18th Century Political Formation. CL 7

18 th
CENTURY
POLITICAL
FORMATIONS
State formations in
the eighteenth
century.
CAUSES OF THE DECLINE OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE
The long war in the Deccan

•The long war in the Deccan reduced Aurangzeb's military and financial resources, and later,
under his successors, the imperial Mughal administration broke down completely.
Weak successors of Aurangzeb

•Under the Mughal kings after Aurangazeb, the mansabdars grew very powerful and appointed
subadars to control military, revenue, and administrative functions in the areas they controlled.
•As governors of provinces became more powerful, the income of the Mughal kings
decreased.
Peasant and zamindari rebellions

•Adding to this problem were the rebellions by peasants and zamindars. And all these factors
together contributed to the decline of the Mughals.
•The Mughals had faced rebellions earlier too, but the new rebellions were able to seize the
Mughal government's sources of income, and this made it difficult for the Mughals to suppress
them.
Foreign Invasion
•In the middle of all this chaos, the Iranian
king, Nadir Shah invaded and looted Delhi
in 1739,
•It was followed by the Afghan ruler Ahmad
Shah Abdali. He invaded north India five
times between 1748 and 1761.
Competition amongst different groups of

nobles.
•Disagreements kept growing between two
major factions , the Iranis and the Turanis,
and for a long time, the later Mughal kings
were puppets in their hands.
EMERGENCE OF NEW STATES
The three overlapping states of the 18th century
Through the 18th century, the Mughal Empire
became fragmented into many a parts:
1. States that were Mughal provinces earlier, such
as Awadh, Bengal, and Hyderabad, became
independent and powerful, but they still
accepted the authority of the Mughal Emperor.
2. States that had complete independence(watan
jagirs)such as the Rajput principalities.
3. States under the control of Marathas, Sikhs,
and Jats that had seized their independence
after a long battle with the Mughals
OLD MUGHAL PROVINCES
HYDERABAD
•Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah, the founder of the Hyderabad State, was a
powerful courtier in the court of the Mughal Emperor Farrukh Siyar.
•He was first entrusted with the province of Awadh and later given the
charge of Deccan. But he soon took over all the financial and political
administration of Deccan and became its independent ruler.
•He brought skilled soldiers and administrators from the north, made them
mansabdars, and gave them jagirs.
•Under his rule, the Mughal emperor in Delhi was a nominal head who
only gave confirmations to the decisions made by the Nizam.
•Hyderabad State was in constant struggle with the Marathas in the west
and the nayakas (Telugu warrior chiefs). And the Nizam's ambition to
control the rich textile-producing areas on the Coromandel coast were
destroyed by the British who were growing in power
Awadh
•BURHAN-UL-MULK Saa'dat Khan was appointed as the chief of Awadh in
1722, and he founded the state of Awadh. It was the first region to break
away from the Mughal Empire.
•Awadh was a prosperous region because it controlled the fertile Ganga
valley and the busy trade routes from Delhi to Bengal.
•Burhan-ul-Mulk combined the subadari, diwani, and the faujdari, and he
also reduced the number of officers appointed by the Mughals. This
reduced the Mughal influence in Awadh.
•He reduced the number of jagirs, and maintained accounts of the
jagirdars to stop cheating and corruption.
•He also seized a number of Rajput jagirs and the fertile lands owned by
the Afghans of Rohilkhand.
•The state at that time depended on ijaradars (mahajans or local
revenue bankers who were sold rights to collect revenue from the
people).
•This system allowed rich people such as money-lenders and bankers to
influence the management of money in the state.
BENGAL
Murshid Quli Khan founded the state of Bengal. He was initially
appointed as the naib or the deputy to the governor, but just like
many other subadars, he soon seized power and came to control
the revenue system in Bengal.
He transferred all Mughal jagirdars to Orissa and re-assessed the

revenue system of the region.
Revenue was forcefully collected in cash from all zamindars, and if

they could not pay it then they had to sell their land to bigger
zamindars or borrow money from bankers and local money-
lenders.
Under the rule of Alivardi Khan in Bengal, the banking house of

