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Chapter 14 india in THe

eigHTeenTH CenTUry

The Mughal Empire flourished under the Great Mughals, whose rule began with Babur’s
accession in 1526 and ended with Auragnzeb’s death in 1707. Aurangzeb’s intolernt policies
caused revolts in different parts of the empire. His long wars in North India and in the
Deccan drained the Mughal treasury. Due to his long absence from Delhi, his nobles and
officials became powerful and ambitious. After Aurangzeb’s death, the empire declined
rapidly and some of its territories broke away to form independent kingdoms.

During Aurangzeb’s reign, the English and the French were the main rivals in the Indian trade
especially along the coastlines of the carnatic (Coromandel), the Konkan and Bengal. The
rivalry resulted in three wars called the carnatic wars (1744-1763), after which the French
won control over the carnatic, the Northern Circars (the coast north of the Carnatic), and
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Thus they became a political power in India.
The laTer mughals

The Later Mughals were 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 Alan II (1759-1806); Akbar Shah (1806-1837) and Bahadur Shah Jafar-II
(1837-1857). Bahadur Shah Jafar-II was the last and the 17th Mughal Emperor of India. In
this way, the Later Mughal ruled the sub-continent for 150 years (1707-1857).
They were not as capable as the Great Mughals. They were actually the puppets in the
hands of their shrewd nobles. Depending upon their origins, the nobles were divided into
three main rival groups-the Turanis from Turkistan, the Iranis from Iran and Hindustanis of
India. The provincial governors and important revenue and military officers were especially
powerful. They often played the role of kingmakers and conspired to place their favourites
on the Mughal throne. They even murdered several Mughal rulers such as Farrukhsiyar and
Alamgir II (1754-1759) and blinded Ahmad Shah (1748-1754) and Shah Alam (1759-1806).
The frequent change of rulers weakened central authority. Provinces broke away, thus
depriving the Mughals of a large amount of revenue. The Mughal revenue collectors grew
corrupt and oppressive, and this caused peasant revolts in many parts of the empire. The
north western frontiers were left unguarded, and this attracted foreign invaders.
breaKing uP Of The mughal emPire

Many independent states were established during Muhammad Shah’s reign. Some of these
such as Bengal, Awadh and Hyderabad were old Mughal provinces which did not break
formali ties with the Mughal Empire. Some such as the Rajput states of Amber (Jaipur)
and Jodhpur were watan jagirs under the Mughals, but now asserted their independence.
The others were the states formed by groups such as the Sikhs, Jats and Marathas who had
rebelled against the Mughals and won independence.

Old mughal PrOvinces

The prominent among these provinces were Hyderabad, Awadh and Bengal. They were
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