The Decline of the Mughal Empire
(Longman Pearson)
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. The Irani nobles in the Mughal court came from Persia.
2. The revolts of the Rajputs, Jats, Marathas and Sikhs plagued the region of Aurangzeb.
3. The two foreign invaders who plundered India during the eighteenth century were Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali.
4. The two European companies that came to India as traders were the British and French East India companies.
5. When Aurangzeb died in 1707 he was succeeded by Bahadur Shah I.
6. Nadir Shah looted the Kohinoor diamond and the Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan.
7. The piece of land given to the Mughal officials as payment for their services was called Jagirs.
8. The Mughal Emperor, Akbar created a strong military organization on the basis of the mansabdari system.
9. The rulers who succeeded Aurangzeb were known as the later Mughals.
10. The Mughal Emperor was Bahadur Shah Zafar.
11. The mid-eighteenth century saw the beginning of the modern period of Indian history.
12. Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India five times between 1748 and 1761.
13. The increasing exploitation of the peasantry led to violent uprisings, which is also referred to as the agrarian crisis.
II. Answer these questions.
1. Do you think that Aurangzeb's policies were solely responsible for the decline of the Mughal Empire? Give reasons for your answer.
= Many historians believed that Aurangzeb's policies played a major role in weakening the unity and stability of the Mughal Empire.
❐ His policy of religious intolerance proved fatal for the empire. As a result, he had to face revolts from the Rajputs, Marathas, Jats and Sikhs.
❐ He lost the support of the Rajputs, who were not only very powerful locally, but they had also provided stability to the Mughal administration system.
❐ Aurangzeb's long war in the Deccan against the Marathas depleted the resources. His aggressive policies therefore drained the Mughal treasury and alienated long time allies of the empire.
2. What were the consequences of the war of succession of the Mughal Empire?
= The consequence of the war of succession on the Mughal Empire are:
❐ The death of a Mughal ruler was usually followed by a war of succession fought between the rival claimants to the throne. It led to bitterness, bloodshed and frequent rebellions.
❐ The burden on the treasury increased because of these wars of succession.
❐ This also led to frequent political upheaval and made the empire unstable.
3. Name the different factions of nobles present in the Mughal court.
= The Mughal nobility consisted of various groups such as the Turanis, Afghans and Shaikhzadas. These groups were suspicious and jealous of each other and remained involved in a continuous struggle for power. This not only weakened the administration but greatly undermined the prestige and authority of the Mughal Empire.
4. Write a short note on the jagirdari crisis.
= Akbar had created a strong military and civil administration on the basis of the mansabdari system. The mansabdars had to maintain a fixed-size army in lieu of their mansabs. The period after Akbar saw an increase in the number of mansabdars. It reached its peak during Aurangzeb's period. Increased in the numbers , accompanied by shortage on jagirs, made the system extremely corrupt. The mansabdars did not maintain their quota of army and adopted corrupt methods. Over a period, this weakened the Mughal army. In addition, the Mughals did not maintain a navy. Their military equipments and weapons were traditional. No attempt was made to strengthen and reform the army.
5. How did the jagirdari crisis give rise to the agrarian crisis in the empire?
= Under Aurangzeb, there were acute shortage of jagirs. The nobles vied with each other for the most profitable jagirs, leading to corruption. As a result of this crisis, the jagirdars began to extract more revenue from the peasantry because they knew well that the jagir given to them could for a very short period of time.
The exploitation of the peasantry led to violent uprisings of the peasants. It is also reoffered to as the agrarian crisis.
6. How did foreign invasions during the time of the later Mughals affect the Mughal Empire?
= The foreign invasions proved fatal for the already weak and politically unstable Mughal Empire.
❐ Nadir Shah, the ruler of Persia, plundered Delhi in 1739 and carried away with him immense wealth, including the Kohinoor diamond and the jewel-studded Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan.
❐ Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India five times between 1748 and 1761.
These repeated raids and invasions resulted in further weakening of the empire.
7. How do you think the Europeans took advantage of the gradual disintegration of the Mughal Empire?
= The already weakened Mughal Empire was further destabilised by the growing power of the English and the French East India Companies. The British and the French, who had initially came as the traders, took full advantage of the political instability and very soon were able to carve out their own dominion in India.
8. Who were the later Mughals? Name the later rulers who ascended the throne after Aurangzeb's death.
= The Mughal Rulers who succeeded Aurangzeb were known as the later Mughals.
Later Mughals are:
❐ Bahadur Shah I (1707-1712)
❐ Jahandar Shah (1712-1713)
❐ Farrukhsiyar (1713-1719)
❐ Muhammad Shah (1719-1748)
❐ Ahmad Shah (1748-1754)
❐ Alamgir II (1754-1759)
❐ Shah Alam II (1759-1806)
❐ Akbar II (1806-1837)
❐ Bahadur Shah Zafar (1837-1857)
9. Aurangzeb's successors were also responsible for the disintegration of the Mughal Empire. Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer.
