Mansabdars and Jagirdars

Introduction

The Mansabdari and Jagirdari systems did not start off suddenly. It is a practice that developed from the bureaucracy in medieval India. Emperors of the Delhi sultanate had captured the vast regions, and to govern those territories, they established a bureaucracy. In the past, emperors appointed their military leaders as governors, and occasionally they selected their well-trained slaves to lead those regions. High-ranking court officials were assigned designated areas to administer and were permitted to receive tax revenue as compensation. Akbar proposed the concept of Mansab and Jagir. The Mughal empire’s growth and fall were both significantly influenced by the mansabdari system. In the Mughal era, the bureaucracy systems mansabdari and jagirdari both existed.

This image shows the Mughal court during the time of Akbar.

The Mansabdars

Mansab in the Mughal court denoted a position or rank. The Mansabdari system was developed under the Mughal court.
People with a rank in the Mughal emperor’s service are known as mansabdars.
In this system, the top officials were assigned specific grades and positions in the Mughal court.
The Mughal court made nobles into mansabdars which included Muslims from India, Rajputs, Afghans, etc. also the Military and civilian authorities equally served as mansabdars.
To determine a fixed position, military responsibilities, and salary, mansab ranks were assigned.
The mansabdars were symbolized by a number called Zat, which set their wages and rank in the emperor’s court. The higher the Zat, the higher the mansabdar’s standing in the court.
29 mansabdars with a rank of 5000 or higher existed during the reign of Akbar.
The number of soldiers, cavalrymen, and horses that a mansabdar was required to present to the king were also based on the numerical value of zat.
Zat and Sawars demoted the Mansabdars. The Sawars represent the required number of cavalrymen and horses.
The Mansabdars were required to register their cavalrymen and brand their horses.
The position of mansabdar was transferred; and not hereditary.
Both money and land were given to mansabdars as payment.
They were regarded as elites.

Check out more videos in Social Science Class 7 , Lesson No. 4 to learn about the Mughal Empire. Study its history, Akbar’s progressive policies, and the factors leading to the dynasty’s decline. This lesson offers valuable insights into the fascinating history of the Mughals.

The Jagirdars

Jagirdars were mansabdars who received payment in the form of a plot of land or Jagir.
The iqtadari system of the former Delhi Sultanate inspired this custom of compensating the nobility with the land.
It must be kept in mind that Jagirdars were distinct from Iqtadars in that they were only given the power to collect taxes from that jagir as their compensation rather than being given control of that territory.
Jagirdar had a responsibility to pay his troops, and cavalrymen, and maintain the standard of the horses.
Following a thorough evaluation, the king granted them a jagir so that the revenue received would equal their salary.
The Jagirdars used to live opulent lives.
The position of a Jagirdar was not hereditary and could be transferred.
Jairdars and mansabdars didn’t live in the jagirs that were given.
They had servants who were in charge of collecting money for the jagirdars.
The imperial authorities monitored jagirdars to prevent them from using the peasants as a means of generating extra revenue and force on them to extra taxes.

Drawbacks of Jagirdars and Mansabdars system

There were some drawbacks in these systems such as-

The mansabdari and jagirdari institutions functioned effectively under Akbar’s rule, and he appointed officials to maintain their control.
Although there were more mansabdaars later in Aurangzeb’s reign, there were fewer jagirs available, therefore mansabdars had to wait a long time to obtain one.
After receiving the jagir, they sought to maximise their income by taking advantage of the peasants and occasionally used Faujdar, a military commander, to collect taxes.
The mansabdars, or nobles, amassed immense wealth in the seventeenth century, which expanded their influence.
As the Mughal dynasty began to fall apart, they gradually established their own monarchy, claimed the land as their inherited jagir, and began to rule over those places. This was seen in the Awadh and Hyderabad provinces.
They continued to regard the Mughal emperor as their superior but maintained their autonomy.

Summary

The Mughal government was highly developed and sophisticated. With several innovations, it had adapted the administrative procedures and framework of the preceding dynasties and developed its own king of bureaucracy. Akbar was the innovator of the Mughal administration. The bureaucracy ran smoothly and effectively during his reign. In order to create Mansabdars and Jagirdars, Akbar modified the earlier system of iqtadars. The Mansab was based on the rank and position a manasabdari held in the mughal court and the Jagirdars were mansabdars who received their daily wages in the form of jagir. Both of them received taxes from the allotted province but they never ruled them. These positions were transferable and not inherited, it contributed to both the growth and fall of the Mughal empire.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who were the Zamindars?

Ans: In the Mughal era there was a Zamidari system, and they were governed by the Zamindars.

Zamindars were members of the rural elite who exercised administrative control over a region, whilst Jagirdars had no such authority.
The Rajputs or another reigning family were the ancestors of the zamindars.
The Jairdars were not always members of the previous aristocracy.
Rural zamindars were small-scale landowners.
Additionally, zamindars had forts and an army.
Zamindars, as opposed to Jagirdars, had inherited control over tax collection.\
While Jagirdars were stationed in the Mughal court, Zamindars often lived in their region.

2. What does Tajwiz mean?

Ans: Tajwiz was a formal request made by a Noble to the emperor for the names of candidates to be recommended for the position of mansabdar.

3. How many classes existed within the Mansabdars?

Ans: The three classes of masabdars were as follows:

The first class was required to keep an equal number of sawars and jat.
The second class was required to keep jat and a half or more than half of its sawars.
The third class kept jat and just over half or less of its sawars.