What were the causes and consequences of the decline of the Mughal Empire?
2.1 Aurangzeb’s reign
Coming To Power
- Shah Jehan felt ill in 1657
- Dara Shikoh eldest son was the preferred successor
- Every son wanted power
- 1658
- Murad and Aurengzeb defeated Dara Shikoh
- Shah Jehan asked Aurengzeb not to march on Agra
- Aurengzeb decided he take control to establish order
- May 1658
- Imperial army led by Dara Shikoh
- Defeated by Aurengzeb
- Shah Jehan taken prisoner
- Allowed to live in Agra till 1666
- Buried in Taj Mahal
Establishing Himself as Emperor
- War against Rajputs between 1679-1681
- Rebellion by Sikhs
- Rebellion by Satnamis in Mewar
- Rebellion by Jatts in Gokal
- War with Pathans in North West Frontier
- Maratha Issue
- Deccan (Hyderabad-Deccan in Southern India)
- Leader was Shivaji
- Defeated and brought to Agra as prisoner
- Escaped and resumed fighting
- 25 years of warfare
- Mughal treasury emptied
- Taxes rose
- Emperor lost control as away from Capital
- Mughal treasury emptied
- Mughal Empire at time of Aurengzeb’s death was largest
- Kashmir to Karnatak
- Ghazni to Chittagong
2.2 Aurangzeb’s Policies
- Criticized
- Had mixed impact
· Intolerant towards other religions
- Jizya restored
- Non-Muslim tax (DO MENTION THIS)
- Destroyed Hindu temples
- Hindu were majority
- Turned against him
- Tried to ban suttee
- Forced Hindus and Sikhs to live according to Islam
- Turned population against him
· Orthodox approach
- More strong follower of Islam, but not intolerant of other religions
- Hindu advisors employed to court
- Donation to Hindu temples
· Austere measures
- Censoring public morals
- Banned consumption of alcohol
- Banned singing and dancing at court
- Determining the maximum length a person can keep of his beard
- People felt forced to live life the Aurengzeb’s way
· Popular measures
- Taxes reduced on traders
- HOWEVER taxation still very high
- Due to constant warfare
- Due to his extravagant spending’s
- Pearl Mosque at Delhi
- ONLY used for Aurangzeb’s private prayers
- Unpopular at time of daeth
- Died in 1707
- HOWEVER taxation still very high
2.3 From Aurengzeb to the Empire’s End
- Serious succession disputes
- Aurangzeb’s division of empire rejected by his sons
- Prince Muazzam
- Bahadur Shah I
- 4 Years
- His 4 sons fought
- Jahandar Shah
- Murdered in 1 year
- 12 different people became emperor
- Within 10 years after Aurangzeb’s death
- Muhammad Shah became emperor in 1719
- Ruled for almost 30 years
- Last person who can really claim to be emperor
- Invasions
- Nadir Shah of Persia
- 1738
- Muhammad Shah defeated at Karnal in 1739
- Captured and sacked Delhi
- Took territories West of Indus River
- Took a lot of booty
- Mughal’s weaknesses became exposed
- Marathas
- Hindu Empire
- Southern India
- 25 Years of Warfare
- Took lands from Mughals
- 1737
- Defeated Mughals and plundered Delhi
- By mid-eighteenth century
- Most powerful force in India
- Afghans
- 1747
- Ahmad Shah Durrani (Abdali)
- Kabul, Peshawar and Lahore
- 1749
- Took Punjab
- 1756
- Kashmir
- Multan
- Defeated Marathas
- Battle of Panipat
- 1761
- Final Days
- Ahmad Shah Durrani
- Placed Muhammad Shah’s son
- Ahmad Shah on throne
- Ahmad Shah imprisoned by court
- Died in captivity
- Alamgir II
- Assassinated by chief minister
- Shah Alam II
- Next emperor
- Stayed in Bihar
- Did not return to Delhi for 12 years
- Shah Alam II
- Defeated by British in Battle of Buxar
- British took Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
- 1803
- British captured Delhi
- Placed emperor under British protection
- Shah Alam II’s son
- Akbar II
- Ruled parts of Delhi
- Some other area
- Bahadur Shah II
- Exiled for role in War of Independence
- Died in Rangoon
- His sons were killed
- Mughal Empire over
- Assassinated by chief minister
- Placed Muhammad Shah’s son
- Ahmad Shah Durrani
- 1747
- Nadir Shah of Persia
2.4 Reasons for Fall of Mughal Empire
- Administrative issues in large empire
- Very large
- Decisions have to reach thousands of miles
- Difficult for emperor to know everything
- Mansabdari system
- Still problematic to manage
- Emperor could only know and take steps about rebellion after a long-time
- Military issues
- Maratha conflict
- Other wars
- Huge spending
- Separatist elements
- Invaders
- Succession Disputes
- Shah Jehan’s sons
- Succession disputes could not be avoided
- Lack of quality military
- In power for long time
- Thought no one can defeat them
- Let their armies frail
- Mughal strength exposed
- Marathas became powerful
- In power for long time
- Extravagance
- Mughal nobility focused more on seeking pleasures
- Stopped following Islam properly
- Had finest clothes and food
- One friend of Akbar
- Ordered 100 courses on each meal
- Emperors were not a role model
- Extravagance on fine buildings
- Pearl Mosque in Delhi
- Lack of proper control
- Nobles became powerful
- Even assassinated Alamgir II
- Mansabdari system not properly managed
- Administrative efficiency reduced
- Unrest increased
- Tax revenue declined.
