Zamindars of Bengal
Encyclopedia
The Zamindars of Bengal were influential in administration of territories in present day West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

 and former East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....

, contemporary Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

. The Nawabs of Bengal ruled the area under the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

 from 1717 to 1880. Murshid Quli Jafar Khan governed the area, through his feudal chiefs, the zamindars. The zamindars dominated all the villages in Bengal. The zamindars of the area rose into prominence, owning territories that dwarfed most of the independent sovereign Kingdoms
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...

 of India. Mostly credited with cultural, architectural, educational and economical development of Bengal, the area was responsible in the many events that saw British rise to power in the region, that ultimately led to India coming under British Rule. Also the struggle for freedom of 1857, saw involvement of the Bengal Army. The zamindars went on to build the first universities, colleges and museums in their area.

History and Events

In 1612, Sir Thomas Roe was instructed by King James I
James I
James I may refer to:* King James I of Aragon * King James I of Sicily , also King James II of Aragon* James I, Count of La Marche , Count of Ponthieu...

 to visit the Mughal Emperor to arrange for a commercial treaty which would give the Company exclusive rights to reside and build factories in Surat and other areas. The British were given the ability to trade in the Indian Empire by Emperor Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...

.

1757-1764

In 1757, after the Battle of Plassey
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey , 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years...

, the rule of the Nawabs were undermined by the British and later they received the diwani (Vice Royalty
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...

) from the Nawabs. In effect, the British now directly controlled Bengal and most of its zamindars who were previously under the Nawabs and the Imperial Mughal rule. The Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...

 (1756–1763) saw the transformation of events of 1757 to 1764 where European forces were in a struggle to oust the Indian rulers and establish rule in Bengal, that resulted in direct rule over all of India.
In 1764, the Battle of Buxar
Battle of Buxar
The Battle of Buxar was fought on 22 October 1764 between the forces under the command of the British East India Company, and the combined armies of Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal; Shuja-ud-Daula Nawab of Awadh; and Shah Alam II, the Mughal Emperor...

, saw the loss of Bengal from the Mughals, as Emperor Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II , also known as Ali Gauhar, was a Mughal emperor of India. A son of Alamgir II, he was exiled to Allahabad in December 1759 by Ghazi-ud-Din, who appointed Shah Jahan III as the emperor. Later, he was nominated as the emperor by Ahmad Shah.Shah Alam II was considered the only and...

 became a pensioner of the British after a loss. With him, Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula
Shuja-ud-Daula
Shuja-ud-Daula was the Subedar Nawab of Oudh from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775, and the son of Muhammad Nasir.Though a minor royal, he is best known for his key roles in two definitive battles in Indian history - the Third Battle of Panipat which ended Maratha domination of India, and the...

, the Ruler of Awadh was restored, while Nawab Mir Qasim
Mir Qasim
Mir Qasim was Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1764. He was installed as Nawab by the British East India Company replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been installed by the British after his role in the Battle of Plassey...

, the Ruler of Bengal
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazims or subadars of the subah of Bengal during the Mughal rule and the de-facto rulers of the province.-History:...

 lost his control on Bengal.

The Treaty of Allahabad was signed on August 16, 1765 between Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

 Emperor Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II , also known as Ali Gauhar, was a Mughal emperor of India. A son of Alamgir II, he was exiled to Allahabad in December 1759 by Ghazi-ud-Din, who appointed Shah Jahan III as the emperor. Later, he was nominated as the emperor by Ahmad Shah.Shah Alam II was considered the only and...

 (son of late Emperor Alamgir II
Alamgir II
Aziz-ud-din Alamgir II was the Mughal Emperor of India from 3 June 1754 to 29 November 1759. He was the son of Jahandar Shah....

) and Lord Clive of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...

 after the Battle of Buxar
Battle of Buxar
The Battle of Buxar was fought on 22 October 1764 between the forces under the command of the British East India Company, and the combined armies of Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal; Shuja-ud-Daula Nawab of Awadh; and Shah Alam II, the Mughal Emperor...

 (1764). Based on the terms of the agreement, Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II , also known as Ali Gauhar, was a Mughal emperor of India. A son of Alamgir II, he was exiled to Allahabad in December 1759 by Ghazi-ud-Din, who appointed Shah Jahan III as the emperor. Later, he was nominated as the emperor by Ahmad Shah.Shah Alam II was considered the only and...

 granted Diwani rights or right to administer the territory and collect taxes to the East India Company. These rights allowed the Company to collect revenue from the people of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

 and Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

. In return, the Company gave an annual tribute of 2.6 million rupees (260,000 British pounds) while securing for Shah Alam II the districts of Kora and Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...

