New
New
Year 8
Akbar the Great
I can assess Akbar the Great's contribution to Mughal expansion.
New
New
Year 8
Akbar the Great
I can assess Akbar the Great's contribution to Mughal expansion.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Mughal power at the start of Akbar's reign was not fully secure.
- Akbar expanded the size of the Mughal Empire.
- Akbar was a strong military leader who conquered many rival states.
- Akbar also used diplomacy to help expand the empire.
Keywords
Jihad - in Islam, a jihad is a religious struggle against evil in society; wars against non-Muslims were often declared as jihads
Common misconception
Akbar is remembered as a strong military leader because he only used violence to expand the Mughal Empire.
Akbar used a variety of methods to expand the Mughal Empire. In some cases, such as to gain control over the Rajput states, diplomacy was more important for expansion under Akbar than violence.
Ask students why leaders who want to expand their empires may not always want to use violence to do so. Push students to consider what problems could be created if violence was the only method rulers relied upon.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
Loading...
Starter quiz
Download starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.
The way leaders manage relationships with other rulers and countries is called...
Q2.
Someone who is sent or kept away from their own country is said to have been...
executed
rewarded
Q3.
At the Battle of Kanauj Emperoror Humayan was defeated by Sher...
Q4.
Match the event to the year in which it took place.
1537
1538
1539
1540
Q5.
During his years in exile, Humayan received support from the emperor.
Q6.
Humayan reconquered India in...
Exit quiz
Download exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.
After the Second Battle of Panipat the Mughals gained 120 war...
horses
ships
engines
Q2.
The Mughals' capture of the Sultanate of Gujurat was important because it contained many...
Q3.
During the 1570s, soldiers from __________ often changed sides to fight with the Mughals?
Gujarat
Deccan
Rajput
Q4.
In 1567 Emperor Akbar declared that the war against the Kingdom of Mewar was a...
Q5.
Akbar gained power over most Rajput kingdoms through...
conversion
warfare
trade
Q6.
Which of these best describes Akbar's policy towards religion in the Kingdom of Amber?
Akbar forced the Kingdom of Amber to convert to Islam.
Akbar forced the Kingdom of Amber to convert to Hinduism.
Additional material
Download additional material