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the Great (1542–1605) was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from the time of his accession in 1556 until 1605. He is considered the greatest of the Mughal emperors.
Akbar was born at Umarkot in Sind on the October 15, 1542. His father, Humayun, was driven from the throne in a series of decisive battles by the Afghan Sher Shah Suri. After more than twelve years' exile, Humayun regained his sovereignty, which, however, he held for only a few months before he died. Akbar succeeded his father in 1556 under the regency of Bairam Khan, a Turkoman noble, whose energy in repelling pretenders to the throne, and severity in maintaining the discipline of the army, helped greatly in the consolidation of the newly recovered empire. Bairam, however, was naturally despotic and cruel. When order was somewhat restored, Akbar took the reins of government into his own hands by a proclamation issued in March 1560.
On November 5 fifty miles north of Delhi, a Mughal Army defeated Hindu forces of General Hemu to give Akbar the throne of India at the Second battle of Panipat.
When Akbar ascended the throne, only a small portion of what had formerly comprised the Mughal empire was still under his control, and he devoted himself to the recovery of the remaining provinces. He expanded the Mughal empire to include Malwa (1562), Gujarat (1572), Bengal (1574), Kabul (1581), Kashmir (1586) and Kandesh (1601) among others. Over each of these, as power was restored, he placed a governor, over whom he superintended.
Akbar did not want to have his court tied too closely to Delhi. He ordered the court moved to Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra, but when this proved untenable, he set up a roaming camp that let him keep a close eye on what was happening throughout the empire. He tried to develop and encourage commerce; he had the land accurately measured for the purpose of correctly evaluating taxation and he gave strict instructions to prevent extortion on the part of the tax gatherers.
Akbar himself was a Muslim, but the majority of his subjects were of the Hindu faith. He was visited by Portuguese Jesuit missionaries in 1580, but refused to convert to Christianity, on the basis that it would alienate the vast majority of his people. Later, skepticism as to the divine origin of the Koran and a desire to consolidate the diverse religious communities in his empire led him to establish a syncretic religion known as Din-e-alahi or the divine faith. This faith drew heavily on Islam, but incorporated elements of Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism as well. However, the religion failed to gain acceptance outside, and died with Akbar.
The spirit of toleration with which Akbar ruled was also important in establishing his kingdom. He retained the loyalty of the Hindu majority by allowing them freedom of worship, and was tolerant toward other non-Muslim communities in his Empire. He abolished the jizya, a traditional tax levied upon protected people, or non-Muslims in the Islamic empires. In order to equalize other religions existing within his domain, however, he strictly forbade certain Brahmin practices, such as trial by ordeal and sati, the burning of widows against their will.
Although he was illiterate (and possibly dyslexic), he had a great love for knowledge, inviting men from all different religions to come to discuss matters of the world with him. He was a patron to many men of literary talent, among whom may be mentioned the brothers Feizi and Abul Fazl. The former was commissioned by Akbar to translate a number of Sanskrit scientific works into Persian; and the latter has left, in the Akbar-Nameh, an enduring record of the emperor's reign. It is also said that Akbar employed Jerome Xavier, a Jesuit missionary, to translate the four Gospels into Persian.
The closing years of Akbar's reign were rendered very unhappy by the misconduct of his sons. Two of them died in youth, the victims of intemperance; and the third, Salim, later known as emperor Jahangir, was frequently in rebellion against his father. Akbar keenly felt these calamities, and they may even have tended to hasten his death, which occurred at Agra on the 15th of October 1605. His body was deposited in a magnificent mausoleum at Sikandra, near Agra.
The following list of Indian monarchs is one of several BambooWeb lists of incumbents. It is a list of emperors of the Mughal empire. See also List of Indian Monarchs.
The dynasty called itself the House of Taimur as the founder, Babur, was descended (through his mother) from Taimur. The Timurid Dynasty lasted from 1526 until 1857.
The Great Mughals, the first six emperors, are often referred to just by one name, which was, in each case, a title they took as Emperor. The relevant title is bolded in the list below.
See also
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