POLITICAL

FORMATION
DURING THE
EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY
Done by Sreelakshmi, Apsara and Bhadra
 Table of contents
> 01. 02. <
Independent
kingdom on the Awadh
remains of the
Mughals

>
03. 04. 05. <

The Rajput The Marathas Bengal

<
 TIMELINE
● 1674 (SHIVAJI ASSUMES TITLE OF CHHATRAPATI)

● 1707 (AURANGZEB’S SON BAHADUR SHAH COMES TO THRONE)

● 1772 (SAWATI RAJA JAI SINGH GIVEN SUBEDARI OF AGRA)

● 1739 (NADIR SHAH INVADES INDIA)

● 1761 (THIRD BATTLE OF PANIPAT)

● 1782 (TIPU SULTAN BECOMES RULER OF MYSORE)

● 1799 (SIKH KINGDOM ESTABLISHED)

 INTRODUCTION
● In 1707, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb died at the age of 88 yrs. His successors were
known as Later Mughals.

● In 1707, Aurangzeb’s son Bahadur Shah came to throne. He ruled 1707- 1712. Bahadur
shah tried to win over the Rajput's, the Marathas and the Sikhs.

● In 1712, Bahadur shah succeeded by Jahandar shah. He ruled for 4 months. He was a
puppet in the hands of Zulfiqar khan, a noble men. They two brothers (Sayyid hussain Ali and Sayyid
Abdullah) remove an emperor and place another one on the throne. They removed jahandar shah and
made Farrukhsiyar the next Mughal ruler.

● Farrukhsiyar was killed by Sayyid brothers and Muhammad shah ascended the throne as Mughal ruler.

● The power of the Mughal Emperor had declined and the independent kingdoms was established in
different areas .
INDEPENDENT KINGDOMS ON THE
REMAINS OF THE MUGHALS

The Mughal Empire was in ruins. Many

regionals kingdoms rose which were
under the Mughals. The Governors who
had served the Mughals broke free and
became independent units. The three
largest provinces to become independent
were Awadh, Bengal and Hyderabad.
 Awadh
In 1722, the Mughal Emperor Muhammed
Shah appointed Saadat Khan as the governor
of Awadh. He suppressed zamindars who did
not pay revenue. He streamlined the revenue
system. He was succeeded by his son-in-law
Safdarjung. In 1754, Safdarjung died and was
succeeded by his son. The rulers of Awadh
improved the financial condition of the
government. They had an efficient and
organised army. They developed Lucknow as
a major centre of culture and art and also as
the capital of Awadh.
 Bengal
Bengal gradually broke away from the Mughal
control under Murshid Quli Khan, who was
appointed as the governor of the province. He
seized all the powers. He commanded the
revenue administration of the state. He
succeeded by Shuja-ud-Dinin 1727-1739. after
him, Alivardi Khan and then Siraj-ud-Daulah
became the rulers of Bengal. The rulers of
Bengal looked after the administration as well
as agriculture, industry and trade. The Battle of
Plassey (1757) and the Battle of Buxar (1764)
established British control over Bengal.
 Hyderabad
Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah was the founder of
Hyderabad state. He was a
noble of the Mughal Empire and served as the
governor of the Deccan.
He gathered power in his hands and
established his control and became
the actual ruler of that region.

He was an intelligent man and skilfully ruled

the state independently
without declaring his independence. He
brought skilled soldiers and
administrators from northern indie who
welcomed the new opportunity
in the south.
 The Rajput's (Reign of
Aurangzeb)
Rajput kingdoms of Amber and Jodhpur had served
with great loyalty under the Mughals. By the 18th
02
century, these rulers had become independent of
Mughal authority.
In 1722, Sawai Raja Jai Singh was founded the new
capital at Jaipur, the pink city.
The Rajput power declined because of in fights and
disunity. The Marathas rise to power gave a final blow
to the Rajputs.
Multiple Choice Questions (Quick Review)
1. Saadat Khan was succeeded by
a) Nadir Shah
b) Safdarjung
c) Asaf Jah
2. Who founded the city of Jaipur?
d) Aurangzeb
e) Bahadur Shah Zafar
f) Sawai Raja Jai Singh
 Sikhs

The Sikhs of Punjab rose to power and became an

organised political community under the Sikh guru.
Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru, raised his voice against
Aurangzeb. He was imprisoned and beheaded. Teg
Bahadur was succeeded by Guru Gobind Singh who
was the last Sikh guru. He started the Khalse (meaning
the pure) movement to fight the Mughals. Guru
Gobind Singh asked all Sikh men to wear five sacred
symbols.
Five Sacred Symbols
Kesha or hair : Hair was not to be cut or removed as hair is symbol of

spirituality and signified surrender to the will of god.

Kangha or comb: A comb signifies cleanliness of the mind by cleansing

out bad thoughts from our mind.

Kara or bracelet: It was worn in the hand. It was a reminder to stop an act

that was wrong.

Kachha or underwear: It was a symbol of high moral character

Kirpan or dagger: It use was to defend and uphold the truth.

