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Secondary sourceBook1917

Akbar the Great Mogul, 1542-1605

Vincent Arthur Smith · 1917

An early 20th-century scholarly biography of Akbar by historian Vincent Smith, a standard academic study of the emperor's life and reign.

A scholarly biography written to study and assess Akbar's life, reign and historical importance.

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Akbar the Great Mogul, 1542-1605PDF · 560 pages
Vincent A. Smith, Akbar the Great Mogul, 1542-1605, 1917. Scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This book is a biography of Akbar written by Vincent A. Smith, a historian and former member of the Indian Civil Service, published in 1917 by Oxford University Press.

Why it matters

Written over three centuries after Akbar's death, this biography represents how later historians, working from Mughal chronicles and other sources, tried to assess Akbar's reign and character. It shows how Akbar's reputation as 'the Great Mogul' was shaped for modern readers.

Look closer

  • What sources might a historian in 1917 have used to write about a ruler who died over 300 years earlier?
  • How might the author's background as a British colonial official shape his view of Akbar?
  • Why do you think this book calls Akbar 'Great' in its title?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Akbar the Great and Maharana Pratap on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Illuminated opening page of a manuscript in Persian script. At top is an ornate gold and blue illuminated frontispiece with floral arabesques, a central cartouche and arched panels. Below are three columns of black calligraphy on cream paper, framed by gold and red borders.Book

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Front view of the Buland Darwaza, a tall red sandstone gateway with white domed pavilions on its roof, a large central arched portal, and a wide flight of steps leading up to it. Several people stand on the steps and a small white goat is at lower left.Artifact

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