Eighteenth-Century Political Formation

Eighteenth-Century Political Formation

by Subhan , Noamaan and Sufyaan

​The Crisis of the Empire and the Later Mughals

(i) Under his successors, the efficiency of the imperial administration broke down. It became difficult to check governors and mansabdars.

(ii) In the midst of this crisis, Nadir Shah’s invasion in 1739 and invasions of Afghan ruler

Ahmed Shah Abdali between 1748-1761, weakened the Mughal empire.

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Emergence of New States​

(i) Broadly speaking, the states were divided into three overlapping groups; old Mughal provinces like Awadh, Bengal and Hyderabad States which enjoyed consideration

independence like Watan Jagirs and several Rajput principalities, and the last group included states like Marathas, Sikhs and the Jats.​

The Old Mughal Province​

​These included the states of Awadh, Bengal and Hyderabad.

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​Awadh was founded by Saddat Khan. The rich alluvial plains allowed development of the region.

The Watan Jagirs of the Rajputs​

(i) Many Rajput Kings, particularly those belonging to Amber and Jodhpur had served under the Mughals with distinction. They got considerable autonomy and thus were called watan jagir.

(ii) Maratha expansion after 1740s put restriction on growth of Rajput expansion.​

(i) The Sikh arose as a power under Guru Gobind Singh who inspired the Khalsa with the belief that their destiny was to rule.

(ii) Maharaja Ranjit Singh reunited the Sikhs as a powerful group and established his capital at Lahore in 1799.​

The Sikhs​

The Marathas

(i) The Maratha kingdom rose under Shivaji. After Shivaji’s death Peshwa, led the

Maratha empire to its zenith.​

​(ii) Maratha chiefs included Peshwa, Sindhia, Gaekwad and Bhonsle. Their territory

touched near Delhi in its peak stages.

The Jats​

(i) The Jats under Churaman controlled territories towards the west of Delhi.

(ii) They were prosperous agriculturalists.

(iii) Under Suraj Mal, the kingdom of Bharatpur emerged as a strong state.

(iv) Jats even built a garden palace at Dig.​