Historical regions (or historical areas ) are geographical regions which, at some point in history, had a cultural , ethnic , linguistic or political basis, regardless of latter-day borders. There are some historical regions that can be considered as "active", for example: Moravia , which is held by the Czech Republic , is both a recognized part of the country as well as a historical region. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing social development of period -specific cultures without any reference to contemporary political, economic or social organisations.
73-586: Awadh ( Hindi: [əˈʋədʱ] ), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh , is a historical region in northern India, now constituting the northeastern portion of Uttar Pradesh . It is roughly synonymous with the ancient Kosala region of Hindu , Buddhist , and Jain scriptures . It was a province of all the major Islamic dynasties in India including the Mughal Empire . With
146-482: A military strategist , Alfred Thayer Mahan , to refer to the area of the Persian Gulf . This article about geography terminology is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Saadat Ali Khan I Saadat Khan Nishapuri (c. 1680 – 19 March 1739) was the first Nawab of Kingdom of Awadh from 26 January 1722 to 1739 and the son of Muhammad Nasir. At age 25, he accompanied his father on
219-515: A cavalry of 30,000 from Awadh . During his stay at Panipat , Nader Shah's army tried vainly to intercept him. On 12 February, Khan joined Muhammad Shah's forces at Karnal . When Nader Shah learned about the reinforcement, he moved his camp three miles from the Mughal side. The Persian army clashed with Khan's troops on 22 February. When he heard the news, Khan picked up the sword he had laid in front of Muhammad Shah and asked his permission to attack
292-527: A conspiracy was hatched at the royal camp to kill Hussain Ali Khan. The chief conspirator was Muhammad Amin Khan Turani , an uncle of Nizam-ul-Mulk. Khan switched his allegiance to the conspirators, for reasons not documented in contemporary records. Khafi Khan writes that Khan was incited to join the conspiracy due to his anger at the murder of Farrukhsiyar. The conspirators met frequently to outline
365-646: A fellow Persian and sayyid , was the faujdar (garrison commander) of Kara-Manikpur in Prayagraj and made Khan his mir manzil (camp superintendent). After the defeat and death of Azim-ush-Shan (Sarbuland Khan's employer), Jahandar Shah ascended the Mughal throne and transferred Sarbuland Khan to Ahmedabad ; Khan accompanied him in November 1712. By the end of the year, the relationship between Khan and Sarbuland Khan had deteriorated. Heavy rain and high winds tore down Khan's tents; Sarbuland Khan had to spend
438-591: A few. It has also been shot in various songs of Bollywood . Historical region The fundamental principle underlying this view is that older political and mental structures exist which exercise greater influence on the spatial-social identity of individuals than is understood by the contemporary world, bound to and often blinded by its own worldview - e.g. the focus on the nation-state. Definitions of regions vary, and regions can include macroregions such as Europe , territories of traditional sovereign states or smaller microregional areas . Geographic proximity
511-607: A hanger-on in her father's house. Stung, Khan migrated to India in search of job. According to historian Ghulam Ali, he arrived in Patna in 1708 or 1709. Khan's father died before his arrival, and was buried "some distance away from his new home". In 1709, the brothers started for Delhi in search of employment. Khan was employed by an amil (village head), and lived in poverty during his first year in Delhi. In July 1710, he and his brother were employed by Sarbuland Khan . Sarbuland Khan,
584-762: A plan in which he could extort money from Muhammad Shah and return to Persia to fight the Turks. Khan replied that Nizam-ul-Mulk "is the key of the empire of India", and advised Shah to negotiate with him. Shah and Khan wrote to the Nizam the next morning, and the Mughals agreed to pay ₹ 5 million (equivalent to ₹ 3.8 billion or US$ 46 million in 2023) to the Persian conqueror. On 25 February, Muhammad Shah made Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung II ,
