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.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Mughal power at the start of Akbar's reign was not fully secure.
  2. Akbar expanded the size of the Mughal Empire.
  3. Akbar was a strong military leader who conquered many rival states.
  4. 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 (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
The way leaders manage relationships with other rulers and countries is called...
Correct Answer: diplomacy
Q2.
Someone who is sent or kept away from their own country is said to have been...
Correct answer: exiled
executed
rewarded
Q3.
At the Battle of Kanauj Emperoror Humayan was defeated by Sher...
Correct Answer: Shah
Q4.
Match the event to the year in which it took place.
Correct Answer:Mughals lose control of Gujarat,1537

1537

Correct Answer:Humayun’s brothers rebel against him,1538

1538

Correct Answer:Sher Shah wins the Battle of Chausa,1539

1539

Correct Answer:Humayun forced into exile,1540

1540

Q5.
During his years in exile, Humayan received support from the emperor.
Correct Answer: Persian
Q6.
Humayan reconquered India in...
Correct Answer: 1555

6 Questions

Q1.
After the Second Battle of Panipat the Mughals gained 120 war...
horses
Correct answer: elephants
ships
engines
Q2.
The Mughals' capture of the Sultanate of Gujurat was important because it contained many...
Correct Answer: ports
Q3.
During the 1570s, soldiers from __________ often changed sides to fight with the Mughals?
Gujarat
Correct answer: Bengal
Deccan
Rajput
Q4.
In 1567 Emperor Akbar declared that the war against the Kingdom of Mewar was a...
Correct Answer: jihad, Jihad
Q5.
Akbar gained power over most Rajput kingdoms through...
conversion
warfare
trade
Correct answer: diplomacy
Q6.
Which of these best describes Akbar's policy towards religion in the Kingdom of Amber?
Correct answer: Akbar granted freedom of religious worship to the Kingdom of Amber.
Akbar forced the Kingdom of Amber to convert to Islam.
Akbar forced the Kingdom of Amber to convert to Hinduism.

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