Ncert Solutions Class 7th History Chapter – 4 The Mughals (16th TO 17th CENTURY) Notes

May 11, 2022

Ncert Solutions Class 7th History Chapter – 4 The Mughals (16th TO 17th CENTURY)

Textbook	NCERT
Class	7^th
Subject	Social Science (History)
Chapter	4^th
Chapter Name	The Mughals (16th TO 17th CENTURY)
Category	Class 7th Social Science (History)
Medium	English
Source	Last Doubt

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Ncert Solutions Class 7th History Chapter – 4 The Mughals (16th TO 17th CENTURY)

Chapter – 4

The Mughals (16th TO 17th CENTURY)

Notes

Who were the Mughals

• Descendants of two great lineages of rulers-Genghis Khan (died 1227), the Mongol ruler who ruled over parts of China and Central Asia from mother’s side-successors of Timur (died 1404), the ruler of Iran, Iraq and modern-day Turkey from father’s side-Mughals did not like to be called Mughal or Mongol as Genghis Khan’s memory was associated with the massacre of innumerable people-it was also linked with the Uzbegs, their Mongol competitors-they were proud of their Timurid ancestry because their great ancestor had captured Delhi in 1398.

Mughal Military Campaigns

Babur – 1st Mughal emperor (1526- 1530)- succeeded the throne of Ferghana in 1494, when only 12 years old-forced to leave his ancestral throne due to the invasion of another Mongol group, the Uzbegs- seized Kabul in 1504-In 1526 defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, at Panipat-captured Delhi and Agra.

Mughal Traditions of Succession – Did not believe in the rule of primogeniture (where the eldest son inherited his father’s estate)-followed the Mughal and Timurid custom of coparcenary inheritance (a division of the inheritance amongst all the sons).

Mughal Relations with Other Rulers

• Mughal rulers campaigned constantly against rulers who refused to accept their authority. However, as they became powerful many rulers like the Rajputs joined them voluntarily. Many of the Rajputs married their daughters into Mughal families and received high positions. Many resisted as well. For example, Sisodiya Rajputs of Mewar refused to accept Mughal authority.

• However, upon defeat, they were honourably treated by the Mughals, given their lands (watan) back as assignments (watan jagir). This careful balance between defeating but not humiliating their opponents enabled the Mughals to extend their influence over many kings and chieftains. However, it was difficult to keep this balance all the time.

Mansabdars and Jagirdars

• Empire expanded to include different regions-Mughals recruited diverse bodies of people-from Turkish nobles (Turanis) they went on to include Iranians, Indian Muslims, Afghans, Rajputs, Marathas and other groups-some joined

• Mughal service as mansabdars- term refers to an individual who holds a manaab, meaning a position or rank- grading system used by Mughals to rate (1) rank, (2) salary and (3) military responsibilities-Rank and Salary determined by numerical value, Zat-higher the zat, the more prestigious the noble’s position in court and larger his salary- mansabdar’s military responsibilities require him to maintain specific number of sawar or cavalrymen-cavalrymen were reviewed

• registered and their horses branded before the mansabdar received the money to pay them as salary-mansabdar’s salaries were revenue assignments called jagirs, somewhat like iqtas-however, unlike muqtis, most mansabdars did not administer their jagirs- mansabdars only had rights to the revenue of their assignments collected for them by their servants, while they themselves served in another part of the country-During Akbar’s reign Jagirs were assessed so that their revenues were roughly same as the salary of the mansabdar-However, things changed by Aurangazeb’s rule-during this time

• actual revenue collected was often less than the granted sum-the number of mansabdars also increased, thus leading to a long wait before they received a jagir-these and other factors led to shortage in the number of jagirs- jagirdars tried to get as much revenue as possible while they had a jagir-Aurangazeb unable to control these developments during the end of his reign-peasantry suffered.

Zabt and Zamindars

• The main source of income for Mughal Rulers-tax on the produce of the peasantry. Some of these taxes were paid by the peasants via the rural elites like the headman or the local chieftain, termed as Zamindars by the Mughals. Todar Mal, Akbar’s revenue minister took a careful survey of the crop yields, prices and areas cultivated for a 10 year period (1570-1580).