- Nobles became powerful
British Power
- East India Company
- Had support of British government
- The strongest country in the world
- Industrial Revolution
- Cheap production
- High amounts to spend on mlitary
- Strong military
- Modern weapons
- Mughals had to chance of beating them.
- Had support of British government
2.5 British Influence
- East India Company (EIC)
- Goa in 1510 entered Portugese
- EID given permisison in 1600
- By Queen Elizabeth 1
- Monopoly of trade between Britain and areas East of Africa
- Wanted to take control of spice trade in East Indies
- Now called Indonesia
- Dutch were firm in spice trade
- EIC then entered Surat in 1608
- Given permission to trade in 1612
- By Shah Jehan who was at taht time the governor of Gujrat
- EIC Power
- 1664
- Headquarter in Bombay
- 1690
- Trading post in Calcutta
- Spices, silks, cotton
- Bombay, Madras and Calcutta
- Main bases
- Called Presidencies
- 1686
- Went to war with Aurangzeb
- Were defeated
- Pardoned after heavy fine
- Successful against Other nations who wanted Indian trade share
- Defeated Portugese and Dutch in 17th Century
- 1664
- French came to India
- Robert Clive of EIC
- Defeated French
- Established government in parts of India
- 1664
- Robert Clive
- EIC general
- Won Battle of Plassey in 1757
- Was made governor of Bengal
- Was charged with plundering Inda in after Buxar
- Found not guilty
- Opium addiction + disgrace
- Took his life in 1773
- Battle of Plassey
- 1756
- Siraj ud Daulah approached by French
- Attack EIC base in Calcutta
- He captured the city
- 1757
- Rober Clive attacked with EIC forces
- Nawab was defeated
- His body found in river after battle
- Siraj Ud Daulah’s general
- Mir Jafar
- Treachery
- Was made Nawab of Bengal by EIC
- Had to give gifts of land and money to EIC
- 1764
- Mir Jafar’s Son
- Mir Qasim
- Nawab of Oudh
- Shah Alam II (Mughal Emperor)
- Failed attempt to drive British out of Bengal
- Battle of Buxar
- British won
- Revenue collecton in Bihar, Orissa and Bengal came under EIC
- Oudh came under their influence
- Mir Jafar’s Son
- Exploitation of Bengal
- Heavy exploitation
- EIC received personal gifts from Indians
- Trade monopoly in Bengal
- Huge profits
- Serious famine
- Local people exploited
- Many died
- Robert Clive
- Admitted to the serious bribery and corruption
- British took control
- 1773
- Act of Parliament
- EIC required to provide good governance in India
- 1784
- Pitt’s India Act
- Or India Act
- Direct control of Indian possession
- EIC continued to trade
- No more administrative powers
- Governor-General appointed to control three presidencies
- Provincial governors also appointed
- Commander in Chief of Armed forces
- Professional police force
- Legal system
- Professional civil service
- Indians cannot be part of it
- Only British allowed in it.
