Chapter 1:

Shah Wali Ullah :

Chapter 2:
 DECLINE OF MUGHAL EMPIRE
INTRODUCTION
 Mughal empire was ruled over a vast area of the subcontinent by Muslims
 The Mughal dynasty started in 1526 with the accession of Babar.
 Aurangzeb was the one who strengthened the Mughal empire and he was
also responsible for its decline
 Mughal empire declines slowly and gradually after the death of Aurangzeb
 It took 150 years after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 for decline of Mughal
empire
o VAST EMPIRE
 During the rule of Aurangzeb, they kept on capturing lands under their
expansion policy.
 Mughal empire extended from Afghanistan to Assam and from Kashmir to
Mysore.
 They could not manage these areas because areas were very large.
 A single ruler could not handle the responsibility because it was an issue to
travel to different parts of the empire.
o WEAK ADMINISTRATION
 After Aurangzeb’s death, his sons were not capable to administer the empire.
 Since the citizens of empire had too many problems it was difficult for single
ruler to handle such situation.
 A single ruler could not handle the responsibility because it was an issue to
travel to different parts of the empire.
o SUCCESSION DISPUTE
 There was always a succession dispute when a ruler dies because there was
no law of succession. Only Akbar came to throne without fighting.
 Aurangzeb divided his empire among his sons to before his death to avoid
any conflict.
 But after his death, his sons fought for power.
 Due to these conditions worsened, not only causing disunity but also there
was a loss of lives, money and army.
o LAVISH LIFESTYLE
 Mughal rulers were always pleasure seeking and they were fond of luxuries.
 They wasted their time and money in luxuries instead of administering the
empire.
 Aurangzeb spent an enormous amount of money for the construction of the
PEARL MOSQUE in Delhi.
 This also set a bad example to the future successors.
 The successors were busy in women drinking and gambling.
 They become neglect of their duties.
 They were moving away from the Islamic teachings.
o AURANGZEB POLICIES
 Aurangzeb interfered into the religious matters of the non-Muslims.
 Aurangzeb re-imposed JIZYA TAX on non-Muslims.
 He imposed jizya on non-Muslims for them to pay money if they wanted their
rights and protection.
 However, instead of giving protection to non-Muslims, he banned their culture
and burnt many temples.
 Non-Muslims were converted to Muslim by force and they were also removed
by the top posts.
 Aurangzeb divided the empire into districts.
 And appointed separate mansabdars in each district.
 Mansabdars responsibility was to collect taxes and administer.
 Unfortunately, these mansabdars were corrupt and used the taxes for unfair
means.
o RELIGIOUS POLICIES OF AURANGZEB
 As soon as he ascended the throne, he started the introduction of reforms
which made his dominion a truly Islamic state, and which pleased the
orthodox Muslims.
 He appointed censors of public morals in all important cities to enforce
Islamic laws and to put down un-Islamic practices such as drinking, gambling
and prostitution.
 Forbade cultivation of bhang throughout the country.
 In 1664 forbade Suttee
 In 1668 forbade music at the court with exemption of Royal Band.
 Pensioned off state mushaikhs and singers.
 Demolished many Hindu temples, as he wanted Islam to spread far and wide.
o NO NAVAL FORCE
 There was no navy in the Mughal forces.
 They were over-confident.
 And their over-confident turned into affliction.
 The British were having a very strong and well-managed navy.
o WEAK ARMY
 The army expertise and efficiency were declining over time.
 There was lack of finance in Mughal treasury so modern weaponry could not
be afforded.
 There were multiple invasions and other advancements which couldn’t be
backed off by the army.
 Moreover, infighting among the successors makes the efficiency of army
weak.
o INTERNAL INVASIONS
 The Marathas forces had become quite powerful, constantly causing difficulty
to the Mughal.
 The Marathas were skillful Hindu guerrilla fighters who defeated a Mughal
army in 1737 and took control of Delhi and eastwards towards Bengal. By
1760 they were the most powerful people in India and nothing could the
Mughals do to stop it.
 By 1760s Marathas had also spread and turned out to be a big problem for
the empire until their advancement towards DELHI.
o FOREIGN INVASIONS
 In 1738 Nadir Shah of Persia invaded India and took the KOHINOOR DIAMOND
and the ROYAL PEACOCK THRONE.
 After which he plundered the cities and left them burnt.
 The Persians under Nadir Shah captured much of the Empire’s wealth and
returned home with gold, jewels and the Peacock throne from Delhi.
 In 1761 Ahmed Shah Abdali from Afghanistan invaded India.
 The Afghans under the leadership of Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the
Marathas at Panipat.
 They had been in control of much of the Empire for some time.
 The Afghans however were unable to make the most of their victory and
returned to Kabul.
 However, they were able to invade the Empire a number of times during the
18th Century.
o ARRIVAL OF BRITISH
 As Mughal empire was declining, British took advantage and entered into the
sub-continent.
 British liked the Mughal treasury so the British played a game.
 First, they entered as a trading company.
 British then introduced policies and entered into the politics.
 The British were developed and prepared due to industrial revolution.
 British expansion into the subcontinent was rapid.
 They were experienced in warfare and had many weapons and other
resources, so they were difficult to defeat.
 British won war of independence of 1857 which marked the end of Mughal
rule.
o WHY MARATHAS WERE DEFEATED AFTER THE
DECLINE OF MUGHAL?
 The Marathas controlled vast lands that had been part of the Mughal Empire,
but they found it difficult to control and administer. This led to problems in
fighting off threats from other armies confirming that the empire was now too
big for them to protect or defend.
 Maratha families began to show more loyalty to local rulers rather than the
Maratha leaders in the capital city of Pune. As a result, cracks began to show
in Maratha unity and control. Their grip on the empire was weakened.
 The invading Afghans defeated the Maratha army at Panipat in 1761,
thousands of soldiers and important administrators were killed, ending
Maratha control.