. The tribute money paid to the emperor was for the maintenance of the court of Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...

. The accord also dictated that Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II , also known as Ali Gauhar, was a Mughal emperor of India. A son of Alamgir II, he was exiled to Allahabad in December 1759 by Ghazi-ud-Din, who appointed Shah Jahan III as the emperor. Later, he was nominated as the emperor by Ahmad Shah.Shah Alam II was considered the only and...

 restore to Balwant Singh the province of Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

 as long as Balwant Singh continued to pay revenue to the Company. Awadh
Awadh
Awadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...

 was returned to Shuja-ud-Daulah
Shuja-ud-Daula
Shuja-ud-Daula was the Subedar Nawab of Oudh from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775, and the son of Muhammad Nasir.Though a minor royal, he is best known for his key roles in two definitive battles in Indian history - the Third Battle of Panipat which ended Maratha domination of India, and the...

 but Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...

 and Kora was taken from him. The Nawab of Awadh
Nawab of Awadh
The Nawab of Awadh is the title of rulers who governed the state of Awadh in India in the 18th and 19th century. The Nawabs of Awadh originated form Persia-Establishment:...

 also had to pay 53 Lakhs rupees of war indemnity to the British.

British Rule

This European conquest of The Kingdom of Bengal would later instill the Company rule in India
Company rule in India
Company rule in India refers to the rule or dominion of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent...

  (and would later on turn into the British Emipre, which effectively began in 1757 after the Battle of Plassey, lasted until 1858, when, following the events of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...

, where the Bengal Army was one of the main protagonists and under the Government of India Act 1858
Government of India Act 1858
The Government of India Act 1858 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on August 2, 1858. Its provisions called for the liquidation of the British East India Company and the transference of its functions to the British Crown...

, the British Crown assumed direct administration of India in the new British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

 that would rule all of India (present day India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

 and Burma). While the Battle of Plassey secured a foothold for the British East India Company in the rich province of Bengal only, the Battle of Buxar is really the battle that secured its political ascendancy in India.

Interestingly, the Viceroyalty and later direct Royal British Rule over Bengal started as the British being given the Jemmidarship
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...

 (british dimilutive of the word zamindari) by the Rulers of Bengal

Direct Rule by the Crown

In 1877, the title of Emperor of India
Emperor of India
Emperor/Empress of India was used as a title by the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II, and revived by the colonial British monarchs during the British Raj in India....

 of the Mughal Royal Family (Imperial House of Timur
Timurid Dynasty
The Timurids , self-designated Gurkānī , were a Persianate, Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turko-Mongol descent whose empire included the whole of Iran, modern Afghanistan, and modern Uzbekistan, as well as large parts of contemporary Pakistan, North India, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the...

) went to the British Royal family, first to Queen Victoria (1877-1901), King Edward VII (1901-1910), King George V
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...

 (1910-1936), King Edward VIII (1936) and finally King George VI (1936-1948).

Philanthropy

Under the British, the zamindars grew more powerful, shedding their image as landed aristocrats, and taking honorary royal titles such as Raja and Maharaja recognized by the British Royal Family themselves. Some families such as the Burdwan Raj afmily
Burdwan (Zamindari)
The Zamindari of Burdwan was one of the largest and richest feudal estates in the province of Bengal, Created under Mughal rule in the 17th century, the estate flourished under the British and was noted for its support of education and the arts....

 (or Burdhaman
Bardhaman Raj
The Bardhaman Raj was a zamindari estate that flourished from about 1657 to 1955, first under the Mughals and then under the British in the province of Bengal in India...

) ruled over territories in excess of 13,000 km2, while the Rajshahi Raj family
Rajshahi Raj family
Rajshahi Raj was a large feudatory kingdom which occupied a vast position of Bengal . It was the second largest zamindari with an area of about 33,670 sq km, after the Burdwan Raj...

 ruled over an area of 33,670 km2. The Baro-Bhuyan
Baro-Bhuyan
The Baro-Bhuyans were warrior chiefs and landlords of medieval Assam and Bengal who maintained a loose independent confederacy. In times of aggression by external powers, they generally cooperated in defending and expelling the aggressor. In times of peace, they maintained their respective...

 occupied the region west of the Kachari kingdom
Kachari Kingdom
The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group...

 in the south bank of the Brahmaputra river, and west of the Sutiya kingdom in the north bank, and were prevalent in the area since 1498.

