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{{Short description|Polity in the Awadh region of North India (1732–1856)}}
{{About|the state during the British Raj|the natural and historical region in Uttar Pradesh |Awadh}}
{{About|the Mughal province and later kingdom|the natural and historical region in Uttar Pradesh |Awadh}}
{{redirect|Oudh|the Oudh tree|agarwood|the Arabic musical instrument|Oud}}
{{redirect|Oudh|the Oudh tree|agarwood|the Arabic musical instrument|Oud}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2017}}
|native_name = अवध / '''اودھ'''
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
|conventional_long_name = Oudh State
{{Infobox country
|common_name = Oudh
| life_span = 1572–1856
|nation = [[British India]]
| conventional_long_name = Oudh<br>Awadh
|status_text = [[Princely State]]
| religion = [[Shia Islam]] ([[State religion|official]]), [[Hinduism]] (majority), [[Sunni Islam]], [[Jainism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Christianity]]
|era =
| government_type = {{plainlist|
|year_start = 1816
*Mughal [[State government|provincial government]] (1572–1722)
|date_start =
*[[Monarchy]] (1722–1858)}}
|event_start= British protectorate
| status = {{blist
|year_end = 1858
| [[Subah|Province]] of the [[Mughal Empire]] (1572–1722)
|date_end =
| [[Vassal state]] of the [[Mughal Empire]] (1722–1816)
|event_end= [[Indian rebellion of 1857|Indian rebellion]]
| [[Princely state]] under [[Company rule in India|British protection]] (1816–1856)
|event1 =
|date_event1 =
|p1 =Mughal Empire
|s1 = Indian rebellion of 1857
|flag_p1 = Flag of the Mughal Empire (triangular).svg
|flag_s1 = British Raj Red Ensign.svg
|image_flag =Flag of Awadh.svg
|image_coat = अवध मोहर.jpg
|image_map = United Provinces 1903.png
|image_map_caption = Map showing the [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]]
|stat_area1 =62072
|stat_year1 = 1901
|stat_pop1 = 12833077
|footnotes = {{EB1911}}
}}
}}
| event_start = Independence from [[Mughal Empire]]
The '''Oudh State''' or '''Kigdom of Oudh''' (Awadh State) was a [[princely state]] in the [[Awadh]] region during the [[British Raj]] until 1856.
| date_start = 26 January
The now obsolete but once official English-language name of the state, also written in British historical texts as 'Oude', derived from the name of [[Ayodhya]].
| year_start = 1722
The capital of Oudh State was in [[Faizabad]], but the British Agents, officially known as 'residents', had their seat in [[Lucknow]].
| event_end = [[Central Indian campaign of 1858|Oudh campaign]]
| date_end = 3 March
| year_end = 1858
| event1 = Annexation of Oudh
| date_event1 = 1856
| event2 = [[Siege of Cawnpore]]
| date_event2 = 5 – 25 June 1857
| event_post = Merger of Oudh to [[North-Western Provinces]]
| date_post = 1859
| p1 = Mughal Empire
| flag_p1 = Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg
| border_p1 = no
| p2 = Chero dynasty
| s1 = North-Western Provinces and Oudh
| flag_s1 = British Raj Red Ensign.svg
| s2 = Benares State
| flag_s2 = Drapeau Benares.png
| border_s2 = no
| image_flag = Flag of Awadh.svg
| flag_border = no
| image_coat = Oudh-arms short.gif
| image_map = Pope1880Oudh2.jpg
| image_map_caption = The Kingdom of Oudh in 1856 (red)
| capital = {{Plainlist|
*[[Ayodhya]] (1722–1740)
*[[Faizabad]] (1740–1775)
*[[Lucknow]] (1775–1858)}}
| common_languages = Urdu
and [[Persian language|Persian]] (official), [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] (regional), [[English language|English]]
| stat_area1 = 62072
| currency = [[Rupee]]
| representative1 = [[Girdhar Bahadur]] (last)
| representative2 =
| year_representative1 = 1722
| year_representative2 =
| title_representative = [[Subedar]]
| leader1 = [[Saadat Ali Khan I]] (first)
| leader2 = [[Wajid Ali Shah]] (last)
| year_leader1 = 1722–1739
| year_leader2 = 1847–1856
| title_leader = [[Nawab of Awadh|Nawab/Padshah]]
| footnotes =
}}

[[File:Saadat_Ali_Khan_II.jpg|thumb|Nawab [[Saadat Ali Khan II]].]]
[[File:Nasir ud din haidar.jpg|thumb|Nawab [[Nasiruddin Haider]]]]The '''Oudh State''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|aʊ|d}},<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Oudh |title=Oudh – definition of Oudh in English from the Oxford dictionary |access-date=1 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909123759/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Oudh |archive-date=9 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> also '''Kingdom of Awadh''', '''Kingdom of Oudh''', '''Awadh Subah''', '''Oudh Subah''' or '''Awadh State''') was a [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] [[subah]], then an independent kingdom, and lastly a [[princely state]] in the [[Awadh]] region of [[North India]] until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of the state, also written historically as '''Oudhe.'''

As the [[Mughal Empire]] declined and decentralized, local governors in Oudh began asserting greater autonomy, and eventually Oudh matured into an independent polity governing the fertile lands of the Central and Lower [[Doab]]. With the [[British East India Company]] entering Bengal and decisively defeating Oudh at the [[Battle of Buxar]] in 1764, Oudh fell into the British orbit.

The capital of Oudh was in [[Faizabad]], but the Company's Political Agents, officially known as "Residents", had their seat in [[Lucknow]]. At par existed a Maratha embassy, in the Oudh court, led by the [[Vakil]] of the [[Peshwa]], until the [[Second Anglo-Maratha War]]. The Nawab of Oudh, one of the richest princes, paid for and erected a [[The Residency, Lucknow|Residency in Lucknow]] as a part of a wider programme of civic improvements.<ref>Davies, Philip, ''Splendours of the Raj: British Architecture in India, 1660–1947.'' New York: Penguin Books, 1987</ref>


