Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar

Akbar
Late 16th century portrait of Akbar by Manohar
3rd Mughal Emperor
Reign	11 February 1556 – 27 October 1605
Coronation	14 February 1556 at Kalanaur, Punjab
Predecessor	Humayun
Successor	Jahangir
Regent	Bairam Khan (1556–1560)
Born	Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad (1542-10-15)15 October 1542 Umerkot, Rajputana (present-day Sindh, Pakistan)
Died	27 October 1605(1605-10-27) (aged 63) Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Mughal Empire (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Burial	Sikandra, Agra
Consort	Ruqaiya Sultan Begum
Wives	Salima Sultan Begum Mariam-uz-Zamani Raziya Begum Qasima Banu Begum Bibi Daulat Shad
Issue	Hassan Mirza Hussain Mirza Jahangir Khanum Sultan Begum Sultan Murad Mirza Daniyal Mirza Shakr-un-Nissa Begum Aram Banu Begum Mahi Begum
Full name Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad
House	Timurid
Father	Humayun
Mother	Hamida Banu Begum
Religion	Islam (Sunni), Din-e-Illahi

Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad (15 October 1542– 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar I (IPA: [əkbər], literally "the great") and later Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in India. A strong personality and a successful general, Akbar gradually enlarged the Mughal Empire to include nearly all of the Indian Subcontinent north of the Godavari river. His power and influence, however, extended over the entire country because of Mughal military, political, cultural, and economic dominance. To unify the vast Mughal state, Akbar established a centralised system of administration throughout his empire and adopted a policy of conciliating conquered rulers through marriage and diplomacy. To preserve peace and order in a religiously and culturally diverse empire, he adopted policies that won him the support of his non-Muslim subjects. Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic state identity, Akbar strived to unite far-flung lands of his realm through loyalty, expressed through an Indo-Persian culture, to himself as an emperor who had near-divine status.

Mughal India developed a strong and stable economy, leading to commercial expansion and greater patronage of culture. Akbar himself was a patron of art and culture. He was fond of literature, and created a library of over 24,000 volumes written in Sanskrit, Hindustani, Persian, Greek, Latin, Arabic and Kashmiri, staffed by many scholars, translators, artists, calligraphers, scribes, bookbinders and readers. Holy men of many faiths, poets, architects and artisans adorned his court from all over the world for study and discussion. Akbar's courts at Delhi, Agra, and Fatehpur Sikri became centres of the arts, letters, and learning. Perso-Islamic culture began to merge and blend with indigenous Indian elements, and a distinct Indo-Persian culture emerged characterised by Mughal style arts, painting, and architecture. Disillusioned with orthodox Islam and perhaps hoping to bring about religious unity within his empire, Akbar promulgated Din-i-Ilahi, a syncretic creed derived from Islam, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity. A simple, monotheistic cult, tolerant in outlook, it centred on Akbar as a prophet, for which he drew the ire of the ulema and orthodox Muslims. Many of his courtiers followed Din-i-Ilahi as their religion as well, as many believed that Akbar was a prophet. One famous courtier who followed this blended religion was Birbal.