Alivardi Khan

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Alivardi Khan
Shuja ul-Mulk (Hero of the country)
Hashim ud-Daula (Sword of the state)
Mahabat Jang (Horror in War)
Afshar tribe
ReligionShia Islam[1][2]

Alivardi Khan (1671 – 9 April 1756) 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.

During much of his reign Alivardi encountered frequent Maratha raids under

Siraj ud-Daulah
, though these were suppressed.

Alivardi spent the latter part of his reign rebuilding Bengal. He was a patron of the arts and resumed the policies of

subcontinent
and prevented any infighting amongst them in his dominions. He was succeeded by Siraj ud-Daulah in 1756.

Early life

Originally Mirza Bande or Mirza Muhammad Ali, Alivardi was a native of the

Afshar tribe of Khorasan. Through her, he was a cousin of Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan, also known as Mirza Deccani.[5][note 1][9][10]

Like their father, he and his elder brother Mirza Ahmad (later known as Haji Ahmad) found favour under Azam Shah. Muhammad Ali was named superintendent of the filkhana (elephant-stables) as well as being given responsibility over the zardozkhana (department of embroidered cloths). However, following Azam Shah's death in 1707, the family fell into poverty. They migrated to

Nawab of Bengal.[11]

Rise to power

Alivardi Khan with a courtier, Murshidabad, c. 1745

In 1728, Shuja-ud-Din promoted Muhammad Ali to Faujdar (General) of Rajmahal and entitled him as Alivardi Khan.[12] In 1733, he was assigned as the Naib Nazim (Deputy Subahdar) of Bihar. A year later, he was titled Shuja ul-Mulk (Hero of the country), Hassemm ud-Daula (Sword of the state) and Mahabat Jang (Horror in War) and the rank of Paach Hazari Mansabdar (The rank holder of 5000) by Nawab Shuja ud-Din and returned to Azimabad.

Alivardi aspired for larger authority. On 10 April 1740 in the Battle of Giria, he defeated and killed Shuja ud-Din's successor, Sarfaraz Khan.[12] Thus he took control of Bengal and Bihar. Then on 3 March 1741, he defeated Rustam Jang, deputy governor of Orissa and a relative of Sarfaraz Khan, in the Battle of Phulwarion.[12] Orissa also came under Alivardi's control. Alivardi Khan defeated a rebellion in Orissa led by Mirza Baqir Khan, and invading Orissa a second time, he subdued the Barha Sayyids with great difficulty,[13] and installed a brave warrior Shaikh Masum as governor.[14]

Reign

Capture of two prisoners at an important battle by Aliverdi Khan
Silver Rupee struck during the tenure of Nawab Alivardi Khan in Murshidabad mint, in the name of Mughal emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur, with his regnal year 3 in Persian, AD 1751.

Immediately after his usurpation of power, Alivardi had his takeover legitimized by the Mughal Emperor

Dacca and Orissa.[15]

Since 1742, the

Raghoji I Bhonsle
.

In the year 1747, the Marathas led by Raghoji began to raid, pillage and annex the territories of Alivardi. During the Maratha invasion of Orissa, its Subedar

Mughal army at the Battle of Burdwan, where Raghoji and his Maratha forces were completely routed. The enraged Alivardi then dismissed the shamed Mir Jafar.[16]

Alivardi's defending armies were overrun in

Marathas. These Maratha attacks continued until March 1751 when a peace treaty was settled between Alivardi and Raghoji.[17]

In 1750, Alivardi faced a revolt from

Banjaras who were marauding through Bihar and chased them towards the Terai.[19]

According to some historians, Alivardi Khan's reign of 16 years was mostly engaged in various wars against the Marathas. Towards the end, he turned his attention to rebuilding and restoring Bengal.

Alivardi Khan's tomb at Khushbagh

He also saved Bengal from the effects of war of succession in Austria through proper vigilance and precautions, unlike south India, which got caught up in it. He maintained a policy of neutrality towards European powers and forbade the British, French and Dutch to have any hostility against each other in his dominion.[20]

Cultural and musical development

Nawab of Bengal
.

Alivardi Khan was a patron of various musical instruments such as the Veena and Khol drums. He also patronized many manuscripts of the Shahnameh.

Death and succession

Alivardi Khan died at 5 am on 9 April 1756, aged at least 80. He was buried in

Siraj-ud-Daula
, who was aged 23 at the time.

