|PREDECESSORS and SHORT
HISTORY: Became independent of the Mughal Rulers in 1703,
defeated by the
at Plassey, losing their independence. The last Nawab Nazim abdicated
was reduced in status to that of a Zamindar. Rulers were….
Mirza Muhammed, an Arab by descent and an
at the court of Azam Shah, married a lady of the Turki tribe of Afshar
settled in Khurasan, and had issue.
- Haji Ahmad Khan, married and had issue.
- Nawazish Muhammad Khan [Mirza Muhammed Raza], served as
of the Nawab’s troops and superintendent of customs at Murshidabad,
Nazim of Dhaka, married Ghaseti Begum, eldest daughter of Nawab Nazim
Verdi Khan (see below). He died sp in December 1755.
- Sayed Ahmed Khan Saulat Jang, Naib Faujdar of Ghoraghat
Nazim of Purnia, married the 2nd daughter of Nawab Nazim Ali Verdi Khan
(see below), and had issue.
- Shawkat Jang, Naib Nazim of Purnia, was granted the
Bihar and Orissa, by the Mughal Emperor. He died 16th October 1756 at
- Zainuddin Ahmed Khan Haibat Jang [Mirza Muhammad
Hashim], Naib Nazim of
Bihar, married Amina Begum, youngest daughter of Nawab Nazim Ali Verdi
Khan (see below), and had issue. He died 1748.
- Suraj-ud-Dowlah Nawab Nazim Mirza Muhammed Khan (qv)
- Mirza Mehdi Ikramuddaula, died young of smallpox.
- Nawab Nazim Ali Verdi Khan [Mirza Muhammed
- Nawab Shah Khanum, married in about 1726, Sujah-ul-Mulk
Hisam-ud-Dowlah Nawab Nazim Mir Muhommed Jaffer Khan Bahadur Mahabat
- Nawab Nazim MURSHID QULI
JAFAR KHAN, 1st Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
nothing is known for certain of his family, he became subedar
court, diwan and faujdar of Golkonda, later appointed diwan of Bengal
with the title of Kartalab Khan, he was granted the title of Murshid
Khan in 1703, next year he was allowed to rename Moqsudabad in Bengal
himself, Murshidabad, raised to the post of Nazim of Bengal in 1716,
the titles of Jafar Khan and later Mutamin-ul-Mulk Ala-ud-daula Jafar
Nasiri Nasir Jang Bahadur, and his rank was also raised to 7000. He
the capital of the province from Dhaka to Murshidabad in 1717, married
and had issue. He died 30th June 1727.
- Zinatunnissa Begum, married Nawab Nazim Shujauddin
Muhammed Khan (qv)
- Nawab Nazim SHUJA UDDIN
KHAN, 2nd Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
1727/1739, he was granted the title of Mutaman-i-Mulk Shujauddaula Asad Jang
Emperor, he was an impartial and just ruler, kind and liberal to his
married Zinatunissa Begum, and had issue. He died in 1739 and was
in the garden called Farahbag at Murshidabad.
- Nawab Nazim Sarfraz Khan (by Zinatunissa) (qv)
- Mirza Muhammad Taqi, Naib Nazim of Orissa.
- Durdana Begum, married Rustam Jang Murshid Quli Khan II,
Naib Nazim of
Dhaka and later of Orissa, and had issue. He might have died as a
in the Deccan.
- Daughter, married Mirza Aga Bakar,
Persian Noble and Zamindar
of Salimabad, died 1754, and had issue.
- Nawab Nazim ALAUDDIN
SARFRAZ KHAN, 3rd Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
1739/1740, Diwan of Bengal, died 6th April 1740 at Giria.
- Nawab Nazim ALI VERDI
KHAN, 4th Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa 1740/1756,
appointed as the superintendent of the filkhana
(elephant stables) and was also given charge of the zardozkhana
(department of embroidered clothes), appointed faujdar of the chakla
(rajmahal) in 1728 and was invested with the title of ‘Aliverdi’,
Naib Nazim of Bihar in 1733, was granted the title of Mahabat Jang and
the rank of panch hazari mansabdar, received from Emperor Muhammad Shah
the recognition of his authority as the subahdar of Bengal along with
titles of Shuja-ul-mulk and Husamuddaula (the valorous of the state and
the sword of the empire), married Sharifunnisa Begum (amongst others),
and had issue. He died 9th April 1756 aged about 80.
- Ghaseti Begum [Mihrunissa], married Nawazish Muhammad
Khan (see above).
She died sp in 1760, drowned
in the Buriganga River.
- (name unknown)
Begum, married Shawkat Jang (see above).
