Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan

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Zainuddin Ahmad Khan
Haibat Jang, Ihtiram ud-Daulah
Naib Nazim of Bihar
Reign1740 13 January 1748
Predecessor Alivardi Khan
Successor Siraj ud-Daulah
Born2 May 1690
Jahangirnagar, Bengal, Mughal Empire
Died13 January 1748(1748-01-13) (aged 68)
Patna, Bengal, Mughal Empire
Burial1748
Spouse Amina Begum
Issue Mahabat Ali Khan
Siraj ud-Daulah
Ikram ud-Daulah
Mirza Asadullah
One daughter
Names
Mirza Muhammad Hashim Zain ad-Din Ahmad Khan
House Afshar
FatherHaji Ahmad
Religion Shia Islam

Zain ud-Din Ahmad Khan, also known as Mirza Muhammad Hashim, was an aristocrat from the Nawab of Bengal family and the father of Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal.

Contents

Early life and background

Mirza Muhammad Hashim was the youngest son of Haji Ahmad, the elder brother of Alivardi Khan. Hashim's paternal grandfather Mirza Muhammad Madani, who was of either Arab or Turkic descent, was the son of a foster-brother of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. [1] [2] He had two brothers, Nawazish Muhammad Khan and Sayed Ahmed Khan.

Personal life

Khan married Amina Begum, the daughter of his paternal uncle Alivardi Khan, who would later become the Nawab of Bengal. They had two sons, Ikram ud-Daulah as well as Siraj ud-Daulah, another future Nawab of Bengal. He also had another son and a daughter by the name of Shahzadi Afseen Begum who was married to Diwan Mohanlal of Purnia. [3]

Career

Due to their royal background, Hashim and his family all worked for the administration of his cousin, the Nawab of Bengal Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan. The Nawab granted Hashim the title of Khan. After the ascension of Alivardi Khan as the Nawab of Bengal in November 1740, he was made the Governor of Bihar and given the title of Haibat Jang. [4] [5] He was granted the title of Ihtiram ud-Daulah in 1742.[ citation needed ]

Khan defended Bihar from Maratha attacks. After Nawab Alivardi Khan and his army general Mustafa Khan killed Bhaskar Pandit, the leader of the Maratha raids, Mustafa expected the governorship of Bihar as his reward. When Mustafa was refused this position, he and his Afghan kinsmen revolted. They attacked Munger and laid siege to Patna. Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan defended Patna and the rebels were crushed by an army led by Alivardi Khan.[ citation needed ]

Death and legacy

In 1748, Mustafa Khan launched another invasion in Bihar, this time with the support of Maratha general Raghoji I Bhonsle and Alivardi Khan's defected commander Mir Habib who planned to invade Bengal. Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan and his army initially repulsed the attack and shot Mustafa Khan dead. However, the rebels later got the upper hand in Patna and assassinated Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan on 13 January 1748. His two sons and wife Amina Begum were subsequently imprisoned, and his father died of wounds 17 days later.[ citation needed ]

After pillaging various areas of the Bengal Subah, Mir Habib advanced to Murshidabad, the capital of Bengal and seat of the Nawab. The rebels were finally driven out by Alivardi Khan, who rescued Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan's wife and two sons. [4] [6] His younger son, Siraj ud-Daulah, succeeded him as the Naib Nazim of Bihar. [7]

Related Research Articles

Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kings of Saxony to the German Emperor. In earlier times the title was ratified and bestowed by the reigning Mughal emperor to semi-autonomous Muslim rulers of subdivisions or princely states in the Indian subcontinent loyal to the Mughal Empire, for example the Nawabs of Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siraj-ud-Daulah</span> Last independent Nawab (ruler) of Bengal from 1756 to 1757

Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah, commonly known as Siraj-ud-Daulah or Siraj ud-Daula, was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. The end of his reign marked the start of the rule of the East India Company over Bengal and later almost all of the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nawabs of Bengal</span> Rulers of Eastern India and Bengal in the 18th-century