657-409: A plan to assassinate Hussain Ali Khan, who was killed by Haidar Beg Daulat on 8 October 1720. The following day, Muhammad Shah held a royal durbar and rewarded Khan and his co-conspirators. He was given the title Saadat Khan Bahadur (lord of good fortune), and was promoted to 5,000 zat and 3,000 horses. According to an anonymous Persian historian, Khan plundered Hussain Ali Khan's treasury with
730-630: A puppet king, who in the treaty of 1801 ceded half of Awadh to the British East India Company and also agreed to disband his troops in favour of a hugely expensive, British-run army. This treaty effectively made part of the state of Awadh a vassal to the British East India Company , though they continued to be part of the Mughal Empire in name till 1819. Coins were struck under the nawab's control for
803-579: A wall, approachable through two large gateways. These buildings are particularly interesting for their assimilative architectural styles. Shuja-ud-daula's wife was the well known Bahu Begum, who married the Nawab in 1743 and continued to reside in Faizabad, her residence being the Moti-Mahal. Close by at Jawaharbagh lies her Maqbara, where she was buried after her death in 1816. It is considered to be one of
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#1732765386923876-636: A wealthy kingdom, able to maintain its independence against threats from the Marathas , the British and the Afghans . Awadh's political unity can be traced back to the ancient Hindu kingdom of Kosala , with Ayodhya as its early capital in traditional history, though in Buddhist times (6th–5th century BCE ) Shravasti became the kingdom's capital city. Modern Awadh finds historical mention only in
949-484: Is a popularised term referring to the "glorious evenings" in the Awadh capitals of Faizabad and later (and even today and to a greater extent) Lucknow. Awadh was established in 1722. with Faizabad as its capital. Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula 's son Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula , the fourth Nawab of Awadh , shifted the capital from Faizabad to Lucknow; this led to the decline of Faizabad and rise of Lucknow. Just as Banares ( Varanasi )
1022-595: Is generally the required precondition for the emergence of a regional identity . In Europe, regional identities are often derived from the Migration Period but for the contemporary era are also often related to the territorial transformations that followed World War I and those that followed the Cold War . Some regions are entirely invented, such as the Middle East , which was popularised in 1902 by
1095-458: Is known for its mornings, so Lucknow is for its evenings. Many of its well-known buildings were erected on the banks of the Gomti River in the time of Nawabs. The Nawabs used to take in a view of the river Gomti and its architecture in the evening hours, giving rise to Sham-e-Awadh's romantic reputation. There is a saying:'Subah-e-Benares', 'Sham-e-Awadh', 'Shab-e-Malwa' meaning mornings of
1168-615: Is mentioned as early as 1280 AD, but it can only have denoted the governor of the tract of the country above defined. The Awadh of Mughal Badshah (emperor) Akbar was one of the twelve (or fifteen) subahs into which he divided the Mughal Empire as it stood in 1590. As constituted at the end of the sixteenth century, the Subah contained five sarkars , viz. Awadh, Lucknow, Bahraich , Khairabad and Gorakhpur , which in turn were divided in numerous mahals and dasturs (districts). Khan Zaman Khan Ali Asghar son of Qazi Ghulam Mustafa
1241-493: The howdah (seat on an elephant), hailed Khan and asked him to surrender. Khan was taken as a prisoner to Nader Shah's camp. After the Isha prayer , he was brought before Nader Shah. Asked why he fought against a Persian of the same religion ( Shia Islam ), Khan replied that he did not want to betray the Mughal emperor. During their conversation, Shah appreciated Khan's patriotism and love of his religion. He asked Khan to outline
