THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND MILITARY STRUCTURE OF THE BABURID EMPIRE: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF CENTRALIZATION AND INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS
- Authors
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R. B. Siddikov
PhD in History, Associate Professor Faculty of History, National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek
Author
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- Keywords:
- Baburid Empire, State Centralization, Mansabdari System, Jagirdari System, Subah, Todar Mal's Reforms.
- Abstract
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The Baburid Empire (1526–1858) represents one of the most sophisticated examples of a centralized bureaucratic state in the early modern Islamic world. This paper examines the core institutional frameworks that enabled the Baburid emperors to govern a vast and ethnically diverse subcontinent. It scrutinizes the pivotal role of the Emperor as the absolute sovereign and analyzes the functional specialization of the central ministries, including the Vakil, Diwan-i-Kul, and Mir Bakshi. Furthermore, the study explores the synthesis of Central Asian Timurid traditions with indigenous Indian administrative practices, which reached its zenith during the reign of Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar. Special attention is dedicated to the Mansabdari and Jagirdari systems as the twin pillars of Baburid military-administrative governance, highlighting how the non-hereditary assignment of revenue land prevented local separatism. The article offers a comparative historiographical literature review, analyzing perspectives from Aligarh and Central Asian historical schools. It expands upon the economic foundation of the empire through Todar Mal’s Zabt system and currency reforms, and traces the structural vulnerabilities, economic pressures, and subsequent decentralization that led to the eventual decline of the empire, offering a comprehensive evaluation of its institutional legacy.
- References
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- Published
- 2026-06-09
- Issue
- Vol. 2 No. 6 (2026)
- Section
- Articles
- License
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
