The Decline of the Mughal Empire

1. British successfully grabbed major chunks of territory in eastern India by 1765.
2. Political conditions in 18th century India changed dramatically due to the depletion of military and financial resources of the Mughal Empire.
3. The efficiency of imperial administration broke down, and governors often controlled offices of revenue and military administration.
4. Peasant and zamindari rebellions in many parts of northern and western India added to these problems.
5. Nadir Shah sacked and plundered the city of Delhi in 1739, and Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded north India five times between 1748 and 1761.
6. The Mughal Empire gradually fragmented into a number of independent, regional states.
7. These states can be divided into three overlapping groups: old Mughal provinces, watan jagirs of Rajputs, and states under control of Marathas, Sikhs, and others like Jats.
8. Many Rajput kings had served under Mughals and were permitted to enjoy considerable autonomy in their watan jagirs.
9. Sikhs organized themselves into a number of bands known as jathas and later on misls.
10. Jats consolidated their power during the late seventeenth and eighteenth-centuries.

• The decline of the Mughal Empire led to the emergence of regional kingdoms in India.
• The Suraj Mal kingdom of Bharatpur became a strong state.
• Nadir Shah's invasion of Delhi in 1739 led to the hiring of Maratha and Sikh troops to fight the Mughals.
• The Maratha kingdom emerged as a powerful regional kingdom opposed to Mughal rule.
• Shivaji carved out a stable kingdom with the support of powerful warrior families and challenged the Mughals in the peninsula.
• The effective power in the Maratha state was wielded by a family of Chitpavan Brahmanas who served as Peshwa.
• The Maratha Empire expanded between 1720 and 1761, chipping away at the authority of the Mughal Empire.
• Baji Rao I was a great Maratha general who expanded the Maratha kingdom beyond Vindhyas.
• Chauth and Sardeshmukhi were revenue collection methods used by the Marathas.
• The Maratha king was recognized as the overlord of the entire Deccan peninsula.

Test your knowledge of the history of India during the decline of the Mughal Empire with our quiz. From the emergence of regional kingdoms to the rise of the Maratha Empire, this quiz covers the major events and figures that shaped India during this period. Brush up on your knowledge of political conditions, imperial administration, and the impact of invasions and rebellions. Keywords include Mughal Empire, regional kingdoms, Maratha Empire, Shivaji, and Baji Rao I. Take the quiz and