WHAT WERE THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE DECLINE OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE? ime of the Mughal Empire 1c policies on the stabiliy | . as rulers > ot alEmpire | > anistan ent in the > I rulers of Delhi 50s to the Jn for a natural and scientific NW icy towards Tribal Territory ‘Aurangzeb seizes control and becomes Emperor ‘Aurangzeb dies. Period of instability 1719 Muhammad Shah takes control 1748 Ahmad Shah becomes Emperor Start of reign of Alamgir II Battle of Plassey Shah Alam II succeeds Alamgir Il Battle of Buxar 1784 India Act ‘IReVIQUESHIONS) addressed in this chapter How far was Aurangzeb responsible:for:thedecline of the Mughal Empire? How far did the Mughal:weaknesses:from:|707Z,make decline inevitable? What role:did the East:India Company, play in the decline of the Empire? Nawabs of Oudh defeated British enter Delhi Akbar II becomes Emperor Government of India Act Bahadur Shah I] comes to the throne Annexation of Sindh ‘Annexation of Punjab Doctrine of Lapse introducedThe Mughal Empire before Aurangzeb : Babur, the first Mughal Emperor KASHMIR Babur: The first Mughal Emperor The first Mughals were a ruling family from Central Asia first Mughal Emperor in India was Zahir-ud-Din Muha Babur as he is generally known. Babur was a Muslim who ruled in Turkestan and was expand his territory. In 1526, he defeated the Emperor of in the first Battle of Panipat. He then defeated other Indi and established himself as unchallenged ruler of northe Humayan: A Troubled Reign Babur ruled northern India for just four years before he d was succeeded in 1530 by his son, Humayan. The Afghan Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun in battle and took eo many of his territories. Humayan also had to face opposition his own brothers and it was not until 1555 that he resto control in the lands that Babur had won. But his succes short-lived. Just one year later he tripped on his own the steps of his library and fell to his death! Akbar: The Empire Extended Although he was only 13 years old when he. succeeded his fa the next Emperor, Akbar, extended the Mughal Empire fut He was greatly influenced by Sufi beliefs and in 1581 anno his ‘Din-e-lahi, a new religion containing elements of b Islam and Hinduism. This religion did not out after Akbar's death, oa ae the Mughal Empire was stron . laid for other Emperors to cong te foundations had conti Mughal control. nue to expand the lands Jehangir and Shah Jehan eventually overthrow the Mughals "at the British Jehangir’s son, Khurram, took th Shah Jehan. He was responsible for SO eae Mahal, in memory of his favourite wite ie famous 1 Mahal. Shi KEY Jehan also tried to extend the Empire in cans Paigns aga gall stn Mo Emo 608 the Persians and in modern day UzboricenP3!a were costly and ineffective. He did, noes Put hig wy Fig. 2.2: The Mughal Empire under Akbar Portuguese after they tried to forcibly comes” Sefeat th to Christianity. " Mustin al 12 ~9 jostle campaign and manoeuvre y) Aurangzeb Seizes Control {ns1657=Shahwehan-fellyseriousivill. This presented a serious problem for the Emperor as he hadafourssons, all of whom were of mature age, were alt Governors of important parts of the Empire and had {argetarmiestavallable. They alkwanted:tosbexthesEmperor! When it appeared that Shah Jehan was dying, they began to jostle for power. Two of them, Skaheshujarandawurad, actually ‘had eoinssstrucksinatheinname showing them as the new Emperor. However, the Eldest son, DaraaShikeh, was thought to be the Emperor's prefemedssuccessor. But could he establish himself in power? It seemed that he could not because in 1658, two of his brothers, ares But then, Shah Jehan recovered and ordered his to march on Agra. Aurangzeb replied that his father had lost control and it was important that he, Aurangzeb, take over and re-establish order. In May 1658 he led by DarasShikoh and tookshisifathenprisonem remain in Agra until his death in 1666, where he was 13FATE OF AURANG: Murad was imprisoned and later executed. i ‘Shal'Stiuja was killed whilst trying to raise an army to oppose his brother. Dara’Shikob proved more troublesome. Aurangzeb had to pursue him and, prisoner before executing him in 1659. B'S BROTHERS impact of Aurangzeb’s Polices om the Stability of the Mughal p, After defeating the Imperial army Aurangzeb took steps to establish Emperor. Although Shah Jehan had left the Empire larger and more peaceful