Jagat Seth became very prosperous.
IJARDARI SYSTEM
•The state depended on the local bankers and mahajans..
•It sold the rights to collect the taxes to the highest bidder.
•These revenue farmers called the IJARDARS agreed to pay
taxes to the state a fixed sum of money.
•Local bankers guaranted that they would pay the
contracted amount to the state.
•The revenue farmers were given the liberty to do the
assessment and collection of taxes on their own.
•These developments led to a new social group called the
money lenders or the bankers.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE NEW STATES
OF HYDERABAD, AWADH, AND BENGAL
Mughal nobles detested the administrative

systems they inherited, such as the jagirdari
system.
The collection of taxes was now the

responsibility of the revenue farmers also known
as ijaradars.
A new relationship developed between the

nawabs and the bankers, creating a financial
system that relied heavily on lending money and
increased the prosperity of many banking
houses.
THE WATAN JAGIRS
The rulers of Amer and Jodhpur served under the Mughals, and they were
awarded watan jagirs (regions or provinces) which they could rule
independently.
In the eighteenth century, these Rajputs started asserting complete

independence and took over neighbouring areas. Ajit Singh of Jodhpur, for
example, created factions in the Mughal court.
Raja Ajit singh of Jodhpur held the subadari of Gujarat, while Sawai Raja Jai
Singh of Amber governed Malwa. And after their offices were renewed by
Emperor Jahandar Shah in 1713, they brought more nearby rich areas under
their rule.
Nagaur, for example, was annexed by the house of Jodhpur, and Bundi was
annexed by Sawai Jai Singh.
Sawai Jai singh made Jaipur the capital of his empire, and he was given the
subadari of Agra in 1722 but the Marathas checked their further expansion.
SEIZING INDEPENDENCE
The Sikhs
Guru Gobind Singh introduced the Khalsa in1699
•And after his death in 1708, the Khalsa, under the leadership of Banda
Bahadur Singh, revolted against the Mughals.
•They declared independence and minted coins under the name of Guru Nanak
and Guru Gobind Singh.
•They established their own administration between the Sutlej and the Jamuna,
but Banda Bahadur was captured and executed a year later.
•In the eighteenth century, the Sikhs organised themselves in groups known as jathas and misls, and
their combined army was called the dal khalsa (grand army).
•They met in Amritsar during Diwali and Baisakhi and decided on the future plans that they called
'resolutions of the Guru' (gurumatas).
•A system called Rakhi was introduced to offer protection to farmers who paid 20% of their farm produce
as tax.
•Guru Gobind Singh established the concept of Khalsa rule in Punjab. It helped them fight the Mughals
for years, and also resisted the rule of Ahmad Shah Abdali who seized Punjab and Sirhind from the
Mughals.
•In 1765, the Khalsa once again declared their independence by minting their own coins with the same
inscriptions as before.
•The Sikh territories extended from the Yamuna to the Indus, but they were divided and later united by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1799.
THE MARATHAS
Shivaji established a successful empire in the Deccan, and warrior chiefs and
peasant pastoralists were the backbone of his armies.
After the death of Shivaji, the kingdom was ruled by Chitpavan Brahmans.
They served Peshwas (Shivaji's successors), with Poona as the capital of the
Maratha State.
Under the Peshwas, the Marathas developed an excellent military, and
the Maratha empire grew between 1720 and 1761.
They also seized Malwa and Gujarat from the Mughal emperor. And within
a few years, they became overlords of the Deccan peninsula and also earned
the right to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi from peasants.
The Marathas then annexed parts of Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bengal,
Karnataka, and the Tamil and Telugu countries.
This expansion brought the Marathas many resources, but it also made other kingdoms unfriendly.
The Marathas developed efficient administrative systems which allowed their regional chiefs, such as the
Sindhias of Gwalior, the Gaekwads of Baroda, and the Bhonsles of Nagpur, to build powerful armies.
Ujjain and Indore grew under the patronage of the Sindhias and the Holkars, respectively. Many other cities
also became powerful commercial and cultural centres. The silk made in Chanderi, for example, was sold to the
world from Poona.
Burhanpur was the hinterland of the Maratha kingdom that included Poona, Nagpur, Allahabad, and Lucknow.
CHAUTH – TAX COLLECTED WAS 25¼ OF THE TOTAL PRODUCE CLAIMED BY ZAMINDARS
SARDESMUKHI – TAX COLLECTED WAS 1/10 OF THE TOTAL PRODUCE PAID TO THE HEAD REVENUE COLLECTOR
THE JATS
Under Churamal, the Jats seized control of western