1314-408: The wazir (minister) of the province. With the help of auxiliary troops, Khan suppressed the rebellion in the area; the zamindars, attacked one by one, were forced to surrender. After restoring law and order within six months of his appointment, Khan was promoted to the rank of 15 sad-izat (commander of 1,500 horses) in the army. By the end of 1719, friction arose between Nizam-ul-Mulk and
1387-475: The Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb . From the pre-historic period to the time of Akbar , the limits of the subah (imperial top-level province) and its internal divisions seem to have been constantly changing, and the name of Oudh, or Awadh, seems to have been applicable to only one of the ancient divisions or Sarkars , nearly corresponding to old Pachhimrath . The title of Subehdar (governor) of Awadh
1460-626: The Ram Janmabhoomi , an important pilgrimage site in Hinduism that marks where the deity Rama was born. The Muslim community has a strong presence in the urban areas of Awadh, such as Prayagraj and the capital city of Lucknow , which has a large Shia Muslim population. Other than that they are mostly concentrated in the Devipatan division . The region of Awadh is considered to be the center of Ganga-Jamuni culture . Sham-e-Awadh
1533-572: The jagirdars no longer had to send their staff to the fields; the amils (appointed by the governor) were now accountable to him, and local officials were to approach them directly to resolve disputes. Thus, Khan ended the administrative authority of the jagirdars over their jagirs . In 1730, Burhan-ul-Mulk sent Mir Muhammad Salah Khan Baraha and Sayyid Munawwar Ali Tirmizi of Bilgram to the qasbahs around Lucknow to recruit men for his army. In early 1739, Persian ruler Nader Shah invaded India. To help Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah , Khan marched with
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#17327653869231606-467: The sheikhs of Kakori , adversaries of the Shaikhzadas, before entering Lucknow. Khan did so, and the sheikhs informed him about the strengths and weaknesses of the Shaikhzadas of Lucknow. He then marched towards Lucknow, and camped on the city's outskirts. Khan crossed the Gomti River by night, and silently entered the city with his artillery. After pulling down the sword which hung on the gates of
1679-595: The Benares, evenings of the Awadh and nights of Malwa. Awadhi Cuisine is primarily from the city of Lucknow and its environs. The cooking patterns of the city are similar to those of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern India as well. The cuisine consists of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Awadh has been greatly influenced by Mughal cooking techniques , and the cuisine of Lucknow bears similarities to those of Kashmir , Punjab and Hyderabad ; and
1752-521: The British after aiding Mir Qasim the fugitive Nawab of Bengal . He was comprehensively defeated in the Battle of Buxar by the British East India Company , after which he was forced to pay heavy penalties and cede parts of his territory. The British appointed a resident at Lucknow in 1773, and over time gained control of more territory and authority in the state. They were disinclined to capture Awadh outright, because that would bring them face to face with
1825-538: The British had grown impatient with the arrangement and wanted direct control. They started looking about for an excuse, which the powerless Nawabs had to provide. On 1 May 1816, a British protectorate was signed. In 1856 the East India Company annexed the state under the Doctrine of Lapse , which was placed under a Chief Commissioner . Wajid Ali Shah , the then Nawab, was imprisoned, and then exiled by
1898-592: The Chowk and Tir-paulia and subsequently laid out the Angoori Bagh and Motibagh to the south of it, Asafbagh and Bulandbagh to the west of the city. During the reign of Shuja-Ud-Daula, Faizabad attained such a prosperity which it never saw again. The Nawabs graced Faizabad with several notable buildings, including the Gulab Bari , Moti Mahal and the tomb of Bahu Begum . Gulab Bari stands in a garden surrounded by
1971-554: The Delhi-Mathura road. Khan besieged them, capturing four of the forts. Nilkanth's troops fought Mukkam Singh (a son of Jat leader Churaman ) in September 1721, and Nilkanth was killed in the battle. In October, Khan decided to fight Churaman . Churaman's nephew, Badan Singh , defected to the Mughal side. However, Khan Dauran dismissed Khan as governor of Akbarabad. After his dismissal from Agra, Khan went to Delhi. He