other time in its history, this did not last. Aurangzeb was soon finding: of his time (and money) wasespentefighting. + There was YvamagainststhesRaiputs tog, terest ani Sikhs, and th@SatnamistieMewar and tho YatsamGokah, * Since Aurangzeb was keen to extend his Empire northwards, he fight_a tough campaign againstPathan@tnbes in the N Perhaps most costly for AUrangzeb Was the campaign fougt Maratha:tribe:in'the:Deccan. The Maratha leader, Shivall, was defeated in 1665 and brought as a prisonemtongra. However, he and was soon back in the Deccan leading the fight against A after however, almost emptied:the:Mughalitreasury. Although, Aurangzeb ¢ many problems in extending the Empire, by the time of his death in ad been, e g fro Kashmir to the Kam Fig. 2.5: The Empire of Aurangzeb 14 7Biiteore messures of the criticism is a onto his more austere measures, such ‘CORES of public morals. bannins and ‘court and eve Metermining the maximum length it to many people these were_wise and needy measures helping lives were lived in the ct manner. Not only did he have to but he also spent huge sums on ‘example of his extravagance is the famous aia) . private pravers. The taxes resulting from t that, by his death in he had become when he died and had ruled almost Smtvaveais. He achieved much, but it is also true that, during startiof decay.in the Empre-couid-be-seen, 6) "a v SOURCE A~ fast on Fridays ond during the period of Ramazan. He does not eat forbidden 's Court, no wicked talk, no backbiting oF lying is allowed. 20° written by an official in his court in 1668. The Effectiveness of Aurangzeb’s Successors Aurangzeb had become Emperor by defeating his rivals in battle. He was Getermined to avoid such a war after his death so he divided the Empire be his thireeisons. But he did not succeed aoe aaa and eventually Prince. . He survived only ‘and then his . but the victor, Jahandar Shah, was murdered within a year. In the deatn. weive 0 i The stable Mughal Empire had become weak and divided Ce and ruled for almostethintyayears: Dut he faced so much opposition, that he was really the last Mughal leader who could claim to be Emperor. 15During the eighteenth century, the Mughals found it increasingly difficut 0 with foreign attacks. In 4788 the Persian leader, \Na@IeSRah invaded the Mughal Empire. He d Muhammad Shah's forces at Karmalunm'739. After that he ae and Delhi, taking over territories west of the Indus. NadiniShvate did not ing , but only toswinsassmuchsbootysas;possible. When make himself Emperor, but only a prestige of the Mughals. Now people saw how weak the Empire had Another problem for the Mughals was the, in southernsindia and were a A third invading force came from Afghanistan. |i gained control of the Punjab and by 47561 u «Possessions. The weakness of the Mughal Empire can be seen by the the Mughals were unable to stop Maratha or Afghan expansion and i actually Ahmad:ShadsDurran? who defeated the Marathas expansion in therbattieronPanipa? However, as you will read below, by far the greatest threat to the Mughals from the British. However, the Empire he ruled was shrinking rapidly, as in the Empire continued to increase. Indeed, A im his own court and died in capti n 'vity. His successor, Alamgir II was: ont is chief minister and the next Empe eBihar and chose not to return to Delhi for another twel suffered hah Alam's defeat led to the British taki gal, Bil o Shah Alan's defeat led Ng control of Bengal, Bihar and aris’ H and placed the Emperor under ! Protection’, The British were now winning a Stranglehold on India and t {wo Emperors ruled in name only, Shah Alam’s son, led parts. but little more. His son, B, was expelled for his part in t! War of Independence and died in exile in R, ‘angoon. The once-mighty Mughal Empire was over, 16There are many reasons why the Mughal Empire declined. The eglinesmwas graduaband although some_historiansiblamenAurangzebsfomsowingsthesseed the Empire continued for another 150 years after his death. Perhaps the real answer to the question is that a number of factors combined to bring about the fall of one of Asia's most famous dynasties. The hugesEmpire was vervedifficuitsto-administes Obviously, Emperors what was happening in every part of the Empire. This was one Aurangzeb encouraged:thgruserofumansabdars, but many prope ‘When rebellions broke out, it was often many mont! take dacisivesactionpto end them Cleav action @-+ Military Costs The Mughal