Decline of the Mughal Empire

Imagine the Mughal Empire as a grand, sprawling mansion. Aurangzeb was the last powerful caretaker of this mansion. While he kept it standing, the foundation had already begun to crack. After his death in 1707, the structure weakened rapidly, and soon, walls started collapsing.

🟡 Condition After Aurangzeb’s Death (1707)

Now many people think that the empire collapsed immediately after Aurangzeb. But that’s not entirely true.
Let’s clarify:

• Administration was still relatively efficient.
• State finances were better than the later 18th century.
• The Mughal dynasty still held prestige.

So what went wrong?

🔴 Beginning of Disintegration

The first visible signs of disintegration started with the Wazir Nizam-ul-Mulk. In 1724, he resigned from his central post and established an independent state in Hyderabad.
This was symbolic: the empire was now breaking physically—province by province.

💡 These newly independent states still acknowledged the Mughal Emperor nominally, like saying “We respect the King”, but they no longer followed his orders.

By the time of the Third Battle of Panipat (1761), the Mughal Empire was reduced to a small region around Delhi.

Eventually, Delhi was taken by the British, and by 1857, the Mughal Emperor was a mere pensioner, and then, the dynasty ended.

⚫ Major Causes of the Decline

Let’s now understand the root causes. You’ll see that no one reason caused the decline—it was a confluence of political, military, religious, economic, and social factors.

1️⃣ Aurangzeb’s Miscalculated Policies

Aurangzeb was personally capable, no doubt. But he lacked strategic foresight. His mistakes:

• Tried to expand an already large empire instead of consolidating it.
• Rejected Maratha demands for autonomy, which triggered a long war.
• Shifted his focus to the Deccan for 25 years, ignoring the North-West Frontier—which later proved fatal (as seen with Nadir Shah and Abdali’s invasions).

His policies drained resources, weakened administration, and reduced military prestige.

2️⃣ Religious Intolerance

The early Mughals, especially Akbar, followed a secular policy, respecting all religions.
But Aurangzeb:

• Imposed jaziya on Hindus.
• Destroyed temples.
• Alienated powerful Hindu chieftains and Rajputs.

This led to internal alienation, weakening the socio-political cohesion of the empire.

3️⃣ Wars of Succession

No clear rule of succession existed. So, after each emperor’s death, civil war broke out among royal princes.

These wars:

• Weakened the central authority.
• Allowed nobles and provincial governors to act independently.
• Caused massive loss of life and resources.

4️⃣ Weakness of Later Mughals

After Aurangzeb, rulers were ineffective and indulgent. They lacked:

• Administrative skills
• Military capabilities
• Vision for empire-building

They became puppets in the hands of nobles or external powers (later British).

5️⃣ Corrupt and Selfish Nobility

Initially, nobles were loyal and efficient. But later:

• Became self-centered and corrupt
• Formed cliques to promote their own interests
• Made their offices hereditary, closing access to fresh talent

This institutional stagnation crippled administration.

6️⃣ Collapse of Administration & Finance

By the 18th century:

• Officials at all levels became corrupt, undisciplined, and disobedient
• Zamindars defied central authority
• Jagirs (land grants) were often misused
• Khalisah lands (Crown’s land) were awarded to nobles for appeasement, reducing state income

Eventually, the central treasury nearly went bankrupt—affecting army maintenance and state functions.

7️⃣ Jagirdari Crisis

Let’s understand this critical point:

• Aurangzeb expanded the empire → more nobles (mansabdars) needed jagirs (land grants).
• But land is limited. So, shortage arose.
• This led to:
  • Nobles exploiting peasants to extract maximum revenue in short tenure.
  • Attempts to make jagirs hereditary.
  • Diversion of Crown lands for personal gain.
  • Decline in military spending.

So, the Jagirdari system collapsed, taking the administrative and military setup down with it.

8️⃣ Agrarian Crisis

The revenue system exploited peasants:

• Peasants faced frequent transfers of jagirdars, who had no long-term interest in land development.
• So, jagirdars just extracted as much as they could.
• Peasants abandoned villages or revolted (e.g., Jats, Satnamis, Sikhs).
• Agricultural productivity declined. Empire’s economic backbone weakened.

9️⃣ External Invasions: The Final Blows

Repeated foreign invasions by:

• Nadir Shah (1739): Sacked Delhi, took Koh-i-Noor and Peacock Throne.
• Ahmad Shah Abdali (1757–1761): Repeated raids, defeated Marathas in Panipat.

These invasions:

• Looted the empire’s wealth
• Destroyed military and trade structures
• Crushed people’s confidence in the empire’s ability to protect them

🔟 Emergence of the British

Finally, as the Mughals declined:

• The British East India Company expanded.
• With modern technology, economic systems, and military discipline, they gradually took over.

Even though the Mughal Empire collapsed, its institutions (like revenue system, court culture) continued in British provinces and princely states.

📌 Summary – What Can We Conclude?

The Mughal Empire didn’t fall because of one big disaster. It was a gradual breakdown—like a large ship slowly sinking from multiple cracks:

• Over-ambitious rulers weakened the base.
• Administrative inefficiencies hollowed out the system.
• Jagirdari system collapsed.
• Peasants suffered and revolted.
• And finally, foreign invasions and the British presence took away any chance of recovery.