Nawab Muhammad Amir Khan (1769–1834) was a military general in the service of

Yashwantrao Holkar Yashwant Rao Holkar (c. 1776-1811) also known as Jaswantrao Holkar belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire was the Maharaja of the Maratha Empire. He was a gifted military leader and educated in accountancy as well as literate in ...

of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...

and later became the first ruler of the princely state of Tonk (in the present day

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

state of India). He was of

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

originally from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and was the son of Hayat Khan and the grandson of Taleh Khan. Amir Khan rose to be a military commander in the service of

of the

in 1798. In 1806, Khan received the state of Tonk from Yashwantrao Holkar of the Maratha Empire. While the

Pindari The Pindaris were irregular military plunderers and foragers in 17th- through early 19th-century Indian subcontinent who accompanied initially the Mughal army, later the Maratha army, and finally on their own before being eliminated in the 1817� ...

s tended to concentrate on the east and south central Hindustan, Amir Khan and his Pathans concentrated on the north and

. At the height of his power, he is said to have controlled a personal following of 8,000 cavalry, 10,000 infantry and up to 200 guns. The largest contingent amongst the Maratha chiefs, by far. After the defeat of the Rohillas in the

Rohilla War The First Rohilla War of 1773–1774 was a punitive campaign by Shuja-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh on the behalf of Mughal Emperor, against the Rohillas, Afghan highlanders settled in Rohilkhand, northern India. The Nawab was supported by troops o ...

of 1774–5 against the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, he fought against them. He had acquired the town and ''pargana'' of Tonk and the title of ''Nawab'' from

in 1806, and this area together with some other scattered ''parganas'' that he held, was combined with the pargana of Rampura (

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Allygarh, and Kol) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district, and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the cap ...

) and erected into a new principality. Ultimately he established his rule in Tonk in 1806.Anil Chandra Banerjee The Rajput States and British Paramountcy 1980 - Page 71 "During the years 1807-10 Amir Khan gradually made himself the most powerful man in Central India" In 1817, after the

Third Anglo-Maratha War The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the English East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an invasion of Maratha ter ...

, Amir Khan submitted to the British

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

, the Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief, The

Marquess of Hastings Marquess of Hastings was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 6 December 1816 for Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira. History The Rawdon family descended from Francis Rawdon (d. 1668), of Rawdon, Yorkshire. H ...

, resolved to extinguish the Pindaris whom they deemed a menace. The

Treaty of Gwalior Gwalior state was a semi-autonomous Maratha state. It was centred in modern-day Madhya Pradesh, arising due to the rise of the Maratha Empire and fragmentation of the Mughal Empire. It was ruled by the House of Scindia (anglicized from Shinde) ...

severed the link between them and

Scindia The Scindia dynasty (anglicized from Shinde) is a Hindu Maratha dynasty of maratha origin that ruled the erstwhile State of Gwalior. It had the Patil-ship of Kumberkerrab in Wai. It was founded by Ranoji Scindia, who started as a personal serva ...

. Moreover, the treaty required the latter to join forces with the British to eliminate the

s and

Pathan Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

s. Bowing to the inevitable, Amir Khan assiduously came to terms with the British, agreeing to disband his men in return for a large stipend and recognition as a hereditary ruler. Amir Khan was recognized as hereditary nawab, disbanded his forces and quietly settled down to consolidating his little state. He became a faithful friend to the British, earning praise and consideration from successive pro-consuls. Amir Khan died in 1834. He was succeeded by his son

Muhammad Wazir Khan Muhammad Wazir Khan (reigned 1834–1864) was the second ruler of the princely state of Tonk (in the present day Rajasthan state of India). Tonk He was the son of Muhammad Amir Khan whom he succeeded. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 he alli ...

(r. 1834–1864).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad Amir Khan 1769 births 1834 deaths Rohilla Nawabs of Tonk Nawabs of India Indian Muslims Indian people of Pashtun descent

See also

References