Introduction:
The Mughal Empire, spanning from Babur’s accession in 1526 to Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, was India’s largest at its peak. However, within fifty years of Aurangzeb’s death, the empire disintegrated due to multiple factors.
Body:Reasons for the Decline of the Mughal Empire:
- Corruption: Rampant corruption among officials led to misappropriation of funds, weakening the economy.
- Incompetence: Aurangzeb’s successors were weak, falling prey to factional conspiracies. Poor decisions, like high taxes, reduced trade, neglected military, and weakened infrastructure.
- Religious Intolerance: Later Mughals’ intolerance toward Hindus and Sikhs sparked unrest and rebellions.
- Military Vulnerability: External threats, like Nadir Shah’s attacks, combined with a weakened, underfunded military, left the empire defenseless.
Other Factors:
- Size of the Empire and Regional Challenges: The vast empire was hard to control centrally. Weak later Mughals allowed provinces to become independent.
- Wars of Succession: Lack of primogeniture led to frequent succession wars, destabilizing the empire post-Aurangzeb.
- Empty Treasury: Shah Jahan’s construction and Aurangzeb’s southern wars drained finances.
Conclusion:
The Mughal Empire’s decline resulted from social, economic, political, and institutional failures. By 1813, the East India Company’s monopoly ended, and the 1857 Indian Rebellion led to the exile of Bahadur Shah II, marking British control over India.
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