2044-553: The Marathas and the remnants of the Mughal Empire. Asaf-ud-Daula , the fourth Nawab and son of Shuja-ud-Daula, moved the capital from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775 and laid the foundation of a great city. His rule saw the building of the Asafi Imambara and Rumi Darwaza , built by Raja Tikait Rai Nawab Wazir (Diwan) of Awadh, which till date are the biggest architectural marvels in the city. Asaf-ud-Daula made Lucknow one of
2117-472: The Mughal emperor requesting reinforcements. The Persian army then began a cavalry attack, which killed many in Khan's army. Khan's nephew Sher Jung, lost control of his war elephant which charged khan's elephant and drove it into the Persian ranks. Khan started shooting arrow in to enemy ranks to avoid capture. A Turkmen soldier in the Persian army from Nishapur , Khan's birthplace, recognized him; he climbed to
2190-551: The Mughal throne with the help of the Sayyid brothers . During his reign Khan arrived at Delhi. With the patronage of Muhammad Jafar, a friend of Farrukhsiyar, Khan succeeded in getting a mansab of a hazari (1,000 horses) and became the commander of the Wala-Shahi regiment. Jafar's death in 1716 left Khan without any patron in the royal court. He failed to get any promotion in the following three years. In 1719, Farrukshiyar
2263-754: The Mughal time of Akbar , in the late 16th century. In prehistoric times, Awadh, reputedly the kingdom of Bikukshi, contained five main divisions : Since AD 1350 different parts of the Awadh region were ruled by the Delhi Sultanate , Sharqi Sultanate , Mughal Empire , Nawabs of Awadh , East India Company and the British Raj . Kanpur was one of the major centres of Indian rebellion of 1857 , participated actively in India's Independence movement , and emerged as an important city of North India . For about eighty-four years (from 1394 to 1478), Awadh
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2336-552: The Persian army. According to historian Hari Charan Das, the Mughal emperor distrusted the Persian Khan and made him swear allegiance in the name of the Quran . Nizam-ul-Mulk further delayed his advance by claiming that Khan's troops were tired from a month-long march, and Khan would soon have to retreat because there were only three hours of daylight left. Nusrat Jung told him that the Mughal forces were not ordered to fight during
2409-782: The Sayyid brothers. Nizam-ul-Mulk killed Dilawar Khan (Syed Hussain Ali Khan's agent) at the Asirgarh Fort in June 1720 and killed Sayyid Alam Khan, a relative (nephew, brother's son ) of the Sayyid brothers, in August. Hussain Ali Khan decided to march to the Deccan Plateau , and Hassan Ali Khan agreed to march towards Delhi. Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah also started for the Deccan from Agra . A few days before Shah began his journey,
2482-497: The author of Tarikh-i-Hind , says that Khan committed suicide by drinking poison. Sadat Khan married first at Nishapur , Khorasan, Persia before 1706, a daughter of his uncle, Mirza Muhammad Yusuf, married second at Delhi , 1709, a daughter (d.s.p. soon after her marriage) of Ashraf Ali Khan Bahadur a military officer in the Imperial army, married third at Delhi 1710 a daughter of Sayyid Talib Muhammad Khan Asaf Jahi, married for
2555-455: The city is famous for its Nawabi foods. The bawarchis and rakabdars of Awadh gave birth to the dum style of cooking or the art of cooking over a slow fire, which has become synonymous with Lucknow today. Their spread would consist of elaborate dishes like kebabs , kormas , biryani , kaliya, nahari-kulchas , zarda, sheermal, Taftan, roomali rotis and warqi parathas . The richness of Awadh cuisine lies not only in
2628-471: The city of Faizabad gradually fell into decay. The glory of Faizabad finally eclipsed with the shifting of capital from Faizabad to Lucknow by Nawab Asaf-ud-daula . The Nawabs of Awadh were a Persian Shia Muslim dynasty from Nishapur , who not only encouraged the existing Persian-language belle-lettrist activity to shift from Delhi, but also invited, and received, a steady stream of scholars, poets, jurists, architects, and painters from Iran . Thus Persian
