Mansabdars and Jagirdars
The empire expanded to include many regions and a diverse group of people was recruited from Turkish, Iranian, Indian Muslims, Afghans, Rajputs, Marathas, and others. Some joined as mansabdars. Mansabdars refers to an individual who holds a mansab, meaning a position or rank-grading system used by Mughals to rate – Rank, Salary, and Military responsibilities.
The rank and salary were determined by numerical value, the higher the Zat, the more prestigious the noble position was in court and the larger his salary more military responsibilities require him to maintain a specific number of sawar or cavalrymen.
Mansabdar’s salaries were revenue assignments called jagirs and the ones assigned were called the jagirdars. He only had the rights to revenue of their assignments collected by their servants, while they themselves served in another part of country.
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.
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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