In January 1556 the emperor Humayun slipped on the stone stairs of his library in Delhi and died. His son Akbar, just thirteen, was in the Punjab, chasing rebels with his guardian Bairam Khan.
There was no palace to crown him in, so a brick platform was built in a garden at Kalanaur, and there Akbar was proclaimed emperor. Delhi itself had already fallen to Hemu, a brilliant general who now called himself king.
In November the two armies met once more at Panipat. Hemu was winning until an arrow struck him in the eye. His elephant turned, his army broke, and the boy emperor began a reign that would last almost fifty years.
All episodes of Babur to Akbar
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1
The Prince of Fergana
1 min read
In 1494 a twelve-year-old boy inherits a small kingdom and a world of enemies.
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2
The Road to Panipat
1 min read
With guns, carts and a gamble, Babur meets the Sultan of Delhi on an April morning in 1526.
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3
The Boy Emperor
1 min read
Crowned in a garden at thirteen, Akbar must win back an empire his father barely held.
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4
A City of Red Sandstone
1 min read
Akbar builds a new capital on a ridge near Agra, and names it for victory.
