The%20Deccan%20in%20the%20last%20days%20of%20Mughal%20rule - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The%20Deccan%20in%20the%20last%20days%20of%20Mughal%20rule
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The Deccan in the last days of Mughal rule – PowerPoint PPT presentation
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Title: The%20Deccan%20in%20the%20last%20days%20of%20Mughal%20rule
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The Deccan in the last days of Mughal rule
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The Deccan Under Aurangzeb
- Aurganzebs protracted war had already alienated
many local groups - Mughal nobles were developing local connections,
but not necessarily for the Empire - Fort commanders on reduced Jagirs preferred not
to send out men to combat Maratha raids - Marathas move easily through countryside
demanding Chauth or a quarter of Mughal revenue.
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New Maratha Kingship
- Network of support from maratha deshmukhs
(revenue collectors/lineage heads) - Administrative links through Brahmins in Deccan
courts - Temporary alliances with Bijapur and Golconda,
against Mughals
4
Use of religious ideology
- Re-invention of Bhonsle family as high-caste with
help of Brahmin from Benaras - Political goals reformulated within the rubric of
Hindu Kingship - Public patronage of Hindu temples, particularly
Bhavani, the fierce war goddess and Shiva - Note this occurred along with alliances with the
Decanni sultanates and muslim groups
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Internal Tensions among Marathas
- Shivajis eldest son Shambhaji not universally
popular - Several Maratha chiefs are indedependent
operators, not fully incorporated into Bhonsle
kingdom - Shivaji dies in 1680, succession struggle prompts
Aurangzeb to move south.
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The Bhonsle Marathas
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Evaluating Deccan Policy
- A paradoxpossible to win every battle, but still
loose the war. Why? - Aurangzeb had to fight multiple chiefs after
Shivajis death, not just one - Shambhajis death did not stop raids
- Shahuji (the captive son) treated with suspicion
- Rejected Tarabais offer and made a formidable
foe - Parallel system of revenu allowed both Mughals
and Marathas to suvive, but not thrive. Had a
bad impact on local agrarian economy - Marathas simply had to dig in and survive until
Aurangzebs death (1707).
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End of Mughal Rule in Deccan
- When Aurangzeb dies in Deccan his sons are in
their 60s - Muazzam, most likely to succeed is near Kabul,
but his son is governor of Bengal and ready to
help - Azam Shah and Kam Baksh are in the Deccan but
have little real experience - By June Muzzam defeats his brothers and becomes
the next Emperor as Bahadur Shah
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Aurangzebs Successors
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Bahadur Shah
- Brief reign due to old age, but vigorous attempt
to retain empire - Successful containment of Rajput rebellion and
attempt at reconciliation - Active campaign against Bandas rebellion in
Punjab - Zulfikar Khan appointed Mir Bakshi, but also
Viceroy of the Deccan
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Bahadur Shahs Deccan Policy
- Zulfikar Khan already had contacts in Deccan and
appointed the Afghan Daud Khan Panni as deputy - Marathas are caught in the rivalry between
Shahuji and Tarabai, both seek contracts of
Sardeshmukhi (10) and Chauth (25) - Bahadur Shah grants equal rights to each hoping
they would limit each others power - His own attention fully occupied by events in
north until his death of natural causes in 1712
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Nature of Maratha Power
- Very de-centralized with a number of chiefs who
had been under the service of the Bijapur sultans - Even after the 1660s when Shivajis Bhonsle
lineage becomes pre-eminent, the Maratha chiefs
continue as independent confederates - This pattern of leadership would last until their
defeat in the Third Maratha War in the 19th
century to the British East India company
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Advantages to Marathas
- Decentralized power lessens need for massive
investment - Raids and piracy supplement income
- Favors guerilla tactics with fast cavalry units
rather than organized battles - Territories include massive forts in hills and on
coast as safe-havens, but disposable - A mixture of sympathy and coercion ensure local
support
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Golconda and Jinji Forts
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The evolution of the Peshwas
- By the early 18th century the Chitpavan Brahmin
ministers of the Bhonsles began to be the real
power behind the Marathas - Under these ministers (Peshwas) the marathas
became a confederacy under different
chiefsHolkar, Bhonsle, Gaekawad, Sindhia - After Aurangzebs death in 1707 the Maraths began
raiding larger areas
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Original Maratha territories
Martha raids into Golconda, Southern Peninsula Fo
rts set up on Eastern edge Such as Jinji
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Why did Marathas Succeed?
- A policy based on mobile units and individual
commanders making decisions at the local level - Favored slow conquest with a pattern changing
from raid to conquest (see Gordon reading for
next class) - Individual rivalries between Maratha chiefs
sorted out by Peshwas, however, this did limit
the possibility of united campaigns
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Maratha Expansion by 1750s
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