Causes of Downfall of Sur Empire

Causes of Downfall of Sur Empire

The following reasons contributed to the decline of Sur regime within a few years of death of Sher Shah, the founder of the Sur Dynasty:

No doubt, Sher Shah founded the Sur Dynasty quite effectively but as he was bestowed kingship towards the last days of his life, he could not organize it properly well. His untimely and sudden death further weakened the empire. Had he lived a bit more, he would have organized and strengthened the empire to a great extent, as he was a very good administrator and organizer.
The successors of Sher Shah did not prove to be efficient and worthy of kingship. Islam Shah had turned his worthiness into disqualifications as he adopted a stern and repressive policy towards the old nobles and annoyed them. He failed to understand the character of the Afghans. He attacked the feudalistic nature of kingship which alarmed the entire Afghans and turned them into enemies of the empire. It also gave birth to plots and intrigues which shattered the central structure and power of the empire. He also misused the royal treasury and thus invited troubles due to his own shortcomings.
After the death of Islam Shah, his minor son Firoz Shah was assassinated and Mubariz Khan, who ascended the throne and assumed the title of Mahmood Shah Adil, was unworthy and incapable ruler. He wasted the royal treasury unnecessarily and his un-thoughtful deeds encouraged the rebels in the empire. He appointed his favorites on all the high and lucrative posts in the empire and thus created chaos and confusion in the empire.
Revolts broke out against Muhammad Adil Shah. Ibrahim Sur occupied Delhi and Agra and Ahmad Shah established his control over the Punjab. After this Ibrahim Sur and Sikandar Sur struggled with each other in which ultimately Sikandar Sur succeeded but this rivalry and hostility among the Afghans shattered their power. As a result of this Humayun returned to India to regain his lost empire. The weak successors of Sher Shah failed to encounter him and surrendered before him.
The successors of Sher Shah did not pay attention to the projects of public welfare. They also did not care for the development of agriculture which resulted in decrease of production and famine. It made the condition of the cultivators very pitiable. The continuity of wars helped in the rise of chaotic conditions which annoyed he public very much and they preferred to help the Mughals in the restoration of their empire than to support the Afghans.

All these reasons contributed to the downfall of the Sur dynasty and the second Afghan Empire. As there was no law and order, owing to weak successors, favoritism and red tapism prevailed everywhere; soldiers were not prepared to sacrifice their lives for the country and discipline bad gone to dogs; the empire was bound to decline. The Emperors’ negligence towards their duties also helped a lot in the downfall of the second Afghan empire.

Milan Tomic

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.