Title & tenure
3rd Mughal Emperor (1556–1605), "Akbar the Great"
In office: 1556 – 1605
- Predecessor:
- Humayun
- Successor:
- Jahangir
Biography
Akbar took the throne at just 13 under the regency of Bairam Khan, and grew to become the Mughal Empire's longest-reigning and most transformative emperor, expanding and consolidating its territory across nearly all of northern and central India.
Achievements
- Introduced the Mansabdari system, a standardized military-administrative ranking that organized the empire's nobility and army
- Promoted religious tolerance, abolishing the jizya tax on non-Muslims and founding Din-i Ilahi, a syncretic faith blending elements of several religions
- Reformed land revenue collection under his finance minister Raja Todar Mal, basing taxation on actual crop yields
- Patronized art, architecture and literature, building his new capital at Fatehpur Sikri
Key events
- Second Battle of Panipat (1556): his regent Bairam Khan defeated Hemu, securing Akbar's hold on Delhi early in his reign
- Conquest of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bengal, bringing most of northern and central India under direct Mughal rule
- Siege of Chittorgarh (1568): a major and bloody victory over the Rajputs of Mewar
Legacy
Akbar is regarded as the greatest of the Mughal emperors, remembered for building the empire's administrative backbone and for a degree of religious tolerance that was exceptional for his era.
How it ended
Died of natural causes in Agra in 1605 after a 49-year reign, the longest of any Mughal emperor; succeeded by his son Jahangir.