Empire in decay: the Mughal journey from Aurangzeb to Zafar
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Abstract
[“The high point of imperial centralisation under Emperor Aurangzeb coincided with the start of the imperial downfall”. These are the words of Jos Gommans, a Dutch historian of Colonial History. During Aurangzeb’s reign, the Mughals contributed approximately 25% of the entire world’s GDP. However, this achievement was to be short-lived. After the demise of Aurangzeb, the second-longest-reigning Mughal Emperor after Akbar, the Empire slowly began to crumble, particularly due to the incompetence of his own policies and successors that led to further erosion of power. This is why Emperor Aurangzeb is also referred to as the last ruler of the Great Mughal Empire.]