Akbar (1542–1605)

Mughal emperor

Akbar was the grandson of Babur (1483–1530), who founded the Mughal rule (1526–1857) in India. Babur was succeeded by his son Humayun (1508–1556), during the first portion of whose reign (1530–1540) the territories conquered earlier by Mughals was lost to the Afghans. After an interregnum of rule by the Afghan dynasty of Sur, the Mughals were again able to set foothold over Delhi in 1555; yet until his death in 1556, Humayun was fighting on many fronts to recapture the empire. After Humayun's death the Afghans under their Hindu Prime Minister Hemu reoccupied Delhi. It was left to Akbar, Humayun's son, to build up the empire from scratch and raise it to glorious heights. Akbar was only fourteen years old when he was coronated, and under his command, Mughals defeated Hemu in the second Battle of Panipat (November 5, 1556) that is considered landmark in reestablishment of Mughal rule in India.

Akbar's leadership skills were not limited to war or to the expansion and consolidation of the Mughal empire; indeed, his most important contribution was the way that he molded the Mughal empire and created legitimacy for his rule that was based not on brute force, but on the consent of the governed. Despite Mughals being Sunni, Akbar refused to [Page 14]identify with any creed and followed an independent policy of enlightened toleration.

The Tomb of Akbar in Sikandra, India, in the late 1800s.

Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis; used with permission.

Religious Tolerance

Mughal rule under Akbar was largely an extension of his personality. Personally, Akbar was tolerant of other religions. He married Hindu Rajput princesses, but did not force them to convert to Islam; they were free to practice their own religion. In fact, Akbar was interested in exploring the essence of different religions, and to this end he built an ibadat-khana (house of worship) in his capital at Fatehpur-Sikri, near Agra to which he would invite spiritual leaders of different faiths for interfaith dialogues. Akbar also showed respect for other religions by celebrating their festivals. Perhaps the most significant signs of his religious tolerance were that he abolished the jizia, the tax that only non-Muslims were required to pay, and rescinded many of the restrictive laws regarding non-Muslim religious worship. His spiritual curiosity later translated into his founding a faith called din-i-ilahi (also called tahud-i-ilahi), meaning divine faith. This faith was in many ways a distillation of the teachings of the various religions to which Akbar had been exposed, and it was tolerant in nature. It laid stress on individual purity and ethical behavior.

Akbar never forced anyone to become a member of his din, and according to the Ain-i-Akbari (Laws of Akbar), written by Abul Fazl, there were only eighteen full-time adherents and no more than a few thousand followers.

Administration of the Mughal Empire

Akbar conquered all but the southernmost parts of the Indian subcontinent; his empire stretched from present-day Afghanistan to present-day Bangladesh. The most significant aspect of his extension of Mughal power was that in many of the areas formerly under Hindu Rajput rule, he would not annex the kingdoms, but on the princes' acceptance of Mughal soveregnty, he would let them rule their kingdoms as vassals of the Mughals. Further, he recruited the Rajput princes into the ranks of the Mansabdari, his military system of government administration. By thus incorporating his former enemies into his government, he won acceptance for his imperialism. In many of the subsequent campaigns of the Mughals, Rajput princes commanded the Mughal armies. The Rajputs also proved to be an important bulwark against the conservative Islamic elements in the Mughal court.

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