Class: 8 A,B &C HISTORY 17th July 2020

Chapter 5

DECLINE OF THE

The transition from the Medieval to the Modern Period began with the decline of the Mughal Empire in the first half of the 18th Century. This was followed by the East India Company’s territorial conquests and the beginning of the political domination of India in the middle of 18th Century. The Modern Period in India is generally regarded as having begun in the mid- 18th century.

During the first half of the 18th Century the great Mughal Empire decayed and disintegrated. The lost their power and glory and their vast empire finally shrank to a few square miles around . The unity and stability had already been shaken during ’s long reign of about 50 years. The death of Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughals, was followed by a war of succession among his three sons. Bahadur Shah eventually ascended the in 1707 at the age of 65. He became the first in a line of emperors referred to as the Later Mughals.

THE LIST OF THE LATER MUGHALS (1707- 1857)

1) Bahadur Shah (1707-12) 2) Jahandar Shah (1712-13) 3) Farrukhshiyar ( 1713-19) 4) (1719-48) 5) Ahmad Shah (1748-54) 6) Alamgir II (1754-59) 7) Shah Alam II (1759-1806) 8) Akbar II ( 1806-37) 9) Bahadur Shah Zafar (1737_1857)

THE REASONS FOR THE DECLINE OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE

1) Politics in the Mughal Court; 2) Jagirdari Crisis; 3) Weak Military organization and Administration; 4) Wars of succession; 5) Aurangzeb’s policies; 6) Economic bankruptcy 7) Foreign invasions 8) Weak successors.

1) Politics in the Mughal court:- There were four groups of nobles in the Mughal court---Iranis, Turanis, Afghans and Hindustanis. Iranis hailed from Persia, the Turanis from Tranoxiana, and the Afghans came from the mountainous border regions across river Indus. The Mughal court was a house sharply divided from within. This resulted in a constant struggle for power among these groups. Their mutual jealousies and rivalries caused great harm to the Mughal administration and undermined the prestige and authority of the Mughal emperor. 2) Jagidari crisis:- In addition to the competition for political power and influence there was a scramble for the best and most profitable jagirs among the rival nobles. The Mughal officers were given jagirs as payment for their services. Towards the end of the 17th century, there were very few jagirs left. To satisfy the demands of the newly recruited officers, crown lands were converted to jagir lands and given to the nobles. This led to the loss of revenue for the royal treasury and further decline in the power of the emperor.

3) Weak military organization and administration:- The Mansabdari system introduced by Akbar began to break down towards the ned of the 17th century. Under this system, mansabdars had to maintain a fixed number of troops. They were given jagirs as a payment for doing so. Latee, an increase in the number of masabs and a shortage of jagirs led to corruption and inefficiency in the system. The mansabdars did not maintain their quota of troops and adopted corrupt methods. This led to a decline of the military strength of the Mughal empire.

The Mughal army failed to keep pace with the tomes. Mughal rulers did not a navy and made no effort to establish one. Their equipment and techniques of warfare were obsolete and ineffective. Nothing was done to reform, modernize and strengthen the army.

4) Wars of succession:- The death of a Mughal ruler was generally followed by wars of succession among rival claimants to the throne. These civil wars proved very costly and destructive. They drained the resources of the empire, caused frequent political upheavals and made the empire unstable and weak.

5) Aurangzeb’s Policies Aurangzeb was not very successful as an emperor. His policy of religious intolerance shook the foundations of the empire and resulted in the following:-  The costly, long-drawn and ruinous Deccan campaign  Numerous wars with the , the Marathas, the Jats and the Rajputs.  Loss of the support of the loyal Rajputs who had earlier contributed greatly to stability of the Mughal Empire but now became bitter foes.

6) Economic bankruptcy:- A major cause of the disintegration of the Muhhal Empire was its economic bankruptcy. The enormous sums of money spent by on magnificent monuments like the Taj Mahal had drained the royal treasury. Aurangzeb’s Deccan campaign was a financial disaster that ruined the empire and made its collapse inevitable.

