Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c12.s1.1

v1.c12.s1.1

The invasion of Nādir Shah dealt such a shattering blow to the Empire of Delhi that after it the imperial authority was totally eliminated from Rājputana in all but the name. The Rājput princes were left entirely to themselves, to wrangle and fight within the confines of their own country, with the result of establishing a new master, the Marāthas, as the arbiter of their destinies. This change was rendered easier because in the course of the next eleven years all the last Rājput princes who had counted for anything in imperial politics were removed from the scene,—Sawāi Jai Singh in 1743, Abhay Singh in 1749, and Ishwari Singh in 1750. The smaller men who succeeded them and who could not look up to any great suzerain for support, were naturally powerless to make a stand against the Marāthas.