforms carried by Akbar in 1580. In 1752, the Subahdar Moin-ul-Mulk transferred his allegiance to Ahmad Shah Durrani. The province ceased to exist as a political unit after the death of Adina Beg in 1758, with large parts being incorporated into Durrani Empire. Collectively, Lahore and Multan subahs, and parts of Delhi subah, comprised "Mughal Punjab".

The subah of Lahore was bordered on the south by the Multan Subah and Delhi Subah, to the north by Kashmir Subah, to the west by the Kabul Subah, and to the north east by the semi-autonomous hill states.

In 1519, Babur first crossed the Indus River and took control of the entire Sind Sagar Doab up to Bhera and Khushab and by 1524 he had sacked Lahore. He then appointed representatives to key positions in his newly occupied territories, including Mir Abdul Aziz at Lahore. He went on to take several key hill forts such as Kutila, Harur and Kahlur. By 1526 the whole region from the Indus to the Sutlej was under his control.

After Babur's death, his son Kamran annexed the region up to the Sutlej, an act acquiesced by Humayun based in Delhi. Now lacking resources from the strategically important region, Humayun struggled in his conflict against Sher Shah Suri and fled to Kabul. The region now became part of the Sur Empire.

Sher Shah instituted a policy of populating the region from Nilab to Lahore with Afghans from Roh. Next he launched campaigns against the Gakkhars, about whom he suspected of being friendly with the Mughals. During this period, Sher Shah constructed the Rohtas Fort near Jhelum. Following the death of Sher Shah's successor, Islam Shah. In 1555, the Sur Empire fragmented into four separate and hostile divisions. The Punjab region came under the control of Sikandar Suri and later Adil Suri who also controlled Delhi and Agra. However Mughal forces under Humayun defeated Adil at the Battle of Sirhind in 1555 and re-established the Mughal Empire across the Punjab and northern India.

Over the next twenty-four year, the Mughals gradually consolidated power in the Punjab. Campaigns followed to subdue local Zamindars, the Hill forts, and remnants of the Afghan establishment. The Gakkhars were co-opted and assimilated into the Mughal polity under Kamal Khan, son of Rai Sarang. In 1566 and 1581 Mirza Hakim, half-brother of Akbar launched unsuccessful campaigns to occupy Lahore.

In 1580, Akbar re-organised his territories into twelve subahs, one of which was the Lahore Subah.

Between the dates August 1638 to 1642, Shah Jahan shifted the Mughal court to Lahore owing to his armies that were currently battling the forces of the Shah of Persia over control of the Kandahar Fort in nearby Afghanistan. Aurangzeb (then a prince) made a brief visit to Lahore on 9 January 1640.