ABSTRACT
Adescendant of both Tamerlane and GenghisKhan, Islamic Mughal Emperor Akbar (in full Abu-ul-Fath Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar) conquered much of northern, central, and Hindu India, yet fostered efficient government and tolerance in a religiously pluralistic Indian society. The Mughal Empire (also called the Timurid Empire and the Mogul Empire) began in 1526 when Akbar's grandfather, Babur, Muslim ruler of Turkestan in Central Asia, invaded northern India and moved southward. Akbar applied his knowledge of military strategy to conquest; often personally leading his well-organized military, Akbar embarked on a remarkable series of conquests: the Punjab; the Rajput kingdoms in northwestern India; the Muslim states of Gujarat and Bengal. Although ruling according to Muslim law, Akbar established an administrative structure within conquered states and territories that was continued by his Mughal descendants as well as by British and post-colonial administrators. Akbar's descendants carried on his policies for a time.
