Indian History: Ancient to Early Modern Period

The state of Hyderabad was founded by Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah in 1724 A.D., during the reign of Muhammad Shah Rangila, the 12th Mughal emperor (1719 A.D.-1748 A.D.). But after the death of Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah in 1748, Hyderabad fell prey to the disruptive forces.

After Shivaji’s death, effective power in the Maratha state was wielded by a family of Chitpavan Brahmanas who served Shivaji’s successors as Peshwa (or principal minister). Poona became the capital of the Maratha kingdom. Under the Peshwas, the Marathas developed a very successful military organisation.

Hyder Ali of Mysore was the first Indian ruler to modernize his military forces by adopting European training methods and organization.

Nizam-ul-mulk, also known as Chin Qulich Khan, founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty in the Deccan, which ruled the Hyderabad state.

Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal and established the independent state of Bengal in the early 18th century.

• In the Maratha region, Kotwals were responsible for town administration.
• People of this community were made the leaders of forts and head of town police. 

Baji Rao I was a Peshwa who expanded the Maratha Empire into the North, but he did not make Satara his center; the Chhatrapati resided in Satara, while the Peshwa operated from Pune.

Balaji Vishwanath died in 1720. He was succeeded as Peshwa by his 20-year-old son Baji Rao I. In spite of his youth, Baji Rao I was a bold and brilliant commander and an ambitious and clever statesman. He has been described as “the greatest exponent of guerrilla tactics after Shivaji”.

Chhattrapati Shahu, a grandson of Shivaji, was released by the Mughals after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb. Following a brief struggle with his aunt Tarabai, Shahu became ruler and appointed Balaji Vishwanath, and later, his descendants, as the peshwas or prime ministers of the empire.

The practice of Panj Piyaras was started by Guru Gobind Singh who was the 10th and the last Guru of Sikhs. He was born on Dec.22, 1666 A.D. in Patna.He gave final shape to the Sikh religion by creating the 'Khalsa' in 1699 on the day of Baisakhi. On this day he preapared Amrit and selected five sikhs as 'Panj Piyaras'. These were Daya Singh, Dharam Singh, Mohkam Singh, Sahib Singh and Himmat Singh.

Sawai Jai Singh II was the founder of the Pink city i.e. Jaipur. He was a remarkable Monarch of Jaipur, was a mathematician, an astronomer, and a town planner. He shifted his capital from Amber to Jaipur due to increase in population and growing scarcity of water. He consulted several books on architecture and architects before making the layout of Jaipur.

 Ram Singh was the religious leader of the 'Kuka' sect of Sikhism. He launched his revolt against the British on 12 April 1857 by hoisting a white flag of freedom and announcing a programme of far-reaching significance.

Tipu Sultan, born on 20 November 1750 at Devanahalli was the son of Hyder Ali. He was his father's right arm in the wars from which Hyder emerged as the most powerful ruler of southern India. 

Duleep Singh was the youngest son of the Maharaja of the Punjab, Ranjit Singh. He was placed on the throne of the Sikh state in 1843 after the death of his father in 1839 and his elder brother. Under the provision of the Treaty of Lahore, the English Company annexed Punjab and Duleep Singh was dethroned. Deprived of his power, his lands and other property and the treasury were confiscated. Later, the English East India Company granted him a life pension of 4,00,000 to 5,00,000 rupees per year. 

During
the reign of Bajirao II, the Maratha influence in the North and South
waned further. The British replaced the Maratha. The British captured
Pune in 1817 CE.

The
Mughal emperor Farukhsea appointed Nizam-Ul-Mulk the Subhedar of
Deccan. After this he tried to establish his separate existence at
Hyderabad. He also captured some part of the Pune Pargana.

Saadat Khan (also known as Burhan-ul-Mulk) was appointed the governor of Awadh by the Mughal Emperor in 1722 and subsequently established it as an independent state.

Asaf-ud-Daula, who ruled from 1775 to 1797, shifted the capital of Awadh from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775.

Asaf-ud-Daulah, the fourth Nawab of Awadh (ruled 1775-1797), permanently shifted the capital from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775. He transformed Lucknow into a magnificent city with architectural projects including the Bara Imambara, Rumi Darwaza, and other monuments that remain landmarks today.

Shuja-ud-Daulah was the Nawab of Awadh from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Panipat and the Battle of Buxar. He had allied himself with Mir Qasim and took part in the Battle of Buxar, which ended in defeat.

In Sikh tradition, the succession of Gurus is generally recognized as consisting of ten human Gurus, starting with Guru Nanak and ending with Guru Gobind Singh.

Maharaja Jaswant Singh was a prominent ruler of the Marwar kingdom (Jodhpur) during the Mughal period.

Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, was the one who militarized the community and fought extensively against the Mughal Empire.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib. Khalsas are Sikhs which have undergone the sacred Amrit Ceremony initiated by the Guru Gobind Singh. A Sikh male at being initiated into the Khalsa is titled Singh meaning "Lion" and a female is entitled Kaur meaning "Princess".

Maharaja Suraj Mal was ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan in India. Deeg was the first capital of the Bharatpur state. Maharaja Suraj Mal built the Deeg fort in 1730 as the place was vulnerable to repeated attacks by invaders. The fort had massive walls and a deep moat to keep away raiders.

Ashta Pradhan was a council of eight ministers that administered the Maratha empire. It was an administrative and advisory council set up in 1674 by the Maratha leader Shivaji. The eight officials were called Peshva, Amatya, Waqia-Navis, Samant, Sachiv, Pandit Rao, Sar-i-nabuat, and Nyayadhish.

The chronological order of the Maratha rulers after Shivaji is Sambhaji, Rajaram, Shivaji II, Shahu, and then the rise of the Peshwas (Balaji Viswanath).

Mohatarfa was the duties imposed on traders and professionals, and it was treated as the income tax.  The tax varied from place to place, shop to shop and profession to profession. It depended on the earning of each trader. 

Dupleix, the French Governor-General, intervened in the succession disputes of Hyderabad and the Carnatic to expand French influence in India.

In the Carnatic Wars, the English East India Company supported the claims of Anwaruddin, while the French supported Chanda Sahib.

Udai Singh was the Maharana of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur in the present-day Rajasthan state of India. He was the 53rd ruler of the Mewar dynasty.

Maharaja Jaswant Singh was a ruler of Marwar which is in the southwestern part of the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan. He died at Jamrud, near Peshawar in Pakistan, on 28 December 1678 at the age of 49.