Question

Mansabdari system was introduced by
 A) Akbar
 B) Sher Shah
 C) Humayun
 D) Jahangir

Answer 1

Hint: The Mansabdars were military commanders and high command Governors. The system determined the rank and status of a government official and military generals under the Mughal system. It was considered as an efficient system of military organization invented by Mughals.

Complete answer: The Mansabdari system introduced by Akbar was an administrative unit which was given to a particular individual serving in the Mughal administration. Every civil and military officer was given a Mansab, which determined their salaries and allowances. These Mansabdars were given different ranks according to their positions. Those Mansabdars whose rank was one thousand or below were called Amir, while those above 1,000 were called Amir-al Kabir. Some great Amirs whose ranks were above 5,000 were also given the title of Amir-al Umara (Amir of Amirs).
It was a system where nobles were granted a jagir, or revenue assignment, for services rendered by them, with the direct control of these nobles in the hands of the king. The higher the Mansab means the higher the position is. During the early reign of Akbar, the lowest grade was ten and the highest was 5,000 which was later raised to 7,000. Higher Mansabs were given to princes and Rajput rulers mainly. Nobles like Raja Man Singh, Birbal, Todarmal were given very high Mansabs because of their important positions in the administration system of Akbar.
Let’s examine the options one by one :
A) The Mansabdari system was introduced by Akbar. He introduced this system in his administrative unit which was given to individuals. So this option is the correct answer.
B) Sher Shah Suri was an Afghan leader of the Suri dynasty. He was a contemporary of Humayun and not of Akbar. He introduced various agricultural and administrative reforms but was not the founder of the Mansabdari system.
C) Humayun was the father of Akbar. He was the second ruler of the Mughal dynasty. His rule was not as successful as Akbar.
D) Jahangir was the son of Shahjahan and the 5th ruler of the Mughal dynasty. He has not introduced any revolutionary reforms in the administrative sector, while his period saw the rise of cultural activities such as painting, architecture and mainly music.
So, option A is the correct answer. The Mansabdari system was introduced by Akbar and was considered as a major transformative move in the Mughal system which made the system more efficient.

Note: There were 33 rankings of Mansabdars vacillating from ‘commanders of 10’ to ‘commanders of 10,000’. Till Akbar’s rule the uppermost rank, that could be held by a regular official was of a ‘commander of 5000’.