The Mughal Empire was one of the greatest empires in the world. Zaheer Uddin Babar established it in 1526. Additionally, it was the pride of Muslims in India. Its decline has various causes, and some of those causes are mentioned below. Professor I.H. Qureshi believes that the decline of the great Mughal Empire started with the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707.

Causes for the Decline of Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire was Vast

The Mughal Empire covered a huge area. It was hard to be governed by only one central government. Additionally, communications were difficult because of the vast distances.

The Administration of the Mughal Empire was Highly Centralized

The success of the Muslim Empire was dependent on the abilities of the emperor. The empire would suffer if his policies turned wrong. Eventually, a weak centralized administration caused the decay of the Mughal Empire of the subcontinent.

War of Succession Between Mughal Princes

The Muslim Empire lacked a fixed rule of succession. Its absence caused various internal revolts. These wars of succession were fierce and destructive in the 18th century.

Religious Policies of Emperor Aurangzeb

Moreover, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s religious policies were harmful to the Empire. He annulled the policy of non-interference in religious matters. In addition, he began interfering with the religious beliefs and customs of people. Rajputs did not like these policies. Consequently, they withdrew their support to the Muslim Empire.

Weak Successors of Aurangzeb

A prince is properly trained, but Aurangzeb had not trained his successors. Therefore, they were unable to properly hold the position of the emperor. Moreover, they were weak and could not make pragmatic policies. Consequently, the weak successors of Aurangzeb could not save the Muslim Empire from destruction.

Lavish and Corrupt Mughal Nobles

The Mughal Nobles had become corrupt and lavish. They were ease-loving, inefficient, and luxurious. Furthermore, they did not care about the interests of the empire. They only cared about their interest. Therefore, this selfishness and corruption of the Mughal Nobles led the Muslim empire to destruction.  

The Military of the Empire was Inefficient

Similarly, the military of the Muslim Empire in India did not have discipline. Moreover, it was not following an ideology to fight for. Thus, it became inefficient and lost its morale.

Nadir Shah Attacked the Mughal Empire

Furthermore, Nadir Shah attacked the Empire and drained its wealth. In these attacks, he almost destroyed the military power of the Empire. Therefore, in the future wars military was unable to fight, and lost easily.

Absence of a Muslim Navy

Finally, the Muslim empire in the subcontinent did not have a navy to defend its marine borders or to fight a battle in water. This lack of naval power gave an advantage to the foreign invaders.

Conclusion

In short, the Great Mughal Empire, established by Zaheer Uddin Babar, declined due to various reasons. These reasons include weak successors, lavish nobles, lack of naval powers, and many more. Stanley Lane-Poole believes that the dynasty of Babar ended in nothingness.