Chapter 3:
 Causes of 1857 war
o INTRODUCTION
 War began on 10 May 1857
 War was fought between Indians and British.
 The event is known by many names, including the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian
Mutiny, the Great Rebellion, the Revolt of 1857, the Indian Insurrection.
 Mutiny started from Meerut and spread all over the Indian region.
 War was officially ended in August 1858.
o AGRARIAN POLICY
 1852
 Introduced by Lord Dalhousie.
 British policy.
 Under this policy if the landowner did not have the documents of the land,
the land would be confiscated by British.
 The British checked the validity of the land documents.
 If the land documents are invalid.
 Then the land would be confiscated by British.
 Land owners were deprived of their lands as they failed to prove the property
documentarily.
o DOCTRINE OF LAPSE
 1852.
 Land annexation policy.
 Under this policy, if the landlord did not have a male heir to be in charge of
the land after he died, the land would be confiscated by British.
 Adopting Son was not allowed as legal male heir was needed.
 Due to this law many states like Jhansi, Sat Para, Nagpur and Oudh fell under
the British control.
o INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
 The industrial revolution took place in England.
 So British officers took raw material from India to England.
 The product was sold in India at a cheaper price.
 These products were cheaper and efficient than local products.
 There was less selling of local products so Industries suffered.
 Due to which the rate of employment decreases.
o LANGUAGE ISSUE
 1834.
 English was made an official language replacing native language in India.
 Persian was the official language of Muslims and Sanskrit was the official
language of Hindus.
 In 1835, English education act was passed.
 Under this act the English was introduced in education.
 Western curriculum was established with English in Indian schools and
colleges.
 English become the language of administration and of the higher law courts.
o RELIGIOUS ISSUES
 British thought their culture superior and the Indians were considered as an
inferior race.
 Christian missionaries came to India to convert the local population as well as
to set up schools.
 In these schools the missionaries taught Christianity and expected local
religions to be given up which was resented by Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs
alike.
 They were also forced to abandon purdah which had been an Indian custom
for centuries.
 In 1795 the killing of baby daughters was declared to be murder, but the
British found difficulty in enforcing this as it was again a tradition practiced in
many parts of India.
 Suttee, the ritual burning of Indian women on the funeral prayers of their
husbands was also banned by the British, first in Bengal and then in the rest
of the country.
 Although the British had been reluctant to get involved in banning this
practice, there was little opposition to the outlawing of it.
 Widows were allowed to remarry.
 Co-education was started.
 It was also said that the Indian people working in the army would be
converted to Christians.
o EDUCATIONAL REFORMS
 Macauley introduced schools across the country to teach Western ideas using
the English language.
 He believed that British ideas were far better than anything that came from
India and that it would impose Western values and help the British to govern
India more effectively.
 Indians had to send their children to coeducational schools, which was
unpopular, since it appeared to impose the British system on the Indians
without due regard to their religious and cultural feelings.
o POSTING OF SOLDIERS TOO FAR
 British started posting of soldiers to far off places.
 The use of Indian Troops proved it also.
 This indicates Indians that British were trying to send Indians far from country
so they can easily take control over India.
o WESTERNIZATION
 British westernized the India.
 They interfere in road, communication, railways which offended Indians.
 British interfered in social services, hospitals as well as in education.
 This offended Indians and makes Indians angry.
o GREASED CARTRIDGES
 1857.
 Most immediate reason.
 New cartridges coated with fats of pigs and cows, which were chewed first to
use them.
 Cow is a sacred animal for Hindus while pig is prohibited in Islam.
 Created disruption among the soldiers.
 Many soldiers refused to use them.
 British officers punished the Indians who resisted using them.
 This caused great resentment as it was contrary to religious beliefs for both
Muslim and Hindu communities and united them against the British.
o FURTHER CRUELITIES
 Sale laws and excessive taxation ruined the landlords and peasants alike.
 There was corruption in collection of taxes.
 The salaries of sepoys were very low.
 Difference in salaries among the British and Indians.
 In civil services Indians were given less jobs.
 Most of the high posts were given to the British.