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In this article we will discuss the later Mughal rulers, the decline and disintegration of the dynasty during the first half of the 18th century.
Farrukh Siyar:
1. With the help of Sayyid brothers, namely Abdullah Khan and Hussain Ali Khan, Farrukh Siyar ascended the throne by defeating his uncle Jahandar Shah at Agra in January 1713.
2. The brothers were subsequently given the posts of wazir and mir bakshi in the Mughal court.
3. Siyar was a weak ruler, but he could not yield to the rising dominance of the Sayyids in the Mughal court.
4. What followed was a struggle for power, with Farrukh Siyar attempting and failing to oust the Sayyid brothers. They deposed and killed Farrukh Siyar in 1719.
Sayyid Brothers:
1. After this, the Sayyid brothers raised two minor princes to the Mughal throne, namely Rafi-us-Shan and Rafi-ul-Darjat, who died prematurely.
2. They then made the 18-year-old Mohammad Shah (Roshan Gauhar) the ruler of the Mughal empire.
3. The kings were a mere puppet in the hands of the brothers, who claimed complete command over the Mughal administration until 1720 when they were overthrown.
4. Political Policies:
a) Sayyid brothers adopted the policy of religious tolerance towards Rajput and Maratha rulers. The aim was to gain the rulers’ support and fight Farrukh Siyar and other rival nobles in the Mughal court.
b) They completely abolished the jizyah and also put an end to the pilgrim tax in many places.
c) They won over Ajit Singh of Marwar and Jai Singh of Amber by granting them positions of high influence in the administration.
d) They also allied with the Jat chief Chauraman.
f) The Sayyids granted Swarajya to the Maratha king Sahu along with the right to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi of the six provinces of Deccan. In return, Shahu assented to buttress their military might in Deccan with 15,000 mounted soldiers.
5. Economic Policies:
a) The Sayyid brothers failed to control the breakdown of the administration and state economy, which was a result of endless political rivalry and conspiracies in the Mughal court.
b) Due the lack of firm administration there was extreme lawlessness and disorder in Mughal empire.
c) The revenue farming practice started by Zulfikar Khan spread all across the empire, thereby worsening the position of the state treasury. While Zamindars and other rebellious elements refused to pay revenues, state officials embezzled revenues.
d) As state funds depleted, soldiers could not be paid salaries. As a result, the Mughal army became indisciplined and mutinous.
6. Nobles headed by Nizam-ul-Mulk and Muhammad Amin Khan started to conspire against Sayyid brothers as they had assumed immense power after the overthrow of Farrukh Siyar. Nobles in the Mughal court despised the brothers’ policy of religious tolerance towards Rajputs and Marathas. They thus declared the Sayyids to be anti-Mughal and anti-Islamic.
7. Nizam-ul-Mulk orchestrated the assassination of Hussain Ali khan, the younger of the two brothers, in 1720. He later defeated Abdullah Khan near Agra. With this, the domination of ‘king makers’ in Indian history ended.
To read the other articles in the series
Part 1 :
Part 3 :
https://www.pagalguy.com/articles/modern-indian-history-the-decline-of-mughal-empire-part-3-40267456
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