Background
In 1555 his father, Emperor Humayan, who had been deprived of his throne by usurpation, recaptured Delhi, which became the seat of a literary and artistic renascence. But Humayan died in 1556, and Akbar, at the age of 14, became emperor.
In 1555 his father, Emperor Humayan, who had been deprived of his throne by usurpation, recaptured Delhi, which became the seat of a literary and artistic renascence. But Humayan died in 1556, and Akbar, at the age of 14, became emperor.
Four years after becoming the emperor he ousted his regent, Bairam Khan, and set out to reconquer his inherited realm, including Rajputana, Gujarat, Bengal, and Kashmir. It took the greater part of his long reign to subject the unruly princes of northern India and to make peace secure by the inauguration of wise and generous reforms. Akbar brought order into the system of tribute and taxation and, like his grandfather, Emperor Baber, promoted trade and prosperity by road construction and the organization of efficient marketing and postal services. He dealt severely with tyranny and extortion on the part of military and civil officers.
He encouraged the building of both Muslim and Hindu schools and became a patron of artists and writers while still indulging, even in mature years, a special fondness for athletic feats. He built a new capital city at Fatehpur-Sikri. The end of his life was disturbed by court intrigues and the subversive plans and actions of his son, Prince Selim. Akbar died in 1605, and his son succeeded to the throne on October 24 of that year as Emperor Jahangir.
Although of Islamic faith, Akbar showed a receptive interest in all religious beliefs, including Christianity, as presented to him by Father Claudio Aquaviva and other Jesuits. In 1582 he promulgated a mystic, unitarian creed which he called the Divine Faith.