Rise of Mysore
Haider Ali became the rule of Mysore (1760-1782).
He was a great administrator and excellent warrior.
In the first Anglo- Mysore war (1767-69) Haider
Ali defeated the English . During the second Anglo-
Mysore war (1780-84) he proved his mettle. Ali
died in 1782 during the war. Haider’s son Tipu
Sultan succeeded him in 1782. He was also an able
ruler. Trade and industry were encouraged and
04
farmers were well looked after. Historians from
different countries described his state as prosperous
where development of cities and towns took place.
The Marathas

Inthe 17th century, the Marathas who

were chieftains came to power.
Marathas served in the kingdoms of
Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and Golconda.
These kingdoms power became weak, the
05
Marathas declared their independence.
This the regional kingdom that was
opposed to the Mughals.
Shivaji
Shivaji was a brilliant soldier and leader. He is known in history for
the art of guerrilla warfare. His rule gained stability with the support
of powerful warrior families (deshmukhs). Group of highly mobile,
peasant-pastoralist (Kunbis) provided the backbone of the Maratha
army. Shivaji organised and used these forces to challenge the
Mughals. War with Bijapur: The king of Bijapur sent an army under
Afzal Khan to crush the rising power of Shivaji. Shivaji killed Afzal
Khan and defeated the forces of Bijapur. War with Aurangzeb:
Shivaji’s rise was like an eyesore for Aurangzeb. In 1663, he sent
Shaist Khan to capture him. Shivaji wounded Shaist Khan in his own
camp at
night. He even defeated the Mughal army
Shivaji

Raja Jai Singh was sent by Aurangzeb to crush Shivaji.

The fort of Purandhar was seized and shivaji had to sign
the Treaty of Purandhar. As per treaty, Shivaji accepted
Aurangzeb as his Lord and agreed to pay tribute to him.
Aurangzeb did not treat Shivaji well and put him under
house arrest. In 1670, Shivaji rose against the Mughals
again. He raided surat and captured many forts he had
surrendered as per the treaty of Purandhar.
Multiple Choice Questions (Quick Review)
1. Who was the last Sikh Guru?
a) Guru Gobind Singh
b) Guru Teg Bahadur
c) Guru Har Gobind
2. In 1663, Aurangzeb sent _____ to capture Shivaji.
d) Afzal Khan
e) Raja Jai Singh
f) Shaista Khan
Administration Under Shivaji
Shivaji was a successful administrator. His council of eight minister, called the
Ashtapradham, counselled him on all important matters. The council consisted of the
following ministers.

⚫ Peshwa (head of the council and administration incharge)

⚫ Senapati (army’s commander-in-chief)

⚫ Nyayadhish (incharge of justice)

⚫ Majumdar of Amatya (incharge of finance)

⚫ Pant Sachiv (General secretary)

⚫ Sumanta (foreign affairs)

Revenue
The main source of income was land revenue. It was fixed through
assessment. The state’s share was fixed at two-fifth of the produce. Two
kinds of taxes were levied on the areas not directly under the Maratha
rule.
⚫ Chauth: One-fourth of the total land revenue was collected as tax, in
return for not plundering their area.
⚫ Sardeshmukhi: One tenth of the total land revenue was paid as
tributary tax to the Sardeshmukhi or the Maratha Chief.
Administration Of Army
Shivaji’s army was well-trained and disciplined. It was divided
into the infantry and the cavalry. He also constructed strong forts
which were guarded by special officers. In 1674, Shivaji
crowned himself king and assumed the title of Chhatrapati. He
died in 1680. After Shivaji's death, a family of Chitapavan
Brahmanas served Shivaji’s successor as Peshwa (or principal
minister). Marathas had an organised military under the
Peshwas.
 The Peshwas
The peshwas controlled the Maratha power from 1713 to 1761

Balaji Vishwanath ( 1713 - 1761) : Balaji Vishwanath took advantage of

Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar’s weakness and forced him to return all the
Maratha territories.

Baji Rao ( 1720 -1740 ) : Baji Rao conquered Malwa , southern Gujarat and
parts of Bundhelk hand. He even defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad and got the
right to collect taxes from some parts of the Deccan. He also took control of
salsette and Bassein from the Portuguese. He won the title of the ‘Fighting
Peshwas’.
Balaji Baji Rao ( 1740 - 1761 ) : Balaji Baji Rao was the next peshwas . He
became the head of the Marathas in 1749 . He shifted the capital from satara to
Poona. His army reached as far as Punjab and Rajasthan in the north and
Bengal and Orissa in the east. Mysore and Hyderabad were forced to hand over
territories and even pay tribute. Under Balaji Baji Rao, the Marathas power was
the greatest. In 1753 the Marathas captured Delhi . In 1758, they seized Punjab
from Abdali.

Third Battle of Panipat : The third battle of panipat stook the Marathas . In
1761, a fierce battle was fought between Ahmad Shah Abdali and the
Marathas . In this third battle of panipat ,Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the
Marathas . This was like a blow to their power and prestige . Balaji Baji Rao
died due to this shook in 1761.
Points to Remember
Three of the largest province
The Later Mughals were
of Awadh, Bengal and
weak and incompetent
Hyderabad became
which resulted in 01 02 independent. The others
establishment of
were Punjab and Mysore.
independent kingdoms.

The Marathas became more

The Marathas came up as a
powerful force under Shivaji
and even challenged the
power of Aurangzeb.
powerful under the Peshwas
who proved to be very
03 04 capable. Balaji Vishwanath,
Baji Rao I and Balaji Rao
expanded the Maratha power.
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