Test: Eighteenth Century Political Formations

The Mughal Empire started facing a lot of crises towards the end of the 17th century. The following were responsible for the same: Aurangzeb's Exploits in Deccan: He had caused depletion of the military and financial resources of his empire by fighting a long war in the Deccan.

Between 1720 and 1761, the Maratha empire expanded. It gradually chipped away at the authority of the Mughal Empire. Malwa and Gujarat were seized from the Mughals by the 1720s. By the 1730s, the Maratha king was recognised as the overlord of the entire Deccan peninsula. He possessed the right to levy chauth and sardeshmukhi in the entire region. Sardeshmukhi was the 9-10 per cent of the land revenue paid to the head revenue collector in the Deccan.

The correct option is B.
Powerful mansabdars and nobles: The later Mughal emperors found it increasingly difficult to keep a check on their powerful mansabdars. Nobles appointed as governors often controlled the offices of revenue and also the military administration.

The Mughal emperors after Aurangzeb were unable to arrest the gradual shifting of political and economic authority into the hands of provincial governors, local chieftains and other groups.

The original throne was subsequently captured and taken as a war trophy in 1739 by the Persian emperor Nadir Shah, and has been lost since