CLASS 7 GEOGRAPHY · NCERT · CH 8: EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY POLITICAL FORMATIONS (NCERT CLASS 7 — OUR PASTS II)
NCERT-aligned Class 7 Geography topic. Every item is anchored to a real location on India's map — built for boards (CBSE, ICSE, state) and UPSC aspirants.
What sacked Delhi in 1739?
NADIR SHAH (Persian ruler) defeated the Mughal army at KARNAL (24 Feb 1739); occupied Delhi for 57 days; massacred ~30,000 in one day; carried away the PEACOCK THRONE and the KOH-I-NOOR diamond. Marked the COLLAPSE of Mughal prestige.
Who invaded India after Nadir Shah and how many times?
AHMAD SHAH ABDALI (Durrani) — Afghan king, ex-general of Nadir; invaded India SEVEN TIMES (1748-67); decisive victory over Marathas at THIRD BATTLE OF PANIPAT (14 Jan 1761) — broke Maratha power. Did not establish lasting rule.
Why is the Third Battle of Panipat 1761 a turning point?
Marathas (Sadashiv Rao Bhau, Vishwasrao) defeated by Abdali. Killed ~40,000+ Marathas and most leadership. CHECKED Maratha bid for paramountcy in north India — created vacuum the British exploited from Bengal eastward.
Why was the Mughal empire so vulnerable after Aurangzeb?
(i) 26-year DECCAN WAR exhausted treasury + manpower; (ii) AGRARIAN CRISIS — over-assigned jagirs, no rotation, jagirdars over-exploited peasants → revenue collapse; (iii) MARATHAS under Shivaji + Sambhaji + Tarabai never crushed; (iv) Aurangzeb left no clear successor (3 sons fought after his death); (v) Religious policy alienated Sikhs + Rajputs.
Who succeeded Aurangzeb and how quickly did the Mughal empire fragment?
BAHADUR SHAH I (Shah Alam I, r. 1707-12) — won succession war against Azam Shah + Kam Bakhsh; weak ruler. Then JAHANDAR SHAH (1712-13) → FARRUKHSIYAR (1713-19) → MUHAMMAD SHAH "RANGILA" (1719-48) — by 1722 every major province was effectively independent: HYDERABAD (1724), AWADH (1722), BENGAL (1717), MARATHAS dominant in Deccan + central India.
Sayyid Brothers — kingmakers?
ABDULLAH KHAN + HUSSAIN ALI KHAN (the "Sayyid Brothers") — controlled Mughal court 1713-22; deposed Jahandar Shah (1713); raised Farrukhsiyar (1713); deposed + killed Farrukhsiyar (1719); raised + deposed 2 puppet emperors; finally raised Muhammad Shah (1719). Killed by Muhammad Shah's faction (1720-22) — but the Mughal court never recovered prestige.
How did Awadh become independent?
SADAT KHAN BURHAN-UL-MULK (Persian noble) appointed Mughal subadar of Awadh in 1722; gradually became INDEPENDENT in fact; founded the dynasty of Nawabs of Awadh (Persian Shia origin).
Who was Asaf-ud-Daula and where did he move the capital?
ASAF-UD-DAULA (r. 1775-97) — moved capital to LUCKNOW; built the iconic BARA IMAMBARA (1784, during a famine — to provide employment); patron of poetry, architecture, dance — Lucknow became the cultural capital of north India.
How was Awadh subdued by the British?
After defeat at BUXAR (1764), Awadh became a Subsidiary Ally; eventually annexed by DALHOUSIE in 1856 on charge of "misgovernance" — a major cause of the 1857 Revolt.
Awadh's Persian-influenced culture under the Nawabs?
Lucknow under Asaf-ud-Daula + Saadat Ali Khan + Wajid Ali Shah became the cultural capital of north India after Delhi declined: KATHAK dance (Lucknow gharana); URDU GHAZAL poetry (Mir Taqi Mir, Ghalib lived there briefly); LUCKNAVI cuisine (kebabs, biryani); TAZIYA processions during Muharram; CHIKANKARI embroidery. Many Mughal courtiers shifted from Delhi after Nadir Shah's sack 1739.
Wajid Ali Shah and the British annexation?
WAJID ALI SHAH (r. 1847-56) — last Nawab; patron of THUMRI music + dance + arts; British COMPANY annexed Awadh in February 1856 on charge of "MISGOVERNANCE" (despite Awadh being an obedient Subsidiary Ally + paying 1.7 crore rupees/year); Wajid Ali Shah exiled to MATIYA BURJ (Calcutta), where he recreated mini-Lucknow; never returned to Awadh; died 1887.
Lucknow Imambaras?
BARA IMAMBARA (Asaf-ud-Daula, 1784) — built during a famine to provide employment for ~22,000 workers; one of the largest arched halls in the world (50m × 16m × 15m, NO supporting beams); contains BHUL-BHULAIYA (3D maze of corridors). CHHOTA IMAMBARA (Hussainabad Imambara, Muhammad Ali Shah, 1838) — known for Belgian chandeliers, calligraphy on its walls, gold-plated dome.
This topic is part of the NCERT Class 7 History syllabus, drawn from the chapter Ch 8: Eighteenth-Century Political Formations (NCERT Class 7 — Our Pasts II). Content is cross-referenced against the latest NCERT textbook editions + standard reference works.
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