Strong personality and a successful general, Akbar gradually enlarged the Mughal Empire to include much of the Indian subcontinent.
FactSnippet No. 614,526 |
Strong personality and a successful general, Akbar gradually enlarged the Mughal Empire to include much of the Indian subcontinent.
FactSnippet No. 614,526 |
Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic state identity, Akbar strove to unite far-flung lands of his realm through loyalty, expressed through an Indo-Persian culture, to himself as an emperor.
FactSnippet No. 614,527 |
Akbar did much of the cataloging himself through three main groupings.
FactSnippet No. 614,529 |
Akbar established the library of Fatehpur Sikri exclusively for women, and he decreed that schools for the education of both Muslims and Hindus should be established throughout the realm.
FactSnippet No. 614,530 |
Disillusioned with orthodox Islam and perhaps hoping to bring about religious unity within his empire, Akbar promulgated Din-i-Ilahi, a syncretic creed derived mainly from Islam and Hinduism as well as some parts of Zoroastrianism and Christianity.
FactSnippet No. 614,531 |
Akbar created a powerful military system and instituted effective political and social reforms.
FactSnippet No. 614,532 |
Akbar had Sanskrit literature translated, participated in native festivals, realising that a stable empire depended on the co-operation and good-will of his subjects.
FactSnippet No. 614,533 |
Akbar was succeeded as emperor by his son, Prince Salim, later known as Jahangir.
FactSnippet No. 614,534 |
Akbar spent his youth learning to hunt, run, and fight, making him a daring, powerful and brave warrior, but he never learned to read or write.
FactSnippet No. 614,535 |
One of Hindal's jagir was given to his nephew, Akbar, who was appointed as its viceroy and was given the command of his uncle's army.
FactSnippet No. 614,536 |
In Kalanaur, Punjab, the 14-year-old Akbar was enthroned by Bairam Khan on a newly constructed platform, which still stands.
FactSnippet No. 614,537 |
Akbar had a record of unbeaten military campaigns that consolidated Mughal rule in the Indian subcontinent.
FactSnippet No. 614,538 |
Akbar took an interest in matchlocks and effectively employed them during various conflicts.
FactSnippet No. 614,539 |
Akbar sought the help of Ottomans, and increasingly of Europeans, especially Portuguese and Italians, in procuring firearms and artillery.
FactSnippet No. 614,540 |
Mughal firearms in the time of Akbar came to be far superior to anything that could be deployed by regional rulers, tributaries, or by zamindars.
FactSnippet No. 614,541 |
Sikandar Shah Suri, however, presented no major concern for Akbar, and avoided giving battle as the Mughal army approached.
FactSnippet No. 614,542 |
In 1558, Akbar took possession of Ajmer, the aperture to Rajputana, after the defeat and flight of its Muslim ruler.
FactSnippet No. 614,544 |
However, Akbar methodically re-introduced a historical legacy of the Timurid Renaissance that his ancestors had left.
FactSnippet No. 614,546 |
Akbar was defeated by the Mughal army in the Punjab and forced to submit.
FactSnippet No. 614,547 |
Akbar forgave him, however, and gave him the option of either continuing in his court or resuming his pilgrimage; Bairam chose the latter.
FactSnippet No. 614,548 |
Akbar personally rode to Malwa to confront Adham Khan and relieve him of command.
FactSnippet No. 614,549 |
Baz Bahadur temporarily regained control of Malwa until, in the next year, Akbar sent another Mughal army to invade and annex the kingdom.
FactSnippet No. 614,550 |
Akbar now sought to eliminate the threat of over-mighty subjects.
FactSnippet No. 614,551 |
Akbar created specialised ministerial posts relating to imperial governance; no member of the Mughal nobility was to have unquestioned pre-eminence.
FactSnippet No. 614,552 |
Akbar pardoned the rebellious leaders, hoping to conciliate them, but they rebelled again, so Akbar had to quell their uprising a second time.
FactSnippet No. 614,553 |
Akbar did not personally lead the campaign because he was preoccupied with the Uzbek rebellion, leaving the expedition in the hands of Asaf Khan, the Mughal governor of Kara.
FactSnippet No. 614,554 |
The attempt was made when Akbar was returning from a visit to the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin near Delhi, by an assassin shooting an arrow.
FactSnippet No. 614,556 |
Now, Akbar was determined to drive into the heartlands of the Rajput kings that had rarely previously submitted to the Muslim rulers of the Delhi Sultanate.
FactSnippet No. 614,557 |
Akbar had the surviving defenders and 30, 000 non-combatants massacred and their heads displayed upon towers erected throughout the region, in order to demonstrate his authority.
