Mansabdari

Mughal emperor Akbar instituted the Mansabdari System as new administrative
machinery and a revenue system. The Mansabdari system was a grading system
used by Mughal rulers to determine a Mansabdar's rank and salary. They were
nobles who held various positions in the Mughal Empire's administration. The
Mughal Emperor appointed and dismissed them.
● Mansabdari was a unique system that was formally introduced by

mughal emperor Akbar in 1571 AD. Mansab is an Arabic term that means
rank or position.
● As a result, Mansabdar means a rank holder or an officer. The
Mansabdari system came from Central Asia. There were 66 Mansabdar
categories in total, but there were only 33 in practise.
● The appointment of Mansabdars was based on a decimal system; within
this system, Akbar attempted to integrate the three major functionaries,
namely the nobility, the armed forces, and the bureaucracy, into a
common pool of administration.
● Mansab was ranked between 10 and 10,000. However, during Akbar's
reign, the maximum was 5000, and Akbar granted the mansab of 7000
only to a few distinguished nobles of the time, namely Mirza Ajij Koka
and Raja Maan Singh, the former being Akbar's foster brother and the
latter related to him by matrimonial ties.
● Although the word mansabdar was a generic term, only those with ranks
up to 500 were called mansabdars, those with ranks 500-2500 were
called Amirs, and those with ranks 2500 and above were known as Amir
Umda or Amir-i-azam.
● Because it was a single service, a person was supposed to start at the
bottom and work their way up.
● However, the king could and frequently did appoint distinguished people
to higher positions.
● The mansabdars were the imperial structure's ruling section. Mansabdars
were said to be the pillars of Mughal administration; in fact, the entire nobility
belonged to mansabs; among them, one or more held a mansab.
● The Mansabdari system was nothing more than a noble or mansabdar system
in which a mansabdar or noble was granted the rights to hold a jaguar, which
meant revenue assignments (not the land itself) for services rendered.
● The authority bestowed upon them was not unbridled, but with direct control
of these nobles in the hands of the king.
Structure
● The mansab or rank was denoted by two representations: personal rank

(called zat) and cavalry rank (called sawar).
● Every mansabdar was given the rank of both zat and sawar, and he was paid
two rupees per horse.
● A mansabdar was given a thousand rupees extra allowance if he received the
rank of five hundred sawars.
● Furthermore, a mansabdar's duties were not in accordance with the mansab
or position he held. Higher rank did not always imply a higher post for a
mansabdar.
● For example, even though Raja Man Singh was not a minister, he held a
higher rank than Abul Fazal, who was a minister in the Emperor's court.
● The emperor was the sole authority who conferred, decreased, increased,
and resumed the mansab. He also promoted those who excelled in military
service.
● In exchange for military service, the officers were given territorial commands.
They had to bring a fixed number of men-at-arms, horses, and elephants to
the field and were rated based on the numbers, which were known as Zats.
● As a result, they were referred to as Mansabdars of 10, 20, 100, and 1000,
and so on.
● By 1591 AD, the mansab member was adopted in the form of a pair. The first
value of the pair was Zat, and the second value was Sawar.
● The Sawar ranked the actual number of horsemen he was expected to
entertain, while Zat indicated the personal pay and noble status.
● Abul Fazl classified mansabdars into three types:
○ If the Zat and Sawar mansab were equal, he belonged to the first
category of mansabdar.
○ If the Sawar mansab was half of the Zat mansab, the mansabdar
belonged to the second category.
○ If the Sawar mansab was less than half of the Zat mansab, it fell into
the third category.
● Only in exceptional circumstances, such as war or foreign aggression, would
the number of Sawar mansab exceed that of Zat mansab. This additional
increase in Sawar was known as Mashrut mansab, and the system was
abolished once the necessity was met.
● Mansabdars were only appointed by the ruler. However, the mansabdar were
appointed only on the recommendation of MirBakshi.
● However, if the mansabdar was promoted, he was promoted based on the
number of Zat, which increased his salary. The principle of demotion for poor
performance existed, but it was rarely used.
● Each Mansabdar was given dual responsibility for both civil and military
obligations. Akbar established the rule of Dahbisti.
● The general rule was that for every ten sawars, there should be twenty horses
(i.e, each mansabdar should appointed to him).
● This was done to ensure the nobility of the cavalry, which was the main
fighting force of the mughals. If the mount became tired, injured, or died, a
backup horse was required.
Merits
● The Mansabdari system was a unique and distinct system that formed the
backbone of the mughal administration. It is said that the mughal state
functioned well until the system broke down.
● It introduced the concept of uniformity in administration, which led to political
unification.
● It also weakened the caste and feudal system which were the two major flaws
of the era.
● As a result, it became mandatory for mansabdars to appoint soldiers from all
castes and religions.
● As a result, Shiva Ji and Sher Shah used this system. There was no
discrimination based on caste or religion, and they were now placed on an
equal footing. As a result, the ruler was able to gain the loyalty of all his
subjects.
● The Mansabdari system was successful in limiting the power of the feudal and
nobility classes. They were no longer considered nobility, but rather an
administrative class, with fixed service conditions imposed on them.
● This Mansabdari system increased the ruler's power and further consolidated
and crystallised the polity of the monarchial form of governance, and from the
time of Akbar, the mughal state moved towards an intense form of
administration.
Demerits
● However, the system was inherently flawed, as contemporary writers,

