India · 1707-1799

India in the 1700s: new powers rise

After Aurangzeb died in 1707, the Mughal Empire broke into many states. Marathas, Afghans, Mysore and a British trading company fought for India. Students follow the century on the map and ask how a company came to rule Bengal.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
13–16
On the map
3 steps, AD 1783 to AD 1761
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

After Aurangzeb died in 1707, the Mughal Empire broke into many states. Marathas, Afghans, Mysore and a British trading company fought for India. Students follow the century on the map and ask how a company came to rule Bengal.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why the Mughal Empire broke into successor states after 1707.
  • Describe the rise of the Marathas, Mysore and the East India Company.
  • Explain how the Battle of Plassey in 1757 began Company rule in Bengal.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1783

Many successors

Open the map in 1783 and look at India. How many states can you count where the Mughal Empire once ruled? Which one is the largest?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1757

Plassey

Turn on Historical Events and find the Battle of Plassey (1757) in Bengal. Why was this rich, fertile region so valuable to the East India Company?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1761

Panipat again

Zoom in on Panipat, north of Delhi. In 1761 a third great battle was fought here, between the Marathas and an Afghan army. Why did so many battles happen on this plain?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Why did the Mughal Empire break into many states after 1707?
  2. Nader Shah's raid on Delhi in 1739 showed the Mughals' weakness. How might that have encouraged other powers?
  3. The Marathas and the Afghans fought at Panipat in 1761 while the British grew stronger in Bengal. Who gained most from Indian rulers fighting each other?
  4. In 1770 a terrible famine struck Bengal, made worse by the Company's tax demands. Who should be held responsible for a famine?
  5. Some see Tipu Sultan of Mysore as a hero of resistance, others as a harsh ruler. Why do views of him differ so much?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Frederick the Great, whose Seven Years' War (1756-1763) was also fought between Britain and France in India. Let students take turns ruling. Then discuss: why could a trading company win territory in India while European kings fought at home?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.