Other families such as the Dighapatia Raj
Dighapatia Raj
Dighapatia Raj was a zamindari in present day Rajshahi, which was ruled by this dynasty of 7 generations of Rajas from late seventeenth century till the mid-twentieth century; when the democratic government took power after the end of the British Monarchy’s rule in India, in 1950, the East Pakistan...

 family would go on to establish the first museum of East Bengal in 1910, while the Nawab Bahadur Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury
Nawab Bahadur Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury
Nawab Bahadur Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury was a noted philanthropist, zamindar, social worker, and politician. He was educated at the Rajshahi Collegiate School and St. Xavier's College, Calcutta...

 another zamindar of Rajshahi founded the University of Dhaka
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. It is a multi-disciplinary research university and is among the top universities in the region. Established on July 21, 1921, as per the Government of India Act, 1920, it was modelled on the Universities in England and soon gained...

, the first University of East Bengal, his . Yet another zamindari of Rajshahi, the Puthia Raj family
Puthia Raj family
Puthia Raj is currently an upazila in Rajshahi district. The Puthia Raj family was created by the Mughals in the early seventeenth century is one of the oldest feudal estates of Bengal....

 is the oldest estate of Bengal, originally given to a Lord named Nilambar by Emperor Jahangir with a title of Raja (King). Nawab Khwaja Ahsanullah
Khwaja Ahsanullah
Nawab Khwaja Ahsanullah , Khan Bahadur KCIE, was the Nawab of Dhaka. He was a renowned Urdu litterateur.-Early life:He was born in 1846 the son of Khwaja Abdul Ghani and Ismatun Nesa. As a young child he learned Urdu, Arabic and Persian in addition to his native Bengali. He was noted as being a...

 a zamindar of Dhaka
Dhaka Nawab family
Dhaka Nawab Family reigned in Dhaka from mid 19th century to mid 20th century, after the fall of the Naib Nazims. The hereditary title of Nawab, similar to the British peerage, was conferred upon the head of the Family by the British Raj as a recognition of their loyalty in the time of the Sepoy...

 is largely credited with making Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology or BUET as it is commonly known, is a Public Engineering University in Bangladesh. It is the oldest Engineering institution in the region, and is regarded as the best university for technological education in Bangladesh...

, the oldest engineering institution of the region. Persian nobility (and zamindar), such as Mirza Agha Bakar
Mirza Agha Bakar
Agha Bakar Mirza an 18th century Persian noble and Zamindar of parganas Buzurg Umedpur and Salimabad constituting major part of modern greater Barisal District.-Early life:Mirza Agha was the son-in-law of Mirza Murshid Quli Khan...

 of Barisal played an important part in Bengal History.

Abolition

Even after the abolition of the zamindari system, zamindari family members such as Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin
Khawaja Nazimuddin
Hajji Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin, KCIE , was the second Governor-General of Pakistan, and later the second Prime Minister of Pakistan as well.-Early life:...

 became the second Governor-General of Pakistan
Governor-General of Pakistan
The Governor-General of Pakistan was the representative in Pakistan of the Crown from the country's independence in 1947. When Pakistan was proclaimed a republic in 1956 the connection with the British monarchy ended, and the office of Governor-General was abolished.-History:Pakistan gained...

, and later the second Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...

. Nawab Bahadur Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury
Nawab Bahadur Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury
Nawab Bahadur Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury was a noted philanthropist, zamindar, social worker, and politician. He was educated at the Rajshahi Collegiate School and St. Xavier's College, Calcutta...

's grandson, Nawabzada Muhammad Ali Bogra
Muhammad Ali Bogra
Nawabzada Mohammed Ali Bogra was a Pakistani statesman of Bengali origin, who served as the third Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1953 until 1955.-Early life:...

 became the third Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...

. Sahibzada Iskander Mirza, a relative of the Nawabs of Bengal and also of Muhammad Ali Bogra
Muhammad Ali Bogra
Nawabzada Mohammed Ali Bogra was a Pakistani statesman of Bengali origin, who served as the third Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1953 until 1955.-Early life:...

 became the first President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

 of the Republic of Pakistan.

Further Study

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