- Amina Begum, married Zainuddin Ahmed Khan and had issue
died 1760, drowned in the Buriganga River.
- Suraj-ud-Dowlah Nawab
MUHAMMED KHAN, 5th Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
1756/1757 (grandson), born 1733, Naib Nazim of Bihar, he was cruel and
profligate, being offended with the English for giving protection to a
native official who had escaped with treasure from Dacca, he attacked
took Calcutta on the 20th of June 1756. Calcutta was retaken by Clive
Admiral Watson on the 2nd of January 1757, and on the 23rd of June,
routed at Plassey, fled to Rajmahal, where he was captured. He married
1stly, August 1746 Umdatunnisa (Bahu Begum), daughter of Mirza Iraj
married 2ndly, Lutfunissa Begum, originally a Hindu slave girl called
who was in the service of Amina Begum, died November 1790, and had
He was put to death on the 4th of July 1757 at Murshidabad, by order of
Miran, son of Mir Jafar, who had conspired against Suraj-ud-Dowlah and
had been present at Plassey without taking part in the battle, and is
at Khushbagh along with his favourite wife, Lutfunnisa Begum.
- Zohra Begum (by Lutfunissa), born 1753, married Mir Asad
Ali Khan, and
had issue, four daughters. She died 1774.
Nazim Mir MUHOMMED
JAFFER Khan Bahadur Mahabat Jang, 6th Nawab Nazim of Bengal,
Bihar and Orissa 1757/1760
and 1763/1765, 2nd son of Syed Ahmad Najafi, born 1691, became
of Bengal in 1740 with the title of ‘Khan Bahadur’, in 1744 for his
and bravery in the Mahratta war, he was raised to the rank of the
of four thousand horse, in addition to his Commander-in-Chief, became
Subahdar (Deputy Governor) of Orissa and collector of revenue and
of Midnapur and Hijli in 1746, he married (amongst others), (a)
Begum, died 10th January 1813, aged 97, married (b), in about 1726
(Senior Wife) Nawab Shah
of Ali Verdi Khan), married (c), Bubbu Begum, and had issue. He died
- Nasir-ul-Mulk Ala-u-Dowlah Nawab Mir
Ali Khan (Miran), died 2nd July 1760 (killed by lightning).
- Sujah-ul-Mulk Najimuddaula
Nawab Nazim Mir
Najimuddin Ali Khan Bahadur Mahabat Jang (by Muni Begum) (qv)
- Saif-ul-Mulk Saifuddaula
Nawab Nazim Syed
Najabut Ali Khan Bahadur Shahamut Jang (by Muni Begum) (qv)
- Syed Ashrab Ali Khan, he died sp
- Mutamun-ul-Mulk Mubarakuddaula
Mubarak Ali Khan Bahadur Feroze Jang (by Bubbu Begum) (qv)
Nasir-ul-Mulk Imtiaz-u-Dowlah Nawab Nazim
QASIM ALI KHAN Bahadur Nasirat Jang, Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar
1760/1763, married a daughter of his predecessor and died in obscurity
about 1777 in Delhi.
- Sujah-ul-Mulk Najimuddaula
Nawab Nazim NAJIMUDDIN
ALI KHAN Bahadur Mahabat Jang, 7th Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar
and Orissa 1765/1766,
born 1750, died sp on 3rd May
1766 unmarried, buried in the
- Saif-ul-Mulk Saifuddaula
NAJABUT ALI KHAN Bahadur Shahamut Jang, 8th Nawab Nazim of
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
1766/1770, died sp in March 1770.
- Mutamun-ul-Mulk Mubarakuddaula
MUBARAK ALI KKHAN Bahadur Feroze Jang, 9th Nawab Nazim of
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
1770/1793, born 1759, married (amongst others), (a),
Begum, also called Walida Begum and had issue 12 sons and 13 daughters.
He died 6th September 1793 and was buried in Jaffraganj Cemetery.
- Nasir-ul-Mulk Azud-u-Dowlah Nawab
Syed Baber Ali
Khan Bahadur Delir Jang (eldest, son of Fais-un-nissa Begum) (qv)
- Nawab Mangli Abdul Kasim Khan Bahadur
married and had issue.
- Mir Safdar Ali Khan, married and
- Shuja-ul-Mulk Asafuddaula
Nawab Bahadur Syed
Zainulabidin Khan Bahadur Firuz Jang, born 8th December 1838,
Bahadur [cr.1867] (personal distinction only).
KHAN Bahadur Delir Jang Baber Jang,
10th Nawab Nazim of
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa 1793/1810, married and had issue.
He died 28th April 1810.
