Akbar #2: Early Days

We think of Akbar a certain way today. But people change and evolve with time. That is even more true for emperors who rule for very long periods, like Akbar. And lastly, a boy king almost feels “compelled” to exert and demonstrate his authority, to enemies and courtiers alike.

 

After Akbar became the Padshah, he could see a major structural risk to himself, writes Ira Mukhoty in Akbar. One was that certain clans, like the Turanis, held too much power. How did he neutralize this? Over a decade, Akbar would purposefully promote more Persians and Rajputs into the nobility, thereby reducing the clout of the Turanis.

 

He also aggressively expanded the empire because he feared anyone at the borders could become a challenger. Defeat them before they became a threat became his motto.

 

The Rajputs had the practice of giving a daughter in marriage as a sign of subjugation. This is how Akbar got started with his Rajput wives. What he did differently was to allow them to remain Hindus. How much influence did these Hindu wives have on Akbar? Not just his later-day famed religious views, but even his policy decisions? One of his courtiers would write a covert and critical biography of Akbar on this count, blaming Akbar’s un-Islamic practices (such as banning the pilgrimage tax on Hindus visiting temples) on his Hindu wives.

 

But all that would come later. Early on, when Akbar conquered Chittor, he ordered a massacre after the victory. It “remains a profoundly disquieting episode for modern readers” but back then Akbar was still expanding, the empire was nowhere as big as it would become during his reign. The massacre was a deliberate act, intended to send a message to everyone – he was not to be trifled with. On Chittor, he even declared that “we… remain busy in jihad… occupying towns belonging to the infidels”.

 

How much he would change in later times…