The Nawab of Bengal 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 and Orissa which constitute the modern-day sovereign country of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. The Bengal Subah reached its peak during the reign of Nawab Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan. They are often referred to as the Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The Nawabs were based in Murshidabad which was centrally located within Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha. Their chief, a former prime minister, became the first Nawab. The Nawabs continued to issue coins in the name of the Mughal Emperor, but for all practical purposes, the Nawabs governed as independent monarchs. Bengal continued to contribute the largest share of funds to the imperial treasury in Delhi. The Nawabs, backed by bankers such as the Jagat Seth, became the financial backbone of the Mughal court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mir Jafar</span> 18th-century Nawab of Bengal

Mir Syed Jafar Ali Khan Bahadur, more commonly known as just Mir Jafar, was a commander-in-chief or military general who reigned as the first dependent Nawab of Bengal of the British East India Company. His reign has been considered by many historians as the start of the expansion of British control of the Indian subcontinent in Indian history and a key step in the eventual British domination of vast areas of pre-partition India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mir Qasim</span> Nawab of Bengal (reign 1760–1763)

Mir Qasim was the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763. He was installed as Nawab with the support of the British East India Company, replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been supported earlier by the East India Company after his role in winning the Battle of Plassey for the British. However, Mir Jafar eventually ran into disputes with the East India Company and attempted to form an alliance with the Dutch East India Company instead. The British eventually defeated the Dutch at Chinsura and overthrew Mir Jafar, replacing him with Mir Qasim. Qasim too later fell out with the British and fought against them at Buxar. His defeat has been suggested as a key reason in the British becoming the dominant power in large parts of North and East India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alivardi Khan</span> Nawab of Bengal

Alivardi Khan was the fourth Nawab of Bengal from 1740 to 1756. He toppled the Nasiri dynasty of Nawabs by defeating Sarfaraz Khan in 1740 and assumed power himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarfaraz Khan</span> Nawab of Bengal (1700–1740)

Sarfarāz Khān, born Mīrza Asadullāh, was a Nawab of Bengal. Sarfaraz Khan's maternal grandfather, Nawab Murshid Quli Khan of Bengal nominated him as the direct heir to him as there was no direct heir. After Murshid Quli's death in 1727, Sarfaraz ascended to the Masnad (throne) of the Nawab. Sarfaraz's father, Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan, then the Subahdar of Orissa, getting to know it arrived at Murshidabad, the capital of the Nawabs of Bengal with a huge army. To avoid a conflict in the family the dowager Begum of the Nawab asked Shuja-ud-Din to ascend to the Masnad after Sarfaraz abdicated in favour of his father. However, circumstances led Shuja-ud-Din to nominate Sarfaraz as his heir and after Shuja-us-Din's death in 1739, Sarfaraz Khan again ascended to the Masnad as the Nawab of Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan</span> 18th-century Nawab of Bengal

Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan was the second Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. He married Zainab un-nisa Begum and Azmat un-nisa Begum, the daughters of Murshid Quli Khan by Nasiri Banu Begum. Shuja-ud-Din's third wife was Durdana Begum Sahiba. After the death of his father-in-law on 30 June 1727, he ascended to the Masnad (throne) of the Nawab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prithimpassa family</span> A Shia royal family from the Prithimpassa Union, Sylhet, Bangladesh

The Prithimpassa family, also known as the Nawabs of Longla, are a Shia royal family from the Prithimpassa Union, Kulaura Upazila, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Bangladesh. The family was of the erstwhile feudal nobility of East Bengal. They played important roles in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Partition of India and Sylhet referendum in 1947, and the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghaseti Begum</span> Eldest daughter of Nawab Alivardi Khan

Mehar un-Nisa Begum, better known as Ghaseti Begum, was the eldest daughter of Alivardi Khan, Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa during 1740–1756.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in West Bengal</span> Ethnic group

According to the 2011 census, West Bengal has over 24.6 million Muslims, making up 27% of the state's population. The vast majority of Muslims in West Bengal are ethnic native Bengali Muslims, numbering around over 22 million and comprising 24.1% of the state population. There also exists an Immigrants Urdu-speaking Muslim community numbering 2.6 million, constituting 2.9% of the state population and mostly resides in Urban areas of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motijhil</span>

