Discuss the composition characters and role of nobility and the mughal ruler
Answers
THE "MANSAB" system was what made the Mughal empire tick. In this system the emperor assigned mansabs or ranks, ranging from 10 to 10,000 and above, to the functionaries who administered the realm, maintained and led its armed forces, and pushed its boundaries forward. From late 16th century a mansabdar was generally assigned two mansabs called zat and sawar, the first determining his personal pay and the second the contingents he had to maintain plus certain other obligations. The dual ranks entitled him to emoluments, which were generally paid through jagirs.
The mansab system became the basis for defining the Mughal nobility; the mansabdars, who were assigned zat mansabs of 1000 and above, were collectively known as umara or nobles. There exist several studies of the Mughal nobility for various phases and sections, such as M. Athar Ali's Mughal Nobility Under Aurangzeb. The book under review pertains to Shahjahan's reign, and could have been more appropriately titled "Nobility Under Shahjahan (1628-1658).''