Decline of Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire was one of the largest and most powerful empires in the history of the world. At its peak, it covered an area that encompassed nearly all of the Indian subcontinent.. The collapse and dissolution of the great Mughals dominated the first part of the 18th century. Their dominion was reduced to a few kilometers in diameter around Delhi. This fall also revealed the defects and inadequacies that existed in medieval society and the Mughal government. There are several reasons for the decline of the Mughal Empire, among which we’ll look into some.

• Causes of Decline of Mughal Empire:

• Aurangzeb’s faulty Policies: The Jats, Satnamis and Sikhs revolted as a result of this. His Deccan coverage ended in a protracted conflict with the Marathas, which brought the Mughal Empire to ruin. His actions depleted the Empire’s economic and military resources, resulting in the collapse of the whole administration
• Lack of Strong Successor: Following Aurangzeb’s death, a battle of succession between both the brothers for the throne erupted. By backing with one of the contenders, the nobility boosted their own influence. This is one of the causes of Decline of the Mughal Empire
• Degeneration of Rulers and Nobles: During the tenure of the later Mughals, there was a complete lack of successful nobility. This resulted in the disintegration of the Mughal Empire
• Deterioration of Army: The Mughal army was weakened and disheartened due to the Emperors’ failure to develop weaponry and battle methods. It was no longer a viable fighting force. This is a prominent one among the causes of decline of the Mughal Empire
• Economic Decline and bankruptcy: The royal treasury had been exhausted by Shah Jahan’s ardor for construction, which had resulted in a decline in trade and manufacturing. Aurangzeb’s continuous conflicts in the south had depleted the exchequer even more
• Poor Administration: The Empire had become too vast and unwieldy to be efficiently governed by a central authority under the weak rulers. It is a significant point in the decline of the Mughal Empire

• Mughal Emperors after Aurangzeb:

The death of Aurangzeb in 1707 delivered a serious blow to the Mughal Empire’s prospects in India. A quick succession war ensued, with Bahadur Shah-1 emerging victorious. His advanced age was a liability for the empire. He appeased the Rajputs, Marathas and other ethnic groups. He introduced policies that led to the empire’s expansion. In terms of the Sikhs and the Jats, however, they continued to show bigotry. In 1712, Bahadur Shah-1 died. In Indian politics, the period of nobles began after his death.

Impact of Decline of Mughal Empire.

During Aurangzeb’s long and powerful rule, the Mughal Empire’s unity and stability were shattered. The Mughal Empire, however, was still formidable and the Mughal army was still considerable when Shah died in 1707. However, by 1761, the Mughal Empire was just an empire in name, as provincial forces used their limitations to proclaim independence. There were a variety of new states that appeared.

Successor States

Successor states were governments formed by Mughal provincial governors who never legally broke their ties with the central government, but who essentially exercised local autonomy on areas of power execution. These were the following:

• Murshid Kuli Khan was the founder of Bengal, an independent state

• Kilich Khan, also known as Nizam-ul- Mulk, was the founder of the Asaf- Jah house in Hyderabad

• Saadat Khan, also known as Burhan-ul-Mulk, was the founder of the autonomous principality of Awadh

Rebel and Independent States

Against the Mughal Empire, the rebels established rebel states. Marathas, Sikhs, Jats and the Afghan kingdoms of Farukhabad and Rohilkhand are among them. Some autonomous kingdoms, such as Travancore, Mysore and Rajput kingdoms, contributed to the collapse of the Mughal Empire.