Akbar

Akbar (1542-1605), Indian emperor.

'Akbar' means 'the great' and it was the name given to Jelal-ed-din-Mohammed.

Akbar's father was the ruler of Delhi and he died when Akbar was only a boy.

Akbar became ruler himself at the age of eighteen and began to build up an empire.

In a dozen years he joined all the states in the north of India under his rule. He ruled wisely and justly.

He built roads throughout the empire to help trade.

He started a police force to keep order everywhere.

He made sure that the same weights and measures were used in every state.

He drew up rules to stop tax collectors cheating poor people.

There had been a special tax on people who were not Muslims. Akbar was a Muslim himself, but he stopped this tax.

He married a princess who was a Hindu and he allowed Christian priests to preach to him.

These were rare things for a Muslim to do in his time but he wanted people of all religions to live in peace together. He even tried to start a new religion including parts of other religions.