MODERN INDIAN HISTORY (1707-1947) INDIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT Alamgir Aurangzeb (1658-1707) Last of the Great Mughal rulers who died in 1707 Later Mughals POLITICAL  CONDITION     • After  the  death  of  Mughal  emperor  Aurangzeb  in  1707  disintegration  of  Mughal   empire  gained  sharp  momentum     • Bahadur  Shah  emerged  victorious  among  the  sons  of  Aurangzeb  for  the  throne   • Was  an  able  ruler.  Tried  to  gain  control  over  the  Rajputs  by  replacing  Jai  Singh  by  his   younger  brother  Vijay  Singh  at  Amber.  He  forced  Ajit  Singh  of  Marwar  to  submit  to   Mughal  authority.   • Policy  towards  Maratha  sardars  (chiefs)  was  half  hearted  reconciliation  as  Bahadur   Shah  granted  sardeshmukhi  of  the  Deccan  but  did  not  grant  chauth  to  them.   Therefor  the  Maratha  chiefs  were  dissatisfied  and  Decccan  was  in  disorder.   • Bahadur  Shah  made  peace  with  the  Sikhs  by  granting  granting  high  mansab  to  Guru   Gobind  Singh  (10th  Guru).But  after  the  death  of  Guru  Gobind  Singh  Sikhs  again   raised  the  banner  of  revolt  under  Banda  Bahadur.  The  revolt  was  crushed  to  a   minimum  by  Bahadur  Shah  himself  who  captured  the  strong  fort  Lohgarh  at  the   foothills  of  Himalayas  for  a  brief  period. • Bahadur  made  peace  with  Chhatarsal,  the  Bundela  chief  who  remained  loyal  to  him   and  the  Jat  chief  Churaman  joined  him  in  his  campaign  against  Banda  Bahadur.   • Bahadur  Shah  was  about  to  settle  the  empire  from  disarray  and  further  loss  but  his   unfortunate  death  in  1712  plunged  the  empire  once  again  into  a  civil  war.   • Jahandar  Shah  succeeded  the  throne  after  the  death  of  Bahadur  Shah,  supported  by   powerful  noble  Zulfiqar  Khan     • He  reversed  the  policies  of  Aurangzeb,  e.g.  abolished  Jizyah  tax   • Jai  Singh    of  Amber  was  given  the  title  Mirza  Raja  Sawai  and  appointed  governor  of   Malwa   • Zulfiqar  Khan  made  peace  with  Churaman  and  Chhattarsal  of  Bundela     • He  encouraged  the  practice  of  ijarah  or  revenue  farming   • In  1713  Farrukhsiyar,  defeated  Jahandar  Shah  and  succeeded  the  throne        Farrukhsiyar  the  Mughal  emperor,  ruled  from  1713-­‐1719   issued  farman  in  1717  granting  the  British  East  India  Company  concessions  and  exemption   from  custom  duties  and  right  to  issue  dastaks  to  trade  in  Bengal   • Saiyid  brothers,  Abdullah  Khan(wazir)  and  Husain  Ali  Khan  Burhow  (mirbakshi),   were  the  ‘king  makers’  who  helped  Farrukhsiyar  in  his  capturing  of  throne   • Farrukhsiyar  was  killed  in  1719  by  Saiyid  brothers,  and  Muhammad  Shah  was  made   the  Emperor  of  India   • Saiyid  brothers  reached  an  agreement  with  King  Shahu  by  granting  him  the   swarajya(of  Shivaji)  and  the  right  to  collect  chauth   • Nizam  ul  Mulk  and  Muhammad  Shah  killed  and  overthrew  Saiyid  brothers     • Muhammad  Shah  was  fickle  minded  and  reigned  from  1719-­‐1748,  but  due  to  lack  of   confidence  on  Nizam  ul  Mulk  his  wazir,  latter  moved  to  south  and  founded  the  state   of  Hyderabad  in  Deccan  in  1724   • In  1739,  Nadir  Shah,  the  king  of  Persia,  invaded  India  and  plundered  Delhi  and  took   away  the  Koh  i  noor  diamond,  peacock  throne  of  Shahjahan • In  Ahmad  Shah  Abdali,  one  of  the  generals  of  Nadir  Shah,  in  North  India  from  1748-­‐ 1767  defeated  the  mighty  Marathas  in  the  crucial  Third  battle  of  Panipat  in  1761       • RESULTS       • Mughal  empire  ceased  to  exist  in  totality  and  decimated  to  the  areas  around  Delhi   without  control  over  its  provinces     • In  the  provinces  many  independent  states  arose,  e.g.  