Nawab of Murshidabad
Creation date1882
First holderHassan Ali Mirza
Last holderWaris Ali Mirza
Present holderAbbas Ali Meerza (pretender)[1]
Extinction date1969
Seat(s)Hazarduari Palace
Wasif Manzil

The Nawab Bahadur of Murshidabad (Bengali: মুর্শিদাবাদের নবাব বাহাদুর), or simply known as the Nawab of Murshidabad, was a hereditary title of Bengal akin to Western peerage. They were direct descendants of the former Nawabs of Bengal, who were the de facto rulers of Bengal, and inherited their estates and property. The inaugural holder was Hassan Ali Mirza. After the death of Waris Ali Mirza in 1969, the title was held in abeyance and later abolished. In August 2014, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that his nephew, Abbas Ali Meerza, was a rightful heir of the Nawabs of Murshidabad.[2]

History

The Hazarduari Palace was the seat of the titular Nawabs of Murshidabad.

The title Nawab of Murshidabad was used an alternative for the Nawabs of Bengal, as they were based in the city of Murshidabad, founded by the inaugural Nawab of Bengal Murshid Quli Khan. The title continued to be used synonymously until the time of Nawab Mansur Ali Khan, who was the last titular Nawab Nazim of Bengal. During his reign, the nizamat (princeship) at Murshidabad came to be debt-ridden. The Nawab left Murshidabad in February 1869, and had started living in England. The title of the Nawab of Bengal stood abolished in 1880.[3] In October 1880, he went to Bombay, pleading his case against the orders of the British Raj, but as it stood unresolved, the Nawab renounced his styles and titles, abdicating in favour of his eldest son, Hassan Ali Mirza, on 1 November 1880.[3] Mirza and his descendants were simply known with the title of Nawab of Murshidabad and held the status of a peerage from then on.[4]

The Nawabs of Murshidabad succeeded the Nawab Nazims following Nawab Mansur Ali Khan's abdication.[5][3][6] The Nawab Bahadurs had ceased to exercise any significant power.[5] They were relegated to the status of a zamindar. They continued to be a wealthy Indian family, producing bureaucrats and army officers. However, their political influence in Bengal was eclipsed by the Nawab of Dhaka. Members of the Nawab family of Murshidabad were part of the Pakistan movement. At the time of the partition of India in 1947, the flag of Pakistan was hoisted at the Hazarduari Palace. The Radcliffe Line made clear that Murshidabad district would fall under the Dominion of India. Soon after the line was published, the Pakistani flag was lowered and the Indian tricolour was hoisted atop the palace.[7] In Pakistan, a member of the family, Iskander Mirza, became the country's Governor-General and first President. In 1959, Wasif Ali Mirza came to be the third Nawab Bahadur.[8] He was succeeded by Waris Ali Mirza who died in 1969,[9] survived by three sons and three daughters. His death was followed by a long-standing dispute over succession as he had excluded his eldest son, Wakif Ali Mirza, from the succession for contracting a non-Muslim marriage. Waris Ali took no steps during his lifetime to establish his successor. His will stood disputed.[10] The Indian government withdrew privileges for princely families in 1971.[11][10]

List of Nawabs

The Nawabs of Murshidabad succeeded the Nawabs of Bengal.[5][3] Waris Ali Mirza was the last Nawab to hold the title legally. Abbas Ali Mirza has been recognised as the lawful heir of Waris Ali. The title today is de facto only and is devoid of any legal sanctity.[11]

Picture Name Birth Reign Death
Sayyid Ḥasan ʿAlī Mīrzā
سید حسن علی میرزا
সৈয়দ হাসান আলী মীর্জা		 25 August 1846 17 February 1882 – 25 December 1906 25 December 1906[6]
Sayyid Wāṣif ʿAlī Mīrzā
سید واصف علی میرزا
সৈয়দ ওয়াসেফ আলী মীর্জা		 7 January 1875 December 1906 – 23 October 1959 23 October 1959[12]
Sayyid Wāris ʿAlī Mīrzā
سید وارث علی میرزا
সৈয়দ ওয়ারিশ আলী মীর্জা		 14 November 1901 1959 – 20 November 1969 20 November 1969[10]
Disputed/In abeyance (20 November 1969 – 13 August 2014)[9][13]
Sayyid ʿAbbās ʿAlī Mīrzā
سید عباس علی میرزا
সৈয়দ আব্বাস আলী মীর্জা		 circa 1942 13 August 2014 (declared lawful heir) —

References

  1. ↑ Mahato, Sukumar (20 August 2014). "Murshidabad gets a Nawab again, but fight for assets ahead". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  2. ↑ The Times of India (20 August 2014). "Murshidabad gets a Nawab again, but fight for assets ahead". Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Murshidabad History – Feradun Jah". Murshidabad.net. 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  4. ↑ Sir George Watt (1987). Indian Art at Delhi 1903: Being the Official Catalogue of the Delhi Exhibition 1902–1903. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 4. ISBN 978-81-208-0278-0.
  5. 1 2 3 "Murshidabad History – The Nawabs and Nazims". Murshidabad.net. 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Hassan Ali Mirza's succession". Murshidabad.net. 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  7. ↑ "Nawabs' Murshidabad House lies in tatters". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  8. ↑ E. W. R. Lumby (1954). The Transfer of Power in India, 1945-7. London: George Allen and Unwin. p. 232. OCLC 5413266.
  9. 1 2 Mahato, Sukumar (20 August 2014). "Murshidabad gets a Nawab again, but fight for assets ahead". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 April 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 "Murshidabad History – Waresh Ali". murshidabad.net. Archived from the original on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  11. 1 2 "Twenty Sixth Amendment to the Indian Constitution". Indiacode.nic.in. 28 December 1971. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  12. ↑ Company, East India (1807). Papers Presented to the House of Commons Concerning the Late Nabob of the Carnatic. p. 118.
  13. ↑ "Portrait of an accidental Nawab". The Times of India. 22 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
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