- British expanded power
- 1782
- Warren-Hasting
- First Governor General
- Ended First Maratha War
- Signed Treaty with Marathas
- 1799
- Governor-General Wellesley
- Mysore invaded
- Tipu Sultan killed
- Took over Mysore
- Nawab of Oudh defeated
- Had to give large parts of their lands to the British
- 1803
- Delhi entered by British
- Mughal emperor placed under British protection
- 1818
- British defeated Marathas in Second Maratha War
- British control over them
- Titu Mir
- Syed Mir Nisr
- Bengali Freedon Fighter
- 1822
- Went to Mecca on Hajj
- 1827
- Returned
- Free Bengal from un Islamic practices and British Rule
- 15,000 army
- Bamboo fort in Narkelbaria
- October 1831
- British were defeated
- Anotehr British army arrived
- Had cavalry
- Had cannon
- Modern weapons overwhelmed Titu’s army
- Titu and many followers died
- 5 days of battle
- British commander praised Titu and his men for their bravery
- Annexaton of Sindh
- Russion Expansion in Afghanistan concerned British
- Ranjit Singh and British agreement
- Afghanistan to remain independent
- Ranjit did not help British install a pro-british ruler in Kabul
- Afghanistan rebellion 1841
- All British in Afghanistan killed
- British pride hurt
- Wanted to take Sindh
- Amirs of Sindh had treaty of friendship with British since 1809
- British wanted Sindh to stop if from being gained by Nadir Shah
- Sir Charles Napier instigated the Amirs to attack British Residency in 1843
- Used this as an excuse
- Attached Sindh
- Annexed it
- Annexation of Punjab and North West Frontier Province
- Ranjit Singh died in 1839
- Had signed treaty with British in 1809
- Sikhs attacked British
- British defeated Sikhs in Battle of Aliwal
- January 1846
- Treaty of Lahore signed
- Lands and indemnity given to British
- Raja of Jammu
- Gulab Singh
- Helped British
- Allowed to Purchase Kashmir
- Became Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir
- Second Sikh War 1848-1849
- Defeated
- Punjba and North West Frontier Province
- Annexed by British
- 30 Marc 1849
- North West Frontier became the scientific and Natural frontier
- By Lord Curzon
- Improve British relations with Tribal Territory
- Viceroy Lord Lytton 1876
- Gave idea of separate India from Tribesmen
- Reduce tribal warfare
- Sir Mortimer Durand
- 1893
- Agreement made with Amir Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan
- Border made
- Durand Line
- Scientific boundary based on British defence needs
- No intereference by each party on other’s side
- In some places the local rulers were under British influence due to treaties
- British had control of external matters
- British placed their own resdent in territory to advise the ruler
- Doctrine of Lapse
- 1852
- Governor General Dalhousie
- Ruler died without natural heir
- British took his lands
- Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi under British control
- Unpopular
- Used as excuse to grab land
- 1856
- Nawab of Oudh died
- There were legal heirs
- British still grabbed Oudh
- Claimed Nawab governed his people badly
- British were dominant in India
- Ranjit Singh died in 1839
- 1782
- 1773
- 1756
2.6 Reason For British Success
- British Strengths
- Industrial Revolution
- Advance technology
- Money from trade
- Superior weapons
- Better means of communication
- Confidence that they will win
- British considered themselves superior to Indians
- Their duty to spread their superior culture across the globe
- India presented opportunity due to ledership gap
- Great trade opportunities that they did not want to miss
- They believed they wold win
- They believed it their destiny to rule the world
- Indian Weaknesses
- Mughal Empire decline
- No unity in India
- Miilitarily Weak
- Divided in territories
- Different religions and cultures
- Further lack of unity
- Fought against each other
- Considered British as potential allies in fights with each other
- Wealthy fuedal lords
- Living on past glory
- No motivation to rule affectively
- Industrial Revolution
2.7 British Rule
- Lack of law and order
- Famine
- Monuments damaged
- Trade and agriculture dispupted
- Drain of Wealth
- Heavy salaries taken by British
- Revenues were used to buy goods to ship to Britain
- Soaking from River Ganges and Squeezing over River Thames
- Charter Act 1833
- Indians can be part of Civil Service
- Issue
- Exams taken in England
- In English
- So British in control
- British tried not to intervene in religion
- Did ban suttee in 1829
- Upper class of India had to become Anglicized
- 1834
- English became official language
- Persian replaced
- 1835
- Mode of education to be English
- Reforms introduced
- But opposition increased
- Christian Missionaries
- Not liked by Indians
- Technology was not welcomed such as railways
- English leader clamimed in 1800
- Natives of India do not like the British
- Would rise against British if received opportunity.
- 1834
Lesson Tags
The Decline of the Mughal Empire | The Rise of the British In India Complete | Detailed Notes For Revision | O Level Pakistan Studies 2059/01 and IGCSE Pakistan Studies 0448/01 | The History and Culture of Pakistan
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