Rise of Regional States in Eighteenth-Century India
The collapse of the central Mughal administrative authority during the eighteenth century gave rise to several autonomous regional powers across the Indian subcontinent. While these regional states established political stability within their own territories, their failure to create a unified national front allowed the British East India Company to conquer them individually.
Categorization of Eighteenth-Century Regional States
Historians broadly classify the regional states of eighteenth-century India into three distinct political categories based on their origins and relationship with the Mughal center.
Classification of Regional Powers
| State Category | Mode of Formation | Key Regions | Prominent Rulers |
| Successor States | Autonomy asserted by former Mughal provincial governors (Subahdars) while maintaining nominal allegiance to Delhi. | Hyderabad, Bengal, Awadh | Nizam-ul-Mulk, Murshid Quli Khan, Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk |
| Rebel / Insurgent States | Formed through armed rebellions by anti-Mughal local communities and religious groups. | Maratha Confederacy, Sikh Misls, Jat Kingdom | Peshwa Baji Rao I, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Maharaja Suraj Mal |
| Independent Kingdoms | Local dynasties that expanded their territories by taking advantage of imperial weakness. | Mysore, Travancore, Rajput Principality (Amber/Jaipur) | Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, Marthanda Varma, Sawai Jai Singh II |
Successor States
The successor states retained Mughal administrative systems, land revenue models, and legal frameworks while stopping the regular transfer of revenue to the Delhi treasury.
Hyderabad
Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah I founded the autonomous state of Hyderabad in 1724. He defeated the imperial governor Mubariz Khan at the Battle of Shakarkheda in 1724. He consolidated power without formally declaring independence, maintaining Mughal revenue procedures and appointing local officials.
Bengal
Murshid Quli Khan became the governor of Bengal in 1717. He reorganized provincial finances by converting Jagir lands into crown lands (Khalisa) and introducing the Ijaradari (revenue farming) system. Alivardi Khan later ruled Bengal independently from 1740 to 1756, keeping both European traders and Maratha raiders out of core state affairs.
Awadh
Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk was appointed governor of Awadh in 1722. He suppressed rebellious local zamindars and introduced a new land settlement in 1723. His successor Safdar Jung served as the Wazir of the Mughal Empire, establishing the Nawabs of Awadh as major powerbrokers in North India.
Insurgent and Warrior States
Rebel states developed out of long-standing social, religious, and political resistance against Mughal central authority.
The Maratha Confederacy
The Marathas grew into the largest power on the subcontinent under the Peshwas. Peshwa Baji Rao I (1720–1740) expanded Maratha control over Malwa, Gujarat, and Bundelkhand. Power decentralized into five autonomous centers:
- Peshwas at Poona
- Scindias at Gwalior
- Holkars at Indore
- Gaekwads at Baroda
- Bhonsles at Nagpur
The Sikh Kingdom
Following the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716, the Sikhs organized into twelve military bands called Misls. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Ranjit Singh of the Shukerchakia Misl united these bands, capturing Lahore in 1799 and building a strong state in Punjab.
The Jat State of Bharatpur
Jat peasants around Agra and Mathura revolted under Gokula and Churaman. Badan Singh formally established the Jat state, which reached its height under Maharaja Suraj Mal (1756–1763). Suraj Mal modernized the administration and built the fortified city of Bharatpur.
Independent Kingdoms
Independent states developed outside the direct administrative framework of the Mughal heartland.
Mysore
Hyder Ali usurped political authority in Mysore in 1761, replacing the Wodeyar dynasty. He modernized his infantry with French assistance and established an arms factory at Dindigul. His son Tipu Sultan introduced a new calendar, new coinage, and state-controlled commercial initiatives.
Travancore
King Marthanda Varma (1729–1758) consolidated the state of Travancore in southern Kerala. He built a disciplined standing army trained in European tactics and established a state monopoly over the pepper and spice trade.
Rajput States
Rajput rulers reasserted their independence as central authority waned. Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber (1688–1743) founded Jaipur and promoted scientific learning, law, and astronomy across Rajasthan.
Key Fact File and Historical Trivia
In 1741, King Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the forces of the Dutch East India Company at the Battle of Colachel, ending Dutch commercial dominance along the Malabar Coast. Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar granted the British East India Company the imperial farman of 1717, allowing duty-free trade in Bengal for a fixed payment of 3,000 rupees per year. Peshwa Baji Rao I led the Maratha army to the outskirts of Delhi in 1737, demonstrating that the Mughal Emperor was powerless to defend his own capital. Raja Sawai Jai Singh II constructed five astronomical observatories (Jantar Mantar) at Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi, and Mathura to update astronomical tables. The Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 saw Ahmad Shah Abdali defeat the Maratha forces led by Sadashivrao Bhau, halting Maratha expansion into Northern India and creating a political vacuum that benefited the British.
