It was the interest in the story of the dismemberment of the Mughal Empire in the eighteenth century that the history of the period claimed the attention of the most diverse writers; naturally, therefore, the emphasis given to various factors responsible for decay has differed widely. The position of Muhammad Shah has long been misjudged by historians and popular writers alike, who have painted him as a debauch, indolent and careless king, thus holding him exclusively responsible for the decay and ruin of the Empire. The present work attempts a detailed study of the political, economic and social forces which caused, hastened or simply accompanied the process of imperial disintegration during the reign of Muhammad Shah. It attempts to examine the causes of failure on the part of the imperial government to retain command over the fissiparous tendencies and control the process of decline. Also, a critical examination of evidence demonstrates that the Emperor was certainly not as bad as he has been painted; and that it was a fatal combination of circumstances, rather than the weaknesses of the man at the helm, which was responsible for the ultimate collapse of the Empire.
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