Empire was huge and within the Empire the differentspeonle and ditfersntratigions. As you \ the Emperors were cor hting rebellions, there have Thecost of putting down (2° fighting wars against invaders, such as Nadir Shah from Persia weS ERS @ + Succession it should also not be forgotten that it was often true that a when Stipisrarsudiad and there was a susvessionssispuie. WWnen Sah AA nf mode sick in 1657, all four sons ended up fighting to succeed him ~ even though he hae not yet died! It was to avoid costly wars ‘that Aurangzeb decided to divide the Empire between his three sons, but this was not successful and succession disputes _______’ continued to erode the Empire. @e Deelining Military-Expertise: las When dynasties are impowersfomiong:periods, it is easy to become ‘and to imagine that success will continue for ever. This happened with the Mughals So) until it was no longer an effective fighting force. When it became obvious that. discontented groups within the Empire were quick to act. Consider how ‘Aurangzeb was unable to deal with Shivaj'strebellioninthe-Decean, © WeakControb ‘As the wealth and influence of the ‘atteourt and some of the Emperors found it vel (some, such as Alamgir Ii were Sssassinated"by powerfulrcourtiers)) With weak control from the centre, the and qaministrative efficiency declined. Discontent grew and 7Now do Skills Book} the dimexoleslebanais, ‘n° pages 5-6 The EG wa was the government of what was possBy IS The Mughal Empire was in : What eventually pushed It into final decline was the ambition of the Bag EIC) tried », irading company, but behind It had been the first country to ex, roe, which were With the wealth this created, the afford: e:miltany:strenathewhichinesMushalsscouldsnotmeatc, Th together with the strength of the British, mean es in history was almost inetd of the Mughal Empire, fall of one of the mightiest dynastit ‘Administrative weakness Succession disputes expertiseth cent, itish. itis) a 2 i reretimes litle Otay Te jon about what we S 2 priya the term “British”. y the Hest definition of ss from Britain ich means England, ed coogi Wales and Ireland. itish coyimough the king or queen ane and rules all these akn os ahah of them has its vt that thown language. However, 1eVitabjahe language spoken by tost people. and the official R B) languaze. is English ——— CD TO UBARKENGS 1. What was the East India Company? 2, Why was the EIC inte-ested in India? =— ig 2,7; EIC bases in India in the early ighteenth century Enter the British Th was the itis who were SC (0 @stablishatradinglbas@s in India. most determine {®81G00 the English Queen, ie t up the SRO TETOER PeTTTECR pamiseon to @ group of merchants its own expeditions or car ne British government did not send out Of mdlvidubls to ds any, OUt its own trading, Instead it gave pormission to groups he government did, however, ake sure that thes groups The EIC was given the qlomopolysinitrade"5@hWVSSH "SHIR Sessa SaSESTAAP That meant that no other Britis ‘merchants ther British company could trade i re ares ompany could trade in that area but the Dutch had already won control of th other European power share it 1@ spice trade and would not let any So the East india Company tumed to India as an alternative 0 the, They first landed in Suratine1608, but it was not until «e12NhabtheyNereTallOWeENoNDSGINaMiNG, When the Governor of Gujarat (the future Shah Jehan) gr this permission he could not have imagined that one day the British wou p ruling all of India. The British influence in India @rewasIewly: At first the EIC had just a dewalvases on the (nidianmiesast, but by 166% they had established theinhiadquartersimiBombay. In 4690nentrading:postwasrestablishedtin'Galeutta. The EIC purchased spic silks and cotton from the Indians and trade was so profitable that the company soon had its ownthugesprivatesarmystorprotectsthestradingposts. By the earlyieighteenthicentury, the EIC had threeimaimbases, Bombay, Caleutt and Madras (Fig. 2.7). The company began to refer to these as ‘FSSIGSMGIES and they were later to become the MajOnprovinéssionBritishindia. At first, the arrival of the British: merchants brought benelits: nol oniy:to {HelBritishibutvalsotorthesMughalkEmpire: Indian merchants were able to sell their goods and became wealthy from the large amounts of silver being sent out from Britain to pay for them. At this time, the @ritiste However, the British began to develop plans for growth which