Hyderabad,  Bengal,  Awadh,   Punjab  etc.   • Shah  Alam  II  who  ascended  the  throne  in  1759,  wandered  from  place  to  place,   joined  hands  with  Shuja  ud  Daulah  of  Awadh  and  Mir  Qasim  of  Bengal  and  declared   war  upon  East  India  Company  and  was  defeated  in  the  Battle  of  Buxar  in  1764.  He   lived  as  a  pensioner  of  East  India  Company  in  Allahabad  according  to  the  Treaty  of   Allahabad  in1765   • In  1772,  he(Shah  Alam  II)    left  the  British  shelter  and  returned  to  Delhi  under   Maratha  protection     • Mughal  dynasty  was  came  to  an  end  in  1857  when  the  last  emperor  Bahadur  Shah  II   (  also  Bahadur  Shah  Jafar)  was  sent  in  to  exile  to  Rangoon,Burma  after  the   suppression  of  the  Revolt  of  1857  where  he  died  in  1862  at  the  age  of  87  years     EXERCISE 1 1. Aurangzeb died in A) 1717 B) 1707 C) 1703 D) 1705 2. Guru Govind Singh was succeeded by A) Guru Angad B) Guru Ram Das Banda Bahadur D) Ranjit Singh 3. Who among the following were known as the ‘king makers’? A) Ali brothers B) Husain C) Khan brothers D) Saiyid brothers brothers 4. Who among the following Mughal rulers joined hands against East India Company in the battle of Buxar in 1764? A) Shah Alam I B) Shah Alam II C) Farrukhsiyar D) Jahandar Shah 5. Nadir Shah plundered Delhi in A) 1761 B) 1739 C) 1768 D) 1745 2. Indian States On  the  debris  of  the  Mughal  Empire  and  its  political  system  arose  a  number  of   independent  and  semi-­‐  independent  powers  like  Bengal,  Awadh,  Maratha,   Hyderabad,  Mysore  etc.   Hyderabad  and  the  Carnatic   • Founded  by  Nizam-­‐ul-­‐Mulk  Asaf  Jah  in  1724                                Nizam-­‐ul-­‐Mulk  Asaf  Jah   • Played  a  leading  role  to  overthrow  the  Saiyid  brothers  in  Mughal  Empire     • Was  the  viceroy  of  Deccan  for  some  time  and  became  wazir  of  the  Empire     • During  emperor  Muhammad  Shah  frustrated  with  his  poor  administrative   policies  founded  the  independent  state  of  Hyderabad   • He  followed  a  tolerant  policy  towards  Hindus,  for  e.g.  Puran  Chand,  a  Hindu   was  his  Dewan   • In  the  Carnatic  Nawab  Sadatullah  Khan  was  the  ruler  and  he  made  his   nephew  Dost  Ali  as  his  successor  without  any  approval  of  Nizam,  who  was  his   superior       Bengal   • Taking  advantage  of  the  weak  Mughal  authority,  Murshid  Quli  Khan  made   Bengal  virtually  independent.   • Murshid  Quli  Khan  was  the  man  of  exceptional  quality  who  was  made  the   Governor  of  Bengal  in  1717,  though  he  was  ruler  from  1700   • Alivardi  Khan,  his  nephew    succeeded  him  by  killing  Shuja-­‐uddin   Murshid  Quli  Khan   I   Shuja-­‐uddin  (1727-­‐1739)   I   Alivardi  Khan  (1739-­‐1756)   I   Siraj  ud  daulah(  1756-­‐1757) • Alivardi  Khan  reorganised  the  finances  of  Bengal  by  transferring  large   parts  of  jagir  lands  into  khalisah  lands     • He  granted  agricultural  loans  (taccavi)  to  the  poor  cultivators     • Murshid  Quli  Khan  gave  equal  opportunities  to  both  Hindus  and  Muslims   • Alivardi  Khan  did  not  permit  English  and  French  to  fortify  their  factories   in  Calcutta  and  Chandernagore     • Nawabs  of  Bengal  neglected  the  maintenance  of  strong  army  and  did  not   put  down  the  tendency  of  the  colonialists  to  increase  their  military   strength   • Failed  to  check  the  growing  corruption  in  the  officials     • Company’s  rule  started  in  India  with  victory  of  the  English  under  Robert   Clive  in  the  Battle  of  Plassey  with  young  Nawab  Siraj  ud-­‐daulah  in  1757               Awadh • Saadat  Khan  Burhan-­‐ul-­‐Mulk  was  the  founder  of  the  state.   • Appointed  Governor  of  Awadh  in  1722   • Carried  out  a  fresh  revenue  settlement  in  1723  but  continued  with  the  jagir   system   • Saadat  Khan  was  succeeded  by  his  nephew  Safdar  Jung,  was  also  the  wazir  of   the  Mughal  Empire  and  granted  with  the  province  of  Allahabad       Saadat  Khan  Burhan-­‐ul-­‐Mulk  (1722-­‐1739)   I   Safdar  Jung  (1739-­‐1754)     • Safdar  Jung  made  alliance  with  Maratha  to  save  the  state  from  Maratha   incursions. • Came  into  an  agreement  with  Peshwa  by  which  Peshwa  was  to  help  the   Mughal  Empire  against  Ahmad  Shah  Abdali  and  Indian  elements  like  Pathans   and  Rajput  rebels     • Adopted  the  policy  of  impartiality  in  the  employment  of  Hindus  and  Muslim,   highest  post  in  his  Government  was  held  by  a  Hindu,  Maharaja  Nawab  Rai     • Lucknow  became  an  important  city  of  Awadh  and  soon  rivalled  the  Delhi  in   its  patronage  of  arts  and  literature     • Chhota  Imambara,  Bara  Imambara  at  Lucknow  are  the  examples  of   architectural  splendour.         MYSORE   • The  state  was  nominally  a  part  of  the  Mughal  Empire     • Chikka  Krishna  Raj  was  the  king   • Two  ministers  Nanjaraj  (Sarbadhikari)  and  Devraj  seized  power     • Haidar  Ali  born  in  1721,  started  as  a  petty  officer  in  the  Mysore  army       Haidar  Ali     • Recognised  the  advantages  of  western  military  training  and  applied  to  the   troops  under  his  command     • In  1755,  established  a  modern  arsenal  at  Dindigul  with  the  help  of  French   troops     • 1761  overthrew  Nanjaraj  and  established  control  over  Mysore     • Controlled  the  Poligars  (warrior  chieftains  and  zamindars),  and  conquered   the  adjoining  territories  of  Bidnur,  Sunda,  Sera,  Canara,  and  Malabar   • Introduced  Mughal  revenue  system  in  the  conquered  area   • Engaged  in  war  with  Nizam  of  Hyderabad,  Maratha  sardars  and  British  and   repeated  defeated  the  British  force,  died  in  1785 TIPU  SULTAN     • Succeeded  his  father  Haider  Ali  in  1785  and  continued  the  Second   Anglo-­‐Mysore  War.   • He  was  an  innovator  introduced  new  calendar,  system  of  coinage,   new  scales  of  weights  and  measures.   • Took  keen  interest  in  French  Revolution  (1789),  planted  a  ‘Tree  of   Liberty’  at  Seringapatnam  and  became  a  member  of  Jacobin  Club   • Made  an  attempt  to  reduce  the  hereditary  possessions  of  the  poligars   and  eliminate  the  intermediaries  between  state  and  the  cultivators.   • But  the  revenue  was  as  high  as  one  third  of  the  produce   • He  also  made  an  effort  to  build  a  modern  navy,  for  he  established   two  dockyards     • British  found  Mysore  state  as  “well  cultivated,  populous  with   industrious  inhabitants,  cities  newly  founded  and  commerce   extending”     ANGLO-MYSORE WARS                                                              Battle  of  Seringapatnam,1799   Name of the Year Fought between Consequences war 1st Anglo Mysore 1767-69 Haidar Ali and The Haidar Ali almost captured War British Madras, 2nd Anglo Mysore 1780-84 British and Haidar Treaty of Mangalore War Ali, after his death (1784) was signed between his son Tipu Sultan them and Tipu Sultan made the Commissioner of Madras