Decline of the Mughal Empire

War of Succession
• To get the throne, Aurangzeb had to fight with his brothers but this war for
throne turns out to be heavy on the treasury.
• Therefore, to avoid this situation among his three sons, he divided the
entire empire but in vain.
• They still fought over the throne, Prince Muazzam rise as the victor but he
died after a few years.
• Jahandar Shah was murdered within a year of being a victor.
• The succession disputes also affected the army strength because different
fractions of the army men were supporting different princes making the
empire vulnerable.
• After the death of Aurangzeb, there were 12 claims on the throne within
ten years.
• In 1719, Muhammad Shah became the emperor. He was the last to claim
the throne.

Reasons for decline

The Challenges of The Empire:
• It was an empire that was difficult to administrate.
• The disputes of succession take a huge toll on the treasury. Aurangzeb tried
to defend from it but failed.
• The cost on the wars to stop rebellions like Nadir Shah was heavy.
Rebel by Locals:
• Since the empire was very large, it became to keep an eye on everyone and
stop rebellion from the locals.
• The locals who were in power such as the Zamindars (landlords) built their
armies.
• After the death of Aurangzeb, they grew stronger, denied to make tax
payments and accept any new emperor.

Rebel by Princes:
• As the Mughal Empire weakened, the Princes started rebelling to rule areas
independently.
• They tried to rule areas that are far from the Emperors reach and didn’t
make any contributions to the Empire’s treasury.

Rebel by Nawabs:
• The provincial governors, known as the ‘Nawabs’ were very important in
carrying out the instructions for the Emperor and Empire.
• Their loyalty towards the Mughals weakened as they became stronger and
powerful.
• In the 1720s, The Nawabs separated themselves from the Imperial control
and stopped sending revenues to the Empire's treasury.

Rebel by Marhattas:
• It was considered as the most serious reason for the decline of Mughals.
• Aurangzeb failed to defeat Marhattas before his death.
• Under the leadership of Sivaji, the Marhattas power expanded.
• In 1737, they defeated the Mughal army outside Delhi and took over
Malwa.
• In 1760, the even captured Delhi.
• They became the most powerful people during the middle of the century.
Invasion by Afghans & Persians:
• Since the Mughal Empire was divided within itself, it became vulnerable to
external invasions.
• The first armed invasion was led by Afghans and Persians.
• In 1738-1739, under the leadership of Nadir Shah, the Persians launched an
invasion.
• The invasion by Persians was nothing more than a successful looting
expedition.
• They looted the famous Peacock Throne, jewels and gold and returned
home.
• During 1747 – 1769, ten invasions were launched by the Afghan leader
Ahmed Shah in northern India.

Military Weakness & Extravagance:

• The Mughal army became over-confident that resultant in their downfall.
• The Mughals became self-observant and started spending their wealth on
personal pleasures.