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Home / IAS Preparation / Economic History Of Medieval India

Economic History Of Medieval India: Village Economy, Condition Of Peasants And More For UPSC!

Last Updated on Dec 04, 2024
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In medieval India, peasants made up the vast majority of the population. They were the most important part of the economic history of medieval India. It wasn't a uniform group, though. Rich peasants (Khuts & Muqaddams under the Delhi Sultanate and Khudkasht during the Mughal era) with huge holdings who cultivated their farms with the assistance of hired labour were at one extreme of the spectrum. Small peasants and village servants, also called Balahars, Reza, Riaya, Paltis, Kunbis, etc., were at the other end of the spectrum. The general name for the majority of peasants was raiyat.

In this article, we will learn about the economic history of medieval India. This forms a significant part of the UPSC IAS exam. UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains Paper I have many questions about this topic. It is also an important topic for UPSC History Optional and essential for the UGC NET History exam. Every year over 5-7 questions on India's political history are in the question paper.

Condition Of Peasants

They have an important position in the economic history of medieval India. The peasants were required to pay a sizable portion of their harvest as land income. In addition, many landed intermediaries grabbed a portion of the produced excess. In addition to that, medieval Indian peasants frequently experienced natural disasters like floods, hunger, diseases, etc. 

  • Due to the regressive nature of the land tax, the substantial burden of interaction on loans obtained, recurrent famine, disease, and epidemic, the common peasant always lived on the edges.
  • Occasionally, the hardships and resentments of the peasants led to uprisings and protests.
  • Muhammad bin Tughlaq's attempts to increase the Doab region's revenue rates during the Sultanate period resulted in a serious agricultural insurrection. 
  • During the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb, significant uprisings by the Jats, Sikhs, Marathas, and Satanamis took place. One of the causes of these rebellious activities was agrarian dissatisfaction. These uprisings hold an important position in the economic history of medieval India.
  • There were many different sorts of middlemen besides government personnel between the peasants and the state. These middlemen were essential in generating land revenue. They requested revenue exemptions on their properties or a cut of land earnings in exchange for the services they provided.
  • Our sources include words like "Raja," "Rajaputra," "Ranaka," and "Mahasamanta" before the founding of the Delhi Sultanate. These people held inherited rights related to land. They obtained land revenue from the local farmers in their spheres of influence, sent some of it to the government, and kept some for their subsistence. They have an important position in the economic history of medieval India.
  • In addition, as we've seen, the state gave temples and Brahmans tax-exempt territory. These grantees obtained land revenue from such regions.

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Artisanal Production

Although most of the population worked in agriculture, a wide range of crafts were also practised on a large scale in rural and urban parts of the country. These crafts comprised textile, pottery, dyeing, sugar, metal, paper, wood, fabrication of weapons and armour, shipbuilding, chemical work, etc.

  • In addition to Qasbas, craft manufacturing was arranged in villages. Additionally, there were imperial Karkhanas. Artisans made everyday items in rural areas. These craftspeople belonged to the Jajmani system, a local social network. Deccan and Maharashtra had a more organised version of this system. Balutedars were the local artisans and domestic workers in these areas. They hold an important position in the economic history of medieval India.
  • Lone craftsmen in towns created the mainstay of such goods produced for markets. Almost every craft has skilled craftspeople who create goods for the market. At this stage of the organisation of craft production, each artist bought the necessary tools and raw materials, produced the goods, and then sold them on the market.
  • However, this form of artisanal production had a significant flaw. An artisan lacked significant resources to invest in the production process because it was organised on an individual basis. Naturally, the final production size was modest. To solve this issue, the Dadni system, a new production method, gradually emerged. 
  • In this method, the merchants who dealt with such goods gave an artist the raw ingredients they needed and an advance payment. When the allotted time had passed, the merchants gathered the finished goods and sold them in the marketplace.
  • The royal workshop, or Karkhana, was another place where crafts were produced. These Karkhanas belonged to the regal system. These factories produced goods for the royal family's and the court's usage. In general, rich and opulent goods were made here. State officials oversaw skilled employees engaged by the Karkhanas and worked together under one roof. 
  • There were reportedly two different kinds of Karkhanas. First is the historic Karkhanas, which created luxury goods in modest quantities but with high aesthetic value; second, there are mints or factories that make weapons, where large-scale, standard-oriented production is conducted using cutting-edge technology.

Land Revenue

The reforms pertaining to land tax were essentially the work of Alauddin Khilji, Sher Shah Suri, and Akbar. They have an important position in the economic history of medieval India. The most fundamental technique of revenue assessment used was the Batai, or crop share. In this system, the state's portion of the product was previously fixed at a specific percentage.

  • The Kankut was a second technique. This system's measurements were a crucial part. After measuring the land, the estimated land productivity was used to compute the land revenue. The yield was calculated based on Sher Shah's additional land classification into three categories: good, mediocre, and bad. One-third of the produce was designated as the state's portion. 
  • The third approach was the Zabt system, which is comparable to the Kankut system. Based on the productivity and type of crop, the rates were calculated. The government promoted the extension of agricultural lands because this system served as the state's main source of income and did so in order to increase revenue.
  • At the Pargana level, the Mughal land revenue administration was structured. Different officers were tasked with conducting land surveys and collecting taxes. Amin oversaw the surveying team, while Amil was in charge of revenue collecting. The Qanungo, who was in charge of keeping track of all revenue records, aided Amin. 
  • Chaudhari helped Amil with this revenue collection task. These people held important positions in the economic history of medieval India. At the local level, the muqaddam or headman of the village, made the collections while the patwari kept the records up to date. Other officers included Karkun, the clerk, and Potadar, the treasurer. Persian and regional languages were used to keep the records.

Conclusion

The majority of the population worked in agriculture. As part of the state strategy, an increase in agricultural productivity was sought by expanding agriculture in more recent locations. A wide range of food crops, cash crops, fruits, vegetables, and spices were produced by the peasants.

Between the state and the peasantry, there was a strong network of financial middlemen. These middlemen helped the government collect land taxes for the state. They have an important position in the economic history of medieval India. The Indian peasantry in medieval times was a poor group. The oppressive nature of the land tax, middlemen's demands for a cut of revenue, and frequent natural disasters made life for the common peasant miserable and abhorrent. Therefore, peasant uprisings were not entirely unknown at this time.

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Economic History Of Medieval India FAQs

The time of the Indian subcontinent between the ancient and modern periods is known as medieval India. Between the sixth and the sixteenth centuries, this phase can be dated.

The activities covered agriculture, business and trade, different artisan crafts, etc. These activities saw a number of alterations over time. The state imposed taxes on the populace to support its rule based on output and resources.

People also planted aromatic wood, medicinal herbs, and spices in addition to food crops. It was common behaviour to store or stockpile extra grain.

During the medieval era, the majority of output was produced through agriculture. The state's main source of income was agriculture.

In medieval India, there were three distinct social classes. They were divided into three classes: the upper class, which included kings and lords; the middle class, which included Mansabdars and traders; and the lower class, which included farmers, artisans, and slaves. Farmers made up the bulk of the population.

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