Difference Between Akbar and Babur

Edited by Diffzy | Updated on: April 30, 2023

       

Difference Between Akbar and Babur

Why read @ Diffzy

Our articles are well-researched

We make unbiased comparisons

Our content is free to access

We are a one-stop platform for finding differences and comparisons

We compare similar terms in both tabular forms as well as in points


Introduction

The Mughals ruled the Indian subcontinent for decades. Babur was the first Mughal ruler and founder of the empire that ruled India for around 300 years. The Mughal empire was initially founded by Babur, who was a Timurid Prince. Akbar and Babur were amongst the first of the best-known leaders of the Mughal dynasty. Akbar belonged to one of the five lineal descendants of Babur. Akbar was the grandson of Babur. After ascending the throne, Akbar was successful in expanding the Mughal Empire in all directions, and he gained control of almost the entire subcontinent of India to the north of the Godavari river.

Babur vs Akbar

Out of all the Mughal emperors we have read about who ruled the Indian subcontinent for about three hundred years, Akbar and Babur were the most powerful rulers. Akbar was the greatest Mughal ruler that India got to witness, whereas, on the other hand, Babur was the one who paved the way for others to walk on. The main difference between Babur and Akbar is that Babur was the founder of the Mughal empire that ruled the Indian subcontinent and thus was the first Mughal emperor, and Babur was his successor and grandson who came out as the third Mughal emperor to rule India.

During the time period when Akbar took possession of the Mughal empire, the kingdom was in a shrinking state. In order to bring order and the rich state of the empire, he created a powerful military system that was specially designed to combat his toughest opponent who were the Rajputs. In the long run, Akbar succeeded in defeating the Rajputs since many Rajput rulers lacked one of the most important things to rule an entire kingdom-Unity. They were divided by their own rivalry, which though acted in favor of the Mughals was not at all in favor of the Rajputs.

Babur was the descendant of Timur. Timur was known for having built a massive empire in Central Asia during the last 14th century. Babur was an eminent scholar in Arabic and Persian. His conquest of the Indian subcontinent created a historical change in the history of India. Along with the Mughal empire, it brought in many other additions to the culture of India.

Difference Between Akbar and Babur in Tabular Form

Parameters of Comparison Akbar Babur
Birth Akbar was born on the 15th of October in the year 1542, in a place called Umarkot, which is now in Pakistan Babur was born on the 15th of February in the year 1983 in Uzbekistan.
Descendant Akbar was the son of Humayun (the son of Babur) and the grandson of the great leader and founder of the Mughal empire Babur. Babur was the descendant of Genghis Khan who was a Mongol conqueror and the Turkic conqueror Timur.
Time of Reign Akbar ascended the throne of the Mughal empire ruling the Indian subcontinent in the year 1556 and continued his glorious rule until 1605. During the time of his rule, he succeeded in expanding the Mughal rule across most of the Indian subcontinent. Babur was the founder of the Mughal empire in the Indian subcontinent who paved the way for the others to rule. His rule lasted from 1526 to 1530.
The Achievements Akbar did not only create a powerful military system when he came to power that helped gain the rich status of the Mughal empire but he also made many political and social reforms that helped him gain the trust of the non-Muslim community.  Babur’s biggest achievement was the establishment of the Mughal empire in India after he defeated the army of the Lodi Sultanate and kept marching towards Delhi and conquered it. He paved the way for the other Mughal rulers.
The off-springs Akbar was the father of several children, but Jahangir is the most notable one as he is the one who ascended the throne after Akbar. Babur was the father of several children as well but the most notable one who was able to succeed him and take the throne after him was Humayun, whose son Akbar, later on, took the throne.
Significance of Them Akbar is known as the greatest of all the Mughal emperors and he has established a profound degree of harmony among people of different religions. Babur definitely has the most significance in the history of Mughal rule in the Indian subcontinent as he was the ruler who established the Mughal empire in the Indian subcontinent.
Death The demise of Akbar took place on the 25th of October in the year 1605 in Agra, India. Babur took his last breaths on the 26th of December in the year 1530 in Agra, India.

Who was Akbar?

Babur was born on 15th February in the year 1483 in Umarkot. His full name was Abu al-Fath Jala al-Din Muhammad Akbar. Akbar was the son of Nasiruddin Humayun (the son of Babur) and the grandson of the great leader and founder of the Mughal empire Babur. He ascended the throne at the very young age of only thirteen years. He is considered to be the greatest of all the Mughal emperors. Akbar contributed a huge amount to the arts and Indian religion. He started a large collection of literature, including the Akbar-nama and the Ain-i-Akbari. He did not just stop there; he also incorporated new art from all around the world into the Mughal empire collections.

Akbar was raised for a time by his uncle Askari and his wife in the country of Afghanistan since he refused to go to Persia with his parents. His youth was spent learning to run, fight and hunt, but he never learned the art of reading or writing. However, Akbar matured to become a well-informed ruler who had ecstatic taste in arts, architecture and music. He also has enormous love for literature.