2701-483: The city, he attacked the Shaikhzadas at the Akbari Gate. In the ensuing battle, the Shaikhzadas were defeated and driven from Panchmahala (their palace). At the start of Khan's governorship of Awadh, its zamindars refused to follow Mughal regulations. Khan tried to solve Awadh's fiscal and jagirdar problems, sending agents to assess crop yields. He soon realized that, except for the zamindars, no one (including
2774-440: The city. When Muhammad Shah arrived at the Persian camp, he was arrested and his harem was confiscated. Nader Shah made Khan the army's wakil-i-mutaliq (regent plenipotentiary), and Muhammad Shah was also forced to accept him. Khan and Tehmasp Khan Jalair started for Delhi with an army of 4,000 horses on 7 March. Khan carried a letter from Muhammad Shah to Lutfullah Khan Sadiq, the governor of Delhi, asking Sadiq to give Jalair
2847-586: The company to Calcutta (Bengal). In the subsequent Revolt of 1857 , his 14-year-old son Birjis Qadra son of Begum Hazrat Mahal was crowned ruler, and Sir Henry Lawrence killed in the hostilities. In the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also known as the First War of Indian Independence and the Indian Mutiny ), the rebels took control of Awadh, and it took the British 18 months to reconquer
2920-541: The consent of the Mughal Emperor. Khan was promoted to a rank of 6,000 zat and 5,000 horses, and was appointed governor of Akbarabad province (present-day Agra), on 15 October 1720. He received the title Burhan-ul-Mulk , and appointed Nilkanth as his deputy. When he reached Akbarabad, Khan decided to put down a Jat rebellion and defeated the Jats of Mathura and Bharatpur . They fled to their mud forts on
2993-408: The day. Khan, refusing to heed their pleas, ordered his troops to assemble. Although they were tired and most were reluctant to fight, 4,000 cavalry and 1,000 infantry joined him. When the Persian soldiers saw Khan advancing, they pretended to flee the battlefield; Khan chased them two miles from the Mughal camp, and sent couriers to Muhammad Shah asking for reinforcements. Khan Dauran, commander of
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3066-480: The decline of late Mughal Delhi , Awadh became a major source of literary, artistic, religious, and architectural patronage in northern India under the rule of its eleven rulers, called Nawabs . From 1720 to 1856, the nawabs presided over Awadh, with Ayodhya and Faizabad serving as the region's initial capitals. Later, the capital was relocated to Lucknow , which is now the capital of Uttar Pradesh . The British conquered Awadh in 1856, which infuriated Indians and
3139-430: The eldest son of Nizam-ul-Mulk, mir bakshi (equivalent to an army's paymaster general). This angered Khan, who desired the appointment and told Nader Shah that ₹ 5 million (equivalent to ₹ 3.8 billion or US$ 46 million in 2023) was a small portion of the Mughal treasury. He advised Nader Shah to conquer Delhi (where he could loot jewels, cash and other valuables), Shah gave Khan permission to attack
3212-659: The final campaign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb against the Marathas in the Deccan , and the emperor awarded him the title of Khan Bahadur for his service. Khan's date of birth has not been recorded. According to historian Ashirbadi Lal Srivastava , Khan was born in c. 1680 and his birth name was Mir Muhammad Amin. His father was Mir Muhammad Nasir, a merchant in Khorasan . Khan had one elder brother, Mir Muhammad Baqar. One of their ancestors
3285-458: The finest buildings of its kind in Awadh, which was built at the cost of three lakh rupees by her chief advisor Darab Ali Khan. A fine view of the city is obtainable from top of the begum's tomb. Bahu Begum was a woman of great distinction and rank, bearing dignity. Most of the Muslim buildings of Faizabad are attributed to her. From the date of Bahu Begum's death in 1815 till the annexation of Avadh,
