Who is akbar and what is he well known for

In , Humayun had been driven into exile, following decisive battles, by the Afghan leader Sher Shah. Akbar did not go to Persia with his parents, and was raised for a time instead by his uncle Askari and his wife in the rugged country of Afghanistan rather than in the splendor of the Persian court.

He spent his youth learning to hunt, run and fight, but he never learned to read or write, the sole exception in Babur's line. Nonetheless, Akbar matured into a well-informed ruler, with refined tastes in the arts, architecture and music, a love for literature, and a breadth of vision that tolerated other opinions. Following the chaos over the succession of Islam Shah Sher Shah's son , Humayun reconquered Delhi in , leading an army partly provided by his Persian ally Shah Tahmasp.

Only a few months later, Humayun died from an accident. Akbar succeeded his father on February 14, , while in the midst of a war against Sikandar Shah for the reclamation of the Mughal throne.

Here, in Kalanaur the 13 year old Akbar donned a golden robe and Dark Tiara and sat on a newly constructed platform, which still stands , and was proclaimed "Shahanshah" Persian for "King of Kings" Early Conquests Early into Akbar's career, he decided that he should eliminate the threat of Sher Shah's dynasty, and decided to lead an army against the strongest of the three, Sikandar Shah Suri, in the Punjab.

He left the city of Delhi under the regency of Tardi Beg Khan. Sikandar Shah Suri presented no major concern for Akbar, and often withdrew from territory as Akbar approached; however, back in Delhi Hemu, a low- caste Hindu warrior, succeeded in launching a surprise attack on the unprepared Tardi Beg Khan, who promptly fled the city. Hemu, who had launched the attack on behalf of Adil Shah Suri, one of Sikandar's brothers, had won 22 successive battles and appointed himself ruler, or Raja Vikramaditya , instead Adil Shah.

Word of the capitulation of Delhi spread quickly to the new Mughal ruler, and he was advised to withdraw to Kabul, which was relatively secure. However, Bairam Khan differed and urged Akbar to fight the invaders and reclaim the capital. Akbar sided with Bairam, and began to march on Delhi. In order to bolster troop morale, Akbar took the curious step of ordering that someone "prepare fireworks as a treat for the soldiers" and that one should "make an image of Hemu, fill it with gunpowder, and set it on fire".

On the march forward, he was joined by Tardi Beg and his retreating troops, who also urged him to retreat to Kabul, but Akbar refused again; later, Bairam Khan had the former regent executed for cowardice, though Abul Fazl and Jahangir both record that they believed that Bairam Khan was merely using the retreat from Kabul as an excuse to eliminate a rival. His father, Humayun, had already lost the kingdom won by Babar, and Akbar's childhood was spent in exile.

Humayun reconquered India in , only to die, and the boy-king had to endure five years of regency before he came into his own. He stands out among Asiatic rulers as a determined leader and enlightened organizer. But the man was greater than the king. His interest in religion and philosophy, art and science is famous, but the distinguishing marks of his greatness were the questing intelligence and fearless judgment he consistently brought to bear upon the difficulties with which he was surrounded.

He set himself to unite Hindu and Muslim India. He married into the ancient Rajput royal families, and Jahangir, his successor, was born of a Rajput princess. It is worth remembering that his reign coincides almost exactly with that of Elizabeth of England. Akbar is known for ushering in the Mughal style of architecture, which combined elements of Islamic, Persian and Hindu design, and sponsored some of the best and brightest minds of the era—including poets, musicians, artists, philosophers and engineers—in his courts at Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri.

Some of Akbar's more well-known courtiers are his navaratna , or "nine gems. Akbar died in Some sources say Akbar became fatally ill with dysentery, while others cite a possible poisoning, likely traced to Akbar's son Jahangir. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives.

Alexander the Great served as king of Macedonia from to B. During his time of leadership, he united Greece, reestablished the Corinthian League and conquered the Persian Empire.

By winning wars and expanding territories, he established Prussia as a strong military power. Peter the Great was a Russian czar in the late 17th century, who is best known for his extensive reforms in an attempt to establish Russia as a great nation.

Abdul Kalam was an Indian scientist and politician who served his country as president from to Akbar displayed remarkable respect for his Hindu subjects and their faith. As did the families of his later Hindu wives, her father and brothers joined Akbar's court as advisers, equal in rank to his Muslim courtiers. In total, Akbar had 36 wives of various ethnic and religious backgrounds. Probably even more important to his ordinary subjects, Akbar in repealed a special tax placed on Hindu pilgrims who visited sacred sites, and in he completely repealed the jizya , or yearly tax on non-Muslims.

What he lost in revenue by these acts, he more than regained in good-will from the Hindu majority of his subjects. Even beyond the practical realities of ruling an enormous, predominantly Hindu empire with just a small band Muslim elite, however, Akbar himself had an open and curious mind on questions of religion.

As he mentioned to Philip II of Spain in his letter, he loved to meet with learned men and women of all faiths to discuss theology and philosophy. As Akbar solidified his rule over northern India and began to extend his power south and west to the coast, he became aware of the new Portuguese presence there. Although the initial Portuguese approach to India had been "all guns blazing," they soon realized that they were no match militarily for the Mughal Empire on land.

The two powers made treaties, under which the Portuguese were allowed to maintain their coastal forts, in exchange for promises not to harass Mughal ships that set out from the west coast carrying pilgrims to Arabia for the hajj. Interestingly, Akbar even formed an alliance with the Catholic Portuguese to punish the Ottoman Empire , which controlled the Arabian Peninsula at that time.

The Ottomans were concerned that the huge numbers of pilgrims flooding into Mecca and Medina each year from the Mughal Empire were overwhelming the resources of the holy cities, so the Ottoman sultan rather firmly requested that Akbar quit sending people on the hajj. Outraged, Akbar asked his Portuguese allies to attack the Ottoman navy, which was blockading the Arabian Peninsula. Unfortunately for him, the Portuguese fleet was completely routed off of Yemen. Akbar maintained more enduring relations with other empires, however.

Despite the Mughal capture of Kandahar from the Persian Safavid Empire in , for example, those two dynasties had cordial diplomatic ties throughout Akbar's rule. In October , the year-old Emperor Akbar suffered a serious bout of dysentery. After a three-week illness, he passed away at the end of that month.

The emperor was buried in a beautiful mausoleum in the royal city of Agra. Akbar's legacy of religious toleration, firm but fair central control, and liberal tax policies that gave commoners a chance to prosper established a precedent in India that can be traced forward in the thinking of later figures such as Mohandas Gandhi.