Akbar

Introduction & Top Questions
Early life
Imperial expansion
Administrative reform
Personality and assessment
Death and succession

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The Mughal Emperor Akbar's Rise to Power Explained

Visitors walk along a wide path lined with palm trees toward the ornate red sandstone gateway of the Tomb of Akbar the Great in Sikandra near Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh, India: Buland Darwāza

Akbar, miniature portrait from the Akbar-nāmeh by Abū al-Faḍl, c. 1600; in the India Office Library, London.

At a Glance

Akbar summary

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Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon in Coronation Robes or Napoleon I Emperor of France, 1804 by Baron Francois Gerard or Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon Gerard, from the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles.

Kings and Emperors (Part III) Quiz

Related Questions

How did Akbar become Mughal emperor at the age of 13?
How did Akbar bring Bengal under Mughal control?
How did Akbar encourage the development of Mughal painting?
How did Akbar gain control of Gujarat in 1573?
How did Akbar improve revenue assessment and tax collection?
How did Akbar include Hindus in Mughal administration?
How did Akbar use public ceremonies to build support among his subjects?
How did Akbar’s administrative reforms limit the power of provincial governors?
How did Akbar’s ancestry connect him to Timur and Genghis Khan?
How did Akbar’s government help the Mughal Empire survive after his death?
How did Akbar’s marriage to a Rajput princess strengthen Mughal rule?
How did Akbar’s policies reduce discrimination against Hindus?
How did Akbar’s policy toward the Rajputs combine alliance and conquest?
How did Akbar’s tax reforms attempt to protect peasants from excessive demands?
How did European art influence painting at Akbar’s court?
How did Fatehpur Sikri combine Hindu and Muslim architectural styles?
How were mansabdars ranked in Akbar’s government?
What happened to the inhabitants of Chitor after Akbar captured the fortress?
Which Rajput state resisted Akbar’s rule until 1583?
Which regions did Akbar conquer late in his reign?
Which territories did Akbar control when he first became emperor?
Who was Bayram Khan and how did he help Akbar secure the Mughal throne?
Who was Tansen and how was he connected to Akbar’s court?
Why did Akbar abolish the pilgrimage tax in 1563?
Why did Akbar capture the fortress of Chitor in 1568?
Why did Akbar commission Persian translations of Sanskrit classics?
Why did Akbar dismiss Bayram Khan in 1560?
Why did Akbar end the forced conversion of prisoners of war to Islam?
Why did Akbar give mansabdars land assignments called jagirs?
Why did Akbar move his capital from Fatehpur Sikri to Lahore?
Why did Akbar promote Persians, Indian Muslims, and Rajputs in imperial service?
Why did Raja Bharmal of Amber offer his daughter in marriage to Akbar?
Why did older Central Asian noble families rebel against Akbar during the 1560s and 1570s?
Why did other Rajput rulers accept Akbar’s authority after the fall of Chitor?
Why did some Muslim religious scholars oppose Akbar’s policies?
Why was Bengal difficult for the Mughals to govern from Delhi?
Why was Gujarat valuable to the Mughal Empire?
Why was the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556 important for Akbar’s rule?
Why was the conquest of Malwa important to Akbar’s empire?
Why were Kabul, Kandahar, and Ghazni important to Mughal security and trade?
What did Akbar accomplish?
What did Akbar believe in?
How did Akbar come to power?
How did Akbar die?
What is Solomon most famous for?
What was the religion of Solomon?
Who were Solomon’s sons?
What was Maria Theresa’s childhood like?
Why is Timur important?
How did Timur come to power?

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External Websites

IndiaNetzone - Akbar
Encyclopaedia Iranica - Akbar I
History of Islam - Biography of Akbar, the Great Moghul

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Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Akbar - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Akbar

Mughal emperor

Also known as: Abu al-Fath Jalal al-Din Muhammad Akbar

Written by

Kenneth A. Ballhatchet

Professor of the History of South Asia, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Author of Race, Sex and Class under the Raj.

Kenneth A. Ballhatchet

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Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

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Last updated

Oct. 21, 2026 •History

Akbar (born October 15?, 1542, Umarkot [now in Sindh province, Pakistan]—died c. October 25, 1605, Agra, India) was the greatest of the Mughal emperors of India. He reigned from 1556 to 1605 and extended Mughal power over most of the Indian subcontinent. In order to preserve the unity of his empire, Akbar adopted programs that won the loyalty of the non-Muslim populations of his realm. He reformed and strengthened his central administration and also centralized...

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