FactSnippet No. 614,558 |
Akbar remained in Chittorgarh for three days, then returned to Agra, where to commemorate the victory, he set up, at the gates of his fort, statues of Jaimal and Patta mounted on elephants.
FactSnippet No. 614,559 |
Akbar was now the master of almost the whole of Rajputana.
FactSnippet No. 614,560 |
Akbar would celebrate his conquest of Rajputana by laying the foundation of a new capital, 23 miles W S W of Agra in 1569.
FactSnippet No. 614,561 |
Akbar intended to link the maritime state with the massive resources of the Indo-Gangetic plains.
FactSnippet No. 614,563 |
Akbar crossed the Rajputana and reached Ahmedabad in eleven days – a journey that normally took six weeks.
FactSnippet No. 614,564 |
Akbar returned to Fatehpur Sikri and left his generals to finish the campaign.
FactSnippet No. 614,566 |
Akbar was defeated by the Mughal general, Khan Jahan Quli, and had to flee into exile.
FactSnippet No. 614,567 |
Akbar's severed head was sent to Akbar, while his limbs were gibbeted at Tandah, the Mughal capital in Bengal.
FactSnippet No. 614,568 |
Akbar stayed there for three weeks, in the absence of his brother, who had fled into the mountains.
FactSnippet No. 614,571 |
Akbar pardoned his brother, who took up de facto charge of the Mughal administration in Kabul; Bakht-un-Nissa continued to be the official governor.
FactSnippet No. 614,573 |
In 1586, Akbar negotiated a pact with Abdullah Khan in which the Mughals agreed to remain neutral during the Uzbek invasion of Safavid held Khorasan.
FactSnippet No. 614,575 |
Thus freed, Akbar began a series of campaigns to pacify the Yusufzais and other rebels.
FactSnippet No. 614,576 |
Akbar ordered Zain Khan to lead an expedition against the Afghan tribes.
FactSnippet No. 614,577 |
Akbar immediately fielded new armies to reinvade the Yusufzai lands under the command of Raja Todar Mal.
FactSnippet No. 614,578 |
Akbar's response demonstrated his ability to clamp firm military control over the Afghan tribes.
FactSnippet No. 614,579 |
Nevertheless, Akbar's stay in the northern frontiers was highly fruitful.
FactSnippet No. 614,580 |
Akbar responded by sending a Mughal army to besiege Sehwan, the river capital of the region.
FactSnippet No. 614,582 |
In 1593, Akbar received the exiled Safavid prince, Rostam Mirza, after he had quarrelled with his family.
FactSnippet No. 614,585 |
In 1593, Akbar began military operations against the Deccan Sultans who had not submitted to his authority.
FactSnippet No. 614,586 |
Akbar besieged Ahmednagar Fort in 1595, forcing Chand Bibi to cede Berar.
FactSnippet No. 614,587 |
Akbar then established the Subahs of Ahmadnagar, Berar and Khandesh under Prince Daniyal.
FactSnippet No. 614,588 |
Akbar set about reforming the administration of his empire's land revenue by adopting a system that had been used by Sher Shah Suri.
FactSnippet No. 614,590 |
Akbar changed to a decentralised system of annual assessment, but this resulted in corruption among local officials and was abandoned in 1580, to be replaced by a system called the.
FactSnippet No. 614,591 |
Akbar organised his army as well as the nobility by means of a system called the mansabdari.
FactSnippet No. 614,592 |
Akbar employed strict measures to ensure that the quality of the armed forces was maintained at a high level; horses were regularly inspected and only Arabian horses were normally employed.
FactSnippet No. 614,593 |
Akbar was a follower of Salim Chishti, a holy man who lived in the region of Sikri near Agra.
FactSnippet No. 614,594 |
Or, as some historians believe, Akbar had to attend to the northwest areas of his empire and therefore moved his capital northwest.
FactSnippet No. 614,595 |
In 1599, Akbar shifted his capital back to Agra from where he reigned until his death.
FactSnippet No. 614,596 |
Indeed, Akbar would make concerted efforts to improve roads to facilitate the use of wheeled vehicles through the Khyber Pass, the most popular route frequented by traders and travelers journeying from Kabul into Mughal India.
FactSnippet No. 614,597 |
Akbar strategically occupied the northwestern cities of Multan and Lahore in the Punjab and constructed great forts, such as the one at Attock near the crossing of the Grand Trunk Road and the Indus river, as well as a network of smaller forts called thanas throughout the frontier to secure the overland trade with Persia and Central Asia.
FactSnippet No. 614,598 |
Akbar was a great innovator as far as coinage is concerned.
FactSnippet No. 614,599 |
Akbar introduced coins with decorative floral motifs, dotted borders, quatrefoil and other types.
