18th century

• Crises faced by the Mughal Empire towards the end of the 17th century:

  • Depletion of military and financial resources by Emperor Aurangzeb due to war in the Deccan
  • Breakdown of imperial administration efficiency under his successors
  • Difficulty for later Mughal emperors to control powerful mansabdars
• Rebellious groups seizing economic resources to consolidate their positions

  • Gradual shifting of political and economic authority to provincial governors, local chieftains, and other groups
  • Sacking and plundering of Delhi by Nadir Shah in 1739
• Humiliations faced by Mughal emperors:

  • Assassination of Farrukh Siyar and Alamgir II
  • Blinding of Ahmad Shah and Shah Alam II by nobles
• Rise of the Maratha Empire:

  • Emergence of a powerful state in the Deccan under Shivaji in the late 17th century
  • Shivaji's conquests, guerrilla warfare, and establishment of a strong Maratha state
• Consolidation of power by the Jats:

  • Acquisition of territories to the west of Delhi by the Jats under Churaman
  • Dominance of the region between Delhi and Agra
• • Prosperity as agriculturists and emergence of Bharatpur as a strong state under Suraj Mal
  • Building of forts and palaces, including the famous Lohagarh fort in Bharatpur
• • Governors (subadars) controlling revenue and military administration, leading to extraordinary powers over vast regions
  • Decline in periodic remission of revenue to the capital
  • Peasant and zamindari rebellions in northern and Western India
• • 5 times raid in delhi by Ahmad Shah Abdali between 1748 and 1761
  • Competition among different groups of nobles, divided into Iranis and Turanis
  • Mughal emperors being puppets in the hands of powerful noble groups
• • Maratha kingdom challenging Mughal rule and expanding between 1720 and 1761
  • Maratha success in military campaigns and effective administrative system
  • Revenue collection methods of chauth and sardeshmukhi
  • Development of Maratha military organisation and expansion into various regions
• 25 per cent of the land revenue claimed by zamindars. In the Deccan, this was collected by the Marathas is called chauth
• 9–10 per cent of the land revenue paid to the head revenue collector in the Deccan is called sardeshmukhi