The struggles that toppled the Peacock throne

The Moghuls invaded India in the early sixteenth century and maintained their rule over much of the sub-continent for over 200 years. By the early eighteenth century power was slipping from their grasp. Irrespective their ability to deal with opposition in the manner of their forefathers, new and powerful adversaries intruded into their world. Among the nations of the sub-continent there was a constant threat from Afghanistan, from the Sikhs of the Punjab and from the Marathas. As the century progressed Europeans began to make their presence felt. First came the Free Lances-allying themselves to this group or another according to the size of their mercenary pay. They brought new military expertise to the Indian battlefield which was tipped into yet further instability by the British Empire as it sought to expand and tighten its grip on the land and its peoples. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, as British and Indian armies under Lake and Wellesley dominated the scene, a decline of a little over half a century of conflict had brought the Moghul Empire to its knees except in name. This is the story of those turbulent years.