FactSnippet No. 614,600 |
Akbar's coins were both round and square in shape with a unique 'mehrab' shape coin highlighting numismatic calligraphy at its best.
FactSnippet No. 614,601 |
Coins, left, represent examples of these innovative concepts introduced by Akbar that set the precedent for Mughal coins which was refined and perfected by his son, Jahangir, and later by his grandson, Shah Jahan.
FactSnippet No. 614,602 |
The Portuguese Governor, upon the request of Akbar, sent him an ambassador to establish friendly relations.
FactSnippet No. 614,603 |
Akbar accepted the offer of diplomacy, but the Portuguese continually asserted their authority and power in the Indian Ocean; Akbar was highly concerned when he had to request a permit from the Portuguese before any ships from the Mughal Empire were to depart for the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina.
FactSnippet No. 614,604 |
Akbar successfully defeated the rebels, but he had grown more cautious about his guests and his proclamations, which he later checked with his advisers carefully.
FactSnippet No. 614,605 |
In 1576 Akbar sent a very large contingent of pilgrims led by Khwaja Sultan Naqshbandi, Yahya Saleh, with 600, 000 gold and silver coins and 12, 000 Kaftans of honour and large consignments of rice.
FactSnippet No. 614,606 |
Consequently, the city, which was being administered by Bairam Khan at the time of Akbar's accession, was invaded and captured by the Persian ruler Husain Mirza, a cousin of Tahmasp I, in 1558.
FactSnippet No. 614,608 |
Shortly afterwards, Akbar's army completed its annexation of Kabul, and in order to further secure the north-western boundaries of his empire, it proceeded to Qandahar.
FactSnippet No. 614,609 |
Vincent Arthur Smith observes that the merchant Mildenhall was employed in 1600 while the establishment of the company was under adjustment to bear a letter from Queen Elizabeth to Akbar requesting liberty to trade in his dominions on terms as good as those enjoyed by the Portuguese.
FactSnippet No. 614,610 |
Akbar suppressed Mahdavism in 1573 during his campaign in Gujarat, in the course of which the Mahdavi leader Bandagi Miyan Sheik Mustafa was arrested and brought in chains to the court for debate and released after eighteen months.
FactSnippet No. 614,612 |
However, as Akbar increasingly came under the influence of pantheistic Sufi mysticism from the early 1570s, it caused a great shift in his outlook and culminated in his shift from orthodox Islam as traditionally professed, in favour of a new concept of Islam transcending the limits of religion.
FactSnippet No. 614,613 |
Akbar suppressed the rebellion and handed out severe punishments to the Qazis.
FactSnippet No. 614,615 |
The mahzar asserted that Akbar was the Khalifa of the age, a higher rank than that of a Mujtahid: in case of a difference of opinion among the Mujtahids, Akbar could select any one opinion and could issue decrees that did not go against the nass.
FactSnippet No. 614,616 |
Whenever Akbar would attend congregations at a mosque the following proclamation was made:.
FactSnippet No. 614,617 |
Some modern scholars claim that Akbar did not initiate a new religion but instead introduced what Dr Oscar R Gomez calls the transtheistic outlook from tantric Tibetan Buddhism, and that he did not use the word Din-i-Ilahi.
FactSnippet No. 614,619 |
Akbar renounced beef and forbade the sale of all meats on certain days.
FactSnippet No. 614,622 |
Akbar regularly held discussions with Jain scholars and was greatly impacted by their teachings.
FactSnippet No. 614,624 |
Akbar was impressed by the scholastic qualities and character of the Acharya.
FactSnippet No. 614,625 |
Akbar held several inter-faith dialogues among philosophers of different religions.
FactSnippet No. 614,626 |
Akbar issued many imperial orders that were favourable for Jain interests, such as banning animal slaughter.
FactSnippet No. 614,627 |
In 1584, 1592 and 1598, Akbar had declared "Amari Ghosana", which prohibited animal slaughter during Paryushan and Mahavira Janma Kalyanak.
FactSnippet No. 614,628 |
Akbar again invited Hiravijaya Suri's successor Vijayasena Suri in his court who visited him between 1593 and 1595.
FactSnippet No. 614,630 |
Akbar was a warrior, emperor, general, animal trainer, and theologian.
FactSnippet No. 614,631 |
Akbar was said to have been a wise emperor and a sound judge of character.
FactSnippet No. 614,632 |
Akbar has broad shoulders, somewhat bandy legs well-suited for horsemanship, and a light brown complexion.
FactSnippet No. 614,633 |
Akbar's forehead is broad and open, his eyes so bright and flashing that they seem like a sea shimmering in the sunlight.
