Medieval History of INDIA Series ¦ Lec 12; Decline of Mughals ¦ UPSC GS History by Aadesh Singh

Friends in the last video we discussed about the rain of Oorangzeb Which ended with his death in 1707 We saw that in the rain of Oranjeeb Mughal Empire to its peak territorial limits And the most important thing is that during their reign The decline of the Mughal Empire had begun. Because of their harsh and intolerant policies These rebels have created an internal weekly in the Empire In the midst of these conflicts, Oranjeev's death took place. Which made Empire and Wolnerible That the last ruler of the Mughal Empire was Bahadur Shah Zafar In today's story we will talk about the successors of Oranzhev And in detail understand what the reasons were for Empire's decline Let's start with Oorangjeev's successor Bahadur Shah Bahadur Shah 1707-1712 After the death of Ourangzeb, his three sons fought for the throne. In this war, which lasted for nearly two years, his eldest son Bahadur Shah became victorious and succeeded him. Bahadur Shah was a learned, dignified and capable person who followed the policy of compromise and conciliation. In his reign, we also saw a reversal of some narrow-minded policies of Ourangzeev. His attitude towards Hindu chiefs and kings was quite tolerant. No temple destruction in his reign He made a pacifist policy towards Rajputs, Marathas and Jats i.e. policy of peace Initially he sought to increase control over the Rajput estates of Ambed and Marwar i.e. Jodhpur. For this mission, they taught him to fight the stiff resistance. He's made a deal with the States. His reconciliation with the Maratha Sardarj was half-haunted. He did grant the Deccan's Sardeesh-Mukh to the Marathas, but did not grant the Chowath, due to which he was not fully satisfied. He also refused to recognize the son of the famous Maratha ruler संभाजी as the rightful king. Due to this, the battle for supremacy of the kingdom in the Marathas continued and the Deccan could not be stable. After the death of Sikh Guru Gobin Singh in 1710 the Sikhs once again revolted in the league of Banda Bahadur. Against this revolt the Emperor decided to take strong measures. Despite this, the revolt could not be suppressed. There had been further deterioration in the field of administration under Bhadur Shah. He died in 1712 and the Empire once again went into civil war. After the death of Bhadur Shah, a new element came in Mughal politics in the coming time. Until now, only royal princesses competed. But now Ambitious Nobles had also become direct competitors. Let's go ahead and see about Nex Ruler Jahander Shah. Shah Jahan 1712-1713 After the death of Bhadur Shah, Jahandar Shah became the successor to the throne with the help of the most successful noble of that time, Zulfikar Khan. He was a week emperor who just lived immersed in the pleasures. Good manners, dignity and disrespect were lacking in them. The whole administration was in the hands of Zulfikar Khan who had become a Wazir. He wanted to reverse the policies of Aurangzeb quickly. One important development was that they abolished Jagiella. Zulfikar Khan tried to impose the state's fanatics by stopping the ever-increasing job. He also had a bad policy in which he started the EJARA system. The EJARA system is revenue farming. The middlemen and revenue formers could now collect money from the pagans as they wished. And the state had to pay a fixed income. In 1713 Farouk Siyar succeeded Jahandar Shah to the throne by defeating him in Agra. Farooq Siyar credited his coins to Sayyid Brothers i.e. Abdullah Khan and Hussain Ali Khan Barah. Farooq Siyar was a weekly ruler but he didn't want to give the Syed Brothers a free hand and wanted a presidential authority. A long struggle between the two lasted and finally in 1719 the Sayyid Brothers removed the Emperor from the throne and killed him. Farouk Siyar abolished the pilgrimage tax and in 1717 gave the Femis Orders to the Barish which further led to the Battle of Plassey. After Farooq Siyar, Syed Brothers made two amps within a year. Rafju Darjat who ruled for the shortest time among the Mughals and Rafju Dolla who adopted the title of Shah Jahan Two were an opium addict. Rafid Dalla's death took place in September 1719 and now Syed Brothers have seated Muhammad Shah on the throne. Muhammad Shah 1719-1748 The three coins of Farooq Sayyar were just a cut of the hand of the brothers. Muhammad Shah was also given the title of Rangila due to his luxurious lifestyle. In the beginning of his reign, a powerful group of nobles emerged in the leadership of the Nizam's country. These groups were imprisoned by the growing power of the Syed Brothers. The Emperor's Murder caused the