territories near Delhi and the region between Delhi and
Agra.
Panipat and Ballabhgarh were the important trading
centres under their dominion.
Suraj Mal established the kingdom of Bharatpur, and when
Nadir Shah invaded Delhi, many officials took refuge in the
Lohagarh Fort in Bharatpur.
In Dig, the Jats built an impressive fort similar to those in
Agra and Amber.
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
Tick the correct option :
i. The founder of the Hyderabad State was :
a. Asaf Jah b. Alivardi Khan
c. Saa'dat Khan d. Murshid Quli Khan
ii. The Khalsa revolted against the Mughals under the leadership of:
a. Banda Bahadur Singh b. Guru Nanak
c. Guru Teg Bahadur d. Hari Singh
iii. Aurangzeb died in the year
a. 1777 b. 1717
c. 1707 d. 1771
iv. The Maratha empire was established by
a. Shahji b. Peshwa
c. Shivaji d. Sahuji
2. Write true or false for the given statements, also correct the incorrect statement .
i. Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded north India 5 times between 1748-1761.
__________________________________________________________________
ii. Banking house of Jagat Seth became extremely prosperous during the rule of
Murshid Quli Khan.
_________________________________________________________________
iii. Khalsa was instituted in 1699.
________________________________________________________________
iv. Ttax collected was 1/10 of the total produce paid to the head revenue collector
was called as Chauth.
_________________________________________________________________
3. CASE STUDY
Raja Jai Singh was at the height of his power. He was the governor of Agra for
12 years and of Malwa for 5 or 6 years. He possessed a large army,
artillery and great wealth. His sway extended
from Delhi to the banks of the Narmada.
i. When did Raja Jai Singh establish the City of Jaipur?
__________________________________________________________________________
ii. Name the Suba’s goverened by him.
__________________________________________________________________________
iii. Name the following:
a. Small political groups of the Sikhs:
_____________________________________________________________________
b. Bharatpur emerged as a strong Jat State under the leadership of:
_____________________________________________________________________
c. Afghan ruler who invaded India five times between 1748 and 1761.
_____________________________________________________________________
d. Last Mughal emperor.
_______________________________________________________________________
Important terms
Jathas:
In the eighteenth century, the Sikhs organised themselves in groups known
as jathas and misls.
Dalkhalsa:
the combined army of Sikh was called the dal khalsa (grand army).
Rakhi
Rakhi was introduced to offer protection to farmers who paid 20% of
their farm produce as tax.
Deshmukhs:: Shivaji (1627-1680) carved out a stable kingdom with

the support of powerful warrior families (deshmukhs)
Kunbis: Groups of highly mobile, peasant- pastoralists
Chauth:.25 per cent of the land revenue claimed by zamindars. In the
Deccan this was collected by the Marathas.
4. Very short answer type questions.
i. The third battle of Panipat took place in ___________.
ii. Aurangzeb had depleted the military and financial resources by fighting a long war
in which place?
iii. Who was Nadir Shah?
iv. Who were Kunbis?
v. Where was Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s capital?
vi. Mention the two major factions of the Mughal nobles.
5. Short answer type questions.
i. How did the competition amongst different groups of nobles weakened the Mughal empire?
ii. Discuss about the three overlapping states of the 18th century.
iii. Mention three common features of the states of Hyderabad, Awadh and Bengal?
iv. Write a note on the watan Jagirs of the Rajputs.
v. Discuss about the Ijardari System
6. Long answer type questions.
i. Why were other rulers not inclined to support the Marathas during the third battle of Panipat?
ii. What did Saadat Khan do to reduce the Mughal influence in the Awadh region?
iii. What are the causes of the decline of the Mughal empire?
iv. How did Asaf Jah rise to power?
v. Write one line for each - Jathas, Dalkhalsa, Rakhi, Deshmukhs, Kunbis, Chauth.
4. Very short answers.
I.. in 1761.
ii. in the Deccan.
Iii. Nadir Shah was the ruler of Iran.
iv. Groups of highly mobile, peasant-
pastoralists (kunbis) provided the backbone of the Maratha army.
v. He established his capital at Lahore in 1799.
vi. the Iranis and Turanis (nobles of Iran and Turkish descent)
5. Short answers:
i. Refer book page no. 141 last paragraph &142 upto nobles.
ii. Refer slide no. 6
iii. Refer slide no. 11
iv. Refer slide no. 12
v. Refer slide no. 10
6. Long answers:
i. Refer slide no. 15
ii. Refer slide no. 8
iii. Refer slide no. 4 and 5
iv. Refer slide no. 7
v. Refer slide no.. 20

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18 th

The long war in the Deccan

Weak successors of Aurangzeb

Peasant and zamindari rebellions

Competition amongst different groups of

He transferred all Mughal jagirdars to Orissa and re-assessed the

Revenue was forcefully collected in cash from all zamindars, and if

Under the rule of Alivardi Khan in Bengal, the banking house of

Mughal nobles detested the administrative

The collection of taxes was now the

A new relationship developed between the

In the eighteenth century, these Rajputs started asserting complete

Under Churamal, the Jats seized control of western

Deshmukhs:: Shivaji (1627-1680) carved out a stable kingdom with

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