particularly Badayuni, have illustrated during Akbar's first half-reign.
● Mansabdars defrauded the government by bringing men from the streets
dressed in military uniforms and passing them off as soldiers.
● It was not uncommon for troops to substitute poor horses for good ones
provided by military departments. It took Akbar many years to eradicate
corruption.
● But this was only possible because of Akbar's exceptional ability as a leader
and administrator, as well as his vigilance and discipline.
● The lack of strong successors in the mughal empire gave Mansabdar
immense power, and they attempted to enter political affairs and play the role
of nobility.
● Because the Mansabdari system was highly centralised, it could only function
under a strong ruler.
● As a result, a lot depended on the personality of the ruler, and this weakness
emerged right after the death of Aurangzeb as the mughal empire witnessed a
series of weak and incompetent rulers, which led to factionalism in the
administration of the empire.
● Each mansabdar wanted to work on their own interests, making it difficult to
maintain a balanced and uniform system of administration.
● The Mansabdari system lacked an organic centre and lacked the cohesive
force that must always be present in a national army.
● The mansabdars received their pay from the emperor and paid their troops
themselves. This made the troops more loyal to the mansabdars than to the
king.
Conclu
● It kept changing from Akbar to Aurangzeb. During Akbar's reign, there were
nearly 1800 mansabdars, but by the end of Aurangzeb's reign, their number
had risen to nearly 14,500.
● The jagirs were given to Mansabdar in such a way that they could not be
transferred to another's name.
● Thus, the post of Mansabdar was not hereditary in any way, and after his
death or dismissal, the emperor confiscated his personal estate, deducting
what he (Mansabdar) owed to the state and returning the balance to his heir.
This law or rule was known as zabti.
● If the son of a mansabdar was granted a mansab, he had to restart his tenure
as mansabdar according to the rules and regulations imposed by the emperor.
● This measure was incorporated into the system so that the mansabdar could
not abuse his position and exploit the masses.
Despite its flaws, the mansabdari system had a significant impact on the medieval
military establishment. However, it could only function under capable leadership,
which was only possible until the reign of Aurangzeb. Later, the Mansabdari system
proved to be weak, leading to the empire's fragmentation. However, it also combined
with several advantages, such as certain Rajput Mansabdars being diplomatically
used against other Rajput chiefs with whom they were at odds. This system ensured
the mansabdars' steadfast loyalty to the emperor.

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Mughal emperor Akbar instituted the Mansabdari System as new administrative

● Mansabdari was a unique system that was formally introduced by

● The mansab or rank was denoted by two representations: personal rank

● However, the system was inherently flawed, as contemporary writers,

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