The Nawab Bahadur of Murshidabad ( bn, মুর্শিদাবাদের নবাব বাহাদুর), or simply known as the Nawab of Murshidabad, was a
hereditary title
Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families.
Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...
of
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
akin to Western
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks.
Peerages include:
Australia
* Australian peers
Belgium
* Belgi ...
. They were direct descendants of the former
Nawabs of Bengal
The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, ...
, who were the
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
rulers of Bengal (along with
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
and
Orissa
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sch ...
), and inherited their estates and property. The inaugural holder was
Hassan Ali Mirza. After the death of
Waris Ali Mirza
Sayyid Waris Ali Mirza Khan Bahadur ( bn, ওয়ারিস আলী মির্জা; 14 November 1901 – 20 November 1969) was the last Nawab of Murshidabad before a prolonged interregnum caused by a succession dispute within the fami ...
in 1969, the title was
held in abeyance and later abolished. In August 2014, the
Indian Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...
ruled that his nephew,
Abbas Ali Meerza, was a rightful heir of the Nawabs of Murshidabad.
History
![Hazarduari1 debaditya chatterjee](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Hazarduari1_debaditya_chatterjee.jpg)
The title Nawab of
Murshidabad
Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district.
During ...
was used an alternative for the Nawabs of Bengal, as they were based in the city of Murshidabad, founded by the inaugural Nawab of Bengal
Murshid Quli Khan. The title continued to be used synonymously until the time of Nawab
Mansur Ali Khan
Nawab Sayyid Mansur Ali Khan (29 October 1830 – 4 November 1884) was the Nawab of Bengal from 1838 until his abdication in 1880, whereupon he renounced his titles and position as Nawab. During his reign, he instituted various policies in th ...
, who was the last titular Nawab Nazim of Bengal. During his reign, the ''nizamat'' (princeship) at Murshidabad came to be debt-ridden. The Nawab left Murshidabad in February 1869, and had started living in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The title of the Nawab of Bengal stood abolished in 1880.
In October 1880, he went to
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, pleading his case against the orders of the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
, but as it stood unresolved, the Nawab renounced his styles and titles, abdicating in favour of his eldest son,
Hassan Ali Mirza, on 1 November 1880.
Mirza and his descendants were simply known with the title of ''Nawab of Murshidabad'' and held the status of a
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks.
Peerages include:
Australia
* Australian peers
Belgium
* Belgi ...
from then on.
The Nawabs of Murshidabad succeeded the Nawab Nazims following Nawab Mansur Ali Khan's abdication.
The Nawab Bahadurs had ceased to exercise any significant power.
They were relegated to the status of a
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 a ...
. They continued to be a wealthy Indian family, producing bureaucrats and army officers. However, their political influence in Bengal was eclipsed by the
Nawab of Dhaka. Members of the Nawab family of Murshidabad were part of the
Pakistan movement. At the time of the
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947, the
flag of Pakistan was hoisted at the Hazarduari Palace. The
Radcliffe Line made clear that
Murshidabad district would fall under the
Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...
. Soon after the line was published, the Pakistani flag was lowered and the
Indian tricolour was hoisted atop the palace.
In Pakistan, a member of the family,
Iskander Mirza
Sahibzada Iskander Ali Mirza ( bn, ইস্কান্দার আলী মির্জা; ur, ; 13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969), , was a Pakistani Bengali general officer and civil servant who was the first President of Pakis ...
, became the country's
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
and
first President. In 1959, Wasif Ali Mirza came to be the third Nawab Bahadur.
He was succeeded by Waris Ali Mirza who died in 1969,
survived by three sons and three daughters. His death was followed by a long-standing dispute over succession as he had excluded his eldest son, Wakif Ali Mirza, from the succession for contracting a non-Muslim marriage. Waris Ali took no steps during his lifetime to establish his successor. His will stood disputed.
The Indian government withdrew privileges for princely families in 1971.
List of Nawabs
The Nawabs of Murshidabad succeeded the Nawabs of Bengal.
Waris Ali Mirza was the last Nawab to hold the title legally. Abbas Ali Mirza has been recognised as the lawful heir of Waris Ali. The title today is ''de facto'' only and is devoid of any legal sanctity.
References
External links
{{West Bengal
Nawabs of Bengal
Indian nobility
Noble titles created in 1882
1882 establishments in Asia
Murshidabad district