Oudh joined other Indian states in an upheaval against British rule in 1858 during one of the last series of actions in the [[Indian rebellion of 1857]]. In the course of this uprising a few detachments of the British Indian Army from the [[Bombay Presidency]] overcame the disunited collection of Indian states in a single rapid campaign. Even so determined rebels continued to wage sporadic guerrilla clashes until the spring of 1859. This ill-fated rebellion is also historically known as the '[[Oudh campaign of 1858-9|Oudh campaign]]'.<ref>Michael Edwardes, ''Battles of the Indian Mutiny,'' Pan, 1963, ISBN 0-330-02524-4</ref>
Oudh joined other Indian states in an upheaval against British rule in 1858 during one of the last series of actions in the [[Indian rebellion of 1857]]. In the course of this uprising, detachments of the [[Bombay Army]] of the East India Company overcame the disunited collection of Indian states in a single rapid campaign. Determined rebels continued to wage sporadic guerrilla clashes until the spring of 1859. This rebellion is also historically known as the [[Oudh campaign of 1858-9|Oudh campaign]].<ref>Michael Edwardes, ''Battles of the Indian Mutiny,'' Pan, 1963, {{ISBN|0-330-02524-4}}</ref>


In 1902 Oudh's territory was merged with the [[North-Western Provinces]] to form the [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Town Planning Regeneration of Cities|author=Ashutosh Joshi|publisher=New India Publishing|date= 1 Jan 2008|isbn=8189422820 |page=237 |url=http://books.google.co.in/books?id=UFaGME0XDBkC&pg=PA151&dq=Naini&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CN7OUsznI8yTrgeDwYDgCw&ved=0CDEQ6AEwATgU#v=onepage&q=Allahabad%20capital&f=false }}</ref>
After the British [[annexation]] of Oudh by the [[Doctrine of Lapse]], the [[North Western Provinces]] became the North Western Provinces and Oudh.<ref>{{cite book|title=Town Planning Regeneration of Cities|author=Ashutosh Joshi|publisher=New India Publishing|date=1 Jan 2008|isbn=978-8189422820|page=237|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UFaGME0XDBkC&pg=PA151|access-date=13 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303145638/https://books.google.com/books?id=UFaGME0XDBkC&pg=PA151|archive-date=3 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
{{see also|Oudh Bequest}}
In 1732, under Mughal sovereignty, a senior official of the [[Mughal Empire]] established a hereditary polity in Oudh. As the power of the Mughals waned the rulers of Oudh gradually affirmed their own sovereignty. Since the state was located in a prosperous region, the [[British East India Company]] soon took notice of the affluence in which the Nawabs of Oudh lived. The result would be direct British interference in the internal state matters of Oudh and the kingdom became a British protectorate in May 1816. Three years later, in 1819, the ruler of Oudh took the style of ''Padshah'' (king), signaling formal independence under the advice of the [[Marquis of Hastings]]. On 7 Feb 1856 by order of [[Lord Dalhousie]], Governor General of the East India Company, the king of Oudh was deposed and its kingdom was incorporated into British India under the terms of the [[Doctrine of lapse]] on the grounds of internal misrule.
[[File:Elaborately illustrated map of the Awadh Subah of the Mughal Empire, commissioned by Jean Baptiste Joseph Gentil, ca.1770.jpg|thumb|Elaborately illustrated map of the Awadh Subah of the Mughal Empire, commissioned by Jean Baptiste Joseph Gentil, ca.1770]]
''Oudh Subah'' was one of the initial 12 subahs (later expanded to 15 ''subahs'' by the end of Akbar's reign) established by [[Akbar]] during his administrative reforms of 1572–1580. A Mughal ''[[Subah]]'' was divided into ''[[Sarkar (administrative division)|Sarkars]]'', or districts. ''Sarkars'' were further divided into ''[[Pargana]]s'' or ''[[Mahalla|Mahals]]''. [[Saadat Ali Khan I]] was appointed [[Subahdar]] of Oudh Subah on 9 September 1722, succeeding [[Girdhar Bahadur]]. He immediately subdued the autonomous Shaikhzadas of [[Lucknow]] and Raja Mohan Singh of [[Tiloi]], consolidating Oudh as a state. In 1728, Oudh further acquired [[Varanasi]], [[Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh|Jaunpur]] and surrounding lands from the Mughal noble Rustam Ali Khan and established stable revenue collection in that province after quelling the chief of [[Azamgarh]], [[Mahabat Khan]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Srivastava |first1=Ashirbadi Lal |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.49871/page/n1 |title=The First Two Nawabs Of Oudh (a Critical Study Based On Original Sources) |date=1933 |publisher=The Upper India Publishing House, Ltd. |location=Lucknow}}</ref>{{rp|44}} In 1739 Saadat Khan mobilized Oudh to defend against [[Nader Shah]]'s [[Nader Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire|invasion of India]], ultimately being captured in the [[Battle of Karnal]]. He attempted to negotiate with Nader Shah but died in Delhi.


===Establishment===
Between 5 Jul 1857 and 3 Mar 1858 there was a brief upheaval by the son of the deposed king joining the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]. During the rebellion the British temporarily lost control of the territory and they needed eighteen months to reestablish their rule during which there were massacres such as those during the [[Siege of Cawnpore]] (Kanpur).<ref>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html#oudh Princely States of India - Oudh]</ref><ref>William Barton, ''The princes of India''. Delhi 1983</ref>
In 1740, his successor [[Safdar Jang]] moved the capital of the state from [[Ayodhya]] to [[Faizabad]].<ref name="Gopal1993">{{cite book|author=Sarvepalli Gopal|title=Anatomy of a Confrontation: Ayodhya and the Rise of Communal Politics in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=47AARF595dUC&pg=PA39|date=15 October 1993|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-85649-050-4|pages=39–|access-date=9 November 2019|archive-date=9 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209112831/https://books.google.com/books?id=47AARF595dUC&pg=PA39#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Safdar Jang gained recognition from Persia after paying tribute. He continued Saadat Khan's expansionist policy, promising military protection to Bengal in exchange for the forts at [[Rohtasgarh]] and [[Chunar]], and annexing portions of [[Farrukhabad]] with Mughal military aid which was ruled by [[Muhammad Khan Bangash]].


