Rise of Regional States

The states that emerged as a result of the decline of the Mughal Empire can be classified into the following three broad categories:

(i) Successor States These were the Mughal provinces that turned into states after breaking away from the empire.

Though they did not challenge the sovereignty of the Mughal ruler, the establishment of virtually independent and hereditary authority by their governors showed the emergence of autonomous polity in these territories. Some examples are Awadh, Bengal and Hyderabad.

(ii) Independent Kingdoms These states came into existence primarily due to the destabilisation of the Mughal control over the provinces, examples being Mysore and the Rajput states.

(iii) The New States These were the states set up by the rebels against the Mughal empire, examples being the Maratha, the Sikh and the Jat states.