Consider the following statement : “So much is wrung from the peasants, that even diy 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?

The statement regarding the extreme exploitation of the Mughal peasantry, where so much was wrung from them that even dry bread was scarcely left, was made by the Dutch traveler Francisco Pelsaert [2]. Pelsaert visited the Indian subcontinent during the early seventeenth century, specifically during the reign of Emperor Jahangir. He was deeply moved by the widespread poverty he witnessed, describing the lives of the common people as a state of 'stark want' and 'bitter woe' [1]. While other travelers like François Bernier also documented the tyranny and impoverishment of the peasantry, Bernier focused more on the lack of private property and the resulting abandonment of land [2]. Pelsaert’s account specifically highlights the excessive revenue demands of the state that left the cultivators in a miserable condition, struggling for basic sustenance [1].

Sources

1. [1] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Through the Eyes of Travellers > Widespread poverty > p. 130
2. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Through the Eyes of Travellers > The poor peasant > p. 131