How was the Mughal Empire viewed by Francois Bernier? Do Mughal government documents justify it?
Francois Bernier had written a book entitled 'Travels In the Mughal Empire.' He considered the Mughal rule as inferior to that of Europe. During the Mughal rule, the Indians society had masses of impoverished people. The rich and powerful people were in a minority. There were poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich. There was no middle class in India. This is how Bernier described India during the Mughal rule. The Mughal king was the king of beggars and barbarians. All the cities and towns were in shambles. They contaminated with polluted air. All the fields were full of bushes and marishes. This was no because of the crown ownership of land.
However there was Mughal official document to show that the state was the sole owner of land. For example, Abul Fazl, the official chronicler of Akbar in the 16th century, describes the land revenue as “ remunerations of sovereignty”. Many European travellers believed that the king claimed revenue as he provided protection to his subjects. He did not take any rent on land as many scholars believe. In reality, it was neither a rent nor a land tax. It was in fact a tax on the crop.