As the [[Mughal empire]] began to dissolve in the early 18th century, many ''subahs'' became effectively independent.<ref name="Whitworth1885">{{cite book |last=Whitworth |first=George Clifford |title=An Anglo-Indian Dictionary: A Glossary of Indian Terms Used in English, and of Such English Or Other Non-Indian Terms as Have Obtained Special Meanings in India |publisher=K. Paul, Trench |year=1885 |pages=301– |chapter=Subah |access-date=13 July 2020 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7tAOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA301 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209112831/https://books.google.com/books?id=7tAOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA301#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=9 February 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> As regional officials asserted their autonomy in [[Bengal]] and the [[Deccan]] as well as with the rise of the [[Maratha Empire]], the rulers of Oudh gradually affirmed their own sovereignty. [[Safdar Jang]] went as far as to control the ruler of Delhi, putting [[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]] on the Mughal throne with the cooperation of other Mughal nobility. In 1748 he gained the [[subah]] of [[Allahabad]] with Ahmad Shah's official support. This was arguably the zenith of Oudh's territorial span.<ref name="lal">{{cite book|last1=Jaswant Lal|first1=Mehta|title=Advanced Study in the History of Modern India: 1707-1813|date=2005|publisher=Sterling Publishers|isbn=9781932705546}}</ref>{{rp|132}} <ref name="markovits">{{Cite book| editor-last=Markovits| editor-first=Claude | year=2005| title=A History of Modern India 1480–1950 (Anthem South Asian Studies)| publisher=Anthem Press.| isbn=1-84331-152-6}}</ref>{{rp|193}}
===Rulers===
{{Main|Nawab of Awadh|l1=Nawabs of Oudh}}


The next nawab, [[Shuja-ud-Daula]], extended Oudh's control of the Mughal emperor. He was appointed [[Vizier|vazir]] to [[Shah Alam II]] in 1762 and offered him asylum after his failed campaigns against the British in the [[Bengal War]].<ref name="markovits"/>
The rulers of Oudh State belonged to a [[Shia]] Muslim dynasty of [[Persia]]n origin from [[Nishapur]]. They were renowned for their [[secularism]] and broad outlook.<ref>[http://oudh.tripod.com/misc/noosec.htm Repertoire On Wajid Ali Shah & Monuments of Avadh - Nawabs of Oudh & their Secularism]</ref>


===British contact and control===
All rulers used the title of '[[Nawab]]'.<ref>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html#Oudh List of rulers of Oudh]</ref>
Since Oudh was located in a prosperous region, the [[British East India Company]] soon took notice of the affluence in which the Nawabs of Oudh lived. Primarily, the British sought to protect the frontiers of Bengal and their lucrative trade there; only later did direct expansion occur.


====Subadar Nawabs====
====Shuja-ud-Daula====
{{See also|Shuja-ud-Daula}}
*1732 - 19 Mar 1739 Borhan al-Molk Mir Mohammad Amin (b. c.1680 - d. 1739) Musawi Sa`adat `Ali Khan I
British dominance was established at the [[Battle of Buxar]] of 1764, when the East India Company defeated the alliance between the nawab of Oudh [[Shuja-ud-Daula]] and the deposed nawab of Bengal [[Mir Kasim]].<ref name="ramusack">{{cite book|last1=Ramusack|first1=Barbara N.|title=The Indian Princes and their States|date=2004|publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref>{{rp|25}} The battle was a turning point for the once rising star of Oudh. The immediate effect was the British occupation of the fort at [[Chunar]] and the cession of the provinces of Kora and [[Allahabad]] to Mughal ruler [[Shah Alam II]] under the Treaty of Benares (1765). Shaja-ud-Daula further had to pay 5 million rupees as an indemnity, which was paid off in one year.<ref name="grover">{{cite book |last1=Grover |first1=B.L. |last2=Mehta |first2=Alka |title=A New Look at Modern Indian History (From 1707 to the Modern Times) |date=2018 |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=9789352534340 |edition=32 }}</ref>{{rp|158}}<ref name="markovits" />{{rp|252}} The long-term result would be direct British interference in the internal state matters of Oudh, useful as a buffer state against the [[Marathas]]. The treaty also granted British traders special privileges and exemptions from many customs duties, which led to tensions as British monopolies were established.
*19 Mar 1739 - 28 Apr 1748 Abu´l Mansur Mohammad Moqim Khan (1st time) (b. c.1708 - d. 1754)


Shuja-ud-Daula bought the Mughal provinces of Kora and Allahabad in the Treaty of Benares (1773) with the British (who held ''de facto'' control over the area) for 50 lakh rupees, increased the cost of Company mercenaries, and military aid in the [[First Rohilla War]] to expand Oudh as a buffer state against Maratha interests.<ref name="ramusack" />{{rp|65}}<ref name="grover" />{{rp|75}} Done by [[Warren Hastings]], this move was unpopular among the rest of Company leadership, but Hastings continued a harsh policy on Oudh, justifying the military aid as a bid to strengthen Oudh's status as a buffer state against the Marathas. To shape the policy of Oudh and direct its internal affairs Hastings appointed the resident [[Nathaniel Middleton]] in Lucknow that year as well. At the conclusion of the First Rohilla War in 1774, Oudh gained the entirety of [[Rohilkhand]] and the Middle [[Doab]] region, only leaving the independent [[Rampur State]] as a Rohilla enclave.
====Nawab Wazir al-Mamalik====
*28 Apr 1748 - 13 May 1753 Abu´l Mansur Mohammad Moqim Khan (s.a.) (acting to 29 Jun 1748)


====Subadar Nawab====
====Asaf-ud-Daula====
{{See also|Asaf-ud-Daula}}
*5 Nov 1753 - 5 Oct 1754 Abu´l Mansur Mohammad Moqim Khan (s.a.) (2nd time)
Asaf-ud-Daula acceded to the nawabship of Oudh with British aid in exchange for the Treaty of Benares (1775) which further increased the cost of mercenaries and ceded the ''sarkars'' of [[Benares]], [[Ghazipur]], [[Chunar]], and [[Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh|Jaunpur]]. From this time onwards, Oudh consistently complied with the Company's demands, which continued to demand more land and economic control over the state.<ref name="habib">{{cite journal |last1=Habib |first1=Irfan |last2=Habib |first2=Faiz |title=Mapping the Dismemberment of Awadh 1775-1801 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |date=2014 |volume=75 |issue=455–460}}</ref>
*5 Oct 1754 - 15 Feb 1762 Jalal ad-Din Shoja` ad-Dowla (b. 1732 - d. 1775) Haydar


