New
New
Year 8

Challenges to Mughal rule

I can assess the strength of Mughal authority in the years between 1707 and 1748.

New
New
Year 8

Challenges to Mughal rule

I can assess the strength of Mughal authority in the years between 1707 and 1748.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Aurangzeb's death was followed by a period of political struggle over the Mughal throne.
  2. Successor states to the Mughal Empire emerged in the early 18th century.
  3. Successor states claimed to be loyal but focused on building up their own power.
  4. In 1739, the Persian army sacked Delhi, the capital of the Mughal Empire.

Keywords

  • Nobles - nobles are people from the highest social group in some countries

  • Authority - authority refers to the ability to keep others under your control

  • Successor state - a successor state is a smaller country which is formed after a larger country begins to breakdown

  • Sack - to sack an area means to attack it and steal valuable goods, especially by using violence

  • Rupees - rupees are the name of the Indian currency

Common misconception

The successor states completely ignored the Mughal Emperor's authority.

Successor states took a lot of power for themselves but still claimed to be loyal to the Mughals.

Students could complete task B by using different coloured highlighters to annotate the additional material wherever they identified examples which were relevant to the categories specified in the task.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Aurangzeb was a devout .
Correct Answer: Muslim, muslim
Q2.
During Aurangzeb's reign, __________ Hindu temples were destroyed.
5
10
Correct answer: 15
20
25
Q3.
Aurangzeb faced considerable resistance from Hindus and .
Correct Answer: Sikhs, sikhs
Q4.
The Jat rebellions were carried out by followers of __________.
Islam
Sikhism
Correct answer: Hinduism
Buddhism
Q5.
By the end of Aurangzeb's reign, 25% of generals and officials were .
Correct Answer: non-Muslims, non Muslims
Q6.
Aurangzeb supported the construction of __________.
Synagogues
Correct answer: Temples
Correct answer: Gurdwaras
Churches

6 Questions

Q1.
In which region of India did Nizam al-Mulk govern without interference from the Mughal emperors?
Correct answer: Hyderabad
Bengal
Delhi
Calcutta
Q2.
After 1724, all Mughal officials serving in the Deccan had to swear loyalty to .
Correct Answer: Nizam al-Mulk, nizam al mulk
Q3.
Why was Bengal very important to the Mughal emperors?
It provided most of the empire's soldiers.
Correct answer: It was the richest region of the empire.
It had great reserves of precious metals.
It was an area that faced constant rebellions.
Q4.
As their power grew, the rulers of Bengal came to be known as the...
Correct Answer: Nawabs, nawabs, Nawab, nawab
Q5.
When Persian forces invaded the Mughal Empire in the late 1730s, how did the Nawab of Bengal react?
Correct answer: Refused to sent troops to support the Mughal army
Sent an army to support the Mughal forces
Sent officals to negotiate with the Persians
Correct answer: Sent officials with gifts to the Persian emperor
Q6.
Which city was sacked by invading Persian forces in the year 1739?
Mumbai
Chennai
Correct answer: Delhi
Kolkata

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