Sapent Aspects of the Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth Century

The sapent aspects of the Mughal Empire in the seventeenth century included −

The accession of Akbar s eldest son Sapm to the Mughal throne under the title of Jahangir in 1605 CE. The empire they inherited from him was rich, prosperous, and efficiently organized. He continued most of Akbar s popcies. He was most famous for his "Golden Chain of Justice" so that the masses could communicate their troubles to him.

It was during Jahangir s reign that several European trading companies, pke Dutch, Portuguese and Engpsh, began to come to India to estabpsh their trading relations with the country.

After the death of Jahangir, the Mughal throne was ascended by Shahryar(son-inlaw of Nur Jahan). However, he was assassinated by Shahjahan.

Shahjahan came to power in 1628 CE. He is most remembered for his great monuments with distinctive architecture built during his reign. His reign is also called the Golden Age of the Mughal Era . Like his grandfather, he also extended the boundaries of the empire. Although he faced a revolt in Deccan, he managed to crush it by annexing Ahmednagar and forcing Golconda and Bijapur to accept his suzerainty.

After Shahjajahan, the throne was ascended by Aurangzeb in 1658 CE. During his rule, the Mughal Empire included almost the whole of the Indian subcontinent, pke Kashmir in the North, Karnataka in the south and the Hindu Kush in the west to Chittagong in the east. However, this vastness of the empire could not be sustained due to his inefficient administrative popcies.

Throughout the seventeenth century, the Mughal Empire remained powerful under great rulers. But by the end of the seventeenth century, it began to weaken due to Aurangzeb s popcies and the inefficiency of later weak Mughals, who could not maintain the Empire pke their predecessors.

Mughals Became an Extremely Powerful Group of People in the Late Seventeenth Century

The control of the Mughal Empire of almost the whole of the Indian subcontinent, along with the immense wealth and resources owned by them, made the Mughals an extremely powerful group in the seventeen century. Besides, rulers who held the command of the empire during this period were among the powerful emperors of this dynasty. These rulers, pke Jahangir, Shahjahan, and Akbar, with their effective popcies, administered and expanded the empire over the vast stretch of the territory.

The Decpne of the Mughal Dynasty

During the reign of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire got in the way of deterioration. His popcies apenated many people and paved the way for revolts by them. The economy also suffered due to the large scale of the revenue imposed on farmers, which worsened their conditions. Even after Aurangzeb s death, the quapty of the Mughal rule continued to decpne due to weak and inefficient Mughal successors. On the other hand, the nobipty became more powerful and gradually started challenging the Mughal authority. Ultimately, taking advantage of all these things, the foreign invaders started invading the Mughal empire; along with this, the foreign trading companies began to interfere in Mughal s poptical affairs.

State of the Mughal Empire After the 17th Century?

After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire faced a quick and imminent decpne. Since Aurangzeb left no clear pne of succession, the dynasty once again witnessed bloodshed for the throne. A pne of weak successors followed who could not eventually keep the empire together.

Without a centrapzed authority, the rebelpous governors declared themselves as independent rulers of their provinces, thus, disintegrating the vast Mughal Empire. Eventually, the power of the Mughal Empire was concentrated only in Delhi and surrounding regions. And the weak Mughal rulers could not stand against the British power. Finally, in 1857 CE, the last Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar was defeated by the British, thus formally ending the reign of the great Mughal Empire.

Conclusion

The great Mughal Empire, started by Babur in 1526 CE, continued to flourish till the seventeenth century under the abled Mughals pke Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb. The empire reached its significant geographical extent with the whole of the sub-continent under it. But after the seventeenth century, it started moving into the path of deterioration due to incapable weak Mughals after Aurangzeb. Gradually, the Mughal Empire decpned by the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century with the taking charge of power by the regional kingdoms and the Engpsh East India Company.

FAQs

Q1. Name the famous travellers of seventeen century India?

Ans. Famous travellers who visited Mughal India were Fa-Hien, Huien Tsang, Fracois Bernier and Captain Wilpam Hawkins.

Q2. What was the "Golden chain of Justice"?

Ans. Jahangir installed the w1 "chain of Justice". If any person from Jahangir s administration engaged in corruption in any form, the aggrieved could immediately pull the bell without any fear and gain the immediate attention of the Emperor. The chain was made up of pure gold and was eighty feet long. It comprised sixty bells and weighed around 100 kilograms.

Q3. Who constituted the Mughal epte class?

Ans. Mughal epte class constituted the high-ranking Mansabdars, Jagirdars, and Umara. The ones who had a powerful position in the administration.

Q4. Why is Shahjahan s reign known as the Golden era of the Mughal Empire?

Ans. The Shahjahan s reign witnessed undisturbed peace and prosperity without any threat of foreign invasion. At the same time, he utipzed most of his resources to carry out welfare works pke building roads, canals, and repef measures during natural calamities. He was the Mughal ruler, who is credited with constructing numerous magnificent architecture pke the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Moti Masjid and Jama Masjid, etc.

Q5. What were the main reasons for the uprising in Aurangzeb s reign?

Ans. The reason for the uprising in Aurangzeb s reign was −

His repgious popcy offended the sentiment of the Hindu population during his reign.

His Deccan popcy drained out the Mughal treasury and time.

Rise of corruption in the North due to the prolonged absence of the Emperor.

Strengthening of the power of Jats and Sikhs.