The Treaty of Chunar (1781) sought to reduce the number of British troops in Oudh's service to cut costs, but failed in this measure due to the instability of Asaf-ud-Daula's rule and thus his reliance on British aid essentially as a puppet regime.<ref name="EI">{{Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition|volume=|title=Awadh|page(s)=|first=C. Collin|last=Davies|authorlink=|url=}}</ref>
====Nawab Wazir al-Mamalik====
*15 Feb 1762 - 26 Jan 1775 Jalal ad-Din Shoja` ad-Dowla (s.a.) Haydar
*26 Jan 1775 - 21 Sep 1797 Asaf ad-Dowla Amani (b. 1748 - d. 1797)
*21 Sep 1797 - 21 Jan 1798 Mirza Wazir `Ali Khan (b. 1780 - d. 1817)
*21 Jan 1798 - 11 Jul 1814 Yamin ad-Dowla Nazem al-Molk (b. bf.1752 - d. 1814) Sa`adat `Ali Khan II Bahadur
*11 Jul 1814 - 19 Oct 1818 Ghazi ad-Din Rafa`at ad-Dowla (b. 1769 - d. 1827) Abu´l-Mozaffar Haydar Khan


====Later rulers====
====Kings (title Padshah-e Awadh, Shah-e Zaman)====
[[Saadat Ali Khan II]] acceded to the throne of Oudh in 1798, owing his seat to British intervention including Governor-General of Bengal [[John Shore, 1st Baron Teignmouth|Sir John Shore]]'s personal proclamation in Lucknow of his rule. A treaty signed on 21 February 1798 increased the subsidy paid to the British to 70 lakh rupees per year.<ref name="habib"/>
*19 Oct 1818 - 19 Oct 1827 Ghazi ad-Din Mo`izz ad-Din (s.a.) Abu´l-Mozaffar Haydar Shah

*19 Oct 1827 - 7 Jul 1837 Naser ad-Din Haydar Solayman (b. 1803 - d. 1837) Jah Shah
In light of the [[Napoleonic Wars]] and British demands for greater revenue from the Company, in 1801, [[Saadat Ali Khan II]] ceded the entire [[Rohilkhand]] and [[Lower Doab]] as well as the ''sarkar'' of [[Gorakhpur]] under the pressure of [[Lord Wellesley]] to the British in lieu of the annual tribute.<ref>Treaty with the Nawab of Oudh for the cession of Territory in commutation of Subsidy, concluded by Henry Wellesley and Lieut.-Col. William Scott 10th Nov. 1801</ref> The cession halved the size of the polity, reducing it to the original Mughal [[subah]] of Awadh (excepting Gorakhpur which was ceded) and surrounded it by directly-administered British territory, rendering it useless as a buffer. The treaty also mandated a government to be put in place that primarily served the citizens of Oudh. It was on the basis of the failure to meet this demand that the British later justified the annexation of Oudh.
*7 Jul 1837 - 17 May 1842 Mo`in ad-Din Abu´l-Fath Mohammad (b. 1777 - d. 1842) `Ali Shah

*17 May 1842 - 13 Feb 1847 Naser ad-Dowla Amjad `Ali Thorayya (b. 1801 - d. 1847) Jah Shah
[[Farrukhabad]] and [[Rampur State|Rampur]] was not annexed by the British yet; instead, they served as separate princely states for the moment.<ref name="habib"/>
*13 Feb 1847 - 7 Feb 1856 Naser ad-Din `Abd al-Mansur (b. 1822 - d. 1887) Mohammad Wajed `Ali Shah

*5 Jul 1857 - 3 Mar 1858 Berjis Qadr (in rebellion) (b. 1845? - d. 1893)
The kingdom became a British [[protectorate]] in May 1816. Three years later, in 1819, the [[Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah]] took the title of ''Badshah'' (king), signaling formal independence from the Mughal Empire under the advice of the [[Marquis of Hastings]].

Throughout the early 1800s until annexation, several areas were gradually ceded to the British.

===British annexation===
[[File:7th Hussars, charging a body of the Mutineer's Cavalry.jpg|Mutineer's Cavalry at Alam Bagh, Lucknow|thumb]]
On 7 February 1856, by order of [[Governor-General of India|Governor-General]] [[James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie|Lord Dalhousie]], the [[Nawab of Awadh|Nawab of Oudh]], [[Wajid Ali Shah]], was deposed, and Oudh State was annexed to the territories of the [[British East India Company]] under the terms of the [[Doctrine of lapse]] on the grounds of alleged internal misrule.<ref name=igi-V-72/>

=== Indian Rebellion of 1857 ===
Between 5 July 1857 and 3 March 1858, during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], [[Begum Hazrat Mahal]], the wife of Wajid Ali Shah proclaimed their son [[Birjis Qadr]] the ''Wali'' of Awadh and ruled as regent. At the time of the rebellion, the British lost control of the territory; they reestablished their rule over the next eighteen months, during which time there were massacres such as those that had occurred in the course of the [[Siege of Cawnpore]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Ben Cahoon |url=http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html#oudh |title=Princely States of India – Oudh |publisher=Worldstatesmen.org |access-date=2014-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113065437/http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html#oudh |archive-date=13 January 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>William Barton, ''The princes of India''. Delhi 1983</ref>

After the rebellion, Oudh's territory was merged with the [[North Western Provinces]], forming the larger province of ''North-Western Provinces and Oudh''. In 1902, the latter was renamed the [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]]. In 1921, it became the [[United Provinces of British India]]. In 1937, it became the [[United Provinces (1937–1950)|United Provinces]] and continued as a province in independent [[India]] until finally becoming the state of [[Uttar Pradesh]] in 1950.<ref name="igi-V-72">{{Harvnb|Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. V|1908|p=72}}</ref>

==Government==

===Feudatory states===
The following were feudatory estates —[[taluqdari]]s<ref>{{cite book|title=The Feudatory and zemindari India, Volume 17, Issue 2|date=1937|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBYnAQAAIAAJ&q=nanpara|access-date=4 August 2014|archive-date=9 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209113504/https://books.google.com/books?id=BBYnAQAAIAAJ&q=nanpara|url-status=live}}</ref> or [[pargana]]s— of Oudh:
*Balrampur Estate<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/b/balrampur.html |title=Balrampur (Taluqdari) |access-date=4 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304133300/http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/b/balrampur.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Benares State]] until 1740<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bayly |first=C. A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xfo3AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA17 |title=Rulers, Townsmen and Bazaars: North Indian Society in the Age of British Expansion, 1770-1870 |date=1988-05-19 |publisher=CUP Archive |isbn=978-0-521-31054-3 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Bhadri Estate]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/b/bhadri.html |title=Bhadri (Taluq) |access-date=4 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129144934/http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/b/bhadri.html |archive-date=29 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*Itaunja Estate<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/i/itaunja.html |title=Itaunja – Raipur Ekdaria (Taluq) |access-date=4 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710154445/http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/i/itaunja.html |archive-date=10 July 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Kohra Estate]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rathore |first=Abhinay |date= |title=Kohra (Taluk) |url=https://www.indianrajputs.com/view/kohra |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320120857/https://www.indianrajputs.com/view/kohra |archive-date=20 March 2023 |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=Rajput Provinces of India |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Nanpara Taluqdari]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The Indian Year Book, Volume 29|date=1942|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company|page=1286|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HV8dAQAAMAAJ&q=nanpara|access-date=6 August 2014|archive-date=9 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209113509/https://books.google.com/books?id=HV8dAQAAMAAJ&q=nanpara|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Pratapgarh Estate]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pratapgarh (Taluq) |url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/p/pratapgarh_up.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031014806/http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/p/pratapgarh_up.html |archive-date=31 October 2014 |access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref>
*[[Tulsipur State]]

