Juliana Dias da Costa

Juliana Dias da Costa entered the Mughal Harem serving the family (wife and mother) of the then prince Shah’Alam.

Padre (priest) António Magalhães arranged Juliana’s marriage to an unnamed Portuguese man after her mother died.

[3] She is said to have ridden on a war elephant beside Bahadur Shah during his battles to defend his authority, and even after his death she continued to be highly considered, although with less influence.

During her period of strongest influence, while Bahadur Shah I was still alive, she was frequently sought out by European powers like the Dutch, Portuguese, the British, and the representatives of the Pope.

She provided much assistance to the Society of Jesus, including helping the Italian Jesuit missionary Ippolito Desideri (1684-1733) in his mission to evangelise Tibet.