Akbar ruled the Mughal empire.
Abu ` l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad ( 15 October 1542 -- 27 October 1605 ) , popularly known as Akbar I ( [ əkbər ] , literally `` the great '' ) and later Akbar the Great , was the third Mughal emperor , who reigned from 1556 to 1605 . Akbar succeeded his father , Humayun , under a regent , Bairam Khan , who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in India . By abolishing the sectarian tax on non-Muslims and appointing them to high civil and military posts , he was the first Mughal ruler to win the trust and loyalty of the native subjects . Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad ( 6 March 1508 -- 27 January 1556 ) better known by his regnal name , Humayun , was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire , who ruled over territory in what is now Afghanistan , Pakistan , and parts of northern India from 1531 -- 1540 and again from 1555 -- 1556 .