===Rulers===
{{Main|Nawab of Awadh|l1=Nawabs of Oudh}}

The first ruler of Oudh State belonged to the [[Shia]] Muslim Sayyid Family and descended of [[Musa al-Kadhim]] originated from [[Nishapur]]. But the dynasty also belonged from the paternal line to the [[Kara Koyunlu]] through [[Qara Yusuf]]. They were renowned for their [[secularism]] and broad outlook.<ref>{{cite web |author=B. S. Saxena |url=http://oudh.tripod.com/misc/noosec.htm |title=Repertoire On Wajid Ali Shah & Monuments of Avadh – Nawabs of Oudh & their Secularism |publisher=Avadh Cultural Club (Lucknow) |date=1974 |access-date=2 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827010208/http://oudh.tripod.com/misc/noosec.htm |archive-date=27 August 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

All rulers used the title of '[[Nawab]]'.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ben Cahoon |url=http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html#Oudh |title=List of rulers of Oudh |publisher=Worldstatesmen.org |access-date=2014-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113065437/http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html#Oudh |archive-date=13 January 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Title !! Reign Start !! Reign End !! Name
|-
| rowspan = 2 | Subadar Nawab || 1722 || 19 Mar 1739 || Borhan al-Molk Mir Mohammad Amin Musawi Saʾadat ʾAli Khan I
|-
| 19 Mar 1739 || 28 Apr 1748 || rowspan = 3 | [[Safdarjung|Abu'l Mansur Mohammad Moqim Khan]]
|-
| Nawab Wazir al-Mamalik || 28 Apr 1748 || 13 May 1753
|-
| rowspan = 2 | Subadar Nawab || 5 Nov 1753 || 5 Oct 1754
|-
| 5 Oct 1754 || 15 Feb 1762 || rowspan = 2 | [[Shuja-ud-Daula|Jalal ad-Din Shojaʾ ad-Dowla]] Haydar
|-
| rowspan = 5 | Nawab Wazir al-Mamalik || 15 Feb 1762 || 26 Jan 1775
|-
| 26 Jan 1775 || 21 Sep 1797 || [[Asaf-ud-Daula|Asaf ad-Dowla Amani]]
|-
| 21 Sep 1797 || 21 Jan 1798 || [[Wazir Ali Khan|Mirza Wazir ʾAli Khan]]
|-
| 21 Jan 1798 || 11 Jul 1814 || [[Saadat Ali Khan II|Yamin ad-Dowla Nazem al-Molk]] Saʾadat ʾAli Khan II Bahadur
|-
| 11 Jul 1814 || 19 Oct 1818 || rowspan = 2 | [[Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah|Ghazi ad-Din Rafaʾat ad-Dowla]] Abul-Mozaffar Haydar Khan
|-
| rowspan = 6 | King (''Padshah-e Awadh, Shah-e Zaman'') || 19 Oct 1818 || 19 Oct 1827
|-
| 19 Oct 1827 || 7 Jul 1837 || [[Nasir-ud-Din Haidar Shah|Naser ad-Din Haydar Solayman]] Jah Shah
|-
| 7 Jul 1837 || 17 May 1842 || [[Muhammad Ali Shah|Moʾin ad-Din Abu'l-Fath Mohammad]] ʾAli Shah
|-
| 17 May 1842 || 13 Feb 1847 || [[Amjad Ali Shah|Naser ad-Dowla Amjad ʾAli Thorayya]] Jah Shah
|-
| 13 Feb 1847 || 7 Feb 1856 || [[Wajid Ali Shah|Naser ad-Din ʾAbd al-Mansur]] Mohammad Wajed ʾAli Shah
|-
| 5 Jul 1857 || 3 Mar 1858 || [[Birjis Qadr|Berjis Qadr]] (in rebellion)
|}


===Residents===
===Residents===
{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Start !! End
|-
| Nathaniel Middleton || 1773 || 1774
|-
| John Bristow || 1774 || 1776
|-
| Nathaniel Middleton || 1776 || 1779 (second time)
|-
| C. Purling || 1779 || 1780
|-
| John Bristow || 1780 || 1781 (second time)
|-
| Nathaniel Middleton || 1781 || 1782 (third time)
|-
| John Bristow || 1782 || 1783 (third time)
|-
|William Palmer
|1783
|1784
|-
|Gabriel Harper
|1784
|1785
|-
| Edward Otto Ives || 1785 || 1794
|-
|[[George Frederick Cherry]]|| 1794 || 1796
|-
| James Lumsden || 1796 || 1799
|-
| William Scott || 1799 || 1804
|-
| John Ulrich Collins || 1804 || 1807
|-
| John Baillie || 1807 || 1815
|-
| Richard Charles Strachey || 1815 || 1817
|-
| John.R. Monckton || 1818 || 1820
|-
| Felix Vincent Raper || 1820 || 1823
|-
| Mordaunt Ricketts || 1823 || 1827
|-
| Thomas Herbert Maddock || 1829 || 1831
|-
| [[John Low (East India Company officer)|John Low]] || 1831 || 1842
|-
| James Caulfield (interí) || 1839 || 1841
|-
| William Nott || 1841 || 1843
|-
| George Pollock || 1843 || 1844
|-
|J. D. Shakespear
|1844
|1845
|-
|T. Reid Davidson
|1845
|1847
|-
| Archibald Richmond || 1847 || 1849
|-
| Sir [[William Henry Sleeman]] || 1849 || 1854
|-
| [[Sir James Outram]] || 1854 || 1856
|}