FactSnippet No. 614,634 |
Akbar rode alone in advance of his escort and was confronted by a tigress who, along with her cubs, came out from the shrubbery across his path.
FactSnippet No. 614,635 |
Akbar's approaching attendants found the emperor standing quietly by the side of the dead animal.
FactSnippet No. 614,636 |
Akbar was notable for his command in battle, and, "like Alexander of Macedon, was always ready to risk his life, regardless of political consequences".
FactSnippet No. 614,637 |
Akbar often plunged on his horse into the flooded river during the rainy seasons and safely crossed it.
FactSnippet No. 614,638 |
Akbar rarely indulged in cruelty and is said to have been affectionate towards his relatives.
FactSnippet No. 614,639 |
Akbar pardoned his brother Hakim, who was a repented rebel.
FactSnippet No. 614,640 |
Akbar is said to have been extremely moderate in his diet.
FactSnippet No. 614,641 |
Akbar once visited Vrindavan, regarded as the birthplace of Krishna, in the year 1570, and gave permission for four temples to be built by the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, which were Madana-mohana, Govindaji, Gopinatha and Jugal Kisore.
FactSnippet No. 614,642 |
Work was commissioned by Akbar, and written by Abul Fazl, one of the Nine Jewels of Akbar's royal court.
FactSnippet No. 614,644 |
Akbar opposed the match until Nasir-al-Mulk made him understand that opposition in such matters was unacceptable.
FactSnippet No. 614,645 |
Akbar's was a poetess and was regarded as a remarkable woman being a poetess, lover of books and actively played role in the politics of the Mughal court during Akbar's and Jahangir's reigns.
FactSnippet No. 614,646 |
Akbar's was the daughter of the ruler of Amer, Raja Bharmal and was by birth of Rajput caste.
FactSnippet No. 614,647 |
Akbar's was his fourth wife and became one of his chief consorts.
FactSnippet No. 614,648 |
Akbar's gradually became his most influential wife and subsequently is the only wife buried close to him.
FactSnippet No. 614,649 |
Akbar's was bestowed with the name 'Wali Nimat Begum' by Akbar shortly after her marriage.
FactSnippet No. 614,650 |
Akbar's was a beautiful woman said to possess uncommon beauty.
FactSnippet No. 614,651 |
Akbar insisted that the Raja should submit to him personally, it was suggested that his daughter should be married to him as a sign of complete submission.
FactSnippet No. 614,652 |
Akbar's became his first wife to honour the royal mansion with an heir.
FactSnippet No. 614,653 |
Akbar's was the foster mother of Akbar's favourite son, Daniyal Mirza.
FactSnippet No. 614,654 |
Akbar's commanded a high rank in the imperial harem and held many powers in the harem.
FactSnippet No. 614,655 |
Akbar's was a smart woman who established international trade in the Mughal Empire and is regarded as the most adventurous and fearsome businesswoman of her time by contemporaries.
FactSnippet No. 614,656 |
Akbar was enamored with her beauty, and ordered Abdul Wasi to divorce her.
FactSnippet No. 614,657 |
Akbar married the daughter of Jagmal Rathore, son of Rao Viramde of Merta in 1562.
FactSnippet No. 614,658 |
Akbar married another Rajput princess in 1570, Raj Kunwari, daughter of Kanha, the brother of Rai Kalyan Mal, the ruler of Bikanir.
FactSnippet No. 614,659 |
Kalyan made a homage to Akbar and requested that his brother's daughter be married to him.
FactSnippet No. 614,660 |
Akbar married Bhanmati, daughter of Bhim Raj, another brother of Rai Kalyan Mal.
FactSnippet No. 614,661 |
Akbar married Nathi Bai, daughter of Rawal Har Rai, the ruler of Jaisalmer in 1570.
FactSnippet No. 614,662 |
Akbar had regard for his loyalty and granted his request.
FactSnippet No. 614,663 |
At some point, Akbar took into his harem Rukmavati, a daughter of Rao Maldev of Marwar by his mistress, Tipu Gudi.
FactSnippet No. 614,664 |
Akbar was buried at his mausoleum in Sikandra, Agra which lies a kilometer next to the tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani, his favourite and chief consort.
FactSnippet No. 614,665 |
Akbar left a rich legacy both for the Mughal Empire as well as the Indian subcontinent in general.
FactSnippet No. 614,666 |
Akbar firmly entrenched the authority of the Mughal Empire in India and beyond, after it had been threatened by the Afghans during his father's reign, establishing its military and diplomatic superiority.
FactSnippet No. 614,667 |
Akbar introduced several far-sighted social reforms, including prohibiting sati, legalizing widow remarriage, and raising the age of marriage.
FactSnippet No. 614,668 |