Mir Farqunda Ali Khan (25 April 1794 – 16 May 1857) commonly known as Nasir-ud-Daulah, was fourth
Nizam of Hyderabad
Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...
, a
princely state of British India, from 24 May 1829 until his death in 1857.
Born as Farqunda Ali Khan to Nizam
Sikandar 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 (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 September 177417 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British military commander and politician who served as the governor of the Be ...
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
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
, the
Rohilla
Rohillas are a community of Pashtuns, Pashtun heritage, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region ...
s and the British, and in 1853 he signed a treaty with the British during the reign of
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
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 ( ) is a city and headquarters of the Bidar district in Karnataka state of India. Bidar is a prominent place on the archaeological map of India, it is well known for architectural, historical religious and rich heritage sites. Pictures ...
, at present-day
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
, India, on 25 April 1794. He was the eldest son of Nizam
Sikandar Jah. Nasir-ud-Daulah's mother was Fazilat-un-Nisa 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. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
, 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.
Upon ascending the throne, possibly on the advice of Maharaja Chandu Lal, Nasir-ud-Daulah asked
Lord William Bentinck
Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 September 177417 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British military commander and politician who served as the governor of the Be ...
, the
Governor-General of India
The governor-general of India (1833 to 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 in their capacity as the emperor o ...
, 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
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
and the
Rohilla
Rohillas are a community of Pashtuns, Pashtun heritage, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region ...
s. 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 districts. This made the ''
zamindar
A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
s'' (aristocrats) and the large ''jagirdars'' more arrogant. In
Hingoli district, 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 that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
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 later used in all over in early modern India. The word ''mansab'' is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. The system determined th ...
s'' (military officers) of low rank, and this system failed. These servants instead became agents of the ''
taluqdar
Taluqdars or Talukdar (, Hindustani: /; '' taluq'' "estate" + '' dar '' "owner"), were aristocrats who formed the ruling class during the Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate, Mughal Empire and British Raj. They were owners of a vast amount of l ...
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 is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to other p ...
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
Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema". Kurnool is also famous for Diamond hunting as diamonds ca ...
. With the help of his agents, the Resident of Hyderabad
James Stuart Fraser 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
Golconda is a fortified citadel and ruined city located on the western outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparudra in the 11th century out of mud walls. It was ceded to the Bahmani ...
. 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, Prime Minister of Hyderabad State from 1853 until his death in 1883. H ...
, 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
Berar Province, also known as the Hyderabad Assigned Districts, was a province of Hyderabad. After 1853, it was administered by the British, although the Nizam retained formal sovereignty over the province. Azam Jah, the eldest son of the ...
to the British. In return, the British paid the Nizam's officers.
Death

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 Tahniyat Ali Khan Siddiqi (11 October 1827 – 26 February 1869) was the fifth Nizam of Hyderabad, India, from 1857 to 1869.
Realm
Asaf Jah V's realm was divided into five subahs and sixteen districts; each sub ...
as the eight Nizam of Hyderabad.
Personal life
Nasir-ud-Daulah had two
nikkah wives. His first wife was Dilawar-un-Nisa 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 Tahniyat Ali Khan Siddiqi (11 October 1827 – 26 February 1869) was the fifth Nizam of Hyderabad, India, from 1857 to 1869.
Realm
Asaf Jah V's realm was divided into five subahs and sixteen districts; each sub ...
, born in October 1827, was his son from Dilwar-un-Nisa 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
Āṣif bin Barkhiyā () is thought to be the Islamic scriptural figure who brought the Queen of Sheba's throne to King Solomon "...in the twinkling of an eye". Credited with the role of court vizier,Richard F. Burton, ''Book of the Thousand Night ...
the minister of
King Solomon
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...
), 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 (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
of present time, the slave of King Solomon who rules the realms, Muhammad Akbar Shah, the victorious king".
See also
*
Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...
*
Nizam
Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I ...
References
Further reading
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*
External links
Times of Nasir ud daula
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