7) Foreign Invasions:- The invasions of Nadir Shah, the ruler of Persia (), and Ahmad Shah Abdali, the ruler of of Afghanistan, shattered the power and prestige of the Mughals. Nadir Shah looted and plundered Delhi and carried away valuable treasures, including Kohinoor Diamond and the Peacock Throne.Ahmad Shah repeatedly plundered northern India.

8) Weak successors:- Aurangzeb was succeeded by pleasure loving, weak and inefficient rulers. They were puppets in the hands of powerful nobles who controlled the administration. The provincial governors took advantage of the weak center and set up independent kingdoms in the Mughal provinces. This led to the break-up and collapse of the empire. The hope of the revival of the Mughal empire ended when the British decided to challenge the authority of the Mughals. They took full advantage of its weakness and began to pursue their plan of establishing control over India. Bahadur Shah Zafar the last Mughal emperor was defeated in 1857 Revolt and was exiled to Rangoon where he died. The Mughal Empire came to an inglorious end.

EXERCISES:-

A. Fill in the blanks:-

1) During the first half of the 18th century, the great Mughal empire decayed and disintegrated. 2) The Mughal emperors who ruled India after the death of Aurangzeb are known as the Later Mughals. 3) There were four groups of nobles in the Mughal court. 4) Nadir Shah plundered Delhi. He carried away immense treasures including the Kohinoor Diamond and the Peacock Throne. 5) Ahmad Shah Abdali, the ruler of Afghanistan, repeatedly attacked the Mughal Empire. 6) The last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was defeated in the Revolt of 1857 and exiled by the British.

B. Match the following:-

A B 1) Bahadur Shah a) first of the Later Mughals. 2) Akbar b) mansabdari system. 3) Shah Jahan c) financial crisis. 4) Kohinoor Diamond d) Nadir Shah. 5) Bahadur Shah Zafar e) exiled to Rangoon by the British.

C. Choose the correct answer:-

1) Aurangzeb/ Akbar/ Shah Jahan followed the policy of religious tolerance. 2) The military campaign in the Deccan led by Shah Jahan/ Aurangzeb/ Akbar ruined the Mughal financially. 3) The invasions of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the ruler of Afghanistan/Persia/ Iraq shattered the power and prestige of the Mughal Empire. 4) The Mughal Empire lasted for over 3/ 5/6 centuries. 5) The British ruled over India for 100 years/ nearly 200 years/ 300 years.

D. State whether the following are true or false:-

1) Bahadur Shah ascended the throne after the death of Aurangzeb. True 2) The Mughal Court was united and stable. False 3) The Mughal officers were given jagirs as payments for their services. True 4) The Mughal rulers did not have a navy. True 5) The successors of Aurangzeb were very strong and efficient. False

E. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences:-

1) When did the transition from the Medieval to modern Period begin in India? The transition from the Medieval to the Modern Period began with the decline of the Mughal empire in the first half of the 18th century.

2) Name the first and last emperors in the line of the Later Mughals. Bahadur Shah was the first and Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal emperors in the line of the Later Mughals.

3) Name the four rival groups of nobles in the Mughal court. Iranis, Turanis, Afghans and Hindustanis were the four rival groups of nobles in the Mughal court.

4) Mention any two reasons for the failure of the Mansabdari system. Following were the two reasons for the failure of the Mansabdari system:- i) An increase in the number of mansabs and a shortage of jagirs led to corruption and inefficiency in the system. ii) The mansabdars did not maintain their quota of troops and adopted corrupt methods.

5) What was the economic impact of the Mughal wars of succession? The Mughal wars of succession drained the resources of the empire, caused frequent political upheavals and made the empire unstable and weak.

6) How did Aurangzeb’s religious policy affect the relationship between the Mughals and the Rajputs? Aurangzeb’s religious intolerance led to the loss of support of the loyal Rajputs who had earlier contributed greatly to the stability of the Mughal empire but n0w became bitter foes.

