Abū al-Fatḥ Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Akbar
born Oct. 15, 1542, Umarkot, Sind, India
died 1605, Agra
Greatest of the Mughal emperors (see Mughal Dynasty) of India (r. 1556–1605).
Akbar, whose ancestors included Timur and Genghis Khan ascended the throne as a youth. Initially his rule extended only over
the Punjab and the area around Delhi. The Rajput raja of Amber (Jaipur)
acknowledged his suzerainty in 1562, and other Rajput rajas followed
suit. Akbar included Rajput princes and other Hindus in the highest
ranks of his government and reduced discrimination against non-Muslims.
He continued his conquests, taking Gujarat in the west (1573) and
Bengal in the east (annexed in 1576). Toward the end of his reign he
conquered Kashmir (1586) and moved south into the Deccan.
Administratively, he strengthened central power, establishing that all
military officers and civil administrators were to be appointed by the
emperor. He encouraged scholars, poets, painters, and musicians, making
his court a centre of culture. He had Sanskrit classics translated into
Persian and was enthusiastic about the European paintings presented to
him by Jesuit missionaries. His reign was often portrayed as a model by
later governments—strong, benevolent, tolerant, and enlightened. See also Babur.
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