==Demographics==
In the early eighteenth century, the population of Oudh was estimated to be 3 million. Oudh underwent a demographic shift in which [[Lucknow]] and [[Varanasi]] expanded to become metropolises of over 200,000 people over the course of the 18th century at the expense of [[Agra]] and [[Delhi]]. During this period the land on the banks of the [[Yamuna]] suffered frequent dry spells, while the [[Baiswara]] did not.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cole|first1=J. R. I.|title=Roots of North Indian Shīʾism in Iran and Iraq: Religion and State in Awadh, 1722-1859|date=1989|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520056411|series=Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies}}</ref>{{rp|38}}

Although it was ruled by Muslims, a majority, roughly four fifths, of Oudh's population were [[Hindus]].<ref name="lal"/>{{rp|155}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Defence Journal, Volume 5, Issues 2-4|page=88|quote=On the contrary the annexation of Oudh in 1856 was viewed by the Muslim elite and the Hindu majority population of Oudh}}</ref>

==Culture==
The Nawabs of Oudh were descended from a [[Sayyid]] line from [[Nishapur]] in Persia. They were [[Shia Islam|Shia Muslims]], and promoted Shia as the state religion.<ref name="EI"/> [[Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah]] instituted the [[Oudh Bequest]], a system of fixed payments by the British paid to the Shia holy cities of [[Najaf]] and [[Karbala]]. These payments, along with lifelong stipends to the wives and mother of Ghazi-ud-Din served as interest on the [[Third Oudh Loan]] taken in 1825.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Litvak |first1=Meir |title=Money, religion, and politics: The Oudh Bequest in Najaf and Karbala, 1850-1903 |journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies |date=Feb 2001 |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=1–21|doi=10.1017/S0020743801001015 |s2cid=155865344 }}</ref>


The cities of [[Allahabad]], [[Varanasi]], and [[Ayodhya]] were important pilgrimage sites for followers of [[Hinduism]] and other Dharmic [[religion]]s. The town of [[Bahraich]] was also revered by some [[Muslim]]s.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Kingdom of Awadh |author= Surya Narain Singh |year= 2003 |publisher= Mittal Publications}}</ref>
*Nathaniel Middleton 1773 - 1774
*John Bristow 1774 - 1776
*Nathaniel Middleton 1776-1779 (second time)
*Purling 1779 - 1780
*John Bristow 1780 - 1781 (second time)
*Nathaniel Middleton 1781 - 1782 (third time)
*John Bristow 1782-1783 (third time)
*Edward Otto Ives 1784 - 1793
*George Frederick Cherry 1793 - 1796
*James Lumsden 1796 - 1799
*W. Scott 1799 - 1804
*John Ulrich Collins 1804 - 1807
*John Baillie 1807 - 1815
*Richard Charles Strachey 1815 - 1817
*J.R. Monckton 1818 - 1820
*Felix Vincent Raper 1820 - 1823
*Mordaunt Ricketts 1823 - 1827
*Thomas Herbert Maddock 1829 - 1831
*John Low 1831 - 1842
*James Caulfield (interí) 1839 - 1841
*William Nott 1841-1843
*George Pollock 1843 - 1844
*Archibald Richmond 1844 - 1849?
*William Henry Sleeman 1849 - 1854
*James Outram 1854 - 1856


==See also==
==See also==
{{col div|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Awadh|Awadh region]]
*[[Awadh|Awadh region]]
*[[Wajid Ali Shah]]
*[[List of Indian monarchs#Nawabs of Oudh (1719–1858)|List of Indian monarchs]]
*[[Begum Hazrat Mahal]]
*[[List of Indian monarchs#Nawabs of Oudh (1719 – 1858 CE)|List of Indian monarchs]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-06-02|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=List of Indian monarchs#Nawabs of Oudh (1719 – 1858 CE)|reason= The anchor (Nawabs of Oudh (1719 – 1858 CE)) [[Special:Diff/1133674608|has been deleted]].}}
*[[Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway]]
*[[Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway]]
*[[Oudh and Tirhut Railway]]
*[[Oudh and Tirhut Railway]]
*[[Tulsipur dynasty]]
*[[Oudh Bequest]]
{{colend}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Princely States annexed by the British Raj}}
==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.hubert-herald.nl/BhaAwadh.htm Heraldry of Oudh State]

{{coord|26.78|N|82.13|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki|display=title}}
{{coord|26.78|N|82.13|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki|display=title}}


[[Category:Princely states of India]]
[[Category:Princely states of India]]
[[Category:Awadh]]
[[Category:History of Awadh]]
[[Category:History of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:History of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Mughal subahs]]
[[Category:British administration in Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:British administration in Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Shia dynasties]]

[[Category:1816 establishments in British India]]
{{India-hist-stub}}

[[ca:Oudh]]

Latest revision as of 16:19, 16 December 2024

Oudh
Awadh
1572–1856
Flag of Oudh State
Flag
Coat of arms of Oudh State
Coat of arms
The Kingdom of Oudh in 1856 (red)
The Kingdom of Oudh in 1856 (red)
Status
Capital
Common languagesUrdu and Persian (official), Awadhi (regional), English
Religion
Shia Islam (official), Hinduism (majority), Sunni Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity
Government
Nawab/Padshah 
• 1722–1739
Saadat Ali Khan I (first)
• 1847–1856
Wajid Ali Shah (last)
Subedar 
• 1722
Girdhar Bahadur (last)
History 
• Independence from Mughal Empire
26 January 1722
• Annexation of Oudh
1856
5 – 25 June 1857
3 March 1858
• Merger of Oudh to North-Western Provinces
1859
Area
62,072 km2 (23,966 sq mi)
CurrencyRupee
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Mughal Empire
Chero dynasty
North-Western Provinces and Oudh
Benares State
Nawab Saadat Ali Khan II.
Nawab Nasiruddin Haider

The Oudh State (/ˈd/,[1] also Kingdom of Awadh, Kingdom of Oudh, Awadh Subah, Oudh Subah or Awadh State) was a Mughal subah, then an independent kingdom, and lastly a princely state in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of the state, also written historically as Oudhe.

As the Mughal Empire declined and decentralized, local governors in Oudh began asserting greater autonomy, and eventually Oudh matured into an independent polity governing the fertile lands of the Central and Lower Doab. With the British East India Company entering Bengal and decisively defeating Oudh at the Battle of Buxar in 1764, Oudh fell into the British orbit.

