Mughal Empire · 1556-1605

Akbar the Great

Akbar became emperor at 13 and turned the Mughal state into a great empire. He won allies among the Rajputs, abolished a tax on non-Muslims and invited scholars of every faith to debate at his court. Students weigh his policy of "peace with all".

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1556 to AD 1600
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Akbar became emperor at 13 and turned the Mughal state into a great empire. He won allies among the Rajputs, abolished a tax on non-Muslims and invited scholars of every faith to debate at his court. Students weigh his policy of "peace with all".

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe how Akbar expanded and organised the Mughal Empire.
  • Explain Akbar's religious policy of sulh-i kul and why he followed it.
  • Evaluate Akbar's reign using different sources and points of view.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1556

The empire grows

Open the map in 1556 and look at the Mughal lands. Then drag the slider to 1600. In which directions did the empire grow under Akbar?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1575

City of victory

Zoom in on Fatehpur Sikri, west of Agra. Akbar built this new capital from 1571 and held religious debates here, but left it after about 15 years. Why might a court move again?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1600

The Empires of India

Click Stories and play The Empires of India to the chapter "The Mughal Empire". What does it say about the Mughals under Akbar and his heirs?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Akbar became emperor at 13. Who really ruled at first, and why might that be dangerous?
  2. Why did Akbar treat people of all religions more equally? Was it belief, politics or both?
  3. Akbar gave Rajput kings high ranks in his army. How did that make the empire stronger?
  4. Akbar's friend Abul Fazl wrote the official history of his reign. Why should we read a court history carefully?
  5. Later emperors reversed some of Akbar's policies. Which of his ideas still matter today?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Akbar. Let students take turns making his rulings on the classroom screen. After each one, ask: does this choice follow "peace with all"? Who gains, and who might object?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.