Question

Source A: "...ascertaining the truth, which is the noblest aim of the human intellect. Therefore we associate at convenient seasons with learned men of all religions, thus deriving profit from their exquisite discourses and exalted aspirations.""

--Mughal Emperor Akbar, letter to Spanish Emperor Philip II, 1582
Source B: "His Majesty, eager to establish Islam, issued orders to the governors of all the provinces to demolish the schools and temples of the infidels, and, with the utmost urgency, put down the teaching and the public practice of the religion of these unbelievers."
-- Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, Temples Edict, April 9, 1669

Source A: "...ascertaining the truth, which is the noblest aim of the human intellect. Therefore we associate at convenient seasons with learned men of all religions, thus deriving profit from their exquisite discourses and exalted aspirations.""
--Mughal Emperor Akbar, letter to Spanish Emperor Philip II, 1582
Source B: "His Majesty, eager to establish Islam, issued orders to the governors of all the provinces to demolish the schools and temples of the infidels, and, with the utmost urgency, put down the teaching and the public practice of the religion of these unbelievers."
-- Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, Temples Edict, April 9, 1669
Based on these two sources, a historian could conclude that the Mughal Empire by the mid-seventeenth century had

Answer 1

The Mughal Empire saw a shift from Akbar's policy of religious tolerance to Aurangzeb's Islamic revival and religious orthodoxy, which led to the persecution of non-Muslims and destruction of their places of worship.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on Source A and Source B, a historian could conclude that the Mughal Empire underwent significant changes in the policies of religious tolerance and statecraft from the mid-16th to the mid-17th century. Emperor Akbar, ruling from 1556 to 1605, was known for his policy of religious tolerance, inviting scholars of various faiths and fostering an eclectic court. In contrast, Emperor Aurangzeb, who ascended to the throne in 1658, embarked on a period of Islamic revival and religious orthodoxy, adopting policies that included the destruction of non-Islamic schools and temples.