Akbar
The Greatest of Mughal Emporers
Early Life
Akbar was born on October 15, 1542 in Umarkot, Sindh India. He died in Agra, in 1605. The Muhgal Emperor reined from 1556 to 1605, and he extended Muhgal power over most of the Indian Subcontinent. He was very powerful in his time. At the young age of 13, Akbar was made governor of Punjab after his father Humayun left for Afghanistan and Iran. When Humayun died in 1556, his governors lost some important laces, like Delhi, to Hemu. Hemu was a Hindu minister who claimed the throne of Delhi himself.
Akbar's Power
Akbar also won the loyalty of non-Muslim populations to preserve his empire. He was very interested in other religions besides Muslims such as Hindus, Parsis, and Christians. Because Akbar was illiterate, he especially encouraged scholars,poets,musicians, and painters. Akbar grew up as a hunter and a fighter, and that showed in some of his famous battles. In 1561, Malwa fell to Akbar after he attacked it for its rich agricultural land. But, he was also known to not show mercy. After fighting for a long time in Mewar, he attacked the fortress of Chitor, and killed all the people living there because they refused to acknowledge his power.
Did You Know?
Did you know that Akbar was only 5' 7" tall? But he makes up for it with his controlling and in charge personality. Another interesting fact is that Akbar was descended from the Turks, Mongols, and Iranians. In the medieval times these three groups were in the political elites in northern India.
Akbar's Government
Something that stood out in his government was the amount of Hindu (particularly Rajput) people involved. The generals and governors were always Rajput princes. Akbar was the most successful Muslim leader at winning the Hindus' cooperation. His goverernment created a very powerful military and Akbar was conquering more and more land, like Gujarat in 1573, which had lots of ports for Indian trade, Kashmir in 1586 and Sind in 1591.
Bibliography
For information: "Akbar." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
<http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.
<http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9
For second picture: www.udaipurtimes.com
Article: Maharana Pratap- The Great Patriot, published June 3, 2011
For First picture:
Article name:Akbar