Akbar the Great

Expanded the Mughal realm and promoted religious tolerance and a uniform tax system.

Life

Took the throne as a youth

Akbar was the son of Humayun, born while his father was in exile. When his father died unexpectedly in 1556 he was only 13; the Mughals had not yet secured their foothold in India, and northern India was in turmoil. The regent Bairam Khan defeated Hemu at the Second Battle of Panipat, securing Delhi and Agra for him.

Expansion and institutions

After taking personal control he annexed the Rajput states, Gujarat and Bengal, won over local rulers through marriage alliances and appointments, abolished the poll tax and pilgrimage tax on non-Muslims, introduced the mansabdar system of military-administrative ranks and a uniform method of land survey and taxation, and appointed Hindus as high officials and commanders.

Tolerance and synthesis

He gathered scholars of different faiths for debates and promoted the so-called Divine Faith, advocating tolerance and reason; though it won few followers, it laid the foundation for the Mughal tradition of pluralist rule. His court patronized miniature painting, music and Persian literature, and the empire's revenue and population grew markedly. His tolerant policies were reversed under his descendant Aurangzeb.

Legacy

Akbar is regarded as the true founder of the Mughal Empire; his administrative and fiscal systems kept the empire strong for more than a century afterward. His tolerance of all religions, appointment of Hindus to high office and patronage of the arts are often held up in modern India as a model of pluralistic coexistence. Critics point out, however, that his expansion was likewise accompanied by brutal wars, such as the massacre after the fall of Chittor, and that his "Divine Faith" was regarded as heresy by some orthodox Muslim scholars.

Major works & achievements

• Annexed the Rajput states, Gujarat and Bengal
• Abolished the jizya on non-Muslims
• Established the mansabdar system and land-survey-based taxation
• Built the new capital of Fatehpur Sikri

Did you know? He loved learning and kept a large library, yet according to the records he remained illiterate all his life; one theory holds that he had dyslexia.

Key dates

• 1556Takes the throne; wins the Battle of Panipat
• 1560Begins personal rule; dismisses the regent
• 1562Marriage alliances with the Rajputs; abolishes the pilgrimage tax
• 1564Abolished the jizya on non-Muslims
• 1568Took the fortress of Chittor
• 1573Conquered Gujarat
• 1576Annexed Bengal
• 1582Proclaimed the Din-i Ilahi (Divine Faith)
• 1605Died in Agra