Governance and religious policy under Akbar
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the importance of Akbar’s religious policies and the ways in which he governed the Mughal Empire.
Key learning points
- Akbar was a Muslim but generally followed a policy of religious tolerance for non-Muslims.
- Akbar believed that religious intolerance would make the empire harder to govern.
- A new taxation system, the dahsala, was introduced during Akbar's reign.
- The dahsala was designed to help serve the interests of both the Mughal government and ordinary people.
Keywords
Tolerance - tolerance involves allowing people to do or believe what they want although your beliefs are different or you do not agree with them
Abolished - if something is abolished, it is officially ended
Chronicle - a chronicle is a written record of things that happened in the past
Revenue - revenue is the amount of money coming in, for example, into a government through tax or into a company
Common misconception
Akbar's religious tolerance was absolute throughout his reign.
Akbar made some exceptions to his general policy of religious tolerance, such as when he declared a jihad against the Hindu Kingdom of Mewar.
Teacher tip
Ask pupils to discuss whether the territorial expansion achieved by Akbar was likely to have taken place without his religious and tax policies. Pupils should justify their answers. Prompt consideration of the connections between tax and the military or between internal stability and expansion.
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.After the Second Battle of the Mughals gained 120 war elephants.
Q2.The Mughals' capture of the Sultanate of Gujurat was important because it contained many...
Q3.During the 1570s, why did soldiers from Bengal often change sides to fight with the Mughals?
Q4.In 1567 Emperor Akbar declared that the war against __________ was a jihad.
Q5.Why was it somewhat surprising that Akbar married the king of Amber's daughter?
Q6.In the kingdom of Amber, Akbar granted freedom of religious worship to...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which group of people paid the jizya tax before Akbar abolished it in the Mughal Empire?
Q2.What events did Akbar host at the Ibadat Khana?
Q3.Akbar had a chronicle of his reign produced in the 1590s, known as the...
Q4.Why was there a risk that religious intolerance could lead to serious rebellion in the Mughal Empire?
Q5.When Akbar became emperor the taxation systems of the Mughal Empire were...
Q6.In 1580 Emperor Akbar introduced a new tax system called the...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Governance and religious policy under Akbar, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Governance and religious policy under Akbar, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the The Mughal Empire: how important was violence to the Mughal conquests in India? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.