Subtopic 1.2 — Decline of the Mughal Empire

O Level Pakistan Studies | Subject Code: 2059

2026 📋 Syllabus Objectives — What You Need to Know

By the end of these notes, you should be able to answer:

  1. How far was Aurangzeb responsible for the decline of the Mughal Empire?
  2. How far did Mughal weaknesses from 1707 make decline inevitable?
  3. What role did the East India Company play in the decline of the Empire?
  4. How successful was British expansion in the subcontinent to 1857?

You also need to know the following specific content:

Internal (Indian) Reasons:

  • The impact of Aurangzeb's policies on the stability of the Mughal Empire
  • The effectiveness of Aurangzeb's successors as rulers
  • Problems of controlling the Empire
  • The rise of the Maratha and Sikh empires

External Reasons:

  • Foreign invasions from Persia and Afghanistan
  • The East India Company's involvement in the subcontinent
  • British relations with the later Mughal rulers of Delhi
  • British expansion from the 1750s to the 1850s
  • British annexation of the territories that now make up Pakistan (including the Anglo–Sikh Wars and annexations of Lahore, the Punjab, and Peshawar)
  • The British search for a 'natural' and 'scientific' North-West Frontier
  • British policy towards Tribal Territory

📖 SECTION A — INTERNAL REASONS FOR DECLINE

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1. Aurangzeb's Policies and Their Impact on the Empire

Who was Aurangzeb? Aurangzeb was a Mughal emperor who ruled from 1658 until his death in 1707. He was a deeply religious Muslim ruler who made many decisions based on strict Islamic beliefs. While he was personally disciplined and hardworking, many of his policies created serious problems for the empire.

🔴 Policies That Destabilised (weakened) the Empire:

a) Reimposing the Jizya Tax

  • The Jizya was a special tax charged on non-Muslims (mainly Hindus) in exchange for their protection under Muslim rule.
  • Earlier emperors like Akbar had removed this tax to keep peace between Muslims and Hindus.
  • Aurangzeb brought the Jizya back, which made millions of Hindus feel like second-class citizens.
  • This decision caused widespread anger and resentment among the non-Muslim population, making them less loyal to the Mughal throne.

b) Destroying Temples and Banning Hindu Practices

  • Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of many Hindu temples across the empire.
  • He tried to ban suttee — an old Hindu tradition where widows were burned alive on their husband's funeral fire. Although banning suttee was morally right, the way he did it added to the feeling that he was attacking Hindu culture.
  • These actions deeply offended the Hindu population, who made up the majority of people in the empire.

c) Imposing Islamic Laws

  • Aurangzeb introduced strict Islamic laws across the empire.
  • He banned music, alcohol, and many forms of entertainment that had been allowed under previous emperors.
  • This made him unpopular not just with Hindus, but also with many Muslims who felt life had become too strict.

d) The Long and Costly War Against the Marathas

  • Aurangzeb spent 25 years (from around 1682 to 1707) fighting the Marathas — a powerful Hindu group in the Deccan region of south India.
  • This war drained the empire's money, exhausted the army, and kept the emperor far from Delhi for decades.
  • While he was away fighting in the south, other parts of the empire were left poorly managed.
  • The Marathas used guerrilla warfare — a style of fighting where small groups use surprise attacks, ambushes, and hit-and-run tactics instead of large open battles. This made them very hard to defeat.
  • Aurangzeb never fully crushed the Marathas and died in 1707 without winning the war.

e) Neglecting the Mansabdari System

  • The Mansabdari system was the Mughal method of organising government officers and military commanders. Officers were given ranks (called mansabs) and in return they governed regions and led armies for the emperor.
  • Under Aurangzeb, this system became corrupt. Officers took their salaries and privileges but did not do their duties properly.
  • The system broke down over time, leaving the empire poorly governed and poorly defended.

📌 Summary: Aurangzeb's religious intolerance turned the non-Muslim majority against the empire. His long war against the Marathas drained the treasury and army. These decisions planted the seeds of the empire's eventual collapse.

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