Causes for the Decline of the Mughal Empire

1. Wars of Succession

The Mughals did not follow any law of succession; the first born wasn’t inherently heir to throne.

Consequently, each time a ruler died, a war of succession between the brothers for the throne started.

This weakened the Mughal Empire, after the death of Aurangzeb.

II. Mansabdari SystemThe soldiers of the Mughal Army were not

recruited by the emperor himself but rather by chiefs and other nobles who were known as Mansabdars or rank holders

The Mansabdars were paid/ranked based on the number of men that they contributed to the Mughal empire

This meant that troops of the Mansabdari system operated under direct control of their chief rather than the Mughal leader.

The Mansabdars, by siding with one contender or the other, sought to increase their own power.

III. Empty TreasuryEven before Aurangzeb rise, Shah Jahan’s zeal for

construction helped to deplete the treasury. Shah Jahan is most known for ordering the

construction of great monuments like the Taj Mahal and a new capital at Delhi

These achievements were no doubt important for cementing the Mughals greatness but they also left the empire nearly bankrupt

To pay for these projects Jahan demanded nearly half of the empire’s crops in taxes which lead to widespread famine

Shah Jahan also had to fight a series of wars against rival Christians and Hindus which further pushed the empire near bankrupcy; he did not embrace the tolerance of this father Jahangir

IV. Aurangzeb’s PoliciesAurangzeb failed to realize that the Mughal

Empire depended on the willing support of the people.

He lost the support of the Rajputs(Hindu warrior caste) who had contributed greatly to the strength of the Empire.

The Rajput had acted as pillars of support of the empire, but Aurangzeb’s intolerant religious policies turned them to bitter foes.

The Result: wars with various religious groups like the Sikhs, the Marathas, the Jats and the Rajputs all of which drained the resources of the Mughal Empire.

V. Weak Successors of Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb imprisoned his father, killed all rivals and even one sibling in order to acquire the throne; his actions while in power left the Mughal empire especially vulnerable after his death.

The successors of Aurangzeb were weak and became victims of the plots and conspiracies of ambitious mansabdars.

Aurangzeb’s successors were inefficient generals and were incapable of suppressing revolts.

The absence of a strong ruler, an efficient government and a capable army made the Mughal Empire weak.

VI. Size of the Empire and Challenges from Regional Powers

The Mughal Empire had become too large to be controlled by any one ruler.

The early Mughals were efficient and exercised control over ministers and their army, but the later Mughals were poor administrators.

As a result, the distant provinces became independent. As independent states arose this led to the disintegration of the Mughal Empire.

VII. InvasionsForeign invasions after the reign of

Aurangzeb sapped the remaining strength of the Mughals and sped the process of disintegration.

The invasions of Nadir Shah of Persia and Ahmad Shah Abdali of Afghanistan resulted in further drainage of Mughal wealth.

These invasions shook the very stability of the empire.

VIII. The Rajput Kingdoms

Taking advantage of the growing weakness of the Mughals, the Rajput states became virtually independent.

However, the Rajput chiefs continued to be divided. Most of the Rajput states were involved in petty quarrels and civil wars.

Their division ensured that once they gained control they would not be united as they had once been under the Mughals