Jalal-Ud-Din Mohammed Akbar (1542-1605), the greatest of the Mogul emperors of India, was a ruler only in name when he came to the throne in 1556. His Mongolian grandfather, Baber, had established a Mohammedan empire in northern India through a combination of daring, luck and military skill. But his father had been driven from the capital, Delhi, by a usurper.
With able generalship, Akbar overthrew all his rivals and embarked upon a career of conquest which, by 1562, gave him domain over the Punjab and Multan, the basin of the Ganges and Jumna Rivers, Gwalior to the south and Kabul in Afghanistan in the north-west. Subsequently he crossed the Narbada River into the Deccan and extended his dominion southward. By 1605, his empire contained 15 provinces or subahs and stretched from the Hindu Kush Mountains to the Godocari River and from Bengal to Gujarat.
He was not only a great general, but also a great statesman. He established an excellent administrative system and came to be on friendly terms with the former Hindu rulers, respecting their religion and marrying two of their princesses. Under his rule, art and literature flourished, while scholars from all over the world were invited to court and encouraged to discuss with Akbar all aspects of philosophy and religion.
After 1582 he formed a religious sect with himself as spiritual leader, but did not force his subjects to become members. He died at Agra on October 16, 1605, and is remembered as a wise, sincere and generous leader.
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