The Later Mughal Rulers (1707 A.D.-1857 A.D.

):

Rise of independent states in

the 18th century:
With the decline of the Mughal Empire a number of provinces
seceded from the empire and several independent states came
into existence.

Hyderabad:
The State of Hyderabad was founded by Qamar-ud-din Siddiqi,
who was appointed Viceroy of the Deccan, with the title of Nizam-
ul- Mulk, by Emperor Farrukhsiyar in 1712. He established a
virtually independent state but returned to Delhi during the reign
of Emperor Mohammad Shah. In 1724, he was reappointed
Viceroy of the Deccan with the title of Asaf Jah. He founded the
Asaf Jah dynasty. His successors were known as the Nizams of
Hyderabad.

Asaf Jah ruled the Deccan with a firm hand, crushed the rebellious
and powerful zamindars and established a strong administration.
He put his nominee, Anwar-ud-din, on the throne of Arcot. After
his death in 1748, Hyderabad became an easy prey to powerful
neighbours. European trading companies started interfering in the
domestic politics of Hyderabad for their own selfish gains.

The Carnatic:
The Carnatic was one of the provinces of the Mughals in the
Deccan and was under the authority of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
However, in practice, the Carnatic was virtually independent
under its nawab.

Bengal:
Bengal in the 18th century comprised Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
Murshid Quli Khan was the Diwan of Bengal under Aurangzeb.
Farrukhsiyar appointed him Subedar (governor) of Bengal in 1717.
Taking advantage of the growing weakness of the central
authority, Murshid Quli Khan became practically independent.
Murshid Quli Khan (1717-27) and his successors Shuja-ud-Daula
(1727-39) and Alivardi Khan (1739-1756) gave Bengal a long
period of peace and stable administration.

All these three rulers gave encouragement to trade

but maintained strict control over the foreign trading companies.
Alivardi Khan did not permit English and French trading
companies to fortify their possessions in Bengal.
However, the Nawabs of Bengal failed to build up a strong army
and navy. They also failed to prevent corruption among the
officials. Nor did they firmly destroy the tendency of the East India
Company to use force. Their ignorance of the situation in Europe
proved costly. Bengal was the first province to be conquered by
the East India Company.
Awadh:
The subah of Awadh comprised Benaras and some districts near
Allahabad. Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk was appointed Governor
of Awadh by the Mughal Emperor. But he soon became
independent. He established a strong administration, crushed the
power of the big zamindars and brought about law and order in
the country.

His successor Safdar Jang gave Awadh a long period of peace and
prosperity. The authority of the Awadh rulers extended up to
Rohil-khand, a territory to the east of Delhi.

Mysore:
Early in the 18th century, Mysore was ruled by a Hindu king. After
the death of the king, Hyder Ali captured the throne. Though
illiterate, Hyder Ali was an efficient administrator. He became the
ruler of Mysore when Hyder Ali it was a weak and divided state.

But within a short span of time he made Mysore one of the

leading Indian powers. He modernized the army and expanded his
kingdom through conquests. He was strong enough to emerge as
a rival of the British.

The Rajput Kingdoms:

Taking advantage of the growing weakness of Mughal power, the
Rajput states became virtually independent. But the Rajput chiefs
continued to be divided as before. Most of the Rajput states were
involved in petty quarrels and civil wars.

Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Amber (1681-1743) was a renowned

Rajput ruler. He founded the city of Jaipur. He also erected
observatories with accurate and advanced instruments at Delhi,
Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi and Mathura. With the rise of the
Marathas, Rajput influence began to decrease.

The Punjab:
It was under the leadership of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and
the last Guru of the Sikhs that the community became a political
and military force. The invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah
Abdali and the consequent decline of Mughal power gave the
Sikhs the opportunity to rise. Between 1765 and 1800 they
brought the Punjab and Jammu under their control. At the end of
the 18th century Ranjit Singh, chief of the Sukercharia misl
brought all the Sikh chiefs west of the river Sutlej under his
control and established a powerful Sikh empire in the Punjab.

After Ranjit Singh’s death, there was confusion in the Sikh state.
The English, who were on the lookout for an opportunity to
expand their territories, conquered the Sikh kingdom (1839-40).
The Marathas:
Shahuji, the grandson of Shivaji, who had been imprisoned by
Aurangzeb, was released by Bahadur Shah in 1707. The Maratha
state at that time was ruled by Tara Bai, the queen regent. A civil
war broke out between the two Shahu was victorious.

Shahuji appointed Balaji Vishwanath as his Peshwa or Prime

Minister in 1713. Balaji Vishwanath concentrated all power in his
own hands and became the real ruler of the Marathas. The king
was relegated to the background. Balaji Vishwanath assigned
separate areas to the Maratha sardars (chiefs) for the collection of
levies of chauth and sardeshmukhi.

Balaji Baji Rao (1740-1761) further extended the empire in

different directions. Maratha power reached its height under him.
The Marathas soon reached Delhi and offered their support to the
Mughal emperor. The expulsion of Ahmad Shah Abdali’s agent
from Punjab brought the Marathas into an open conflict with
Ahmad Shah Abdali.

The battle between the two forces was fought in Panipat in

January 1761. The Marathas were completely defeated. Nearly
28,000 soldiers were killed. The Peshwa died in June 1761.The
Battle of Panipat destroyed the possibility of the Marathas
emerging as the strongest power in India. For the British, this
battle was of immense significance. The Maratha defeat cleared
the way for the rise of British power in India.

It should be noted that the Indian powers were strong enough to

destroy unite it or to the Mughal Empire but not strong enough to
unite it or to create anything new in its place. Possibly the
Marathas alone possessed the strength to fill the political vacuum
created by the disintegration of the Mughal Empire. But they
lacked political vision and succumbed to British power.