Akbar : Biography of Mughal Emperor : Best Books on Mughal History for UPSC PSC CUET

Abul-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar popularly known as 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. With a strong personality and a successful general Akbar gradually enlarged the Mughal Empire to include much of the Indian subcontinent. His power and influence however extended over the entire subcontinent because of Mughal military political cultural and economic dominance. To unify the vast Mughal state Akbar established a centralized 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 strove to unite far-flung lands of his realm through loyalty expressed through an Indo-Persian culture to himself as an emperor.