An undated copy of the second volume of the Akbarnamah, a chronicle of the life and reign of Emperor Akbar written by Abul-Fazl ibn Mubarak (see also RCIN 1005024). This volume, written in Persian, continues the chronicle from the 17th year of Akbar’s reign (1572) to the 46th regnal year (1602).

Abul-Fazl was mir munshi (‘chief secretary’) of the Mughal Empire under Akbar and one of the emperor’s closest confidantes. Akbar was particularly attracted to Abul-Fazl’s belief in the ‘universal truth’ of all religions and his advocating for religious integration through his ideology of sulh-i kul (peace with all). He promoted a cult of loyalty around Akbar that was distinct from religion and defined this in the Akbarnamah chronicle.

The aim of Abul-Fazl’s text was to present Akbar as the central pivot of the Mughal Empire. This imperial ideology was based on the ancient (pre-Islamic) Iranian model of divinely-sanctioned kingship and the concept of insan-i kamil (‘the perfect man’, meaning someone who, by developing their self-conscious and self-realization, embodies all the attributes of God), as expounded by the 12th century Sufi scholar Ibn Arabi. Abul-Fazl placed Akbar above the religious authorities of the Mughal Empire with Muslims and non-Muslims united in their loyalty to him, an ideology that the British in India later attempted to emulate.

The Akbarnamah is written in an ornate and highly mannered style of Persian prose and became essential reading in Persian language education in India on account of its form as much as its content.

This manuscript is not as fine as volume one (RCIN 1005024) and is written in more than one hand with certain portions of the text not original to the manuscript. 

The binding is 19th century in dark brown calf with raised bands on the spine and gold chain border lines on the covers.
The manuscript was probably presented to King Edward VII when Prince of Wales, during his tour of India in 1875-6. The inside front cover bears Edward VII’s Sandringham bookplate and the inside back cover his Prince of Wales Library bookplate.