MUGHAL EMPIRE

• What groups or classes of people were the most important supporters of Mughal rule?

  • Mansabdars (state officers) who maintained cavalry and collected taxes
  • Military commanders and bureaucrats who held significant power and influence
  • Various communities, including Hindu rajas and Muslim sultans, who were awarded land grants and titles by the emperors
• Like other empires, the Mughal Empire had lots of different communities. How did it successfully rule all of these groups until the mid-eighteenth century?

  • Tolerance towards diverse religious and cultural communities
  • Integration of Hindu and Muslim elites into the Mughal bureaucracy through land grants and appointments as mansabdars
  • Flexible governance structures that accommodated local customs and traditions
• What was the role of the Mughal Empire in the global economy?

  • Major player in international trade, especially in textiles
  • Central hub for trade between Europe, Asia, and Africa
  • Influence on global commerce through its wealth and commercial networks
• What internal challenges did the Mughal emperors face in 1750?

  • Political instability and contests over the throne
  • Economic strain due to declining revenues and inefficient taxation
  • Growing power of mansabdars challenging central authority
• What external challenges did the Mughal emperors face in 1750?

  • Competition from European powers, particularly British merchants
  • Threats from regional rivals and invasions from neighboring states
• Explain how economic developments in the Mughal Empire in 1750 affected social structure over time?

  • Shifts in trade patterns and economic decline led to changes in wealth distribution
  • Decline of traditional industries affected social mobility and status
  • Increasing influence of foreign traders and financiers altered social hierarchies
• What aspects of the Mughal Empire in 1750 seem unique or distinctive, and what aspects seem to be part of a wider global pattern?

  • Unique/Distictive: 
  • Tolerance towards diverse religious and cultural communities
  • Complex bureaucracy and administrative structures
  • Integration of Hindu and Muslim elites into the ruling class
  • Wider global patterns:
  • Competition among European powers for dominance in trade and colonization
  • Economic shifts impacting social structures and power dynamics in empires worldwide
• • 1750, South Asian subcontinent was mostly governed through a loose confederation of powerful princely states and rich port cities
• • 18th century, the control by the Mughals began to change for two reasons
  • internal divisions 
  • led to rival groups challenging the central govt
  • european merchants and govt started looking for ways to get some of the empire’s wealth
• • Mughal Empire wae a muslim empire but it was tolerant to all religions
• • mughals had built their empire by making good use of India’s resources, developing its production capacity, and supporting a very rich Muslim-dominated trade system in the Indian Ofean
• • India was at the center of a global market for goods in which Muslims were the principle dealers 
• • Mughal India had a thriving manufacturing industry, producing a massive quantity of hand-loom textiles for the Indian Ocean economy
• • trade in cotton and silk fabrids brought great wealth to indian as early as 400 CE
• • by 15th century, indians had taken advantage of growing global markets to expand textile production and distribution 
  • rly good bc of new spices like nutmeg, mace, cloves, cardsmom and cinnamon coming out of Indonesia’s “spice islands”
• • Mughal governance system: complex bureaucracy, mansabdars, tax collection, land grants
• • Evolution of mansabdars' power led to political instability
  • As their power grew, they became emboldened and started challenging the authority of the central Mughal government
  • The growing influence of mansabdars led to factions within the empire, vying for power and control
  • Battles over succession for the imperial throne intensified due to the influence and ambitions of powerful mansabdars
  • The sheer number of nobles, bureaucrats, and military commanders, some with large armies, further destabilized the political landscape
• • Reign of Emperor Aurangzeb: conquests, religious disputes, disputed legacy
• • Rise of British dominance via East India Company
• • Decline of Mughal Empire due to internal challenges and changing global economy
• • the increased competition from European powers, especially British merchants, who sought to exploit the Mughal state for profit weakened the Mughal state
• • The decline of traditional industries such as textile production, which had been a major source of wealth for the Mughal Empire, as global markets evolved
• • The Mughal Empire's inability to adapt to these changes and leverage new economic opportunities further weakened its position on the global stage
• • British exploitation weakened Mughal state for European profit