Mughal Empire Begins Decline
The death of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1707 is traditionally treated as the turning point after which the Mughal Empire, once the most powerful state in South Asia, began a long political decline. Historians debate how sharply the break should be drawn, since the strains were visible earlier, but 1707 remains a convenient marker for the moment when central authority started to give way to regional powers.
The empire Aurangzeb inherited had been built by Babur in the 16th century and consolidated by Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan. It governed a vast and wealthy territory through a system of military-administrative ranks, in which nobles known as mansabdars were paid through revenue assignments on land. Aurangzeb, who took the throne in 1658 after a war of succession, expanded the realm to its greatest extent, especially in the Deccan in the south. But the conquests were costly. He spent much of his last quarter-century on campaign there, fighting the Marathas under leaders such as Shivaji and his successors, as well as the sultanates of Bijapur and Golconda.
Several pressures built up during his long reign. Prolonged warfare strained the treasury, and there were not enough productive land assignments to satisfy the nobility, a problem historians sometimes call a jagir crisis. Revolts and resistance arose among Marathas, Jats, Sikhs, and Rajputs. Aurangzeb's religious policies, including the reimposition of the jizya tax on non-Muslims in 1679, are often cited as deepening discontent, though scholars disagree about how much weight they carried compared with political and fiscal factors.
When Aurangzeb died in 1707, his sons fought over the succession, and Bahadur Shah I emerged as emperor. The following decades brought short reigns, factional struggles at court, and growing influence for powerful nobles. Governors in provinces such as Bengal, Awadh, and Hyderabad increasingly acted as hereditary rulers, sending only token respect to Delhi. The Marathas expanded across central and northern India, while the empire's prestige suffered a heavy blow when Nader Shah of Persia sacked Delhi in 1739.
The decline was gradual rather than instant. The Mughal emperor remained a symbol of legitimacy for generations, and many successor states still used Mughal institutions and titles. Yet the fragmented political landscape created openings for European trading companies. After the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the British East India Company gained control of Bengal and its revenues, laying the groundwork for wider colonial rule. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was deposed by the British after the Rebellion of 1857, formally ending the dynasty.