would lead to direct competition with the Emperor. By the end of the seventeenth century the EIC was talking about ‘English dominion for all time to come The EIC even had the audacity to gostonwatewilhAurangzeDrieAG3S He defeated the company's forces andepardonedsthem only after they had apologised for the ‘i! crimes they may have done’. The company was also forced to pay a‘heawy:fine: But the EIC was more successful in fighting against 6tWemBuropearmnations who wanted the opportunity to share in the highly profitable Indian trade. During the seventeenth century but the They had set up their trading company in 1664 and soon came into conflict with the EIC. The military skills of the British general Robert Clive enabled the EIC to defeat the French and take advantage of India's 19Fig 2.8: Sir Robert Clive 'Clive’s victories in Indi 1751 Arcot 1757 Plassey 1761 Pondicherry a AD TO LEAENTING Pe omni at Plassey in 1757¢ 2. Why was this an important event in indiar history? crease British influence and contol It slowly bg veal Indian princes accept its authority ang ya snment in parts of India. Robert Clive was made Governor of Be, n Bri 8 out an investigation into his behaviour but his oP Pore eng guilty of the charge of Plundenng India’, the Although he was not age of coupled with his addiction to opium, caused ; Dr rageous and resourceful military .4 conditions to in its forces to make ‘own govel unsettle ‘expand able to set up | Seciion A Exam-style Questi Clive both as a cou! History has viewed ‘hecame an imperial statesman, and cso as gry) specu wh a ee cttempted to reform the Bengal ennisrany india's expense. fe intl reduce corruption, Clive was subjected C0 further political atiacks on, 0% return home in 1767. Accused of running a corrupt admintst he Fesponded: ‘I stand astonished at my own moderation ze i in From the web page of the British Army Museum. @. (a) According to this source what sort of person was Sir Konert Clive? ; — (British/Expansion from the 1750s to 1850s. The Battle of Plassey In 4756, the Frenchiencouraged the Nawab'of Bengali Siraj-ud=Daulah ‘0 = the El@%asetatiGalcuttar He capturedithercity, but was unable to keep con of it. In 4757. Clive arrived with a force of ElC soldiers and def Siraj Daulat's troops in the Battle of Plassey. The Nawab's body was found in a after the battle. Clive’s victory had been made easy by the ‘mirwafar. The EIC rewarded him by making"hin=NawabromBengal. This sh how British control was growing. Thus one ofdndialssrichesteprovinees fell un: British control. Mir Jafar was forced to give the company giftssofsancrandemon which helped make some of thedilGrofficialseveryatich, In 1764, Mir-Jafar's son, Mir Qasim joined forces with the Nawab of Oudh the MughaliEmperorShah"Alamll; to driv. : e the l@zouttonmBengal: They “Unsuccessful and after their defeat in ti eae iiliceancad ie! in the Battle of Buxar in 1764, British influen_* Biharand‘Oriss@ and also extended its influence into Oudh J Bengal Exploited 3 © The East Indi UGEXPFOS from its Monopoly-of:the:ttade:insBengal he coe atin accustomed to : and company mere Ist they made hi " which increased their we?! neal Luge Profits, the local people were exploited and many for the military vi 7 > rt 3 cy inane ce Era ss{ A British member of Pari British House of Commons claimingstha oa No civilised government ever existe | corrupt or more gree 1765 to 1784 d on the face of this earth which wa: dy than the government of the East India Company The British Govern Mis ie British government was forced to act to stop this misc L 3 eee 't passed an GENOME which recurved ine cama entasenpeme! GoWernmentstossioputhismANarEhy. ThenaneiaBA, the British government passe Intervenes ~ © Gaweandiorder had broken down in many places and there was frequent famine of ie in some ‘area. Warfare had damaged many of the great monuments of the past ir 4 and had also disrupted trade and agriculture. thé Some areas of India, such a! but fittle"of itwas shared ; . Instead it went into the pockets of the Indian nobility, or increasingly, the British rulers. 