Decline of the Mughal Dynasty
During Aurangzeb’s reign, there was a crisis of the Mughal empire. The farmers were poor as a result of the high levies he imposed. At the same time, the quality of the Mughal rule was steadily deteriorating. Later emperors demonstrated little inclination to governor invest in agriculture, technology, or the military. Some emperors even prohibited economic development, believing that the wealthy would mobilize armies of their own. Local leaders eventually rebelled and declared themselves independent of the central government, hastening the empire’s demise.
The religious and Deccan policies of Aurangzeb contributed to the empire’s decline. The attempt at the extension of Mughal rule over Golconda, Bijapur, and Karnataka stretched the empire to a point of breaking. The successors of Aurangzeb were weak and not able to administer properly. Most were in fact puppets in the hands of powerful nobles. Nobility assumed lots of power; state and politics were motivated by personal gains. The Turanis, Iranis, Afghans, and Indian-born Muslims were important noble groups.
With the emergence of many autonomous states, revenue resources got depleted and continuous Indian-born wars furthered the emptying of the treasures. The neglect of naval power by the Mughals also cost them dearly. The foreign invasions and the coming of the British further aggravated the situation.
The Mughal Empire ruled over most of Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent at its peak. When Muhammad Shah ascended to the throne in 1719, the kingdom had already begun to crumble. The process was exacerbated by dynastic turmoil, factional strife, and the Iranian king Nadir Shah’s brief but destructive invasion of northern India in 1739. The Marathas acquired control of nearly all of northern India after Muhammad Shah’s death in 1748. Mughal rule was limited to a narrow territory surrounding Delhi. In 1803, the British acquired control of this region. By the mid-nineteenth century, the Mughal Empire had lost all of its territories to competitors and the British.
When the British East India Company was created in 1600, it was exclusively interested in trading with the Mughal Empire. However, as the empire collapsed, the British gained more sway over the Mughal kings. At the Battle of Plassey in 1757, British forces defeated the nawab (ruler) of Bengal and French forces (Palashi). Following that, the East India Company assumed governmental control of much of the Indian subcontinent. Mughal emperors kept their thrones, although they had little real power. The British exiled the last Mughal emperor during the Indian Mutiny of 1857–59.
Mughal Empire
From the latter half of the 16th century, the Mughals expanded their empire from Agra and Delhi, going on to control all of the subcontinents in the 17th century. Ruling a vast territory as the Indian subcontinent involving such a diverse group of people and cultures, was a very difficult task in medieval times. The Mughal Empire was in one of its best states during the 17th century. Prosperity in commercial and economic activities was evident during this period.
Mughal Empire
Table of Content
- Who were the Mughals?
- List of Mughal Emperors in India (1526- 1857)
- Mughal Military Campaigns
- Mughal Tradition of Succession
- Mansabdars and Jagirdars
- Akbar’s Policies
- Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth Century and After
- Decline of the Mughal Dynasty
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