In the early days of Akbar’s career, he decided to eliminate Sher Shah’s dynasty and lead an army against the strongest of the three, Sikander Shah Suri in the Punjab. On the 5th of November in the year 1556, the Mughal army of Akbar defeated the forces of General Hemu at the second battle of Panipat, though the forces of Hemu were numerically superior to that of Akbar. The victory left Akbar with more than 1,500 war elephants which he used to re-engage Sikandar Shah at the siege of Mankot. Sikandar surrendered to Akbar, and thus he was spared from death, and for the remaining years of his life, he lived on a large estate granted to him by Akbar. In the year 1557, the only threat to Akbar’s rule was Adil Shah, who was the brother of Sikandar Shah died during a battle in Bengal.

During the rule of Akbar, he conquered Gujrat in 1573, and after that success, he wanted to conquer Bengal. But it was difficult for him to rule Bengal from Delhi, especially because of the network of the rivers. Some of the other regions that Akbar conquered during his reign were Kashmir, Sindh, and Kandahar. Towards the end of his reign, his rule was affected by none other than his impulsive and greedy son Jahangir.

However, Akbar’s reign ended on the 25th of October in the year 1605 in Agra, India, where he took his last breaths. He was succeeded by his son Jahangir.

Who was Babur?

Babur also spelled as Babar or Baber was born as Zahir-ud-din Mohammad Babur in Uzbekistan in 1483 CE. He has the blood of conquerors running through his veins. Specifically, that of the Turkic conqueror Timur and the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan. he was from a tribe who were called the Barlas, which has both Turkish and Mongolian blood. His father was the ruler of a small region in Uzbekistan that also had easy access to the Silk Road, and that included not only the exchange of goods but also the exchange of new and different ideas. This gave Babur close proximity to a wealth of people and knowledge that included Islamic traditions, which he and his family followed.

Babur was the eldest son of Umar Sheikh Mirza. He ascended the throne of Fergana in 1495 at the age of 12. Thereafter in the year 1504, he successfully captured the important citadel in Central Asia, Kabul. In 1524 he was invited by none other than Daulat Khan, who was a rebel of the Lodi dynasty. Daulat Khan had invited Babur for the purpose of invading North India and fighting their enemies in Rajputana. In 1526, Babur won the Battle of Panipat, which was fought against Ibrahim Lodi. Thereon he captured Delhi and established the great dynasty of the Mughal Empire.

Babur claimed to be a strong and physically fit person. It is believed that he was fit enough to carry two men, one on each shoulder, and then climb slopes on the run, just for exercise. He had also claimed to have swum across all the major rivers that he had encountered, including that he had swum across the Ganges River twice. Babur was very well-known for his literary and oratory skills. Although he was a religious person, Babur actively indulged in drinking. Once he quoted a contemporary poet and said, “I am drunk, officer. Punish me when I am sober.”

Eventually, Babur was successful in expanding his territory over the entire Northern India from Kandahar to the borders of Bengal. During his reign, Babur constructed many beautiful gardens because of his love for nature.

Main Differences between Akbar and Babur in Points

  1. Akbar was born on the 15th of October in the year 1542 in Umarkot which is now a place in Pakistan whereas on the other hand Babur was born in Uzbekistan.
  2. Akbar was the third-generation ruler of the Mughal Empire, whereas Babur was not only the first-generation ruler but also the founder of the great Mughal Empire and the fifth male succession from Timur.
  3. Akbar was the son of Humayun and the grandson of Babur, whereas Babur was the father of Humayun and grandfather of Akbar.
  4. Akbar was the successor of Humayun, whereas Babur was the ruler and founder of the Mughal dynasty.
  5. Akbar’s full name was Abu al-Fath Jalal al-Din Muhammad Akbar, and Babur’s full name was Zahir al-Din Muhammad.

Conclusion 

There are various hidden stories that have been discovered and that are yet to be discovered about the Mughal empire in India. Some of those stories are not part of the academic curriculum. The history of any empire is very vast, and in order to get to the bottom of the in-detailed knowledge of an empire, one needs to conduct deep research to know everything about the ruler, the empire, the successors, the defeats, the beginning and the end of the empire, especially when the rule existed for more than two hundred years.

It is to be duly noted that both Babur and Akbar were extremely strategic rules which formed their own military systems and largely contributed to the expansion of the Mughal Empire wisely. They not only fought wars but also won them and established their rule over the defeated. They portrayed extensive leadership skills necessary for ruling such a vast kingdom. Though very different in their strategies and methods of ruling, both Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, and Akbar, the successor of Humayun, showcased themselves as among the greatest rules of the Mughal dynasty. The Mughal empire not only brought about different traditions, but the entry of Babur and Akbar into India also led to the formation of many monuments.

References 

  • https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Zhu9DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT8&dq=Akbar&ots=PmHMuzbeko&sig=9FV1LngVpn8xHhJVoYqMhSDAAmU
  • https://www.jstor.org/stable/1523242
  • https://www.britannica.com/biography/Babur
  • https://study.com/academy/lesson/Babur-the-first-mughal-emperor-history-contributions-death.html
  • https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/a/Akbar.htm

Category


Cite this article

Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:


Styles:

×

MLA Style Citation


"Difference Between Akbar and Babur." Diffzy.com, 2024. Tue. 26 Mar. 2024. <https://www.diffzy.com/article/difference-between-akbar-and-babur-1084>.



Edited by
Diffzy


Share this article