Family

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Alivardi had only one wife, Sharfunnesa.

Siraj ud-Daulah.[27] Alivardi's issue are as follows:[25][26]

Alivardi also had a number of half-siblings, including Muhammad Amin Khan and Muhammad Yar Khan, who served under him as a general and governor of Hugli respectively.[28][29][30] His half-sister Shah Khanum was the wife of Mir Jafar, who later claimed the throne of Bengal in 1757.[31][32] The historian Ghulam Hussain Khan was also a relative.[33]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Historian Abdus Subhan reported that Muhammad Ali and Shuja-ud-Din shared the same grandfather, Nawab Aqil Khan.[7] However, Karam Ali's Muzaffarnama, a contemporary history, notes that he and Aqil Khan merely had the same ancestry "in their 3rd / 4th upward generation".[8]

References

  1. OCLC 15406211
    . Ghulām Husayn Tabātabā'ī's account of 'Alīwardī's death reinforces the suggestion that he was a Shī'ī.
  2. ISBN 978-0-19-061320-4
    .
  3. ^ Datta, Kalikinkar (1939). Alivardi And His Times. University of Calcutta. p. 2.
  4. ISBN 978-1-78738-325-8
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-81-7646-239-6. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help
    )
  6. ^ P. Sensarma (1977). The Military History of Bengal. Kolkata: Darbari Udjog. p. 172.
  7. ^ Subhan, Abdus (1970). "Early Career of Nawab Ali Vardi Khan of Bengal". Journal of Indian History. XLVIII (III). Trivandrum: University of Kerala: 536.
  8. ^ Ali, Karam; Khan, Shayesta (1992). Tārīk̲h̲-i Bangāl va Bihār sadah-ʼi hīzhdahum [Bihar and Bengal in the 18th century: a critical edition and translation of Muzaffarnama, a contemporary history]. Patna: Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library.
  9. ISBN 978-90-04-50657-2
    . Another Deccani, Shuja succeeded Murshid Quli from 1727.
  10. ISBN 978-81-7648-233-2
    .
  11. ^ Sarkar (1948, pp. 436–37)
  12. ^ a b c d Shah, Mohammad (2012). "Alivardi Khan". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  13. ^ Rāẏa, Bhabānī Caraṇa (1981). Orissa Under the Mughals:From Akbar to Alivardi : a Fascinating Study of the Socio-economic and Cultural History of Orissa.
  14. ^ Sahu, N. K.; Miśra, Prabodhakumāra; Sahu, Jagna Kumar (1981). History of Orissa. p. 347.
  15. ISBN 978-1-84331-004-4
    .
  16. ISBN 978-0-313-33537-2
    .
  17. ISBN 9781932705546. Archived
    from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  18. ISBN 978-1-4088-6440-1
    .
  19. ISBN 978-1-000-65152-2
    .
  20. ^ Datta, Kalikinkar (1948). The Dutch in Bengal and Bihar, 1740-1825 A.D. University of Patna. p. 12.
  21. ISBN 978-1-4088-6440-1
    .
  22. ISBN 978-0-85488-047-8
    .
  23. ISSN 0405-413X
    .
  24. ^
    ISBN 978-984-512-337-2
    .
  25. ^ a b Datta, K.K. (1967). Early Career of Siraj-ud-daulah. Bengal, Past & Present: Journal of the Calcutta Historical Society. Vol. LXXXVI. Calcutta Historical Society. p. 142.
  26. ^
    OCLC 17918965
    .
  27. ISBN 978-0-14-341678-4
    .
  28. ^ Salim, Ghulam Hussain (1902). Riyazu-s-Salatin, A History of Bengal. Translated by Abdus Salam. Calcutta: The Baptist Mission Press. p. 335.
  29. ^ Sarkar (1948, p. 445)
  30. ^ Datta, Kalikinkar (1939). Alivardi and His Times. Kolkata: University of Calcutta. p. 69.
  31. OCLC 8431066
    .
  32. ISBN 978-969-0-01691-1
    .
  33. ISSN 0031-0786
    .

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alivardi Khan.
Alivardi Khan
Born: Before 10 May 1671 Died: 10 April 1756
Preceded by
Nawab of Bengal

29 April 1740 – 9 April 1756 		Succeeded by
Siraj ud-Daulah
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