deaths of the Emperor. Emperor Muhammad Shah also wanted to remove himself from the control of the Syed Brothers. In 1720 finally the Syed Brothers ended. He became famous in Indian history as King Makers. Muhammad Shah's 30-year-old Rain was his last chance to save the Empire. The Mughal prestige among the common people was also now an important political factor. Mughal army and especially Mughal artillery was still a strong force. The Maratha sardarads were still confined in the south and the Rajput states were loyal to the Mughals. In this condition a strong and far-sighted ruler, With the support of the nobility, he could have prevented the situation from getting worse. But Muhammad Shah was a weak-minded person and only focused on luxury. When even after the efforts of Nizamul Mukul nothing changed, So in 1724 Nizamul Mukul left the empire to its fate And went south and established Hyderabad State in Deccan. Other powerful and ambitious nobles also started carving out semi-independent states for themselves. The rise of hereditary Nawabs in Bengal, Hyderabad, Awadh and Punjab, The jinn only showed nominal allegiance to Mughal authority. Everywhere petty landowners, kings and Nawabs showed rebellion and independence. Maratha Sardarj also started his northward expansion, And Malwa, Gujarat and Bundelkhand have been overrun. Not so much that in the meantime in 1739 Iranian invader Nadir Shah invaded India. Nadhir Shah was attracted by India's wealth. In 1739 in the Battle of Karnal, Nadir Shah crushed the Mughal army and committed a terrible massacre in Delhi. After this he went back with huge amounts of loot and possession of the territory west of the Indus. He took the famous Kohinoor diamond and Shah Jahan's peacock throne. The loot was so much that he paid his empire's three-year taxes. His invasion caused immense damage to the Mughal Empire and destroyed its prestige. And so the hidden weaknesses of the empire were exposed to Maratha Sardar and foreign trading companies. Muhammad Shah's death occurred in 1748 and the empire once again became embroiled in bitter struggles and civil wars. After the death of Muhammad Shah, his three successors ruled for a relatively short time. I'll take a look at his reign. Ahmed Shah 1748 to 1754 who left the affairs of the empire in the hands of Queen Mother Udham Bai. She was a poor intellectual lady who caused the empire's degradation. Alamgir II succeeded to the throne in 1754. He was Jahandar Shah's grandson. During his reign in 1757 the Iranian invader Ahmed Shah Abdali invaded India. During his reign, the Battle of Plassey took place in 1757. His successor was Shah Jahan III who ruled from 1758 to 1759. Let's go ahead and see about the next successor Shah Alam II. Shah Alam II from 1759 to 1806 Two decisive battles took place under Shah Alam II. In 1761 the Third Battle of Panipat in which Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas. And broke his ambition to control the Mughal emperor. And in 1764 the Battle of Buxar in which Shah Alam II allied with Meer Kasim of Bengal and Shujao Dalla of Awad and waged war on the English East India Company. The British defeated their alliance. After the defeat he had to live in Allahabad under British protection. In 1803 the British took over Delhi and after that Mughal emperor was just like the British pensioners. Shah Alam II's successor was Akbar II who ruled from 1806 to 1837. He gave the title of king to Ram Mohan Roy. In 1835, the minting of coins in the name of the Mughal emperor was stopped. Let's go ahead and see about the last ruler of the Mughal dynasty, Bahadur Shah Zafar. Bahadur Shah Zafar 1837 to 1857 Friends, the last ruler of the Mughal dynasty was Bahadur Shah Zafar. In the revolt of 1857 he was tried to be made Emperor of India but he was captured by the British and sent into exile in Rangoon. He died in 1862. In legal terms, the Mughal Empire came to an end with the proclamation of Queen Victoria on November 1, 1858. So friends, this was the story of Aurangzeb to the end of the Mughal Empire. So far we have seen important developments in the reign of all rulers. Friends, Mughal Empire is seen as the greatest empire in world history. It is important to understand the decline of such a big empire. It had already started in Aurangzeb's reign. He wanted to expand even after inheriting an already huge empire. Due to the lack of communication and the economic and political structure of the country, it was difficult to set up a centralized administration. His basic failure was not to accept the regional autonomy of the Marathas. It was not easy to crush Shivaji and the rest of the Maratha Sardarj who Aurangzeb could not understand. This