What impact do you think the expansion of the empire would have had on land revenue collection?
The expansion of the Mughal Empire had significant implications for land revenue collection. As the empire expanded rapidly, it became vital for the state to create an administrative apparatus to ensure control over agricultural production and to fix and collect revenue from across its vast territories. This led to the establishment of the office of the diwan who was responsible for supervising the fiscal system of the empire.
The expansion necessitated that revenue officials and record keepers penetrate the agricultural domain to gather specific information about the extent of agricultural lands and their produce before fixing taxes. However, the expansion also posed challenges as not all areas were measured successfully—forests covering huge areas remained unmeasured. While the state tried to maximize its revenue claims, local conditions sometimes thwarted the actual realization of these claims.
Explanation
The textbook context highlights that land revenue was the economic mainstay of the Mughal Empire. The expansion created the need for an administrative apparatus including the diwan's office. The context also mentions that while measurement of lands was attempted, forests remained unmeasured, and local conditions often thwarted the state's claims. The mansabdari system with jagir assignments was also a response to managing the expanding empire's revenue needs.