The capital of Oudh was in Faizabad, but the Company's Political Agents, officially known as "Residents", had their seat in Lucknow. At par existed a Maratha embassy, in the Oudh court, led by the Vakil of the Peshwa, until the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The Nawab of Oudh, one of the richest princes, paid for and erected a Residency in Lucknow as a part of a wider programme of civic improvements.[2]

Oudh joined other Indian states in an upheaval against British rule in 1858 during one of the last series of actions in the Indian rebellion of 1857. In the course of this uprising, detachments of the Bombay Army of the East India Company overcame the disunited collection of Indian states in a single rapid campaign. Determined rebels continued to wage sporadic guerrilla clashes until the spring of 1859. This rebellion is also historically known as the Oudh campaign.[3]

After the British annexation of Oudh by the Doctrine of Lapse, the North Western Provinces became the North Western Provinces and Oudh.[4]

History

[edit]
Elaborately illustrated map of the Awadh Subah of the Mughal Empire, commissioned by Jean Baptiste Joseph Gentil, ca.1770

Oudh Subah was one of the initial 12 subahs (later expanded to 15 subahs by the end of Akbar's reign) established by Akbar during his administrative reforms of 1572–1580. A Mughal Subah was divided into Sarkars, or districts. Sarkars were further divided into Parganas or Mahals. Saadat Ali Khan I was appointed Subahdar of Oudh Subah on 9 September 1722, succeeding Girdhar Bahadur. He immediately subdued the autonomous Shaikhzadas of Lucknow and Raja Mohan Singh of Tiloi, consolidating Oudh as a state. In 1728, Oudh further acquired Varanasi, Jaunpur and surrounding lands from the Mughal noble Rustam Ali Khan and established stable revenue collection in that province after quelling the chief of Azamgarh, Mahabat Khan.[5]: 44  In 1739 Saadat Khan mobilized Oudh to defend against Nader Shah's invasion of India, ultimately being captured in the Battle of Karnal. He attempted to negotiate with Nader Shah but died in Delhi.

Establishment

[edit]

In 1740, his successor Safdar Jang moved the capital of the state from Ayodhya to Faizabad.[6] Safdar Jang gained recognition from Persia after paying tribute. He continued Saadat Khan's expansionist policy, promising military protection to Bengal in exchange for the forts at Rohtasgarh and Chunar, and annexing portions of Farrukhabad with Mughal military aid which was ruled by Muhammad Khan Bangash.

As the Mughal empire began to dissolve in the early 18th century, many subahs became effectively independent.[7] As regional officials asserted their autonomy in Bengal and the Deccan as well as with the rise of the Maratha Empire, the rulers of Oudh gradually affirmed their own sovereignty. Safdar Jang went as far as to control the ruler of Delhi, putting Ahmad Shah Bahadur on the Mughal throne with the cooperation of other Mughal nobility. In 1748 he gained the subah of Allahabad with Ahmad Shah's official support. This was arguably the zenith of Oudh's territorial span.[8]: 132  [9]: 193 

The next nawab, Shuja-ud-Daula, extended Oudh's control of the Mughal emperor. He was appointed vazir to Shah Alam II in 1762 and offered him asylum after his failed campaigns against the British in the Bengal War.[9]

British contact and control

[edit]

Since Oudh was located in a prosperous region, the British East India Company soon took notice of the affluence in which the Nawabs of Oudh lived. Primarily, the British sought to protect the frontiers of Bengal and their lucrative trade there; only later did direct expansion occur.

Shuja-ud-Daula

[edit]

British dominance was established at the Battle of Buxar of 1764, when the East India Company defeated the alliance between the nawab of Oudh Shuja-ud-Daula and the deposed nawab of Bengal Mir Kasim.[10]: 25  The battle was a turning point for the once rising star of Oudh. The immediate effect was the British occupation of the fort at Chunar and the cession of the provinces of Kora and Allahabad to Mughal ruler Shah Alam II under the Treaty of Benares (1765). Shaja-ud-Daula further had to pay 5 million rupees as an indemnity, which was paid off in one year.[11]: 158 [9]: 252  The long-term result would be direct British interference in the internal state matters of Oudh, useful as a buffer state against the Marathas. The treaty also granted British traders special privileges and exemptions from many customs duties, which led to tensions as British monopolies were established.

Shuja-ud-Daula bought the Mughal provinces of Kora and Allahabad in the Treaty of Benares (1773) with the British (who held de facto control over the area) for 50 lakh rupees, increased the cost of Company mercenaries, and military aid in the First Rohilla War to expand Oudh as a buffer state against Maratha interests.[10]: 65 [11]: 75  Done by Warren Hastings, this move was unpopular among the rest of Company leadership, but Hastings continued a harsh policy on Oudh, justifying the military aid as a bid to strengthen Oudh's status as a buffer state against the Marathas. To shape the policy of Oudh and direct its internal affairs Hastings appointed the resident Nathaniel Middleton in Lucknow that year as well. At the conclusion of the First Rohilla War in 1774, Oudh gained the entirety of Rohilkhand and the Middle Doab region, only leaving the independent Rampur State as a Rohilla enclave.

Asaf-ud-Daula

[edit]

Asaf-ud-Daula acceded to the nawabship of Oudh with British aid in exchange for the Treaty of Benares (1775) which further increased the cost of mercenaries and ceded the sarkars of Benares, Ghazipur, Chunar, and Jaunpur. From this time onwards, Oudh consistently complied with the Company's demands, which continued to demand more land and economic control over the state.[12]

The Treaty of Chunar (1781) sought to reduce the number of British troops in Oudh's service to cut costs, but failed in this measure due to the instability of Asaf-ud-Daula's rule and thus his reliance on British aid essentially as a puppet regime.[13]

Later rulers

[edit]

Saadat Ali Khan II acceded to the throne of Oudh in 1798, owing his seat to British intervention including Governor-General of Bengal Sir John Shore's personal proclamation in Lucknow of his rule. A treaty signed on 21 February 1798 increased the subsidy paid to the British to 70 lakh rupees per year.[12]

In light of the Napoleonic Wars and British demands for greater revenue from the Company, in 1801, Saadat Ali Khan II ceded the entire Rohilkhand and Lower Doab as well as the sarkar of Gorakhpur under the pressure of Lord Wellesley to the British in lieu of the annual tribute.[14] The cession halved the size of the polity, reducing it to the original Mughal subah of Awadh (excepting Gorakhpur which was ceded) and surrounded it by directly-administered British territory, rendering it useless as a buffer. The treaty also mandated a government to be put in place that primarily served the citizens of Oudh. It was on the basis of the failure to meet this demand that the British later justified the annexation of Oudh.

