This lecture will explore the politics, military expeditions, aristocratic culture, and construction of the empire during the reign of India's longest-ruling emperor, Jalaluddin Akbar. Diving into how Akbar inherited a bureaucracy of Persians, Afghans, and Central Asians from Sher Shah Suri, this session will unravel how Mughal politics was shaped and formed by Akbar. Further, it will look at Akbar's house of translations and dialogues between Muslim intellectuals and Brahmins, the first of its ind, and how Akbar, despite being illiterate, sought to bring Timurid values to the highest strata of Indian society. It will finaly conclude with questions and reflections on his Sulh-i Kull, posthumously known as Din-i Ilahi.