Decline of the Mughal Empire

Decline of the Mughal Empire

• Various reasons contributed to the Mughal Empire's decline, remembered through the acronym P-WAS-MAD
• The decline started 150 years after Aurangzeb's death

Administration Problems

• The empire's vast size made it difficult to manage
• Decisions were slow due to long distances
• Emperors lacked awareness of local issues
• Aurangzeb's use of corrupt tax collectors (mansabdars) led to decreased efficiency and tax revenue

Pleasure Seeking

• Mughal rulers became pleasure-loving, betraying Islamic principles
• Nobles indulged in luxuries like fine clothes, jewelry, and extravagant meals
• Nurjehan spent wealth lavishly on jewelry
• Extravagant building projects such as the Taj Mahal, drained resources

Succession Disputes

• Significant sums of money were wasted upon the death of emperors
• Shah Jahan's illness in 1657 led to his sons fighting for the throne before his death
• Aurangzeb divided the empire among his sons to prevent wars, but problems remained
• Succession disputes weakened the empire

Declining Military Expertise

• The Mughals' military expertise declined over time, becoming ineffective
• Aurangzeb failed to suppress Shivaji's rebellion in the Deccan

Military Costs

• Continuous fighting for the throne and pressure from groups like the Marathas strained resources
• Putting down rebellions and fighting invaders, such as Nadir Shah of Persia (1739), was costly
• Nadir Shah looted the Peacock Throne from Persia, leading to bankruptcy.

Weak Control

• Nobles gained power due to wealth, making emperors difficult to control
• Alamgir II was assassinated by powerful courtiers
• Ineffective supervision of the mansabdari system led to declining tax collection

Arrival of the British

• The Mughal Empire was in serious decline, which accelerated British rule
• England's industrial revolution led to cheap manufactured goods being sold worldwide
• British wealth enabled superior military strength

Mansabdars

• Akbar established the mansabdar system, with officials responsible for civil and military administration
• Mansabdars were appointed by and answerable to Akbar
• They weren't local landlords to prevent them from challenging Akbar's power
• Transferring Mansabdars to different areas prevented them from accumulating too much power
• The emperor acquired the wealth and property of Mansabdars upon their death

Presidencies

• The main bases of the East India Company included Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras
• These were later known as Presidencies in British-India, and also known as provinces
• The EIC began to control these areas
• These presidencies became the major locations of British India

Bahadur Shah Zafar II

• Bahadur Shah Zafar II was the last Mughal Emperor
• He became a symbol of unity between Hindus and Muslims during the 1857 uprising
• The British proved too powerful to enable the Mughals to regain Delhi
• Bahadur Shah II peacefully surrendered
• His sons, Mirza Mughal, Mirza Sultan, and Mirza Abu Bakr, were brutally murdered as a lesson
• He was exiled to Rangoon (Burma) after the war

Nadir Shah

• The Persian leader, Nadir Shah, invaded the Mughal Empire in 1738
• In 1739, he defeated Mohammad Shah, the Mughal King, at Karnal, taking control of territories west of the Indus.
• Nadir Shah captured Delhi, looted wealth, and the prestige of the Mughals was hurt

Suttee

• Suttee was an Indian ritual where widows were burned with their dead husbands
• Aurangzeb initially banned this practice
• Lord Bentinck fully banned it in 1829

Female Infanticide

• The East India Company declared the killing of baby daughters as murder in 1795
• It proved difficult to enforce this ban
• Checks were still needed many years later to ensure daughters were still alive

Ranjit Singh

• Ranjit Singh annexed Punjab, Kashmir, and most of Afghanistan
• In 1809, he signed a treaty in Sindh with Great Britain
• Great Britain agreed with Ranjit Singh, ruler of Punjab, that Afghanistan should be independent because they feared Russian expansion
• Ranjit Singh did not ultimately support Great Britain
• In 1841, Great Britain's troops died in Afghanistan.
• Great Britain annexed Sindh in 1843 and Punjab in 1849.

East India Company (EIC)

• The EIC was founded by British merchants
• In 1600, the British government permitted the company to trade with Eastern countries
• The first trading ship landed at Surat in 1608, under Captain Hawkin
• The company eventually obtained permission to trade in 1612
• Trade proved profitable, and bases were set up at Madras (1640), Bombay (1664), and Calcutta (1690)
• By the 18th century, the company had built a military force, growing into a political power.

