The death of Aurangzeb marked the end of a significant era in Indian history. The two centuries long reign of the Great Mughals that began with Babur’s accession to the throne in 1526 ended in 1707 with Aurangzeb’s death. At the time of Aurangzeb’s death, the Mughal Empire was the largest empire in India, but it disintegrated within the next fifty years.
There were many reasons for the dissolution of this great Empire. The Mughals did not follow any specific law of succession. So, each time a ruler died, there began a war of succession between the brothers. These wars for the throne weakened the Mughal Empire, especially after Aurangzeb.
Though Aurangzeb won many wars, he failed to realize that the vast Mughal Empire depended on the willing support of the people. His wars with the Sikhs, the Marathas, the Jats and the Rajputs had drained the resources of the Mughal Empire, as a result of which he lost the support of the common folk. The successors of Aurangzeb were weak; most of them became victims of the conspiracies of the faction-ridden nobles. The remaining strength of the Mughals was sapped by foreign invasions.
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