23do something to improve the situay in ent Sout Cart © edo or eta ay et om co ie India. But in practice there ee nce eOte : ‘employed about ey were cho: sony cpu ot but hoe mee put entirely Briish SOUP of on public examination, cet reality India was 9 (gm TOUESING ene RATEHERTPATE to the officiate became part of what Indian historiang vhadeyoutnnktne —calied (e ‘CxainiUTENe ca nue. was:coll6Cted for the TOs ar English of unlike in the past ras otereuseaiosuregoodsinatre neti pacodsinatwore men en, eorsh | qnaapauntnysetoaempian®. No wonder T . | of how British rule was ‘like 4 sponge. ‘drawing up ail the goo British Exploitation of India Romesh Dutt, who became president of Ci of Britain’s economic policy in India pepenes oe | sywas to make India subservient to the industries of Britain and to make an pa grow raw produce only 1o supply materials for the manufacturing ind ritae when he talked of Brit rule being ‘ike a sponge = congress in 1899, has written mm Historians have calculated that in the 150 years after the Battle of P! sum; £1000 million was transferred from India to Britain. This helps explain yt existed in India in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and may e why famines of 1877, 1878, 1889 and 1892 had such a devastating effect. It has ul that around 15 million people died in these famines. By the midsnineteenth:century, the British:were:firmly-established:in the Indian peasants and workers, life did not change much in the ea east 0f British rule — especially as the Britishawerercarefulmotitoreauserottens: ene tyingetorchenge:theneligious "2nd CUNUFa "PFACICES OME IGEN PEOPIS (alt they did banisutteetinns29) What dohisiorans mean For the uppenislasses, however, there was when they sy thatte be change in their way of life. if they wanted to suc aan 7 cee successful in the PANgICIZe'. TWOTEXAMAPIES prove this point: d they Hadatonbecy nineteenth century # <4n1834, English replaced Persian Indians had 4 NN > manne tt vas docided that aguanlinn sea of the adminis ‘Anglicized’? | These ch se changes reflected the Bore e duty’t0 govern Inia well. Sasa Wet they bad ia ki, wilt As the British began to introduce Indians Viewed the British as conquering on India. They didn't own about the new technolo fentury, an Englishman le thought that given t Bona Te y they would ‘giadly rise against us’ forms into India, oj ie lia, opposition grew. Me His arm westemers trying to impose their ©" the Brit eereee and they were very apprehel Such as railways, At the beginning o wi Sow” ’ follower Now do Skills Book Page 8 ee Gs)Tipu Sultan was the Sultan Mysore and a flerc courageous opponent of the British East India loved tigers ar fortress-city ¢ He even had a thr shaped and striped The British dish Tipu stoo particule that he re France. Th in France an‘ want revo spreading in Tipu was determin the British advance in India believed that to defeat British he had to match weapons. So it is said that he had 50 cannons 000 cannon balls and 10 muskets — as well as rockets and handguns. lap 70 Tipu Sultan riding into battle on his elephant fe! His army was so strong that he defeated the British in battle several times. But in 1799 I the British sent a huge force to attack Seringapatam and on 4 May Tipu and many of his followers were killed as they tried to resist the British attack. uo ryBritish Governor-Generals 1784-1856 John Macpherson 1785-86 | Sir John Shore 1793-98 Lord Cornwallis 1805-06 Lord Minto. 1807-13 ! Lord Amber 1823-28 Sir Charles Metcalfe 1835-36 Lord Ellenbrough 1842-44 Lord Dalhousie 1848-56 7 eNO ~ SOURCE A | tne British launched 4 huge assault of Tipu’s forltess ot shorty. Sat hae 1969, Tho British carried bambeo ladders y ham one walls. After fierce fighting they managed fos Fic through a breach in the wall and lant the British flag. Ty, u's army were discouraged by the British entering, Meee began to flee. But Tipu tefused to give in. He Wd The torts Gn fis tines! royal robes and fought with grec 3 [ Kept fining muskets which his servants handed to + were out hunting. Bul Tipu’s forces were heavily ou! ved a bad wound. His servor eventually Tipu rece’ fo lel them carry him away, but he refused. He fo: Gied and the British found his body under a heap night fell, He was given an honourable burial inh silish were delighted fo have defeated such o stic treasure chest provided them wil The and his fantas An account of the death of Tipu from a moder 1 Write down all the things you can learn about T this source. 2 Why do you think the Briti t Whry do, you fe British were so pleased t Section B Exam-style Questions A. What was the ‘EIC’? [4] B. Why was Britain able 5 to expand i continent in the period 1750-18507 [7] ‘——- C We se eeeorrteal Us ise pact the main reason for the . jal Empire? ive reasons for your answer. [14] 26