3358-665: The first time in 1737, at a new mint opened in Banaras , although the coins named the Mughal emperor, not the Nawab. After the Battle of Buxar, the British seized Banaras, and so the mint was moved in 1776 to Lucknow. From there, coins in the name of the Mughal emperor continued to be struck, and they continued to name Muhammadabad Banaras as the mint. It was only in 1819 that Nawab Ghaziuddin Haidar finally started to strike coins in his own name. Soon thereafter, Awadhi coins started to feature
3431-530: The fourth time at Agra , 1720, Riti Begum Sahiba, daughter of Nawab Muhammad Taqi Khan Bahadur, sometime Subadar of Agra.Married (fourth or one of the above?), a daughter of Khwaja Zachariah, a descendant of Khwaja Ahrar.He had also married Khadija Khanum Sahiba, a former slave girl from the household of Sayyid Talib Muhammad Khan, presented to him in the dower of the latter's daughter.He had five daughters.He gave his eldest daughter in marriage to his nephew, Muhammad Muqim, better known as Safdar Jung . Khan's sister
3504-520: The great Hindi-Urdu novelist writer Munshi Premchand . The 1961 film Gunga Jumna is portrayed in Awadh and was noted for its use of the Awadhi dialect in mainstream Hindi cinema . The novel Umrao Jaan Ada as well as the subsequent films are based on two cultural cities of Awadh, Lucknow and Faizabad . The region has been in the center of various period films of Bollywood and modern films like Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh and Paa to name
3577-503: The key to the palaces. Khan reached Delhi on 9 March, and welcomed both the emperors in Shalimar Bagh eight days later. On the night of 19/20 March he retired to his house, and died before dawn. There is no consensus amongst historians about his cause of death. According to historian Abul Qasim Lahori, Khan died of "bodily ailments". Haricharan Das believes that he succumbed to a cancer which had developed in his legs. Rustam Ali,
3650-489: The kingdom's European style coat of arms. The wars and transactions in which Shuja-ud-Daula was engaged, both with and against the British East India Company , led to the addition of Karra , Allahabad , Fatehgarh , Kanpur , Etawah , Mainpuri , Farrukhabad and Rohilkhand , to the Oudh dimensions, and thus they remained until the treaty of 1801 with Saadat Ali Khan, by which province was reduced considerably as half of Oudh
3723-513: The local officials) welcomed his scheme; jagirdar agents tried to prevent its implementation. The jagirdar 's amils (personal staff) viewed his scheme as an attempt by Khan to subvert the existing jagirdar system. This alarmed him, since he did not want to alienate the jagirdars . In response, he offered a discount on the jagir assessment paid by the jagirdars . Saiyad Ghulam Ali, author of Imad-us-Sadat , calls this system ijara . This scheme stabilised provincial administration, since
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#17327653869233796-400: The most prosperous and glittering cities in all India. It is said, he moved because he wanted to get away from the control of a dominant mother. On such a thread did the fate of the city of Lucknow depend. In 1798, the fifth Nawab Wazir Ali Khan alienated both his people and the British, and was forced to abdicate. The British then helped Saadat Ali Khan to the throne. Saadat Ali Khan was
3869-477: The night in a bullock cart, and criticised Khan for putting the tents up in a poor place. Khan disagreed, and Sarbuland Khan accused him of behaving like a haft hazari (master of seven thousand troops). Khan replied that that was an "auspicious prophecy" of his career; after moving to Delhi and becoming a haft hazari , he would rejoin Sarbuland Khan's service. On 12 January 1713, Farrukhsiyar ascended
3942-481: The offices of lieutenant-governor of the North-Western Provinces and chief commissioner of Oudh were combined in the same person; and in 1902, when the new name of United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was introduced, the title of chief commissioner was dropped, though Oudh still retained some marks of its former independence. A vast majority of the population practices Hinduism . It is also home to
