Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c35.s3.1

v3.c35.s3.1

Against such an adversary, the Jats were hopelessly outclassed. They had not adopted the combined tactics and disciplined use of firearms which the Europeans had introduced into Indian warfare; they had even lost the high level of efficiency in the indigenous style of fighting to which Suraj Mal had raised them. All their veteran captains were dead. Jawahir Singh’s ruthless selfishness had destroyed most of their leading chiefs, and time had removed the rest. No younger men had risen to take the places of these. Their Rajah was a weak voluptuary, lacking even the brute courage of his ancestry. And his Government was torn by family dissensions, the factious opposition of his brothers and uncles, and the open defection of Balu Jat’s sons. Of his European retainers, Madec had been seduced by the Emperor in October 1772 and Sombre was to be in May 1774.