Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocumentc. 1603-1605

The Coronation of Akbar in February 1556

Madhu (attributed) · c. 1603-1605

A manuscript page of Persian text from the Akbarnama describing Akbar's coronation in 1556.

Describes and depicts Akbar's own coronation in 1556, the founding event of his reign.

Ask Akbar the Great about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
A folio of an Akbarnama manuscript on a tan paper page with a single block of Persian nastaliq script in black ink, framed by red, gold and blue ruled borders. The page has no painting visible.
Attributed to Madhu, The Coronation of Akbar in February 1556, Akbarnama folio, c. 1603-1605. Chester Beatty, Ireland.

About this source

What it is

This folio comes from the Akbarnama, the illustrated history of Akbar's reign written by his court historian Abu'l-Fazl. Painted around 1603-1605 in Agra, this particular page is attributed to the artist Madhu and carries Persian text describing Akbar's coronation in February 1556. It is kept at the Chester Beatty Library in Ireland.

Why it matters

The coronation marked the start of Akbar's reign as Mughal emperor. Because the Akbarnama was produced under Akbar's own patronage, it shows how he and his court wanted this founding moment of his rule to be remembered decades later.

Look closer

  • Why do you think this folio has only text and no painting on this side?
  • Who wrote the history, and what might that mean for how trustworthy it is?
  • What questions would you want answered that a court history might not tell you?

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

More Akbar the Great sources

Meet the AI Akbar the Great →
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

Primary source

Akbarnama

Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak · c. 1590

Two-page manuscript spread with dense Persian script in black ink on the left and right pages. The right page has a ruled grid board with red and blue lines, a central multicolored rosette, and sets of colored pawn shapes in four corners, illustrating a Chaupar game.Book

Primary source

Ain-i-Akbari

Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak · 1589-1596

Painted Mughal miniature showing Akbar's elephant Hawai in a riverside scene: elephants and men on a sandy bank, boatmen in wooden boats struggling in choppy water, figures at a red fort wall above, and Persian inscriptions at the bottom.Artifact

Primary source

Victoria and Albert Akbarnama

c. 1590-1595

Red sandstone palace courtyard at Fatehpur Sikri with multi-storey colonnaded pavilions, carved jali screen railings, and a green-tinted water pool in the foreground under a clear sky with trees.Artifact

Primary source

Fatehpur Sikri

founded 1571

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

Primary source

Buland Darwaza

begun 1573

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Akbar the Great now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions