Decline of Mughals - YUVA Competitive Academy

Reasons for Decline of Mughals:

Weak Successors: Following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, a succession of incompetent and pleasure-loving emperors (such as Jahandar Shah and Farrukhsiyar) ascended the throne. They became mere puppets in the hands of powerful nobles, eroding the centralized authority and prestige of the crown.
Economic Bankruptcy: Decades of continuous warfare under Aurangzeb drained the royal treasury. By the early 18th century, the empire was heavily in debt, and the financial strain made it impossible to maintain the army and administration effectively.
Foreign Invasions: Devastating incursions by external forces, most notably the invasions of Nader Shah (1739) and Ahmad Shah Abdali, completely shattered the military strength of the empire. They plundered the wealth of Delhi (including the Peacock Throne) and exposed the empire’s utter vulnerability.
The Jagirdari Crisis: A severe shortage of revenue-assigning lands (jagirs) led to fierce competition among the nobility. Nobles frequently transferred and hoarded lands, resulting in the severe oppression of the peasantry and a breakdown in local administrative control.
Rebellions and Agrarian Distress: As central authority weakened, regional groups—such as the Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, and Rajputs—rebelled and established independent or autonomous states. Concurrently, heavy taxation and the collapse of the jagirdari system caused widespread peasant unrest and a decline in agricultural production.
Religious Policy: Aurangzeb’s orthodox policies, including the reimposition of the Jizya tax and the alienation of long-time Hindu allies, severely disrupted the social fabric of the empire. This alienated core support groups and triggered widespread resistance, destroying the pluralistic foundation that once stabilized Akbar’s vast empire.

Weak Successors:

Bahadur Shah I (1709-March 1712): After a nearly two-year-long war of succession, the 63-year-old Prince Muazzam, the eldest son of Aurangzeb, became the emperor, taking the title Bahadur Shah. He was later called Bahadur Shah I.
Jahandar Shah (March 1712-February 1713): With the help of Zulfikar Khan, Jahandar Shah became the emperor. Zulfikar Khan was appointed prime minister; Jahandar Shah abolished Jaziya.
Farrukhsiyar (1713-1719): After killing Jahandar Shah with the help of Sayyid brothers-Abdulla Khan and Hussain Ali, Farrukhsiyar became the new emperor. He followed a policy of religious tolerance by abolishing Jaziya and pilgrimage tax. In 1717, he gave farmans to the British.
Rafi-ud-Darajat (February 28 to June 4, 1719): He ruled for the shortest period among the Mughals.
Muhammad Shah (1719-48): After the death of Rafiud-Daula, Raushan Akhtar became the choice of the Sayyid Brothers. In 1739, Nadir Shah defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Karnal and later imprisoned Muhammad Shah and annexed areas west of the Indus into the Persian empire.
Ahmad Shah (1748-1754): Ahmad Shah, a weak leader, gave Udham Bai, the “Queen Mother,” control of the government. In 1748, during his reign, Ahmad Shah Abdali launched his first invasion of India.
Alamgir II (1754-1758): Jahandar Shah’s grandson Alamgir II. The Iranian conqueror Ahmed Shah Abdali arrived in Delhi in January 1757. In June 1757, the Battle of Plassey took place under his rule. In 1759, Imad-ul-Mulk, his Wazir, assassinated him.
Shah Alam II (1759-1806): The Third Battle of Panipat and the Battle of Buxar were two main events that occurred during his rule. He was placed under the protection of the East India Company in 1765.
Akbar II (1806-37): He gave the title of Raja to Rammohan Rai. In 1835, the coins bearing the names of Mughal emperors were stopped.
Bahadur Shah II (1837-1857): Bahadur Shah II or Bahadur Shah Zafar (Zafar being his surname) was the last Mughal emperor.

Successor States: Awadh, Bengal, Hyderabad

Independent States: Mysore, Carnatic State

Rebel States: Marathas, Jats, Rohillas, Punjab – Sikhs

Successor States:

Bengal:

