Why this matters now
The successor/regional states bridge medieval and modern India — tested for their classification and how their rivalries enabled British expansion.
Mughal decline
After Aurangzeb (d. 1707), the Mughal Empire weakened due to weak successors, wars of succession, over-expansion, financial/agrarian crisis, noble factionalism and invasions (Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah Abdali). Central authority collapsed, and power devolved to the regions.
Types of regional states
- Successor states — broke away from the Mughals but acknowledged nominal suzerainty: Bengal (Murshid Quli Khan), Awadh (Saadat Khan), Hyderabad (Nizam-ul-Mulk);
- Independent/new states — Mysore (Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan), the Marathas, the Sikhs (later Ranjit Singh), the Jats, the Rohillas;
- Rajput states reasserting autonomy.
Significance
These states were often vibrant but mutually rivalrous and militarily uneven. Their disunity and conflicts — combined with the rising European trading companies — allowed the British East India Company to expand through alliances, subsidiary arrangements and conquest (beginning with Bengal after Plassey, 1757).
UPSC angle
Know Mughal-decline causes, and the regional-state types — successor (Bengal/Awadh/Hyderabad), independent/new (Mysore-Tipu, Marathas, Sikhs), Rajput — and how their disunity aided British expansion.
Frequently asked questions
Why did regional states rise in the 18th century?
The decline of Mughal central authority after Aurangzeb allowed power to devolve to the regions.
What are successor states?
States like Bengal, Awadh and Hyderabad that broke away from the Mughals while nominally acknowledging their suzerainty.
Which were the new/independent states?
Mysore, the Marathas, the Sikhs and the Jats, among others.
How did this help the British?
The disunity and rivalries among regional states allowed the East India Company to expand through alliances and conquest.