Decline of the Mughal Empire

O Level Pakistan Studies History · Cultural and historical background to the Pakistan Movement: Mughal decline and the religious thinkers. A short explanation of the idea, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid, a worked example and practice questions with answers.

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The idea

The Mughal Empire was at its largest under Aurangzeb (1658 to 1707), but his rule also strained it. He reimposed the jizya tax on non-Muslims in 1679, which angered many Hindus and Rajputs, and he spent about 25 years fighting in the Deccan. These wars emptied the treasury and kept him far from the north.

After 1707 the emperors were weak. There was no fixed law of succession, so princes fought each other for the throne. The empire was too large to control, and governors in Hyderabad, Awadh and Bengal began to rule for themselves.

The Marathas and Sikhs grew strong, and invaders from Persia and Afghanistan showed how helpless Delhi had become.

Rules to remember

Common mistake

Students often mix up the two invaders. Nadir Shah (Persian) sacked Delhi in 1739; Ahmad Shah Abdali (Afghan) won at Panipat in 1761.

Worked example

A question asks which problem made the Mughal Empire weaker every time an emperor died. How do you work it out?

  1. Look for a problem that repeats at each death, not a single event such as one invasion.
  2. The Mughals had no fixed rule about which son should become emperor.
  3. So the princes fought each other, and these wars cost money, soldiers and able nobles.

Answer: The lack of a fixed law of succession, which led to wars of succession.

Practice questions

Try each one, then open the answer.

1. Which policy of Aurangzeb is most often said to have increased opposition from many of his Hindu subjects?

  1. A
    abolishing the mansabdari ranks of the nobles
  2. B
    introducing the Din-i-Ilahi as the court religion
  3. C
    banning all trade with the East India Company
  4. D
    reimposing the jizya tax on non-Muslims
Show answer

Answer: D. Aurangzeb reimposed the jizya in 1679, a tax Akbar had abolished, which alienated many Hindus including Rajput allies. Din-i-Ilahi was Akbar's, not Aurangzeb's.

2. Muhammad Shah, who ruled from 1719 to 1748, is remembered as 'Rangila'. What does this name suggest about his rule?

  1. A
    he was a strict soldier who pushed the empire further southwards
  2. B
    he was a reforming ruler who modernised and rearmed the army
  3. C
    he loved pleasure and the arts while real power slipped away
  4. D
    he was a religious scholar who codified Islamic law for the courts
Show answer

Answer: C. 'Rangila' means pleasure-loving. Under him governors broke away and Nadir Shah sacked Delhi, showing how weak the centre had become.

3. Which weakness in the Mughal system made a war of succession likely after the death of each emperor?

  1. A
    emperors were chosen by an elected council of nobles
  2. B
    there was no fixed law of succession
  3. C
    the throne passed by law to the emperor's eldest brother
  4. D
    the East India Company had to approve each new emperor
Show answer

Answer: B. With no rule such as succession by the eldest son, every prince could claim the throne, so each death brought civil war and weakened the empire.

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