The Frontier Problem of the Mughals

Summary

This article examines how successive Mughal emperors grappled with the challenges posed by their north‑western frontier. Unlike British India’s frontier issues, the Mughals were personally tied to trans‑Oxus homelands and saw Afghanistan and Central Asia as integral to their identity and military supply. The author outlines Babur’s and Humayun’s reliance on troops and resources from across the Hindu Kush and the political significance of cities like Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and Balkh. He discusses Akbar’s frontier policy of securing strongholds such as Kandahar, balancing relations with Persian and Uzbek powers, and using diplomacy with frontier tribes. Later sections trace Jahangir’s, Shah Jahan’s and Aurangzeb’s struggles to maintain control amid rebellions by local chieftains, Persian incursions and the rise of Afghan tribes. The author argues that the eventual weakening of Mughal central authority, combined with costly frontier wars, contributed to the empire’s decline. Managing the frontier required resources and constant vigilance, and failure to integrate the transfrontier elites into the imperial system destabilised the regime.