4015-628: The power of life and death over their subjects. Persian adventurer Saadat Khan , also called Burhan-ul-Mulk, was appointed the Nazim of Awadh in 1722 and he established his court in Faizabad near Lucknow . The Nawabs of Lucknow were in fact the Nawabs of Awadh, but were so referred to because after the reign of the third Nawab, Lucknow became the capital of their realm, where the British station Residents ('diplomatic' colonial Agents) from 1773. The city
4088-537: The region, months which included the famous Siege of Lucknow . The Tarai to the north of Bahraich including large quantity of valuable forest and grazing ground, was made over to the Nepal Darbar in 1860, in recognition of their services during the Revolt of 1857 , and in 1874 some further cessions, on a much smaller scale, but without any apparent reason, were made in favour of the same Government. In 1877
4161-478: The right wing and nearest to Khan, was dispatched with 8,000 horses. During the afternoon, the Mughal emperor joined Khan on the battlefield. Khan formed the right wing of the imperial army, on the east. On 23 February 1739 at 1 pm, he began advancing towards Nader Shah's army. Shah's army shot arrows at Khan and his troops, and Khan charged them. The Persian army strategically retreated, leaving their weapons. Khan thought that they had fled, and again sent couriers to
4234-536: The time of annexation to British India in 1858, and to have differed only in including Gorakhpur, Basti , and Azamgarh , and in excluding Tanda, Aldemau, Rajesultanpur and Manikpur, or the territory to the east and South of Faizabad, Sultanpur and Pratapgarh . As the Mughal power declined and the emperors lost their paramountcy and they became first the puppets and then the prisoners of their feudatories, so Awadh grew stronger and more independent. Its capital city
4307-405: The variety of cuisine but also in the ingredients used like mutton , paneer , and rich spices including cardamom and saffron . The events surrounding the 1856 overthrow of Wajid Ali Shah and the annexation of Awadh by the British are depicted in the 1977 film The Chess Players by the acclaimed Indian director Satyajit Ray . This film is based on famous Urdu story Shatranj Ke Khilari by
4380-634: Was "North India's cultural capital"; its nawabs, best remembered for their refined and extravagant lifestyles, were patrons of the arts. Under them music and dance flourished, and many monuments were erected. Of the monuments standing today, the Bara Imambara , the Chhota Imambara and the Rumi Darwaza are notable examples. One of the more lasting contributions by the Nawabs is the syncretic composite culture that has come to be known as
4453-463: Was Faizabad. Saadat Khan , the first Nawab of Awadh, laid the foundation of Faizabad at the outskirt of ancient city of Ayodhya . Faizabad developed as a township during the reign of Safdar Jang, the second nawab of Avadh (1739–54), who made it his military headquarters while his successor Shuja-ud-daula made it a full-fledged capital city. Shuja-ud-Daula, the third Nawab of Awadh, built a fort known as "Chhota Calcutta", now in ruins. In 1765 he built
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#17327653869234526-488: Was Mir Shamsuddin, a sayyid (descendant of Muhammad ) and a kazi (Islamic judge) in Nishapur . He was a twenty-first-generation descendant of Musa al-Kadhim , the seventh imam of Shia Islam . No historian has recorded any events in Khan's early life. The Safavid dynasty began declining at the end of seventeenth century. Sultan Husayn (the last Safavid monarch) alienated his court's nobility, and Khan's family
4599-575: Was a province of the Mughal Empire , administered by a Nazim or Subah Nawab (governor) appointed by the Emperor. Nawab –the plural of the Arabic word ' Naib ', meaning 'assistant'– was the term given to subahdars (provincial governors) appointed by the Mughal emperor all over India to assist him in managing the empire. In the absence of expeditious transport and communication facilities, they were practically independent rulers of their territory and wielded
4672-563: Was a province of the Mughal Empire administered by a Nawab . Awadh was known as the granary of India and was important strategically for the control of the Doab , the fertile plain between the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers. It was a wealthy kingdom, able to maintain its independence against threats from the Marathas , the British and the Afghans . The third Nawab, Shuja-ud-Daula fell out with
