Final answer:
A majority of Shah Jahan's subjects lived in poverty due to extortionate taxation and tribute, destruction of agricultural lands through warfare, marginalization by rich landowners, and an economic system that favored a small elite while the majority lived in frugality.
Step-by-step explanation:
A majority of Shah Jahan's subjects lived in poverty due to a combination of factors. High levels of taxation and tribute required to support the opulent lifestyles of the monarchy were a burden on the common people.
Peasants, who constituted a large portion of the population, struggled with malnutrition and often had to resort to extreme measures such as cannibalism to survive. Additionally, frequent warfare and the consequent devastation of agricultural land and irrigation systems led to chronic labor shortages and emigration.
This, coupled with the predatory practices of wealthy landowners expelling smaller farmers from their land and a social system that heavily favored the elite, led to a marginalized population of peasants in a state of perpetual poverty.
The extravagant expenses on luxuries such as the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor diamond exemplify the disparity between the ruling class and the commoners.
Additionally, the rise of other economic systems, like mercantilism, produced fixed wealth scenarios where the majority lived frugal lives while a select few enjoyed lavish lifestyles. Poor farmers found it increasingly difficult to compete with slave-tilled plantations of the rich or to withstand the outright extortion from landowners.