The Nawab of Awadh or the Nawab of Oudh was the title of the rulers who governed the state of
Awadh
Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...
(anglicised as Oudh) in north
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nawabs of Awadh belonged to a dynasty of
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
origin from
Nishapur,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
[''Encyclopædia Iranica'']
R. B. Barnett In 1724, Nawab
Saadat Ali Khan I, Sa'adat Khan established the
Oudh State with their capital in
Faizabad
Faizabad (Hindustani pronunciation: ɛːzaːbaːd is a city situated near the southern banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The area of this Faizabad region is administered by Ayodhya Municipal Corpo ...
and
Lucknow.
History
The Nawabs of Awadh were semi-autonomous rulers within the fragmented polities of
Mughal India after the death in 1707 of
Aurangzeb. They fought wars with the
Peshwa, the
Battle of Bhopal
The Battle of Bhopal was fought on 24 December 1737 in Bhopal between the Maratha Empire and the combined army of the Nizam and several Mughal generals.
Background
As the Mughal empire continued to weaken after Aurangzeb's death, the Maratha Pe ...
(1737) against the
Maratha Confederacy (which was opposed to the
Mughal Empire), and the
Battle of Karnal
The Battle of Karnal (24 February 1739), was a decisive victory for Nader Shah, the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran, during his invasion of India. Nader's forces defeated the army of Muhammad Shah within three hours, paving the way fo ...
(1739) as courtiers of the "Great Moghul".
The Nawabs of Awadh, along with many other
Nawab
Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian,
Punjabi ,
Sindhi,
Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...
s, were regarded as members of the nobility of the greater Mughal Empire. They joined
Ahmad Shah Durrani during the
Third Battle of Panipat (1761) and restored
Shah Alam II ( and 1788–1806) to the imperial throne. The Nawab of Awadh also fought the
Battle of Buxar (1764) preserving the interests of the Moghul.
Oudh State eventually declared itself independent from the rule of the "Great Moghul" in 1818.
[
]
List of rulers
All of these rulers used the title of ''
Nawab
Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian,
Punjabi ,
Sindhi,
Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...
'' from 1722 to 1856:
Gallery
File:Saadat Ali Khan I.jpg, Saadat Ali Khan I
Saadat Ali Khan Nishapuri (c. 1680 – 19 March 1739) was the Subahdar Nawab of Awadh (Oudh) from 26 January 1722 to 1739 and the son of Muhammad Nasir. At age 25 he accompanied his father on the final campaign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb a ...
, the first Nawab of Awadh, who laid the foundation of that state.
File:Safdarjung (1).jpg, Safdarjung is accused of making peace with the Maratha Confederacy.
File:अवध के नवाब शुजाउद्दौला.jpg, Shuja-ud-Daula
Shuja-ud-Daula (b. – d. ) was the Subedar and Nawab of Oudh and the Vizier of Delhi from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775.
Early life
Shuja-ud-Daula was the son of the Mughal Grand Vizier Safdarjung chosen by Ahmad Shah Bahadur. Unlik ...
fought the Maratha Confederacy during the Third Battle of Panipat on behalf of the Great Moghul, he's also known to have fought during the Battle of Buxar.
File:Gates of Palace at Lucknow William Daniell 1801.jpg, Gates of the Palace at Lucknow by W. Daniell, 1801.
File:Lalbagh gate faizabad c.1801.jpg, Gate of the Lal-Bagh fort at Faizabad
Faizabad (Hindustani pronunciation: ɛːzaːbaːd is a city situated near the southern banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The area of this Faizabad region is administered by Ayodhya Municipal Corpo ...
in 1801.
File:Mumtaz-ud-Daulah of the Budh Royal Family attributed to Felice Beato.jpg, Mumtaz-ud-Daulah of the Budh Royal Family attributed to Felice Beato
See also
*
Begum Hazrat Mahal
Begum Hazrat Mahal (c. 18207 April 1879), also known as the Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah, and the regent of Awadh in 1857–1858. She is known for the leading role she had in the rebellion against the ...
*
List of Shia dynasties
*
The Chess Players (film)
References
{{Refend
Further reading
*
Ashirbadi Lal Srivastava (1899-1973): ''The First Two Nawabs of Awadh. A critical study based on original sources. With a foreword by Sir Jadunath Sarkar.'' Lucknow : The Upper India Publishing House 1933. xi, 301 S. - Originally Phil. Diss. Lucknow 1932. 2. rev. and corr. ed. Agra : Shiv Lal Agarwal 1954. - About
Burhan ul Mulk Sa'adat Khan (1680-1739) and
Safdar Jang
Abul Mansur Mirza Muhammad Muqim Ali Khan (c. 1708 – 5 October 1754), better known as Safdar Jang, was a major figure at the Mughal court during the declining years of the Mughal Empire. He became the second Nawab of Awadh when he succeeded ...
(1708-1754), Nawabs of Awadh
*
Ashirbadi Lal Srivastava (1899-1973): ''Shuja-ud-Daulah''. Vol. I (1754-1765). Calcutta : Sarkar Midland Press 1939 - A thesis approved for the degree of doctor of letters by the Agra University in 1938. 2., rev. and corr. ed. Agra : Shiva Lal Agarwala 1961. - Vol. II (1765-1775) Lahore : Minerva 1945. 2. ed. Agra : Agarwal 1974. - About
Shuja-ud-Daula
Shuja-ud-Daula (b. – d. ) was the Subedar and Nawab of Oudh and the Vizier of Delhi from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775.
Early life
Shuja-ud-Daula was the son of the Mughal Grand Vizier Safdarjung chosen by Ahmad Shah Bahadur. Unlik ...
(1732-1775), Nawab of Awadh
External links
Nawabs of Awadh''Roots of North Indian Shi‘ism in Iran and Iraq:Religion and State in Awadh, 1722–1859'', by J. R. I. Cole. University of California Press, 1989.HISTORICAL SERIES No. LVIAdvanced study in the history of modern India, Volume 2 by G. S. Chhabra, Lotus Press, 1 January 2005
Awadh
Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...
History of Uttar Pradesh
History of Awadh
Nawabs of Awadh
Shia dynasties
Iranian Muslim dynasties
Mughal Empire
1772 establishments in India
1858 disestablishments in India