Consider the following statement : "So much is wrung from the peasants, that even dry bread is scarcely left to fill their stomachs." Who among the following European travellers had made the above statement about the condition of peasantry in the Mughal Empire?
- A.Francisco Pelsaert
- B.Francois Bernier
- C.Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
- D.Niccolao Manucci
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Francisco Pelsaert. The Dutch traveller wrote these words about the poverty of peasants under the Mughals during the reign of Jahangir.
Pelsaert was a merchant of the Dutch East India Company who lived at Agra in the 1620s. His report, known in English as Jahangir's India, describes the heavy revenue demand on the peasants and the oppression by officials, and contrasts it with the luxury of the nobles. Historians often quote his line that so much is taken from the peasants that even dry bread is scarcely left to fill their stomachs.
Option B is wrong because Francois Bernier, a French physician in Aurangzeb's time, is known for arguing that there was no private property in land in Mughal India. Option C is wrong because Tavernier was a French jeweller who wrote mainly about trade, gems and diamonds. Option D is wrong because Manucci, an Italian, wrote Storia do Mogor about the Mughal court and politics.
Exam tip: Pelsaert (Dutch, Jahangir) = peasant poverty; Bernier (French, Shah Jahan-Aurangzeb) = crown ownership of land.
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