campaign drained the empire's resources and devastated Deccan's trade and industry. His conflicts with the Rajputs also had serious consequences. Rajput alliance was one of the main pillars of Mughal strength. The short-sighted attempt to reduce the Rajputs' authority and the war against them further weakened the empire. Popular uprisings of Satnamis, Jats and Sikhs challenged Aurangzeb's administration. Aurangzeb's religious orthodoxy and his policies towards Hindus caused serious damage to the stability of the empire. The establishment of a secular state was in the reign of Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan which was reversed in the reign of Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb imposed Jizya again. Temples were destroyed and restrictions were imposed on Hindus. Aurangzeb left many problems unresolved. But the situation worsened after his death due to succession wars. In the absence of a fixed rule of succession, the Mughal Empire was constantly surrounded by civil wars between the princes. In the 18th century these wars became very fierce and destructive. In which there was loss of life and property. These civil wars also caused great damage to the administrative fabric of the empire. The nobility also now converted into a war group. Many local chiefs and officials tried to consolidate their position and gain autonomy. Even after the weaknesses of Aurangzeb's rule and the problems caused by wars of succession, the empire could emerge if a far-sighted, capable and energetic ruler came to the throne. But after Bahadur Shah, only worthless, weak-willed and luxurious nobles sat on the throne. The strength of the Mughal Empire depended on the organization and character of the nobility. A vigilant, efficient and loyal nobility could save the empire. But even his character had degraded. They too were now addicted to ease and luxury. Their selfishness and lack of devotion towards the state had increased corruption. The empire was exhausted due to internal fighting. And became an easy target for foreign conquerors. One of the reasons for the increasing selfishness of the nobility was the shortage of land and the decrease in income of the existing landlords. The constantly growing nobility, now fighting among themselves for land. Agriculture also stagnated and deteriorated. The Sathnamis, Jats and Sikhs were a peasant uprising. Many times peasants had to leave their land to avoid taxes. There have been no new advances in science and technology in the Indian industry. This has led to the fact that Indian industry and economy have not been able to move forward in comparison to the rest of the world. One of the socio-political reasons for the fall of the Mughal Empire was that people lacked the spirit of political nationalism. This was because India did not have the elements of a modern nation. There was no feeling of being Indian. They were then unaware that they had common interests. Instead of nation, people were loyal to person, tribe, caste or religious sect. In the 18th century, the strength of the Mughal army declined and the discipline and fighting morale declined. Due to lack of funds it became difficult to maintain a large army. Even in civil wars, many brilliant commanders and brave and experienced soldiers have died. The final blow to the Mughal Empire was the continuous invasions between 1739 and 1767. This led to the drainage of the empire's wealth and the collapse of trade and industry in North India. And finally, the rise of the British also ended the last hope of revival of the empire. Now come to the conclusion. Friends, in this story we have seen about Aurangzeb's successors. We know how Aurangzeb's story in about 40 years the Mughal Empire became irrelevant. We have seen the factors of the decline of the Mughal Empire. No Indian power will rise to claim the legacy of the great Mughals. Because they were strong enough to destroy the empire, But they were not able to unite the empire or set up something new in its place. They could not create a new social order that could stand up to the new enemy from the west. All these regional powers were like the old systems that were running under Mughal rule. On the other hand, Europeans had a superior economic system and were also superior in science and technology. India's socio-economic and political structure was now being replaced by colonial structure. This evil has led to a positive development, which has broken the stagnation of Indian society and brought about new changes. Even though this process has spread extreme misery and national degradation in India, But it is because of these new forces of change that the dynamism has come to modern India.