• Based on this data, the tax was fixed on each crop in cash. Every province was divided into revenue circles with its own schedule of revenue rates for the individual crops-revenue system called zabt- prevalent in areas where Mughal administrators could survey the land and keep very careful accounts-not possible in provinces like Gujarat and Bengal-In some areas,

• the Zamindars exercised more power-exploitation by Mughal administrators could lead them to rebellion-at times zamindars and peasants of the same caste also allied in rebelling against Mughal Authority-peasant revolt challenged the stability of the Mughal Empire from the end of 17th century.

The Mughal Empire in the 17th Century and After

• The administrative and military efficiency led to great economic and commercial prosperity-International travellers described it as the fabled land of wealth-state of poverty also existed side by side with the greatest opulence-inequalities were glaring-Documents from 20th year of Shah Jahan’s reign show that the highest-ranking mansabdars were only 445 in number out of a total of 8,000-amounts to a mere 5.6% of the total number of mansabdars–received 61.5% of the total estimated revenue of the empire as salaries for themselves and their troopers-spent a great deal of their income on salaries and goods-expenditure benefited the artisans and peasantry who supplied them with goods and produce-however,

• scale of revenue collection left very little for investment in the hands of the primary producers (the peasants and the artisan)-poorest lived a hand to mouth existence-could not invest in additional

• resources (tools or supplies) to increase productivity- wealthier peasantry and artisanal groups, merchants and bankers profited in this economic world- enormous wealth and resources commanded by Mughal Elite made them extremely powerful in the late 17th century-as the authority of the Mughal Emperor declined,

• his servants emerged as powerful centres of power in the regions, constituting new dynasties and holding command of provinces like Hyderabad and Awadh-they continued to recognise the Mughal emperor in Delhi as their master-by 18th century, the provinces of the empire consolidated their independent political identities.

Question 1. Who was the regent of Akbar?

Bairam Khan.

Question 2. At what age did Akbar become the emperor of the Mughal Empire?

Akbar became the emperor of the Mughal Empire at the age of 13.

Question 3. How is Prince Khurram better known as in Indian History?

Price Khurram is better known as Emperor Shah Jahan in Indian History.

Question 4. Who was victorious in the conflict over succession amongst Shah Jahan’s sons?

Aurangzeb was victorious.

Question 5. Who fought guerrilla warfare?

The Marathas fought guerrilla warfare.

Question 6. What do you mean by the rule of primogeniture?

Under the rule of primogeniture the eldest son inherited his father’s estate.

Question 7. What was the Timurid custom of coparcenary inheritance?

It was a division of the inheritance amongst all the sons.

Question 8. Why was it a difficult task for rulers of the Middle Ages to rule the Indian subcontinent?

It was because people of diverse backgrounds and cultures lived here.

Question 9. Who was Genghis Khan?

He was the ruler of the Mongol tribes, China and Central Asia.

Question 10. Who was Babur?

He was the first Mughal emperor and reigned from 1526 to 1530.

Question 11. Name the battlefield where Ibrahim Lodi was defeated by Babur?

Panipat.

Question 12. To whom did Babur defeat at Chanderi?

Babur defeated the Rajputs at Chanderi.

Question 13. What forced Hwnayun to flee to Iran?

After being defeated by Sher Khan at Chausa in 1539 and Kanauj in 1540 Humayun fled to Iran.

Question 14. What qualities of the Mughals enabled them to extend their influence over many kings and chieftains?

The careful balance between defeating but not humiliating their opponents enabled the Mughals to extend their influence over many kings and chieftains. is.

Question 15. What does the term mansabdar refer to?

The term mansabdar refers to an individual who holds a mansab, te. a position or rank.

Question 16. What was zat?

Mansabdar’s rank and salary were determined by a numerical value called zat The higher the zat, the more prestigious was the noble’s position in the court.