Mir Farqunda Ali Khan (25 April 1794 – 16 May 1857) commonly known as Nasir-ud-Daulah, was
Nizam of Hyderabad, a
princely state of British India, from 24 May 1829 until his death in 1857.
Born as Farqunda Ali Khan to Nizam
Sikandar Jah
Nawab Mir Akbar Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur, Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III (11 November 1768 – 21 May 1829), was the 3rd Nizam/Ruler of Hyderabad, India from 1803 to 1829. He was born in Chowmahalla Palace in the Khilwath, the second son of Asaf Jah ...
and Fazilatunnisa Begum, Nasir-ud-Daulah ascended the throne in 1829. He inherited a financially weak kingdom. On his request,
Lord William Bentinck
Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 September 177417 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British soldier and statesman who served as the Governor of Fort William (Bengal) from 1828 to 1834 and the First G ...
withdrew all of the European superintendents of civil departments and followed a policy of non-intervention in the Nizam's affairs. The Nizam founded the
Hyderabad Medical School in 1846; he also owed large debts to the
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
, the
Rohillas and the British, and in 1853 he signed a treaty with the British during the reign of
Governor-General The Earl of Dalhousie. The British agreed to liquidate all of his debts in return for ceding part of his territory to the British.
Early life
Nasir-ud-Daulah was born as Mir Farkhunda Ali Khan in
Bidar
Bidar (/ biːd̪ər/) is a city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka state in India. It is the headquarters of Bidar district, which borders Maharashtra and Telangana. It is a rapidly urbanising city in the wider ''Bidar Metropolitan area ...
, at present-day
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
, India, on 25 April 1794. He was the eldest son of Nizam
Sikandar Jah
Nawab Mir Akbar Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur, Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III (11 November 1768 – 21 May 1829), was the 3rd Nizam/Ruler of Hyderabad, India from 1803 to 1829. He was born in Chowmahalla Palace in the Khilwath, the second son of Asaf Jah ...
. Nasir-ud-Daulah's mother was Fazilatunnisa Begum, the favourite wife of his father. The Nizams were the erstwhile ruler of
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
, the largest princely state of British India.
Reign
Nasir-ud-Daulah's father Nizam Sikandar Jah died on 21 May 1829. On 24 May, he ascended to the throne of Hyderabad. He inherited a financially troubled state because of the irregularities of the assistant revenue minister
Maharaja Chandu Lal
Chandu Lal Malhotra (1766 – 15 April 1845 ), better known as Maharaja Chandu Lal was the prime minister (1833–1844) for 3rd Nizam of Hyderabad Sikandar Jah. He was born in Hyderabad Deccan (now Hyderabad, India) and hails from a family from ...
.
Upon ascending the throne, possibly on the advice of Maharaja Chandu Lal, Nasir-ud-Daulah asked
Lord William Bentinck
Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 September 177417 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British soldier and statesman who served as the Governor of Fort William (Bengal) from 1828 to 1834 and the First G ...
, the
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
, to have
Resident of Hyderabad Sir Charles Metcalfe stop interfering in matters of civil interest. The governor-general responded affirmatively and the European superintendents of civil departments were removed. Throughout his reign, Bentinck followed a policy of non-intervention in the affairs of the state.
Because of the state's financial difficulties, Nasir-ud-Daulah found it difficult to pay his army. The state was becoming more and more indebted to the British. He mortgaged parts of his kingdom to the
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
and the
Rohillas. Smaller ''
jagirdars'' (feudal landholders) also mortgaged their estates and as a result, these moneylenders controlled significant parts of the kingdom, including extensive parts of
Bhir and
Osmanabad
Osmanabad (; pronounced as ''Usmānābād''),is a city and a municipal council in Osmanabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Osmanabad derives its name from the last ruler of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. Osmanabad city is the adm ...
districts. This made the ''
zamindar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...
s'' (aristocrats) and the large ''jagirdars'' more arrogant. In
Hingoli district
Hingoli district (Marathi pronunciation: iŋɡoliː is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India. The district is headquartered at Hingoli. The district occupies an area of 4,526 km2 and has a population of 11,77,3 ...
, the Resident was forced to send troops to put down a rebellion.
According to contemporaneous records, highway robbery, looting, murders and
land-grabbing increased during Nasir-ud-Daulah's reign, and bribery and corruption became commonplace. The ''zamindars'' exploited the labourers. Fathulla Khan, a minister of the Nizam, said these activities occurred because of the withdrawal of British officers.
In 1835, the Court of Directors of the
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 South ...
revolted and wrote to the British government that there was a breakdown of law and order in the state of Hyderabad and that they could not ignore the misrule. In response, Nasir-ud-Daulah appointed some government workers as confidential servants to various districts of the state to monitor the activities of revenue officers, to suppress any oppression and to administer justice. The servants, however, were illiterate ''
mansabdar
The Mansabdar was a military unit within the administrative system of the Mughal Empire introduced by Akbar. The word ''mansab'' is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. The system determined the rank and status of a government official an ...
s'' (military officers) of low rank, and this system failed. These servants instead became agents of the ''
taluqdar
Taluqdars or Talukdar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: ; Perso-Arabic: , ; from ''taluq'' "estate/attachment" + '' dar'' "owner"), were aristocrats who formed the ruling class during the Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate, Mughal Empire and British Raj ...
s'' (landed gentry), who misused them to extort money from private individuals. Four years later, the Court of Directors wrote a similar letter.
