Nur-ud-din Muhammad Jahangir also known as the World Seizer was the child of Akbar the Great, emperor of the Mughal empire in north India who extended Mughal control to Gujarat as well as Bengal.
From a young age, he was designated as his father’s heir. During Akbar’s last years in power, Prince Saleem longed to be king. He plotted an uprising against Akbar while encircled by acolytes and braggarts.
Key Takeaways
- Akbar ruled the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1605; Jahangir, his son, ruled from 1605 to 1627.
- Akbar implemented policies of religious tolerance, while Jahangir leaned towards Islamic orthodoxy.
- Jahangir focused on administration and the arts, whereas Akbar emphasized military conquests and empire expansion.
Akbar vs Jahangir
The difference between Akbar and Jahangir is that Jahangir’s dad, Akbar, was conceived in 1542 and killed in 1605, whilst Jahangir was conceived in 1569 and perished in 1627. Akbar was the 3rd Mughal ruler, while Jahangir was the fourth. Akbar held high regard for Chishti, the respected sage through whose auspices Jahangir was brought into the world.
Because of his various successes, particularly his history of unbroken military operations that strengthened Mughal control in the Indian subcontinent, Akbar was given the title “the Great.”
Akbar was a really intelligent monarch, a philosopher-king with a sincere curiosity in all belief systems and ideas during a period when religious intolerance was common across Europe and Asia.
Jahangir, India’s 4th Mughal King and benefactor of the classics, reigned for 22 years. Jahangir was a kind, tolerant Muslim. Jahangir was well-known for his conflicted attitude toward religion as well as his appreciation of art.
He was also recognized as Nur-ud-din Mohammad Salim, and he was a lover of crafts. Jahangir was seen as a fair emperor who individually addressed his subjects’ problems.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Akbar | Jahangir |
|---|---|---|
| Real names | Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar | Nur-ud-din Salim Jahangir |
| Born | 1542 AD | 1569 AD |
| Died | 1605 AD | 1627 AD |
| Likings | Lover of scriptural literature | Lover of the arts |
| Nomenclatures | Akbar the Great | The World Seizer |
What is Akbar?
The Mughal empire expanded in volume and riches under Akbar’s reign. Akbar had established a formidable army as well as significant governmental and social changes.
He was the very first Muslim monarch to gain the confidence and devotion of his Hindu citizens by removing the discriminatory levy on Hindus and assigning them to top administrative and military positions.
He had Hindu texts transcribed, attended Hindu rituals, and wedded a Rajput princess after recognizing that a secure kingdom hinged on powerful relationships with the Rajputs, formidable Hindu soldiers.
Akbar was a powerful, bold, and harsh ruler, yet he was also kind, sympathetic, and inquisitive.
He welcomed academics, interpreters, artists, visual artists, holy men, bookbinders, and reviewers from all around the Muslim community to his court for discussion and analysis, and he built an incredible reading room of over 24,000 quantities authored in Hindi, Iranian, Greek, Celtic, Arabic, as well as Kashmiri, staffed by intellectuals, interpreters, artists, printmakers, clerks, bookbinders, and audiences.
Akbar covered the terrain with fortified towns of royal enjoyment and luxury, aiming to enchant the local rajas and promote the greatness of his dominion, expressing the hereditary passion of the humanities on a massive scale.
Akbar erected his magnificent Red Fort alongside the Jamuna River in the gorgeous capital city of Agra.
What is Jahangir?
Jahangir, as a youthful prince, was no better than his forefathers. He desired to seize control of the Kingdom while his dad was still alive.
According to history, it was typical for each future king to try, more or less forcefully, to topple his father. He was quite engaged.
In 1591, at the age of 22, he traveled for Allabahad and revolted against his dad, sending men against him. He will restart his method 10 years afterward, in 1601, but will not be successful.
In 1602 he declared himself monarch and had a currency minted, one of the marks of a kingdom’s sovereignty. He even had Akbar’s assistant slain by a cousin whom he promised to recompense when he returned to the throne.
Jahangir, although being universally seen as ruthless, was a patron of the arts. He was mostly interested in painting, poetry, and construction.
Even when compared to Western European miniatures, the artwork of miniatures was quite sophisticated for a society of that period.
Jahangir nurtured artists from the start of his kingdom and created a studio in his city that attracted painters of his choice.
The works were not static in form, with the painters depicting a diverse environment as well as a personal scenario or an allegorical. And there was a plethora of floral and wildlife art.
Main Differences Between Akbar and Jahangir
- The real name of Akbar is known as Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, and the real name of Jahangir is known as Nur-ud-din Salim Jahangir.
- Akbar was born on the 25th of October in the year 1542 in Amarkot, Rajputana, and Jahangir was born on the 31st of August in the year 1569 in Fatehpur Sikri.
- Akbar died on the 27th of October in the year 1605 in Fatehpur Sikri coma and Jahangir died On the 28th of October in the year 1627 in Rajouri, Kashmir.
- Akbar was a fond lover of the Liberal Arts and spent years on his various books whereas Jahangir was more inclined towards the world of the classical arts such as paintings and creating miniatures.
- Akbar was fondly known as Akbar the great whereas Jahangir had no such nomenclature even though his name does means the world seizer.
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