Farrukhabad and Rampur was not annexed by the British yet; instead, they served as separate princely states for the moment.[12]

The kingdom became a British protectorate in May 1816. Three years later, in 1819, the Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah took the title of Badshah (king), signaling formal independence from the Mughal Empire under the advice of the Marquis of Hastings.

Throughout the early 1800s until annexation, several areas were gradually ceded to the British.

British annexation

[edit]
Mutineer's Cavalry at Alam Bagh, Lucknow

On 7 February 1856, by order of Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, the Nawab of Oudh, Wajid Ali Shah, was deposed, and Oudh State was annexed to the territories of the British East India Company under the terms of the Doctrine of lapse on the grounds of alleged internal misrule.[15]

Indian Rebellion of 1857

[edit]

Between 5 July 1857 and 3 March 1858, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Begum Hazrat Mahal, the wife of Wajid Ali Shah proclaimed their son Birjis Qadr the Wali of Awadh and ruled as regent. At the time of the rebellion, the British lost control of the territory; they reestablished their rule over the next eighteen months, during which time there were massacres such as those that had occurred in the course of the Siege of Cawnpore.[16][17]

After the rebellion, Oudh's territory was merged with the North Western Provinces, forming the larger province of North-Western Provinces and Oudh. In 1902, the latter was renamed the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. In 1921, it became the United Provinces of British India. In 1937, it became the United Provinces and continued as a province in independent India until finally becoming the state of Uttar Pradesh in 1950.[15]

Government

[edit]

Feudatory states

[edit]

The following were feudatory estates —taluqdaris[18] or parganas— of Oudh:

Rulers

[edit]

The first ruler of Oudh State belonged to the Shia Muslim Sayyid Family and descended of Musa al-Kadhim originated from Nishapur. But the dynasty also belonged from the paternal line to the Kara Koyunlu through Qara Yusuf. They were renowned for their secularism and broad outlook.[26]

All rulers used the title of 'Nawab'.[27]

Title Reign Start Reign End Name
Subadar Nawab 1722 19 Mar 1739 Borhan al-Molk Mir Mohammad Amin Musawi Saʾadat ʾAli Khan I
19 Mar 1739 28 Apr 1748 Abu'l Mansur Mohammad Moqim Khan
Nawab Wazir al-Mamalik 28 Apr 1748 13 May 1753
Subadar Nawab 5 Nov 1753 5 Oct 1754
5 Oct 1754 15 Feb 1762 Jalal ad-Din Shojaʾ ad-Dowla Haydar
Nawab Wazir al-Mamalik 15 Feb 1762 26 Jan 1775
26 Jan 1775 21 Sep 1797 Asaf ad-Dowla Amani
21 Sep 1797 21 Jan 1798 Mirza Wazir ʾAli Khan
21 Jan 1798 11 Jul 1814 Yamin ad-Dowla Nazem al-Molk Saʾadat ʾAli Khan II Bahadur
11 Jul 1814 19 Oct 1818 Ghazi ad-Din Rafaʾat ad-Dowla Abul-Mozaffar Haydar Khan
King (Padshah-e Awadh, Shah-e Zaman) 19 Oct 1818 19 Oct 1827
19 Oct 1827 7 Jul 1837 Naser ad-Din Haydar Solayman Jah Shah
7 Jul 1837 17 May 1842 Moʾin ad-Din Abu'l-Fath Mohammad ʾAli Shah
17 May 1842 13 Feb 1847 Naser ad-Dowla Amjad ʾAli Thorayya Jah Shah
13 Feb 1847 7 Feb 1856 Naser ad-Din ʾAbd al-Mansur Mohammad Wajed ʾAli Shah
5 Jul 1857 3 Mar 1858 Berjis Qadr (in rebellion)

Residents

[edit]
Name Start End
Nathaniel Middleton 1773 1774
John Bristow 1774 1776
Nathaniel Middleton 1776 1779 (second time)
C. Purling 1779 1780
John Bristow 1780 1781 (second time)
Nathaniel Middleton 1781 1782 (third time)
John Bristow 1782 1783 (third time)
William Palmer 1783 1784
Gabriel Harper 1784 1785
Edward Otto Ives 1785 1794
George Frederick Cherry 1794 1796
James Lumsden 1796 1799
William Scott 1799 1804
John Ulrich Collins 1804 1807
John Baillie 1807 1815
Richard Charles Strachey 1815 1817
John.R. Monckton 1818 1820
Felix Vincent Raper 1820 1823
Mordaunt Ricketts 1823 1827
Thomas Herbert Maddock 1829 1831
John Low 1831 1842
James Caulfield (interí) 1839 1841
William Nott 1841 1843
George Pollock 1843 1844
J. D. Shakespear 1844 1845
T. Reid Davidson 1845 1847
Archibald Richmond 1847 1849
Sir William Henry Sleeman 1849 1854
Sir James Outram 1854 1856

Demographics

[edit]

In the early eighteenth century, the population of Oudh was estimated to be 3 million. Oudh underwent a demographic shift in which Lucknow and Varanasi expanded to become metropolises of over 200,000 people over the course of the 18th century at the expense of Agra and Delhi. During this period the land on the banks of the Yamuna suffered frequent dry spells, while the Baiswara did not.[28]: 38 

Although it was ruled by Muslims, a majority, roughly four fifths, of Oudh's population were Hindus.[8]: 155 [29]

Culture

[edit]

The Nawabs of Oudh were descended from a Sayyid line from Nishapur in Persia. They were Shia Muslims, and promoted Shia as the state religion.[13] Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah instituted the Oudh Bequest, a system of fixed payments by the British paid to the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. These payments, along with lifelong stipends to the wives and mother of Ghazi-ud-Din served as interest on the Third Oudh Loan taken in 1825.[30]

The cities of Allahabad, Varanasi, and Ayodhya were important pilgrimage sites for followers of Hinduism and other Dharmic religions. The town of Bahraich was also revered by some Muslims.[31]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Oudh – definition of Oudh in English from the Oxford dictionary". Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  2. ^ Davies, Philip, Splendours of the Raj: British Architecture in India, 1660–1947. New York: Penguin Books, 1987
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26°47′N 82°08′E / 26.78°N 82.13°E / 26.78; 82.13