Nawab of the Carnatic
Encyclopedia
Nawabs of the Carnatic , ruled the Carnatic region
Carnatic region
The Carnatic coast is the region of South India lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Coromandel Coast, in the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, south eastern Karnataka and southern Andhra Pradesh....

 of South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

 between about 1690 and 1801. They initially had their capital at Arcot,vellore city . Their rule is an important period in the history of Tamil Nadu
History of Tamil Nadu
The region of Tamil Nadu in modern India has been under continuous human habitation since prehistoric times, and the history of Tamil Nadu and the civilization of the Tamil people are among the oldest in the world. Throughout its history, spanning the early Paleolithic age to modern times, this...

, in which 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...

 gave way to the rising influence of the Maratha Empire
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....

, and later the emergence of the 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...

.

Carnatic

The old province known as the Carnatic, in which Madras (Chennai) was situated, extended from the Krishna river
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...

 to the Coleroon, and was bounded on the West by Cuddapah, Salem and Dindigul
Dindigul
Dindigul is a town and municipality in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. The name Dindigul comes from the Portmanteau of “Thindu” meaning pillow and “kal” meaning Rock and refers to the bare hill dominating the city’s both land and skyscape...

, all of which formed part of the Sultanate of Mysore. The Northern portion was known as the 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...

 Carnatic
Carnatic region
The Carnatic coast is the region of South India lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Coromandel Coast, in the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, south eastern Karnataka and southern Andhra Pradesh....

, the Southern the Maratha Carnatic with the Maharatta frontier fortress being Gingee
Gingee
Gingee is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam, 28 km away....

. Carnatic, the name commonly given to the region of Southern India between the Eastern Ghats
Eastern Ghats
The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the...

 and the Coromandel Coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...

 and the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...

, extends from Palghat to Bidar
Bidar
Bidar is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the north-eastern part of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Bidar District....

 and stretches from the Guntur district
Guntur district
Guntur district is located in Andhra Pradesh along the east coast of Bay of Bengal. The district has a coastline of around 100 kilometers. Guntur City is the largest city in the district and administrative center of Guntur District. The district is a major center for learning.-Etymology:There are...

 of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

 in the North, to Cape Comorin at the Southern-most tip of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

 State.

History

The Nawabs of the Carnatic trace their origin back to second Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word   which means "successor" or "representative"...

 Umar ibn al-Khattab.http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/15/stories/2004081513680300.htm The Nawabdom of the Carnatic was established by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...

, who in 1692 appointed Zulfiqar Ali Khan as the first Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....

 of the Carnatic
Carnatic region
The Carnatic coast is the region of South India lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Coromandel Coast, in the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, south eastern Karnataka and southern Andhra Pradesh....

, with his seat at Arcot as a reward for his victory over the renegade Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...

s led by Rajaram. With the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...

 in serious decline, the Nawabdom of the Carnatic controlled a vast territory south of the Krishna river
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...

. The Nawab Saadatullah of (1710-1732) moved his court from Gingee to Arcot. His successor Dost Ali (1732-1740) conquered and annexed Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...

 in 1736.

Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah
Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah
Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah was the Nawab of Arcot in India and an ally of the British East India Company. Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah was born to Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan, by his second wife, Fakhr un-nisa Begum Sahiba, was a niece of Sayyid Ali Khan Safavi ul-Mosawi of Persia, sometime Naib suba...

 (1749 - 1795 ) was freed from his suzerainty and made the independent ruler of the Carnatic by the Mughal emperor in 1765. His rule was long and mostly peaceful. He donated generously to Churches, Temples and Mosques. The temple at Sri Rangam was one which benefited from his generosity.

The growing influences of the English and the French and their colonial wars had a huge impact on the Carnatic. Wallajah supported the English against the French and Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...

, placing him heavily in debt. As a result he had to surrender much of his territory to the 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...

.

The thirteenth Nawab, Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan (1825–1855), died without issue and the British annexed the Carnatic Nawabdom applying the doctrine of lapse
Doctrine of lapse
The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy purportedly devised by Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor General for the British in India between 1848 and 1856...

. Ghouse Khan's uncle Azim Jah was created the first Prince of Arcot (Amir-E-Arcot) in 1867 by Queen Victoria, and was given a tax free pension in perpetuity. This privilege continues to be honoured by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

. This status is protected by the Indian Constitution and the family continues to retain its privileges and titles. The current Prince of Arcot Abdul Ali came to the title in July 1994.

Subedar Nawabs of the Carnatic under the Mughal Empire

Name Reign Began Reign Ended
1 Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung
Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung
Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung was born Muhammad Ismail son of renowned nobleman of Emperor Aurangzeb named Asad Khan and his wife Mehr-un-Nisa Begam . He was born in 1657 C.E. and held several appointments under Emperor Aurangzeb in the Mughal Empire...

1690 1703
2 Daud Khan
Nawab Daud Khan
Daud Khan Panni was a Mughal commander and later Nawab of the Carnatic.In 1703, Daud Khan was appointed as the Nawab of the Carnatic. Before he was made Nawab, the Emperor Aurangazeb appointed him as a leading commander of the Mughal Army in 1701, while Zulfikhar Ali Khan was the Nawab.Daud Khan...

1703 1710?
3 Muhammad Sa'adatullah Khan I
Muhammed Saadatullah Khan I
Muhammed Saiyid was the Dewan to Daud Khan till 1710, when he was himself appointed as the Nawab of the Carnatic. Moved the capital from Gingee to Arcot....

