Mansabdari system was a system of ranking introduced by
Akbar, the Mughal emperor of India. This system was introduced to strengthen the Army. Under this system, every officer was assigned a rank (mansab). The lowest rank was 10, and the highest was 5000 for the nobles. Princes of the blood received higher ranks. Towards the end of Akbar’s reign, the highest rank a noble could attain was raised from 5000 to 7000.
Under the Mansabdari system, contingents with nobles of mixed groups ( Mughal, Pathan, Hindustani and Rajput) was the general rule. This rule was introduced to weaken tribalism and parochialism. The Mansabdari system, as it developed under the
Mughals, was a distinctive and unique system, which did not have any parallel outside India. The system became the basis of Mughal military organization and civil administration.
