Final answer:
Emperor Akbar did not reward officials with land or property but instead offered a system where mansabdars were compensated through revenue from taxes on farmland. This arrangement maintained loyalty and central control, prevented power accumulation, and was a change from traditional methods of compensation that could lead to conflicts and diminished royal holdings.
Step-by-step explanation:
Emperor Akbar, recognized for his innovative administrative practices, did not typically reward officials with land or property as means of compensation. Instead, he devised a system where the mansabdars, who were high-ranking civil servants, received revenue from taxes collected on specific units of farmland. This innovative approach served several purposes. Firstly, it ensured a direct source of income for the mansabdars without granting them permanent rights over the land. As they rose in rank, more land revenue was assigned to them. Secondly, this system of periodic reassignment and reversion to the emperor upon a mansabdar's death kept the officials loyal and dependent on the emperor's favor, thereby maintaining central control. Akbar's policies were a departure from earlier practices during the Gupta period, where rulers granted land to officials and Brahman priests, often including entire villages, to bolster local economies and reduce dependence on the central state.
Akbar's administration, in contrast to his predecessors, was designed to prevent the accumulation of power that could lead to potential threats and rebellion. For example, the later Delhi sultans had to deal with upheavals by controlling their subjects' wealth and income to prevent the funding of rebellions. By keeping mansabdars on a system of conditional grants, Akbar could manage promotions and demotions based on performance and loyalty, thus upholding a strong central government.Furthermore, Akbar's approach to governance marked a significant alteration in traditional methods of compensating rulers and officials. In contrast to a system such as during the Zhou dynasty, where leaders granted lands to their followers, potentially diminishing their own holdings and causing conflicts, Akbar's system preserved his empire's resources while still rewarding his officials.