Murshid Quli Khan was the Diwan of Bengal under Aurangzeb and was made the Governor of Bengal under Farruksiyar.
His appointment as subadar of Bengal in 1717 strengthened his position immensely by giving him, for the first time in any province, the joint powers of the Diwan and the Nazim.
He shifted his capital to a central town in Bengal which was renamed Murshidabad.
He abolished the system of separate offices of the Nazim and the Diwan and combined both the offices. By combining these two posts he wanted to strengthen the power of the governor.
Sarfaraz was nominated by Murshid Quli as his successor. However, he was deposed by his father Shujauddin Muhammad Khan.
The way Murshid Quli tried to develop a system of administration of his own was also pursued by Shuja. He also developed ties of loyalty with different local power groups to retain his control over the province.
In 1740, Alivardi Khan came to power who killed Sarfaraz Khan, the legitimate successor to Shujauddin, and seized power. Alivardi was backed by the Zamindars and bankers.
It was Alivardi’s reign, which marked a virtual break with the Mughals. All major appointments were now made without any reference to the emperor and finally, the regular flow of revenue to Delhi was stopped.
An 1756, Siraj-ud-daula became the Nawab of Bengal on the death of his grandfather Alivardi Khan.

Hyderabad:

Chin Qilich Khan was first appointed a subadar (in charge of province) by the Mughal emperor in 1713.
But only after a military victory over his rival Mughal appointee in 1724 that he could take effective charge of the Deccan.
Subsequently, he removed the Mughal officials in Hyderabad and installed his own men. He also assumed the right of making treaties, wars and granting Mansabs and titles. He, later, assumed the title of Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf-Jah and governed the Deccan as an independent ruler.

Awadh:

Saadat Khan was the governor of Awadh in 1722. He had helped in overthrowing of the Sayyid Brothers.
He was able to subdued rebellions by the local rajas and chiefs within a year and was conferred with the title of Burhan-ul-Mulk by Muhammed Shah in appreciation. He tried to build a power base in Awadh.
In order to consolidate his position, he suppressed the rebellious of local Zamindars and chieftains and systematised the revenue collection.
Saadat, nominated his son-in-law Safdar Jung as his successor without asking for imperial sanction. He reorganized the revenue arrangements of the province.
Safdar Jang’s successor Shuja-ud-daula achieved greater success in consolidating the expanding frontiers of the province and in adjusting the relations of his independent Suba with the Mughal empire.

Mysore:

Originally a vice- royalty under the Vijaynagara empire in the sixteenth century, Mysore was gradually transformed into an autonomous principality by the Wodeyar dynasty.
Its centralised military power began to increase from the late seventeenth century under Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar (1672-1704), but it reached its real period of glory under Haidar Ali.
Haidar Ali had started his career as a junior officer in the Mysore army and gradually rose to prominence.
By 1761, he took over political power in Mysore by ousting the corrupt prime minister; Nanjraj, who had in the meanwhile usurped real power in the kingdom by reducing the Wodeyar king into a mere titular head.
Haider’s son Tipu Sultan succeeded him after his death in 1782.
New calendar, new coinage system & new scales of weights & measures.
French revolution: Planted a ‘Tree of Liberty’ at Seringapatam & he became a member of a ‘Jacobian Club’. He sent ambassadors to France to bring in European technology, went on to build a navy, with ambition to participate in oceanic trade.
He was the only one who understand the threat of the English.
Tried to establish modern navy.

Carnatic:

One of the subahs of Mughal Deccan and thus came under Nizam.
Deputy governor known as Nawab of Carnatic. Made his office hereditary
Nawab Saadatullah Khan made his nephew Dost Ali his successor without approval of Nizam
Founder of Nawayath dynasty

Jats:

Agriculturists, lived in around Delhi, Agra & Mathura.
The first revolt of the Jat peasants took place in 1669 and the emperor himself had to proceed to suppress this rebellion. In 1686 the Jats revolted again; this time the Mughal imperial power was able to achieved some success against them, but failed to curb their power completely.
The Jat state of Bharatpur was set by Churaman & Badan Singh.)
Reached its highest glory under the Suraj Mal (1756-1763).
Extended his authority from the Ganga in the east to Chambal in the south, Subah of Agra in the west to Subah of Delhi in north.

Bangash Pathans and Rohillas:

Muhammad Khan Bangash, an Afghan adventurer, established his control over territory around Farrukhabad (during the reign of Farrukh Siyar & Mohammad shah).
The The region is identified as modern Aligarh & Kanpur.
Ali Muhammad Khan carved out a separate principality, known as Rohilkhand.
With its capital 1st at Aolan in Bareilly & later at Rampur.

In summary, Rulers of Successor States after the decline of Mughals:

Awadh: Shuja-ud-daula
Bengal: Siraj-ud-daula
Hyderabad: Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf-Jah
Mysore: Haidar Ali & Tipu Sultan
Carnatic: Dost Ali
Jats: Suraj Mal
Rohillas: Ali Muhammad Khan