The Mughal Empire: Rise and Decline - Class VIII

Mir Zafar was the commander in chief of Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daulah's army.

Aurangzeb's government and military included Rajputs and Pathans, but he had a long and contentious history of conflict with the Marathas, who were not part of his administrative structure.

The decline of the Mughal Empire was a complex process caused by a combination of economic instability, succession wars, foreign invasions, and internal rebellions.

Aurangzeb appointed his maternal uncle Shaista Khan as the Subahdar (Governor) of Bengal in 1664.

Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah Suri in 1540. He fled to the refuge of the powerful Safavid Empire in Persia. Shah Tahmasp, the ruler of Persia welcomed Humayun and treated him as a royal visitor. Shah Tahmasp urged Humayun to convert his religion from Sunni to Shia Islam. He accepted it to keep himself and several hundred followers alive. Shah Tahmasp promised him to provide his help to regain his kingdom.

• Humayun was unable to properly estimate the increasing power of Sher Shah.
• The presence of large numbers of Afghan tribes across the north India and their nature of getting united under a capable leader was ignored by him.
• Without getting the support of the local rulers and zamindars, the Mughals were bound to remain numerically inferior.

Gokula or Gokul Singh was a Jat zamindar of Mathura. Gokula provided leadership to the Jat peasants who challenged the Imperial power. Gokula inspired the Jats to fight the Mughals.

Babur did not bequeath a strong empire; he left Humayun a fragile and unstable state with many enemies and financial difficulties.

Historical accounts suggest that Humayun's hesitation to intervene in the conflict between Rani Karanwati and Bahadur Shah was influenced by religious and political considerations regarding the nature of the conflict.

The battle of Kannauj took place in May 1540, Humayun was defeated in the hands of Sher Khan because the gun powder carried by Humayun soldiers were kept in open ground and due to heavy rain it got wet and became unusable.

Sher Shah started the Suri dynasty in 1540 by defeating Humayun. He was one of the greatest administrators of medieval India. He concentrated all administrative powers in his own persons. All major decisions were taken by Sher Shah himself and the ministers and the nobles simply carried them out. There were four administrative departments- Diwan-i-Wazarat, Diwan-i-Ariz, Diwan-i-Risalat and Diwan-i-Insha.

Following were the causes of Bairam Khan’s downfall:

1. Unpopularity of the Bairam Khan among Muslim nobility. He was a Shia and a majority of the Mughal nobles followed Sunni faith.

2. Vanity and haughtiness of Bairam Khan.

3. Showing favours to some nobles.

4. Execution of Governor Tardi Beg who had failed to defend Delhi against Hemu.

5. Akbar’s own ambition to work as an independent ruler without any interference.

6. Conspiracy of royal household against Bairam Khan.

In 1522 Sher Shah joined under the service of Bahar Khan under Lohani, the ruler of Bihar. His master rewarded him with the title of Sher Khan for his bravery in killing a tiger single-handed. But the intrigues of his enemies compelled him to leave Bihar and he joined the camp of Babur in 1527. After the death of Bahar Khan Lohani , Sher Khan left Mughal service and became the ruler of Bihar.

Sher Shah started the Suri dynasty in 1540 by defeating Humayun. He introduced an administration that borrowed elements from Alauddin Khalji and made them more efficient. The corruption was checked by the dagh or branding system. Every soldier had his face recorded and his horse branded with imperial sign.

ministry of defence was headed by the Ariz-i-mamalik. He was responsible for organization and maintenance of the royal army. The review of the army and branding of the horses was done by Ariz-i-mamalik.

Sher Shah Suri was a benevolent ruler and was one of the most excellent administrators of medieval India. His administration was very efficient but a bit strict. Because of his strictness and impartiality in the decision, robbers and dacoits had a fear of severe punishment. Due to which there were no robbery and theft during his reign

Aurangzeb was the sixth, and widely considered the last effective Mughal Emperor. He ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent during some parts of his reign, which lasted for 49 years from 1658 until his death in 1707. Generally, Mughal rulers after Aurangzeb are called later Mughals.

Bahadur Shah Zafar, also known as Bahadur Shah II, was the last Mughal emperor of India who reigned from 1837 to 1857. The first War of Independence in India started in 1857 under his leadership. After losing the war,  he was deposed by the British East India Company and exiled in 1858. He lived there for five years and died at the age of 87, in 1862. His death marked the end of the Mughal Empire.

Emperor Nader Shah was a Persian invader and founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Persia. He invaded the Mughal Empire, eventually attacking Delhi in 1739. He got enormous wealth by looting the Mughal Empire.

Answer - (D) - 3, 2, 1,  4 

Answer - (C) -Bahadur Shah-I, Jahandar Shah, Farrukh Siyar, Muhammad Shah