Akbar

Akbar ascended the throne of Mughal Empire at when he was just a teenager. He was the son of Humayun and grandson of Babur.

Early career: The empire that he inherited consisted loosely of Delhi, Agra and the Punjab. Soon after the death of Humayun, power conflict arose over the Delhi sultanate and a prominent Hindu general by the name of Hemu (also Himu), assumed control for a short period.

Akbar accompanied by his capable guardian, Bairam Khan, defeated Himu, in the Second Battle of Panipat (1556) and established his authority.

Reign: For the next forty years, he not only consolidated his empire, but went on conquering places one after another. Akbar adopted both diplomatic tactics and force whatever was considered necessary. He overran Malwa, Gondwana, different parts of Rajputana, Gujarat and Bengal.

Later, he annexed Kashmir, Sindh and Orissa (now Odisha) and finally conquered Baluchistan and Qandahar in the North. Having thus completed his conquests in northern India, he turned to the south. He stormed Ahmednagar in 1600 and captured Asirgarh in Khandesh in 1601. That was his last conquest.

Rajput Policy: Akbar pacified the powerful Rajput kingdoms by astutely following a policy of conciliation and diplomatic alliances. All the Rajput Kings, excepting Rana Udai Singh and his son Rana Pratap Singha, accepted Mughal suzerainty. But Rana Pratap valiantly fought mighty Mughals for independence in the Battle of Haldighat in 1576. Though defeated, Pratap did not lose his courage and continued to strive heroically to regain the independence of Mewar.

Conclusion: At his death in 1605, his empire was on a firm footing and extended from Kabul to Bengal in the east and from the Himalayas in the north to the river Narmada in the south. It was a vast empire created with great military skill, diplomacy and an efficient administrative system unknown in India before.