4745-468: Was appointed as Subahdar of Awadh during the reign of Farrukhsiyar . This appointment was made in place of 'Aziz Khan Chughtai'. Later on, Mahabat Khan was appointed as Subahdar of Awadh in place of Khan Zaman Khan Ali Asghar, who was all over again transferred to Azimabad (Patna) as Subahdar in place of 'Sar Buland Khan'. It seems to have been of nearly the same extent as the Province of Oudh at
4818-554: Was appointed governor of Awadh (in present-day Uttar Pradesh ) on 9 September 1722 after the transfer of provincial governor Girdhar Bahadur. Khan gathered his troops including Kalika Prasad Tandon and recruited more before leaving for the province. During his journey, he stayed at Farrukhabad . Muhammad Khan Bangash , the Hindustani Pathan chief, gave him information about the strength of Shaikhzadas (a community which ruled Lucknow ). He advised Khan to befriend
4891-438: Was ceded to the British East India Company . Khairigarh, Kanchanpur, and what is now the Nepal Terai, were ceded in 1816, in liquidation of Ghazi ud din Haider 's loan of a million sterling towards the expense of Nepal War ; and at the same time pargana of Nawabganj was added to Gonda district in exchange for Handia, or Kawai, which was transferred from Pratapgarh to Allahabad. The treaty of 1801 formed an arrangement that
4964-638: Was deposed by the Sayyid brothers. During the reign of Shah Jahan II , Khan accompanied Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha (the elder Sayyid brother) in his expedition against Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur . Khan's husn-i-akhlaq (elegance of manners) and military skill won him the patronage of Syed Hussain Ali Khan, the younger Sayyid brother. Hussain Ali Khan appointed him faujdar (garrison commander) of Hindaun and Bayana in present-day Rajasthan on 6 October 1719, and Khan took charge in November. The Rajput and Jat zamindars (landlords) were rebelling; Khan began recruiting more troops, and borrowed from
5037-468: Was part of the Sharqi Sultanate of Jaunpur ; emperor Humayun made it a part of the Mughal Empire around 1555. Emperor Jehangir granted an estate in Awadh to a nobleman, Sheik Abdul Rahim, who had won his favour. Sheik Abdul Rahim later built Machchi Bhawan in this estate; this later became the seat of power from where his descendants, the Sheikhzades, controlled the region. Until 1719, the Subah of Awadh (bordering (Old) Delhi, Agra, Illahabad and Bihar)
5110-400: Was recognised as a factor causing the Indian Mutiny (1857-58) , the biggest Indian uprising against British rule. The word Awadh is inherited from the Sanskrit word Ayodhya meaning "not to be warred against, irresistible". Awadh, known as the granary of India, was important strategically for the control of the Doab , a fertile plain between the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers. It was
5183-418: Was reduced to poverty. To try his luck in India, Khan's father and elder brother migrated to Bengal in late 1707 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I . From there they went to Bihar, settled in Patna and were granted an allowance by Murshid Quli Khan , the first Nawab of Bengal. At this time, Khan lived in Nishapur . According to historian Kamaluddin Haider, his wife ridiculed him for being
5256-452: Was used in government, in academic instruction, in high culture, and in court. Saadat Khan Burhanul Mulk was appointed Nawab in 1722 and established his court in Faizabad near Lucknow. He took advantage of a weakening Mughal Empire in Delhi to lay the foundation of the Awadh dynasty. His successor was Safdarjung the very influential noble at the Mughal court in Delhi. Until 1819, Awadh
5329-406: Was very beneficial to the company. They were able to use Awadh's vast treasuries, repeatedly digging into them for loans at reduced rates. In addition, the revenues from running Awadh's armed forces brought them useful revenues while it acted as a buffer state . The Nawabs were ceremonial kings, limited to pomp and show but with little influence over matters of state. By the mid-19th century, however,
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