Motijhil, also known as Company's Lake due to its association with the East India Company, is a horse-shoe shaped lake in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. It was created by Nawazish Muhammad Khan, the son-in-law of Nawab Alivardi Khan. He also constructed a precious palatial palace beside this lake which is called the Sang-i-Dalan which is also known as the Motijhil Palace. It is located at the bend of this lake. It was used as the residence of Nawazish and Ghaseti Begum, Nawazish's beloved wife. It is said that after Nawazish died, Ghaseti Begum lived here until Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah took over the palace and seized the residents' in 1756 AD. With this money he built a similar lake with a beautiful palace, Hirajheel, on the opposite side of the Hooghly River. The palace has a lofty gateway, a mosque known as the "Shahamat Jang" and the Kala Masjid and some other buildings which were all built by Nawazish. This palace was built in 1740. As far as etymology is concerned, the palace has been named so as it was built using black basalt pillars which were brought from the ruins of Gaur. Thus, it was given the name of Sang-i-Dalan or the Stone Palace. This palace was then decorated with different varieties of flower plants and precious marbles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jinjira Palace</span> Palace in Bangladesh

Zinzira Palace, also spelt Jinjira Palace, is a late 17th century Mughal-era palace in Keraniganj, Bangladesh on the southern banks of the Old Ganges or Buriganga River. It was built by Ibrahim Khan II, Bengal's last subedar before Aurangzeb's grandson Azim-ush-Shan took control of the region, as his recreation resort opposing the Bara Katra in the Chowk Bazar neighborhood of Old Dhaka on the other side of the river. The palace is known for the tragic imprisonment of the female members of the Bengal Nawab family following the Battle of Plassey (1757).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mir Habib</span>

Mir Habib Isfahani was a warlord who used to be in the employment of the Mughal Subedars (officers) of Bengal, but after being discontent with promotions, went on to aid the Maratha invaders of Bengal and aided in the various Maratha campaigns carried out in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and adjoining places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lutfunnisa Begum</span> 3rd wife of Siraj-Ud-Daulah

Lutfunnisa Begum was the 3rd wife and primary consort of Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amina Begum</span> Nawabzadi of Bengal

Amina Begum was a Bengali aristocrat from the Nawab family of Bengal and mother of Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nawazish Muhammad Khan</span> Mughal aristocrat and the deputy governor of Dhaka

Nawazish Muhammad Khan, also known as Mirza Muhammad Raza, was a Mughal aristocrat and the deputy governor of Dhaka in the 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shia Islam in Bangladesh</span>

Shia Muslims are a minority in Bangladesh, with roughly 2% of the population being Shia. Many Bangladeshi Shi'a Muslims belong to the Bihari community. Even though there are only small numbers of Shi'as, the observance commemorating the martyrdom of Ali's sons, Hasan and Husayn, are still widely observed by the nation's Sunni community; highlighting the historical influence that the Shi'ites had in Bengal.

Mīrzā Lutfullāh Khān Tabrīzī, also known as Murshid Qulī Khān II, was an 18th-century administrator who served under the Nawabs of Bengal as the Naib Nazim of Jahangirnagar (Dhaka) and Orissa respectively. Lutfullah was also a calligrapher, as well as an author in the Persian language under the pen name Sarshār.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirza Agha Baqer</span> Mughal aristocrat

Mirza Agha Muhammad Baqer was an aristocrat of the Mughal Empire and the Zamindar of Buzurg-Umedpur and Salimabad. In the Mughal period, these two parganas were spread over a large part of the greater Barisal region. Baker was the son-in-law of Murshid Quli Khan II, the Naib Nazim of Orissa under Nawab Sarfaraz Khan. Baqer had an important role in the conflict between Tabrizi and Alivardi Khan regarding the inheritance of Orissa's Naib Nazimate. He also founded the port marketplace of Bakerganj, which later became the headquarters of the Backergunge District. The legendary origin of the Bakarkhani bread is also attributed to him.

References

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  3. Banerjee, Supurna; Ghosh, Nandini (17 September 2018). Caste and Gender in Contemporary India: Power, Privilege and Politics. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-0-429-78395-1.
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