IGCSE HISTORY NOTES
Sec 1: THE DECLINE OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE
Aurangzeb (1618 – 1707):
Biography:
• He was born in November 1618 at Dahod.
• His father was Shah Jahan and he was the youngest
among brothers.
• He was the viceroy of Deccan kingdoms from 1636 to
1644 and 1654 to 1658.
• He dethroned his father and became emperor.
Aurangzeb as a Person:
• He was deeply religious, self-disciplined and industrious.
• He spent his time writing copies of the Holy Quran.
• He was ruthless but avoided shedding blood
unnecessarily.
• His courage in battle was undeniable.
Aurangzeb as an Emperor:
• Shah Jahan left the Empire larger than ever, but
Aurangzeb spent most of Empire’s wealth in wars.
• He was very religious and his religious reforms against
Non-Muslims received much criticism.
• He appointed theologians to assemble a book of Islamic
law, named as ‘Fatawa-al-Alamgiriya’.
• His goal as a ruler was to rule all over India.
,Aurangzeb’s Role in the Decline:
• Aurangzeb was the last great Mughal empire and he
spent most of his rule fighting Marhattas and Rajputs.
• During the final years of Aurangzeb's rule, the problems
in the Mughal Empire started to rise.
Following are the major reasons that led to the decline of
the Mughal Empire:
1. The War Against Marhattas:
• He started the war against Marhattas and created
enemies for Mughals in the south region.
• The Marhattas defeated the Mughal army in 1737 and
took over Malwa.
• It was a long war that continued for twenty-five years
due to which the state was left unattended and weakened
the empire.
2. The Downfall of Economy & High Tax:
• The war costed the treasury drastically and the Empire’s
economy in a miserable state.
• To cover up the loss, Jizya (tax) was imposed on Muslims
and the people started disliking him.
, 3. Religious Reforms:
• He destroyed Hindu temples.
• He enforced Hindus and Sikhs to live their life with
respect to Quran.
• He made Hindus upset by banning Satee.
4. Extravagance:
• He spent money on his luxuries.
• He built a pearl mosque for his personal use.
• He built palaces.
• His luxuries further weakened the economy.
5. The War of Succession:
• Aurangzeb fought his brothers for the throne but the war
heavily drained the treasury.
• To avoid such conflict among his 3 sons he divided the
empire but in vain.
• They still fought, Prince Muazzam won but died soon.
• Jahandar Shah was murdered within a year of being a
victor.
• The succession disputes weakened the army too, lack of
unity.
• After the death of Aurangzeb, there were 12 claims on
the throne within ten years.
• In 1719, Muhammad Shah became the emperor. He was
the last to claim the throne.
, Eventual Break of the Mughal Empire After 1707
• After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire
eventually declined and automatically broke. However,
since it was a very successful Empire, it still took 150 more
years for its definite end.
Following are the reasons that made the Mughal Empire
fall:
The Challenges of The Empire:
• It was an empire that was difficult to administrate.
• The disputes of succession take a huge toll on the
treasury. Aurangzeb tried to defend from it but failed.
• The cost on the wars to stop rebellions like Nadir Shah
was heavy.
Rebel by Locals:
• Since the empire was very large, it became to keep an
eye on everyone and stop rebellion from the locals.
• The locals who were in power such as the Zamindars
(landlords) built their armies.
• After the death of Aurangzeb, they grew stronger,
denied to make tax payments and accept any new
emperor.
Sec 1: THE DECLINE OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE
Aurangzeb (1618 – 1707):
Biography:
• He was born in November 1618 at Dahod.
• His father was Shah Jahan and he was the youngest
among brothers.
• He was the viceroy of Deccan kingdoms from 1636 to
1644 and 1654 to 1658.
• He dethroned his father and became emperor.
Aurangzeb as a Person:
• He was deeply religious, self-disciplined and industrious.
• He spent his time writing copies of the Holy Quran.
• He was ruthless but avoided shedding blood
unnecessarily.
• His courage in battle was undeniable.
Aurangzeb as an Emperor:
• Shah Jahan left the Empire larger than ever, but
Aurangzeb spent most of Empire’s wealth in wars.
• He was very religious and his religious reforms against
Non-Muslims received much criticism.
• He appointed theologians to assemble a book of Islamic
law, named as ‘Fatawa-al-Alamgiriya’.
• His goal as a ruler was to rule all over India.
,Aurangzeb’s Role in the Decline:
• Aurangzeb was the last great Mughal empire and he
spent most of his rule fighting Marhattas and Rajputs.
• During the final years of Aurangzeb's rule, the problems
in the Mughal Empire started to rise.
Following are the major reasons that led to the decline of
the Mughal Empire:
1. The War Against Marhattas:
• He started the war against Marhattas and created
enemies for Mughals in the south region.
• The Marhattas defeated the Mughal army in 1737 and
took over Malwa.
• It was a long war that continued for twenty-five years
due to which the state was left unattended and weakened
the empire.
2. The Downfall of Economy & High Tax:
• The war costed the treasury drastically and the Empire’s
economy in a miserable state.
• To cover up the loss, Jizya (tax) was imposed on Muslims
and the people started disliking him.
, 3. Religious Reforms:
• He destroyed Hindu temples.
• He enforced Hindus and Sikhs to live their life with
respect to Quran.
• He made Hindus upset by banning Satee.
4. Extravagance:
• He spent money on his luxuries.
• He built a pearl mosque for his personal use.
• He built palaces.
• His luxuries further weakened the economy.
5. The War of Succession:
• Aurangzeb fought his brothers for the throne but the war
heavily drained the treasury.
• To avoid such conflict among his 3 sons he divided the
empire but in vain.
• They still fought, Prince Muazzam won but died soon.
• Jahandar Shah was murdered within a year of being a
victor.
• The succession disputes weakened the army too, lack of
unity.
• After the death of Aurangzeb, there were 12 claims on
the throne within ten years.
• In 1719, Muhammad Shah became the emperor. He was
the last to claim the throne.
, Eventual Break of the Mughal Empire After 1707
• After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire
eventually declined and automatically broke. However,
since it was a very successful Empire, it still took 150 more
years for its definite end.
Following are the reasons that made the Mughal Empire
fall:
The Challenges of The Empire:
• It was an empire that was difficult to administrate.
• The disputes of succession take a huge toll on the
treasury. Aurangzeb tried to defend from it but failed.
• The cost on the wars to stop rebellions like Nadir Shah
was heavy.
Rebel by Locals:
• Since the empire was very large, it became to keep an
eye on everyone and stop rebellion from the locals.
• The locals who were in power such as the Zamindars
(landlords) built their armies.
• After the death of Aurangzeb, they grew stronger,
denied to make tax payments and accept any new
emperor.
