Decline of Mughal Empire

• The Great Mughal Empire declined and disintegrated during the first half of the 18^th century.

• The Mughal Emperors lost their power and glory and their empire shrank to a few square miles around Delhi.

• In the end, in 1803, Delhi itself was occupied by the British army and the proud of Mughal Emperor was reduced to the status of a mere pensioner of a foreign power.

• The decline of Mughal Empire reveals some of the defects and weaknesses of India's medieval social, economic, and political structure which were responsible for the eventual subjugation of the country by the English East India Company.

• The unity and stability of the Empire had been shaken up during the long and strong reign of Aurangzeb; yet in spite of his many harmful policies, the Mughal administration was still quite efficient and the Mughal army quite strong at the time of his death in 1707.

• For better understanding (of the decline of Mughal Empire), the subsequent chapters (kept under the following headings) describe feeble Mughal Emperors, their weaknesses, and faulty activities −

  • Bahadur Shah I
  • Jahandar Shah
  • Farrukh Siyar
  • Muhammad Shah
  • Nadir Shah’s Outbreak
  • Ahmad Shah Abdali