- Nawab Sujah-ul-Mulk Mubarakuddaula Ali
Nawab Syed Muhommed Zainulabdin Khan Bahadur Feroze Jang (qv)
- Burhan-ul-Mulk Ihtishamuddaula Walah
Syed Ahmad Ali Khan Bahadur Mahabat Jang (qv)
- Nawab Sujah-ul-Mulk
Nawab Syed MUHOMMED ZAINULABDIN KHAN Bahadur Feroze Jang, 11th
Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa 1810/1821, married and had
issue, three daughters. He died 6th August 1821.
- Rais-un-nissa Begum, married 1826
Sujah-ul-Mulk Ihtishamuddaula Humayun
Jah Nawab Syed Mubarak Ali Khan Bahadur Feroze Jang (her cousin,
Syed AHMAD ALI KHAN Bahadur Mahabat Jang, 12th Nawab Nazim of
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa 1821/1824,
married and had issue, one son. He died 30th October 1824.
- Sujah-ul-Mulk Ihtishamuddaula Humayun
Nawab Syed Mubarak Ali Khan Bahadur Feroze Jang (qv)
Nawab Syed MUBARAK ALI KHAN Bahadur Feroze Jang, 13th Nawab
Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa 1824/1838, born 1810, awarded Grand
Cross of the Royal Hanoverian
Order, with the Insignia, by King William IV of Great Britain, married
1826 Rais-un-nissa Begum (daughter of Nawab Ali Jah) and had issue, one
son and one daughter. He died 3rd October 1838.
- Nawab Nazim Mutizum-ul-Mulk,
Jah Syed Mansur Ali Khan Bahadur Nasirat Jang (qv)
- Sultana Satiara Begum
- HH Nawab Nazim Mutizum-ul-Mulk
Jah Syed MANSUR ALI KHAN Bahadur Nasirat Jang, 14th Nawab
Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa 1838/1880 (abdicated), born in
1830, upon his abdication he received the lesser title of
Bahadur and was denied the use of the qualification of His Highness,
Shams i Jehan Begum, died 1905, Gaddinashin Begum of Bengal, Bihar and
Orissa; two concubines, Malika Zamani and Shah-un nisa, were elevated
the status of wives after investigation by the British Authorities, in
England he ‘married’ a further two wives, Sarah Vennell and Julia
and had issue, over 100 children, most by informal liaisons, married
1stly, Shams i Jehan Begum, died 1905, married 2ndly, Malika Zamani
married 3rdly, Shah-un-nissa Begum, married 4thly, Sarah Vennell,
married 5thly (bigamously), Julia Lewis. He died 1884.
- Kurshid Qadar Nawab Bahadur Syed Iskander Ali Mirza,
Sultan Saheb (by
Gaddinashin Begum), married and had issue. He died before 1902.
- Syed Nadir Ali Mirza, married and had issue.
- Syed Mohammad Fateh Ali Mirza, married (amongst
others), Dilshaid Begum
and had issue.
- Qumar Taj Begum, born 1902, married 1stly, Hashim
2ndly, 1938 in Bihar, Syed Zainuddin Hossain Meerza, Nawab of Khagra.
- Syed Iskander Mirza, born 15th November 1899, 4th
1955/1956, 1st President of Pakistan 1956/1958, educated at Elphinstone
College, and at Sandhurst Academy in England for army training in 1918,
inducted into the British Indian Army in 1919, joined the Indian
Service in 1926 and was posted as Assistant Commissioner in North West
Frontier Province. He was promoted to District Officer in 1931. He
the Ministry of Defense, Government of India, as a Joint Secretary,
as the first Defense Secretary of Pakistan at the time of Independence,
serving for seven years, appointed Governor in May 1954. From October
to August 1955, he served as the Interior Minister, and then as the
of States and Frontier Regions in the Cabinet of Prime Minister
Ali Bogra. Assumed the post of acting Governor General on 7th August
elected as the first President of Pakistan the following year. He
1stly, Begum Iskander Mirza [née Rifaat Shirazi], married 2ndly,
Begum Nahid Afkhamy, and had issue. He died 13th November 1969.
- Syed Humayun Mirza (by 1st marriage), born 9th
December 1928 in Poona,
India, educated at the Doon School then college in England and
with a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Harvard. Held
Management positions at the World Bank where he worked for 30 years
as Senior Adviser to the Vice President, author of “From Plassey to
married 1stly (div.) Josephine Hildreth [Dodie Begum], daughter of
A. Hildreth, US Ambassador to Pakistan 1953/1957, married 2ndly, a
lady, and has issue, two daughters.
- Zareen Mirza (by first marriage)
- Samia Mirza (by second marriage)