Clarify how mid-eighteenth Century India was beset with the specter of a fragmented polity.
After the fall of Sayyid brothers, and the desertion of Nizam to form an empire on his own numerous Zamindars, Rajas and Nawabs raised the banner of independence. The vast Mugal Empire disintegrated and numerous smaller power centers in Bengal, Awadh, and Punjab Propped up.
Mid-eighteenth century India was fragmented into
- Maratha states: The Peshwas took opportunity of the weakness in the Mugal administration and asserted their independence. The Maratha administration too was factionalized between regions as,
- Scindias
- Gaikwads
- Holkars
- Bhonsles
- Peshwas
- Hyderabad: - Nizam-ul-mulk who was rewarded with Viceroyalty for his important role in getting rid of Sayyid brothers. After his efforts to reform mugal administration failed , he went back to Deccan.
- Northern Sarkars.
- Mysore-became independent after the fall of Vijay Nagar Empire.
- Travancore
- Carnatic
- Bengal-Nawabs administered the region.
- Awadh-It followed the Nizam’s signal and started acting independently.
- Bharatpur Jats
- Punjabi Sikhs – Under the 10th Sikh Guru Sikhs become a military and political force.
- Rajputana – Jeisalmer, Bikaner, Marwar, Jaipur, etc were under their control.
- Kashmir
- Farrukhabad – Bangash Pathans.
- Rohilkhand – Rohillas
Apart from there Indian principalities the Europeans too had established their strong hold in the region
- British – Madras,Conjeevaram, Bengal, Bombay.
- Datch –Cannanore, Nagapatnam
- French – Pondicherry, Mahe, Carical
- Portugese- Goa, Diu and Daman
The lack of a strong central authority and factional infighting fragmented the Indian body politic into numerous power centers. The Europeans (especially British) took advantage of this and effectively used one against another and finally succeeded in subjugating the entire nation.
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