= I agree with the statement. The later Mughal rulers were weak and lacked character, motivation and commitment to rule the empire strongly.
The luxurious lifestyle led to financial bankruptcy. Several provincial governors took advantage of the situation and became independent. This led to the disintegration of the Mughal Empire.
10. Name the kingdoms that emerged when the Mughal Empire began to decline.
= The regional kingdoms that emerged when the Mughal Empire began to decline are:
❐ Marathas.
❐ Awadh.
❐ Bengal.
❐ Rohillas.
11. How did Aurangzeb's conquest and military expansion affected the Mughal Empire?
= The later Mughal rulers were weak and lacked character, motivation and commitment to rule the empire strongly.
Their luxurious lifestyle led to financial bankruptcy. Several provincial governors took advantage of the situation and became independent. This led to the disintegration of the Mughal Empire.
12. What were the economic factors that led to the decline of the Mughal Empire?
= The economic factors that led to the decline of the Mughal Empire are:
❐ The Mughal Empire faced the problem of stagnation in agricultural production and trade during the first half of the eighteenth century. This contributed significantly to the process of decline.
❐ Under Aurangzeb, there were acute shortage of jagirs. The nobles vied with each other for the most profitable jagirs, leading to corruption. As a result of this crisis, the jagirdars began to extract more revenue from the peasantry because they knew well that the jagir given to them could for a very short period of time.
13. Explain how Aurangzeb's policy of religious intolerance proved fatal for the empire.
= His policy of religious intolerance proved fatal for the empire. As a result, he had to face revolts from the Rajputs, Marathas, Jats and Sikhs.
III. Write short notes.
1. Jagirdari crisis.
= Under Aurangzeb, there were acute shortage of jagirs. The nobles vied with each other for the most profitable jagirs, leading to corruption. As a result of this crisis, the jagirdars began to extract more revenue from the peasantry because they knew well that the jagir given to them could for a very short period of time.
The exploitation of the peasantry led to violent uprisings of the peasants. It is also reoffered to as the agrarian crisis.
2. War of succession in Mughal court.
= The absence of any definite law of succession to the Mughal throne was another important factor that caused the downfall of the empire.
❐ The death of a Mughal ruler was usually followed by a war of succession fought between the rival claimants to the throne. It led to bitterness, bloodshed and frequent rebellions.
❐ The burden on the treasury increased because of these wars of succession.
❐ This also led to frequent political upheaval and made the empire unstable.
3. Foreign invasion.
= The foreign invasions proved fatal for the already weak and politically unstable Mughal Empire.
❐ Nadir Shah, the ruler of Persia, plundered Delhi in 1739 and carried away with him immense wealth, including the Kohinoor diamond and the jewel-studded Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan.
❐ Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India five times between 1748 and 1761.
These repeated raids and invasions resulted in further weakening of the empire.
4. Aurangzeb's successors.
= The Mughal Rulers who succeeded Aurangzeb were known as the later Mughals.
The later Mughal rulers were weak and lacked character, motivation and commitment to rule the empire strongly.
Their luxurious lifestyle led to financial bankruptcy. Several provincial governors took advantage of the situation and became independent. This led to the disintegration of the Mughal Empire.
IV. Match the columns.
=
|
1. Marathas |
a. Turanis. [5] |
|
2. Ahmad Shah Abdali |
b. proclaimed independence. [b] |
|
3. Nadir Shah |
c. Jagirdari and agrarian crisis. [4] |
|
4. Aurangzeb |
d. invaded India five times. [b] |
|
5. Transoxiana |
e. Kohinoor diamond and Peacock Throne. [3] |
V. Give reasons.
1. The jagirdari crisis also led to the decline of the Mughal Empire.
= The jagirdars began to extract more revenue from the peasantry because they knew that the jagirs given to them could be for a very short period of time.
2. Repeated foreign invasion was a final blow to the Mughal Empire.
= Repeated foreign raids and invasions weakened the empire. The regional kingdoms became independent.
3. The later Mughals were inefficient.
= The later Mughals were weak and lacked character, motive and commitment. They led luxurious life and became financially weak.
4. Aurangzeb's religious policies weakened the unity and stability of the Mughal Empire.
= His policy of religious intolerance fatal for the empire. As a result, he had to face revolts from the Rajputs, Marathas, Jats and Sikhs.
VI. State whether true of false.
1. The decline of the Mughal Empire began during the reign of Jahangir. [F]
2. The Turani nobles were from Transoxiana. [T]
3. Ahmed Shah Abdali invaded Delhi in 1739 and looted the Kohinoor diamond. [T]
4. Nadir Shah invaded India ten times. [F]
5. The Marathas, governors of Awadh and Bengal declared their independence from the Mughal rule. [T]