to go to Mangalore. The treaty was advantageous to Tipu 3rd Anglo Mysore 1790-92 Tipu Sultan and the Defeat of Tipu and surrender War British of half of his territory to the British by the Treaty of Seringapatnam in 1792 4th Anglo Mysore 1799 Tipu and British Tipu Sultan was defeated and War (Battle of under Earl of killed; the kingdom was Serngapatnam) Mornington restored to the Wodeyar Dynasty, with one British Commissioner to advise him. Thus Mysore became the Princely State with British subsidiary alliance     General  David  Baird,  Hero  of  Seringapatnam,  1799     • Sir  John  Shore,  Governor-­‐General  from  1793-­‐1798  wrote  “the  peasantry   of  his  (Tipu  Sultan)  dominions  are  protected  and  their  labour  encouraged   and  rewarded   • Tipu  Sultan  was  the  only  ruler  to  understand  the  need  for  economic  and   military  strength.     • With  an  intention  to  start  modern  industries  in  India  he  brought  foreign   workmen  and  state  support  to  many  industries  in  Mysore  state     • He  sent  emissaries  to  France,  Turkey,  Iran  and  Pegu  (Burma)   • He  gave  money  for  the  construction  of  image  of  goddess  at  Shringeri   temple  after  it  was  looted  by  Maratha  horsemen   • Also  gave  support  in    Sri  Ranganatha  Swami  temple  in  Mysore Sri  Ranganatha  Swami  Temple  at  Mysore,  Karnataka     KERALA   • At  the  beginning  of  the  18th  century  Kerala  was  divided  up  among  a  large   number  of  feudal  chiefs  and  rajas   • Prominent  being  Calicut  under  Zamorin,  Chirakkal,  Cochin  and  Travancore     • Martanda  Varma  was  the  king  of  Travancore     • By  1763,  all  the  petty  principalities  of  Kerala  were  absorbed  in  the  big  states   of  Cochin,  Travancore  and  Calicut   • In  1766,  Haidar  Ali  invaded  Kerala  and  annexed  some  parts  of  the  northern   Kerala     • Trivandrum  was  the  capital  of  Travancore  was  the  centre  of  Malayam  and   Sanskrit  literature,  Rama  Varma,  the  son  and  successor  of  Martanda  Varma   was  a  renowned  poet,  scholar,  musician,,  actor  and  was  fluent  in  many   European  languages     RAJPUTS   JATS   • Ajit  Singh  was  the  ruler  of  Marwar,   • Jats  were  the  caste  of  agriculturists   was  killed  by  his  own  son     lived  in  the  area  around  Delhi,  Agra   • Raja  Sawai  Jai  Singh  of  Amber   and  Mathura.   (1681-­‐1743),  was  a  distinguished   • The  Jat  state  of  Bharatpur  was  set   statesman,  founded  the  city  of   up  by  Churaman  and  Badan  Singh     Jaipur  and  made  it  a  great  seat  of   • Jat  power  reached  its  glory  under   science  and  art.   Suraj  Mal,  who  ruled  from  1756-­‐   • Jai  Singh  was  a  great  astronomer   1763   and  erected  observatories  at  Delhi,   Rohilkhand   Jaipur,  Ujjain,  Varanasi  and   • Ali  Muhammad  Khan  carved  out   Mathura     a  separate  principality  following   • He  had  Euclid’s  ‘Elements  of   the  fall  of  Mughal  control  after   Geometry  translated  into  Sanskrit,   the  invasion  on  of  Nadir   and  Napier’s  work  on  the   Shah(1739)   construction  and  use  of  logarithms Jantar Mantar, the astronomical observatory built by Sawai Raja Jai Singh at Delhi SIKHS   • Founded  by  Guru  Nanak  in  the  end  of  the  15th  century,  the  Sikh  religion   spread  among  the  Jat  peasantry  and  other  lower  castes  of  Punjab.   SIKH GURUS No. Name Time Significant perio works d 1st Guru Nanak 1469- • Founded 1539 Sikhism Started Guru ka Langar 2nd Guru Angad 1539- • Started 1552 Gurumuk hi script 3rd Guru Amar Das 1552- • Advocated 1574 many social reforms prevalent at that time