Complex sentence: As the Mughal Empire disintegrated in the early 18th century, the Maratha Empire became weakened after the third battle of Panipat, the unstable Indian states that emerged were increasingly manipulated by the Europeans through dependent "friendly" Indian rulers.
Split into simpler sentences: As the Mughal Empire disintegrated in the early 18th century, the Maratha Empire became weakened after the third battle of Panipat. Leading to unstable Indian states were manipulated by the Europeans through increasingly dependent "friendly" Indian rulers.