The Crisis of Empire in Mughal North India

Description

The period following the death of Aurangzeb has been viewed as the beginning of the decline and decay of the Mughal empire. Examining two contrasting regions of north India-Awadh and Punjab-this pioneering work shows how the period 1707-48 saw the emergence of a new order with local and regional idioms. Muzaffar Alam focuses on the interplay of imperial collapse with regional restructuring. He contends that even as the empire declined, there emerged a new, regionally-based political order, maintained and controlled by former Mughal rulers. From agrarian uprisings to the jagirdari system, the Sikhs to the Zamindars, this book presents a bold new interpretation of an important transition in this period. This edition comes with a new introduction.

This book is an important reading for students, scholars, and teachers of Mughal history and early modern India.

About the Author

Muzaffar Alam is George V. Bobrinskoy Professor, South Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago.

Table of contents

List of Maps
Acknowledgements
Notes on Transliteration
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1: Breakdown of Imperial Organization
2: The Changing Position of the Governor
3: The Zamindars, the Madad-i Ma'ash Holders and Mughal Administration in Awadh c. 1707-1722
4: Mughal Power, the Sikhs and other Local Groups in the Punjab
5: The Punjab after 1715, the Zamindars and the Problems Facing the Provincial Government
6: Growth of Nawabi Rule in Awadh and its Relations with Local Social Groups
7: The Imperial Court, the New Subadars and the Region
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index