EIC Involvement in India (17th Century)

• India was rich in resources such as silk, cotton, and indigo
• The main reason for coming to the sub-continent was to trade
• The EIC had monopoly rights in East Africa, but the Dutch already occupied it
• British industrial revolution meant that a market was required
• Mughal Empire was already in decline
• India trade was so profitable 10% of the revenue came from here.

British Influence in India (1750-1850)

• The English desired to trade with spices, cotton, silk and Christians

• The Portuguese established a base in Goa in 1510

• In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I granted permission to trade with the British East India Company

• The first serious attempts to trade with India were made in 1608 by Captain Hawkins

• Hawkins requested Mughal Emperor Jahangir to set up a factory in Surat

• In 1612, a request was made by Sir Thomas Roe, and Shahjahan set up a factory at Surat after he approved it.

• There was a minor battle between the British and Portuguese in 1615 to remove the latter

• The English built a fort as a head office at Madras in 1640

• In 1661, the British received a charter to keep warships, soldiers, and weapons for company defense

• In 1664, the British moved their headquarters to Bombay and founded Calcutta in 1690

• Aurangzeb suspected that the EIC was issuing its own coins and avoiding taxes

• In 1691, Aurangzeb defeated the British and imposed a fine for trading rights in India.

• After acquiring coastal bases, the company began to get involved in administering India

• A brief war (battle of Arcot) broke out in 1751 between the British and France, which was won by British

• The province of Bengal was very economically important with natural resources and trade.

• A battle took place at Plassey in 1757 due to the betrayal of Mir Jaffer, bribed by Robert Clive

• Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal

• The company then appointed Mir Jafar as the new Nawab of Bengal

• In 1764, the EIC received trading rights from the Nawab of Oudh plus new territory with their victory at Buxar

• Its greed after Battle of Buxar embarrassed British government

• The company monopolized trade in Bengal

• Company merchants got used to receiving personal "gifts" which increased their wealth

• Locals were exploited and died in a serious famine in Bengal

• The British government forced action leading an Act of Parliament in 1773 requiring the EIC to provide good governance to stop anarchy

Pitt's India Act (1784)

• The British government took direct control of Indian possessions
• A governor-general would control the three presidencies
• Provincial governors and a Commander in Chief (C-in-C) of armed forces were instated
• The EIC retained trading rights but forfeited most administrative power

Warren Hasting

• Warren Hasting, the first British Governor General of India, ended the First Maratha War with a treaty in 1784

• The British had the opportunity to extend their influence

• In 1799, governor-general Wellesley, along with Marathas and Nizam, invaded Mysore and killed Tipu Sultan.

• The British took control of his land

• In 1803, the British entered Delhi

• Shah Alam declared he was under "British protection"

• The British used local rebellions from Marathas to introduce a British education system

Charter Act of 1833

• Indians could be part of the civil service, but the India Civil Service (ICS) employed about 1,000 people
• Exams were in England, in English, meaning its was governed by an entirely British able group
• In 1834, English was made the official language of Administration, replacing Persian
• In 1835, education was decided to be in English language

Westernization of Indians

• English was made the official language
• English was also mandated as language for education

British Conquest of Sindh (1843)

• British became worried about Russian expansion
• The British agreed with the Sikh ruler of Punjab, Ranjit Singh, that Afghanistan would remain independent
• Singh refused to install a pro-British ruler in Kabul
• Rebellion in Afghanistan led to massacre of British troops in 1841
• In 1843, British conquered Sindh, which had been created independent in 1843 due to the death of Aurangzeb

British used "divide and rule" policy

• British used the tactics of divide and rule
• After such events, Sindh fell in the hands of the British

Punjab and NWFP conquest

• The new ruler of Punjab was not as strong as Ranjit Singh
• Following Treaty of Lahore of 1846, the Sikhs paid a huge indemnity and Gulab Singh Dogra was rewarded
• In 1849 Punjab and NWFP were annexed into the British Empire

Mangal Pandey

• Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier under the British who revolted in 1857
• Pandora's attack on British officers on March 29, which began the Revolt
• The Bengal Infantry at Barrackpore, had him serve during his
• With their British introducing the new 'Enfield Rifle' in the army
• This led to execution in March when he refused to touch

War of 1857

• In March 1857, Sepoy Mangal Pandey refused cartridges and he was executed
• Other soldiers that refused ended up captured but colleagues freed them
• Delhi had captured some Europeans
• Rani of Jhansi (Laxmi Bai) and Nana Sahib two who lead war that had British lose parts of Mathura and Allahabad
• Bahadur shah II (last Mughal Emperor) surrendered making British win officially