Nasir-ud-Daulah's younger brother, Prince
Mubarez-ud-Daulah was inspired by the
Wahhabi movement
Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, a ...
in India and had become fiercely opposed to the continued presence of the East India Company on the Indian subcontinent, allegedly formulating plans to overthrown both them and the Nizam. He struck a deal with
Rasool Khan, the Nawab of
Kurnool. With the help of his agents, the Resident of Hyderabad
James Stuart Fraser
General James Stuart Fraser (1 July 1783 – 22 August 1869) was a British army officer in the Madras army in India. He was involved in the Coorg War of 1834 and the town of Kushalnagar was for sometime named after him as Fraserpet.
James was bo ...
intercepted their plans, then accused Mubarez-ud-Daulah of planning a conspiracy against Nasir-ud-Daulah. On 15 June 1839, Nasir-ud-Daulah ordered an attack on the palace of Mubarez-ud-Daulah, so that Mubarez-ud-Daulah could be arrested and held at
Golconda Fort
Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparud ...
. Mubarez was successfully imprisoned, he remained so until his death in 1854.
Under the guidance of Prime Minister
Siraj-ul-Mulk (until his death in 1853) and the next Prime Minister
Salar Jung I
Sir Mir Turab Ali Khan, Salar Jung I, (21 January 1829 – 8 February 1883), known simply as Salar Jung I, was an Indian nobleman who served as Prime Minister of Hyderabad State between 1853 until his death in 1883. He also served as regent fo ...
, Nasir-ud-Daulah established a modern revenue administration system.
The kingdom was divided into 16 districts, each of which was administered by a ''taluqdar'' who was responsible for its judicial and civil administration.
In 1846, Nasir-ud-Daulah founded the
Hyderabad Medical School, which is now known as Osmania Medical College. He was interested in recruiting both men and women for the medical field.
By 31 December 1850, Nasir-ud-Daulah's debts to the British had reached . By mid-1852, he found it difficult to pay his own officers. In 1853, he signed a treaty with the British government, during the rule of Governor-General
The Earl of Dalhousie. According to this treaty, the British agreed to liquidate his debts in return for the Nizam ceding the
Berar Province to the British. In return, the British paid the Nizam's officers.
Death
![Mecca Masjid - Hyderabad 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Mecca_Masjid_-_Hyderabad_01.JPG)
On 16 May 1857, Nasir-ud-Daulah died. He was buried at the
Makkah Masjid mosque.
He was succeeded by his son
Afzal-ud-Daulah
Afzal ad-Dawlah, Asaf Jah V Mir Tahniyath Ali Khan Siddiqi (11 October 1827 – 26 February 1869) was the ruling Nizam of Hyderabad, India, from 1857 to 1869.
Realm
Asaf Jah V's realm was divided into five subahs and sixteen districts; each su ...
as the fifth Nizam of Hyderabad.
Personal life
Nasir-ud-Daulah had two
nikkah wives. His first wife was Dilwarunnisa Begum, the daughter of an unranked officer in his court. His second wife was the daughter of an officer of a lower rank who worked at his palace. He fathered two sons- one from each wife.
Afzal-ud-Daulah
Afzal ad-Dawlah, Asaf Jah V Mir Tahniyath Ali Khan Siddiqi (11 October 1827 – 26 February 1869) was the ruling Nizam of Hyderabad, India, from 1857 to 1869.
Realm
Asaf Jah V's realm was divided into five subahs and sixteen districts; each su ...
, born in October 1827, was his son from Dilwarunnisa Begum. Roshan-ud-Daulah, born March 1828, was his second son and was from his second wife.
Titular Name
Upon ascending the throne, Nasir-ud-Daulah took the following titular name: ''Asaf Jah, Muzaffar-ul-Mumamlik, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Nizam-ul-Daulah, Mir Farkhunda Ali Khan Bahadur, Fateh Jung, Sipah Salar, Ayn Waffadar, Rustam-i-Dauran, Arastu-i-Zaman, Fidvi-i-Senliena, Iqtidar-i-Kishwarsitan, Muhammad Akbar Shah, Padshah-i-Ghazi''.
In English, it translates to "Asaf Jah, (equal to
Asif ibn Barkhiya the minister of
King Solomon), in dignity, the conqueror of dominions, the regulator of the kingdom, the administrator of the state, Mir Farkhunda Ali Khan Bahadur, the victor in battles, the leader of armies, the faithful friend, the Rustam of age, the
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...
of present time, the slave of King Solomon who rules the realms, Muhammad Akbar Shah, the victorious king".
See also
*
Hyderabad State
*
Nizam
The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...
References
Further reading
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External links
1829 - 1857 H.H. Rustam-i-Dauran, Aristu-i-Zaman, Asaf Jah IV, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Farkhunda 'Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur
ufran Manzil Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Ayn waffadar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasir-Ud-Dawlah, Asaf Jah Iv
Nizams of Hyderabad
19th-century Indian royalty
1794 births
1857 deaths
People from Bidar
Indian royalty
History of Telangana
Asaf Jahi dynasty