Class VIII

Subject: History
Chapter 5: India in the 18th Century

CW Notes
The decline of the Mughal Empire

Aurangzeb’s policies:

 Aurangzeb lacked the political skills of his predecessors and reversed the policy of
religious tolerance.
 His intolerance, combined with the many wars, made Rajputs, Marathas and Sikhs
his sworn enemies.
 These wars emptied the treasury. The empire was unable to pay its troops on time,
resulting in an army that was demoralised and disorganised.

The incompetent successors, wars of Succession and Court Politics:

 Later Mughals were lazy and used to a luxurious lifestyle, and therefore, wasted
wealth.
 There was no clear rule of succession; therefore, the death of a ruler used to lead to
the war of succession.
 The Mughal court was divided into four groups, i.e., Iranias, Turks, Afghanis, and
Hindustanis. These groups of nobles used to fight for supremacy, thus undermining
the Mughal rule.

Military weakness
 Under the negligence of the later Mughals, the two systems of Jagirdari and
Mansbdari, on which the military might of the Mughals rested, began to collapse.
 The Mughal army and navy were weak compared to the foreign invaders.

Foreign Invasions:

 Invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali served as a death blow to the
already crumbling Mughal empire.

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 Note on ‘Tipu Sultan’

 Tipu Sultan succeeded Hyder Ali as the ruler of Mysore in 1782. He continued the
war against the British.
 He did a lot to modernise the army and the industries in his kingdom. He was called
the ‘Tiger of Mysore’.
 He died in 1799, defending his capital, Seringapatam, from the British.

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