Akbar Dies

In October 1605, Akbar, the third Mughal emperor, died at Agra after nearly fifty years on the throne. He left behind one of the largest and wealthiest states in the world, stretching across most of northern India and into present-day Afghanistan. Historians often rank him as the dynasty's greatest ruler, both for the territory he added and for the system of government he built to hold it together. The summary's figure of roughly 100 million subjects is an estimate; reliable census data does not exist for this period, and scholars' figures vary.

Akbar came to power in 1556 at about age thirteen, after his father Humayun died following a fall. The Mughal position in India was fragile, since Humayun had earlier been driven into exile by the Sur dynasty and had only recently regained Delhi. Akbar's early reign was guided by a regent, Bairam Khan, and the young emperor won a decisive battle at Panipat in the year he took the throne. He soon asserted personal control and spent decades campaigning against rival rulers.

Through conquest and alliance, Akbar absorbed Gujarat, Bengal, Kashmir, Sindh, and much of central India. He faced fierce resistance from some Rajput states, notably Mewar, but he also drew many Rajput families into imperial service through marriage and office. His administration relied on the mansabdari system, which ranked officials by numerical grade tied to military and administrative duties. Finance minister Todar Mal helped refine a land revenue system based on surveying and assessing agricultural production, giving the state a steadier income.

Akbar is best remembered for his approach to religious diversity. He abolished the jizya, the tax on non-Muslims, along with a pilgrimage tax on Hindus, and he sponsored debates among scholars of different faiths at his court in Fatehpur Sikri. Around 1582 he promoted a court doctrine known as Din-i Ilahi, though historians disagree about whether it was a true new religion or a loyalty cult for a small circle of courtiers. His policy of "universal peace," or sulh-i kul, served practical aims as well as ideals, since it helped him govern a population that was mostly non-Muslim.

Akbar died after a short illness, though some accounts of the cause are uncertain, and he was buried at Sikandra near Agra. His son Jahangir succeeded him after a period of tension over the succession. The institutions Akbar created shaped Mughal rule for generations, and the empire reached its greatest wealth and cultural flourishing under his successors. Later rulers, especially Aurangzeb, moved away from some of his policies, and Akbar has since remained a touchstone in debates over tolerance and statecraft in South Asian history.