After Aurangzeb died in 1707 (see Unit 4), the Mughal Empire declined. Invasions from Persia and Afghanistan destroyed much of the northwest and nearly destroyed Delhi. The Marathas and Sikhs took control of much of the old empire. Lastly imperial governors called nawabs began to act independently, a situation that the British and French would exploit (see Unit 9). In 1805 the British forced the emperor to disband his army and accept their "protection." The last emperor was deposed in 1857.

The Marathas continued to expand across India until 1761 when they suffered a severe defeat against an Afghan and Mughal alliance. After 1761, the central government of the empire turned over much of its authority to local princes. Despite intense, sometimes violent, rivalry, the Maratha princes were not as easily manipulated by the Europeans as the Mughal nawabs. The Maratha Kingdom continued to be the dominant native power in India until 1818.