7) What led to the drain on royal treasury during Shah Jahan’s reign? The enormous sums of money spent by Shah Jahan on magnificent monuments like the Taj Mahal had drained the royal treasury.

8) Which Mughal emperor assumed the leadership of the Revolt of 1857? What happened to him after the Revolt? Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last of the Mughals, assumed leadership of the rebels in the Revolt of 1857 against the British. He was defeated and Exiled to Rangoon where he died.

F. Answer the following questions in brief:-

1) Several factors were responsible for the decline of the Mughal empire. In this context answer the following questions: a) How did the court politics undermine the authority and prestige of the Mughal empire? There were four groups of nobles in the Mughal court- Iranis, Turanis, Afghans and Hindustanis all originated from different regions. The Mughal court was a house of sharply divided from within. This resulted in a constant struggle for power among these groups. Their mutual jealousies and rivalries caused great harm to Mughal administration and undermined the prestige and authority of the Mughal emperor.

b) To what extent was the Jagirdari crisis responsible for a further decline of the power of the emperor? The Mughal officers were given jagirs as payment of their services. Towards the end of the 17th century, there were very few jagirs left. To satisfy the demands of the newly recruited officers, crown lands were converted to jagir lands and given to the nobles. This led to a loss of revenue for the royal treasury and further decline in the power of the emperor.

c) How did the wars of succession destabilize the Mughal empire? The death of a Mughal ruler was generally followed by wars of succession among rival claimants to the throne. These civil wars proved very costly and destructive. They drained the resources of the empire, caused frequent political upheavals and made the empire unstable and weak.

2) With reference to the decline and disintegration of the Mughal empire discuss the following: a) The breakdown of Mansabdari system The Mansabdari system which worked well during Akbar, began to breakdown towards the end of 17th century. Later, an increase in the number of mansabs and shortage of jagirs led to corruption and inefficiency in the system. The mansabdars did not maintain their quota of troops and adopted corrupt methods. This led to a decline of the military strength of the Mughal empire.

b) The weakness of the Mughal army The Mughal army failed to keep pace with the times. The Mughal rulers did not have a navy and made no efforts to establish one. Their equipment and techniques of warfare were obsolete and ineffective. Nothing was done to reform, modernize and strengthen the army.

c) Aurangzeb’s religious policy Aurangzeb’s policy of religious intolerance shook the foundation of the empire and resulted in the Deccan Campaign with the Marathas, which proved to be very costly. The cordial relationship with the Sikhs, the Marathas, the Jats and the Rajputs was destroyed forever. He also lost the support of the Rajputs who had earlier contributed to the stability of the Mughal empire but now they became bitter enemies of the Mughals.

3) To what extent were the following factors responsibe for the eventual collapse of the Mughal empire: a) Economic bankruptcy:- A major cause of the disintegration of the Mughla empire was its economic bankruptcy. The enoumous sums of money was spent by Shah Jahan on magnificent monuments like the Taj Mahal had drained the royal treasury. Aurangzeb’s Deccan campaign was a financial disaster that ruined the empire and made its collapse inevitable.

b) Foreign invasions:- The invasions of Nadir Shah, the ruler of Persia (Iran), and Ahmad Shah Abdali, the ruler of Afghanistan, shattered the power and prestige of the Mughals. Nadir Shah plundered and looted Delhi and carried away valuable treasures, including the priceless Kohinoor diamond and the Peacock throne. Ahmad Shah Abdali plundered northern India repeatedly.

c) Weak successors:- The successors of Aurangzeb were weak and inefficient, weak and pleasure loving. They were puppets in the hands of the powerful ambitious nobles who controlled the administration. The provincial governors took advantage of the weak government at the center and set up independent kingdoms in the Mughal provinces. This led to the break-up and collapse of the empire.

NOTE: Please read the brief description on the chapter carefully and take down the notes in your exercise copies.

STAY SAFE AND STAY HEALTHY.