A minority at one end and a vacancy at the other
The reign opens with a minority and closes with a vacancy, and both mattered more than any battle. He acceded in 1626 as a child, and he died on 21 April 1672 with no son and three sons-in-law — which left the succession to be settled inside the palace rather than by any rule.
In between came the settlement of 1636: not a single treaty but a bundle — a deed of submission, an agreement, an imperial farman — preserved independently in Mughal, Qutb Shahi and Dutch archives, by which Shah Jahan forced recognition of Mughal suzerainty. The kingdom lost its sovereignty and grew wealthier under tribute, which is the paradox this reign is for.