Early Life and Ancestry
– Akbar was born in 1542 to Humayun and Hamida Banu Begum.
– He was raised in Kabul by his uncles and aunts.
– At the age of 14, he married Ruqaiya Sultan Begum.
– Akbar succeeded Humayun in 1556 at the age of 14.
– Bairam Khan ruled on his behalf until he came of age.
– Akbar’s ancestors included Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire.
– His mother, Hamida Banu Begum, was the daughter of Shaikh Ali Akbar Jami.
– Akbar’s father, Humayun, was the second Mughal emperor.
– His grandfather, Umar Shaikh Mirza II, was also a ruler in Central Asia.
– Akbar’s ancestry combined Timurid and Mongol heritage.
Military Campaigns and Innovations
– Akbar’s military campaigns consolidated Mughal rule in the Indian subcontinent.
– He introduced organizational changes to the Mughal army.
– Akbar utilized cannons, fortifications, and elephants in his military strategies.
– He sought assistance from the Ottomans, Portuguese, and Italians for advanced firearms.
– Scholars have referred to the Mughal Empire as a ‘gunpowder empire.’
– Akbar implemented organizational reforms in the Mansabdari system.
– He made advancements in cannons, fortifications, and the use of elephants.
– Akbar showed interest in matchlocks and utilized them effectively in conflicts.
– He sought assistance from the Ottomans, Portuguese, and Italians for advanced firearms and artillery.
– The success of the Mughals in India has been analyzed through the term ‘gunpowder empire.’
Struggle for North India
– Akbar faced challenges from the Sur rulers and Hemu, who proclaimed himself Hindu emperor.
– Bairam Khan played a crucial role in marshaling the Mughal forces.
– The Mughals defeated Sikandar Shah Suri at the Second Battle of Panipat.
– Akbar reclaimed Delhi and Agra from the Sur forces.
– The Mughals expanded their control over Punjab, Multan, Ajmer, and Gwalior Fort.
Expansion into Central India and Conquest of Rajputana
– Mughals launched a drive to the south into Rajputana and Malwa in 1559.
– Akbar dismissed his regent, Bairam Khan, in 1560.
– Bairam Khan rebelled against the Mughals but was defeated and forgiven by Akbar.
– Akbar resumed military operations in 1560.
– Mughal army conquered Malwa and made it a province of the empire.
– Akbar sought to conquer the heartlands of Rajputana.
– Most Rajput states accepted Akbar’s suzerainty.
– Rulers of Mewar and Marwar remained outside the Mughal fold.
– Akbar attacked Chittor Fort in 1567.
– Chittorgarh fell in 1568 after a four-month siege.
Conquests in Gujarat, Bengal, and Other Regions
– Akbar’s military objectives were the conquest of Gujarat and Bengal.
– Gujarat was a haven for rebellious Mughal nobles.
– Gujarat had rich agricultural production, textile industry, and busy seaports.
– Akbar received invitations from cliques in Gujarat to oust the reigning king.
– Akbar occupied Ahmedabad and other northern cities, driving out the Mirzas.
– Bengal was the remaining center of Afghan power after Gujarat.
– Daud Khan, Sulaiman Khan’s son, defied Mughal rule in Bengal.
– Akbar seized Patna from Daud Khan and annexed Bengal and parts of Bihar.
– Only Orissa remained under the Karrani dynasty as a Mughal fief.
– Akbar expelled his brother, Mirza Muhammad Hakim, from Punjab and Kabul.
– Akbar faced resistance from his nobles to leave India for Afghanistan.
– Akbar seized Kabul and incorporated it as a province of the Mughal Empire.
– Akbar dealt with challenges from Uzbek tribes and pacified the Yusufzai rebels.
– Mughal Empire under Akbar’s rule sought to subjugate the Indus Valley.
– Baluchi chiefs were persuaded to subordinate themselves to Akbar.
– Mughal forces attacked the stronghold of Sibi and defeated local chieftains.
– Kandahar had connections with the Mughals from the time of Timur.
– Safavids considered Kandahar to be under their rule.
– Akbar moved to restore Mughal control over Kandahar.
– Akbar began military operations against the Deccan Sultans in 1593.
– Ahmednagar Fort was besieged, forcing Chand Bibi to cede Berar.
– Akbar occupied Burhanpur and besieged Asirgarh Fort.
– Akbar’s system of central government was based on the Delhi Sultanate’s system.
– Akbar reformed land revenue administration by adopting a system used by Sher Shah Suri.
– Cultivated areas were measured and taxed through fixed rates based on crop and productivity.
– Akbar introduced a decentralised system of annual assessment, which led to corruption.
– The system was replaced with dahsala, where revenue was calculated as one-third of the average produce. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akbar
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (15 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great, and also as Akbar I (Persian pronunciation: [akbar]), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in the Indian subcontinent.
| Akbar | |||||||||
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.jpg) Akbar with a lion and a calf, by Govardhan, c. 1630 | |||||||||
| 3rd Mughal Emperor | |||||||||
| Reign | 11 February 1556 – 27 October 1605 | ||||||||
| Coronation | 14 February 1556 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Humayun | ||||||||
| Successor | Jahangir | ||||||||
| Regent | Bairam Khan (1556–1560) | ||||||||
| Born | Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar 15 October 1542 Amarkot, Rajputana (modern-day Umerkot, Sindh, Pakistan) | ||||||||
| Died | 27 October 1605 (aged 63) Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Subah, Mughal Empire (modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India) | ||||||||
| Burial | November 1605 Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra, Agra, India | ||||||||
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| House | House of Babur | ||||||||
| Dynasty | Timurid dynasty | ||||||||
| Father | Humayun | ||||||||
| Mother | Hamida Banu Begum | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam Din-i-Ilahi | ||||||||
Akbar gradually enlarged the Mughal Empire to include much of the Indian subcontinent through Mughal military, political, cultural, and economic dominance. To unify the vast Mughal state, Akbar established a centralised system of administration and adopted a policy of conciliating conquered rulers through marriage and diplomacy. To preserve peace and order in a religiously and culturally diverse empire, he adopted policies that won him the support of his non-Muslim subjects, including abolishing the sectarian tax and appointing them to high civil and military posts.
Under Akbar, Mughal India developed a strong and stable economy, which tripled in size and wealth, leading to commercial expansion and greater patronage of an Indo-Persian culture. Akbar's courts at Delhi, Agra, and Fatehpur Sikri attracted holy men of many faiths, poets, architects, and artisans, and become known as centres of the arts, letters, and learning. Timurid and Perso-Islamic culture began to merge and blend with indigenous Indian elements into a distinct style of Mughal arts, including painting and architecture. Disillusioned with orthodox Islam and perhaps hoping to bring about religious unity within his empire, Akbar promulgated Din-i Ilahi, a syncretic creed derived mainly from Islam and Hinduism as well as elements of Zoroastrianism and Christianity.
Akbar was succeeded as emperor by his son, Prince Salim, later known as Jahangir.