Akbar the great

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Akbar the Great
In 1542 a boy was born to an opium addicted father that had lost almost everything he had inherited from his father. The one thing he kept was his name, the eldest son of Barbar, Humayan. Barbar had conquered northern India establishing the Mughal Empire for Islam. Humayan was able to regain control of a small portion of the empire his father built, and that would be all Akbar would need to become one of the greatest rulers India had ever seen. Akbar as a child was a handful. His parents went through tutor after tutor trying to prepare him to be a ruler with little or no success. He refused to learn to read or write, and would remain illiterate until his death in 1605. Akbar was thirteen when his father tripped down a flight of stairs suffering a blow to the head, and passed three days later. Akbar the illiterate was now the ruler of this fledgling empire. This would not hamper the young emperor because he was blessed with an extraordinary memory, and was brilliant.
Akbar took action quickly once in power conquering all the land back his father had lost and then some by age twenty. He grows empire throughout his reign tripling it in size. Most of the lands he now controlled had a large Hindu population. The Mughals had established a poll tax (jizya) on those who did not convert to Islam, and a tax at Hindu shrines to enter. When He learned of this he abolished these taxes much to the chagrin of his advisers. He was said to have the opinion that it was not gods will to tax those worshiping the creator even if it is the wrong way (pg. 64). This shows his tolerance of other religions, and he did this at the age of 21. I find it astonishing that in the 16th century he was so perceptive in tolerance. As He ages, He c...

... middle of paper ...

... with different creeds, and have it be productive, simply amazing.
I admire Akbar for his tolerance of religions, administrative savvy, and the ambition to accomplish this from almost nothing. His misguided, though very reasonable, attempt to combine all religions shows that he believed anything was possible. I admire the last one the most. It is a dream worth dreaming and I have had that dream also. Akbar keeps my hope for the progression of tolerance in our culture and the world alive. Queen Elizabeth the first sent a letter to Akbar that said “The singular report of your majesties humanity has reached even these most distant of shores”. With all the power and wealth Akbar had she chose to comment on his humanity is an impressive testament to how rare a ruler of his kind was. Akbar the illiterate truly earned the name that history has given him, Akbar the Great.

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