Causes of the Decline of the Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire declined because of political, economic, military and administrative weaknesses that built up over many years, and Aurangzeb's long wars in the Deccan made them worse.

Main causes

1. Aurangzeb's Deccan policy. He spent the last 26 years of his life (1681 to 1707) in the Deccan and failed to crush the Marathas. The war drained the treasury and left the north without a strong ruler.
2. Aurangzeb's religious policy. Revival of the jizya (1679) and the destruction of some temples are said to have alienated Rajputs, Jats, Sikhs and Marathas. Historians such as Satish Chandra note that political reasons also mattered.
3. The jagirdari crisis. Nobles with large mansabs had too few jagirs to give (bejagiri). Satish Chandra and M. Athar Ali stressed this, and it led to corruption, factions and harsh revenue collection.
4. Agrarian crisis. Irfan Habib argued that heavy land revenue demands caused peasant rebellions (Jats, Satnamis, Sikhs) that weakened the empire.
5. Weak successors and succession wars. After Aurangzeb, rulers were weak and became puppets in the hands of the nobles.
6. Factions among nobles. Parties of Iranis, Turanis, Afghans, Hindustani Muslims and Rajputs competed for power.
7. Military decay. Armies were badly paid and out of date. William Irvine stressed military decline.
8. Foreign invasions. Nadir Shah (1739) and Abdali (1748 to 1767) destroyed the Mughal treasury and prestige.
9. Rise of regional and rebel forces. Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, Rohillas and the Nizam took away territory.
10. European sea power. The Mughals had no navy, so European companies controlled the coast and trade.

What historians say