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Early Life of Akbar

Akbar, born on October 15, 1542, in Umarkot, became the Mughal emperor at 13 after his father's death and ruled for 50 years. He expanded the empire through military conquests and a policy of conciliation with the Rajputs, integrating them into his administration while implementing significant administrative reforms. Akbar also promoted religious tolerance by abolishing discriminatory taxes and allowing freedom of worship, aiming to unite India's diverse populations.

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35 views10 pages

Early Life of Akbar

Akbar, born on October 15, 1542, in Umarkot, became the Mughal emperor at 13 after his father's death and ruled for 50 years. He expanded the empire through military conquests and a policy of conciliation with the Rajputs, integrating them into his administration while implementing significant administrative reforms. Akbar also promoted religious tolerance by abolishing discriminatory taxes and allowing freedom of worship, aiming to unite India's diverse populations.

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nayaksriansh
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Early life of Akbar

Abū al-Fatḥ Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Akbar was born on October 15, 1542,
Umarkot (Current Pakistan). He was descended of Turks, Mongols, and Iranians. He
was regarded as one of the greatest rulers of India. When Akbar was 13 years old, his father
Humayun died. After his father’s death, he was proclaimed as emperor of the Mughal empire.
He would rule the empire for the next 50 years (1556-1605).
Bairam Khan, Humayun’s faithful and experienced general, became Akbar’s regent and
looked after the affairs of the government on his behalf till he came to age.

Second Battle of Panipat


In 1556 CE, Hemu, the chief minister and general of Adil Shah (nephew of Sher Shah, an
Afghan ruler), occupied Delhi and Agra. Hemu was a military genius and the Afghan forces he
was leading were superior to the Mughal forces but Akbar and Bairam Khan decided to face the
challenge.
Hemu was defeated and killed. The Second Battle of Panipat crushed the Afghan power and
removed the threat to Akbar’s throne.

Imperial Expansion
Akbar first attacked Malwa, a state of strategic and economic importance
commanding the route through the Vindhya Range to the plateau region of the
Deccan (peninsular India) and containing rich agricultural land, it fell to him in
1561.

Toward the Hindu Rajputs inhabiting the rugged hilly Rajputana region, Akbar
had a policy of conciliation and conquest. Successive Muslim rulers had found the
Rajputs dangerous, however weakened by disunity. But in 1562, when Raja Bihari
Mal of Amber (now Jaipur), threatened by a succession dispute, offered Akbar his
daughter in marriage, Akbar accepted the offer. Akbar followed the same feudal
policy toward the other Rajput chiefs. One of the notable features of Akbar’s
government was the extent of Hindu, and particularly Rajput, participation. Rajput
princes attained the highest ranks, as generals and as provincial governors, in the
Mughal service. Discrimination against non-Muslims was reduced by abolishing
the taxation of pilgrims and the tax payable by non-Muslims in lieu of military
service. Yet Akbar was far more successful than any previous Muslim ruler in winning
the cooperation of Hindus at all levels in his administration. The further expansion of
his territories gave them fresh opportunities. In 1573 CE Akbar conquered Gujarat, an
area with many ports that dominated India’s trade with western Asia, and then turned east
toward Bengal. A rich country with a distinctive culture, Bengal was difficult to rule from Delhi
because of its network of rivers, always apt to flood during the summer monsoon.

Administrative reform of Akbar


Previous Indian governments had been weakened by two disintegrating tendencies
characteristic of premodern states—one of armies being split up into the private
forces of individual commanders and the other of provincial governors becoming
hereditary local rulers. Akbar combated those trends by
instituting comprehensive reforms that involved two fundamental changes. First,
every officer was, at least in principle, appointed and promoted by
the emperor instead of by his immediate superior. Second, the traditional distinction
between the nobility of the sword and that of the pen was abolished: civil
administrators were assigned military ranks, thus becoming as dependent on the
emperor as army officers. Those ranks were systematically graded from commanders
of 10 people to commanders of 5,000 people, higher ranks being allotted to Mughal
princes. Officers were paid either in cash from the emperor’s treasury or, more
frequently, by the assignment of lands from which they had to collect the revenue.
The mansabdari system is a ranking system. The term mansab means office or rank
and a mansabdar is a holder of a rank in the administration. The lowest mansab was
that of an officer in charge of 10 horsemen, while the highest mansab was that of an
officer in charge of 7,000 horsemen. The higher mansabs were reserved for the royal
family.

Akbar’s Religious Policy


Akbar’s great desire was to unite the diverse races in India into one nation where everyone
would enjoy equal status. He transformed the Islamic Mughal state into a secular one.

 Akbar abolished the jizya (poll) tax and the pilgrim tax. The jizya tax had been imposed
by earlier Muslim rulers on all non-muslim subjects only. The pilgrim tax was imposed by
earlier rulers on the Hindus visiting pilgrimage places.
 Hindus were allowed to build temples, celebrate festivals and worship freely. Akbar
allowed his wives freedom of worship and to celebrate festivals such as Diwali and also
took part in the festivals himself.
 He gave land grants to people of all religions.

Interesting Facts on Akbar


 He spent his youth learning to hunt, run, and fight, which made him a daring,
powerful and a brave warrior
 Akbar was dyslexic and never wanted to read or write. He, however, liked the
company of writers, musicians, painters and scholars great musician Tansen
and a nobleman Birbal were important part of his court.
 Akbar was given the nickname 'the Great' because of his many
accomplishments, among which, was his record of unbeaten military
campaigns that established the Mughal rule in the Indian subcontinent.
 He had over 25 wives and most of them belonged to other religions.

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