Akbar the Great

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Akbar redirects here. For other uses, see Akbar (disambiguation)
Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar ( Jall ud-Dn Muhammad Akbar), also
known as Akbar the Great (Akbar-e-Azam) (full title: Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan alMukarram, Imam-i-'Adil, Sultan ul-Islam Kaffatt ul-Anam, Amir ul-Mu'minin, Khalifat ulMuta'ali Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar I Sahib-i-Zaman, Padshah Ghazi Zillu'llah
['Arsh-Ashyani]) (November 23, 1542 October 17 or October 27, 1605)[1][2] was the son of
Nasiruddin Humayun whom he succeeded as ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1605. He
was the grandson of Babur who founded the Mughal dynasty. On the eve of his death in 1605,
the Mughal empire spanned almost 500 million acres (doubling during Akbar's reign).
Akbar, widely considered the greatest of the Mughal emperors, was only 13 when he ascended
throne of Delhi, due to the death of his father Humayun.[3] It took him better part of two decades
to consolidate and bring parts of northern and central india in his realm. During his reign, he
reduced external military threats from the Afghan descendants of Sher Shah by waging wars
against afghan tribes, and at the Second Battle of Panipat he defeated the Hindu king Samrat
Hemu Chandra Vikramaditya, also called Hemu.[4][5] Emperor solidified his rule by pursuing
diplomacy with the powerful Rajput caste, and by admitting Rajput princesses in his harem.[4][6]
Akbar was an artisan, artist, armorer, blacksmith, carpenter, emperor, general, inventor, animal
trainer (reputedly keeping thousands of hunting cheetahs during his reign and training many
himself), lacemaker, technologist and theologian.[7] His most lasting contributions were to the
arts. He initiated a large collection of literature, including the Akbar-nama and the Ain-i-Akbari,
and incorporated art from around the world into the Mughal collections. He also commissioned
the building of widely admired buildings, and invented the first prefabricated homes and
movable structures.[7] Akbar began a series of religious debates where Muslim scholars would
debate religious matters with Sikhs, Hindus, Crvka atheists and even Jesuits from Portugal. He
founded his own religious cult, the Din-i-Ilahi or the "Divine Faith"; however, it amounted only
to a form of personality cult for Akbar, and quickly dissolved after his death leaving his wife
behind.[8][4]

Humayun

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Humayun (full title: Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram, Jam-i-Sultanat-i-haqiqi
wa Majazi, Sayyid al-Salatin, Abu'l Muzaffar Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun
Padshah Ghazi, Zillu'llah ) (Persian: ( ) March 17, 1508 March 4, 1556) (OS
March 7, 1508-OS February 22, 1556) was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled modern
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 15301540 and again from 15551556.
Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an
even larger one. On the eve of his death in 1556, the Mughal empire spanned almost one million
square kilometers.
He succeeded his father in India in 1530, while his half-brother Kamran Mirza, who was to
become a rather bitter rival, obtained the sovereignty of Kabul and Lahore, the more northern
parts of their father's empire. He originally ascended the throne at the age of 22 and was
somewhat inexperienced when he came to power.
Humayun lost his Indian territories to the Afghan Sultan, Sher Shah Suri, and, with Persian aid,
regained them fifteen years later. Humayun's return from Persia, accompanied by a large retinue
of Persian noblemen, signalled an important change in Mughal Court culture, as the Central
Asian origins of the dynasty were largely overshadowed by the influences of Persian art,
architecture, language and literature. Subsequently, in a very short time, Humayun was able to
expand the Empire further, leaving a substantial legacy for his son, Akbar the Great (Akbar-eAzam).