1710 1732
4 Dost Ali Khan
Dost Ali Khan
Ali Dost Khan, often referred to as Dost Ali Khan by most historians, was Nawab of the Carnatic from 1732 to 1740. He was the son of Ghulam Ali Khan, brother of the Nawab Saadatullah Khan. His childless uncle adopted him as heir, and he succeeded his uncle in 1732.Dost Ali Khan had two sons, Safdar...

1732 1740
5 Safdar Ali Khan
Safdar Ali Khan
Safdar Ali Khan was the son of Dost Ali Khan. After the death of his father in the battlefield at Ambur in 1740, he escaped to Vellore. In the same year, he was recognised as the Nawab of the Carnatic by the British....

1740 1742
6 Muhammad Sa'adatullah Khan II
Muhammed Saadatullah Khan II
Muhammad Sa'id Sa'adatullah Khan II was Sahib Zada of Safdar Ali Khan, Nawab of Arcot. After the assassination of Safdar Ali Khan in 1742, Murtaza Ali claimed for himself the Nawabship of the Arcot , Chanda Sahib who was taken prisoner to Satara by Maratha leader Raghoji Bhonsle had managed to...

1942 1944
7 Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan
Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan
Muhammad Anwaruddin was the 1st Nawab of Arcot of the second Dynasty. He was a major figure during the Second Carnatic War.He was a direct descendant of Hazarath Omar, the Second Caliph of Islam . Nawab Anwaruddin Khan was born at Gopamau, a place in Hardoi District, United Provinces, India in...

1744 31 July 1749

Semi-Independent Nawabs of Carnatic

Name Reign Began Reign Ended
1 Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan
Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan
Muhammad Anwaruddin was the 1st Nawab of Arcot of the second Dynasty. He was a major figure during the Second Carnatic War.He was a direct descendant of Hazarath Omar, the Second Caliph of Islam . Nawab Anwaruddin Khan was born at Gopamau, a place in Hardoi District, United Provinces, India in...

1744 31 July 1749

Nawabs of Carnatic under European Influence

Name Reign Began Reign Ended
1 Chanda Shahib
Chanda Shahib
Chanda Shahib was the Nawab of the Carnatic between 1749 and 1752. His birth name is Husayn Dost Khan. He was the son-in-law of the Nawab of Carnatic Dost Ali Khan, under whom he worked as a Dewan. He came from the Nait community which had ruled the Carnatic under Aurangzeb...

1749 1752
1 Muhammad Ali Khan Wala-Jah
Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah
Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah was the Nawab of Arcot in India and an ally of the British East India Company. Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah was born to Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan, by his second wife, Fakhr un-nisa Begum Sahiba, was a niece of Sayyid Ali Khan Safavi ul-Mosawi of Persia, sometime Naib suba...

31 July 1749 16 October 1795
3 Ghulam Hussaini Umdat-Ul-Umara
Umdat Ul-Umra
Ghulam Hussainy Umdat-Ul-Umra, Nawab Umra was the Nawab of the Carnatic region of India from 1795 to 1801. Many members of the British East India Company believed that Umdat Ul-Umra the Nawab of Carnatic secretly provided assistance to Tipu Sultan during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War and immediately...

1795 1801
4 Azim-ud-Daula
Azim-ud-Daula
Azim-ud-Daula was the Nawab of Carnatic from 1801 to 1819. He was the son of Umdat Ul-Umra and ascended the throne upon his father's death in 1801.- Treaty of 1801 :...

1801 1819
5 Azam Jah
Azam Jah
Azam Jah, Damat Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Sir Mir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur Bey Effendi was the eldest son of the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan Asif Jah VII; In 1936 he was given the courtesy title of Prince of Berar, a territory of the Nizam then leased in perpetuity to...

1819 1825

  • Silver Shaded Rows signify the French East India Company
    French East India Company
    The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....

    .
  • Yellow Shaded Rows signify 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...

    .

Princes of Arcot

Lineage
Amir Reign
Azim Jah
Azim Jah of Arcot
Azim Jah was the brother of Azam Jah, the eleventh Nawab of the Carnatic and uncle of Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan, the twelfth and last Nawab of the Carnatic. He held the title Nawab of Arcot from 1867 to 1874.- Early life :...

 
1867 - 1874
Sir Zahir-ud-Daula
Zahir-ud-Daula
Sir Zahir-ud-Daula Bahadur GCSI was the titular Nawab of Arcot from 1874 to 1879.- Early life :Zahir-ud-Daula was the son of Azim Jah, the first Nawab of Arcot and cousin to Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan, the twelfth and last Nawab of the Carnatic.- Reign :Zahir-ud-Daula was recognized as tha...

 Bahadur
1874 - 1879
Intizam-ul-Mulk
Intizam-ul-Mulk
Nawab Intizam-ul-Mulk Bahadur was the younger brother of Zahir-ud-Daula, the second Prince of Arcot. He succeeded his brother on his demise and ruled from 1879 to 1889.- Reign :...

 Muazzaluddaula Bahadur
1879 - 1889
Sir Muhammad Munawar Khan
Muhammad Munawar Khan
Sir Muhammad Munawar Khan KCIE was the Prince of Arcot from 1889 to 1903. Muhammad Munawar Khan was the nephew of Intizam-ul-Mulk, the third Prince of Arcot. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire during the reign of his uncle. He was exempted from appearing in civil courts...

 Bahadur
1889 - 1903
Sir Ghulam Muhammad Ali Khan
Ghulam Muhammad Ali Khan
Khan Bahadur Sir Ghulam Muhammad Ali Khan GCIE was the fifth Prince of Arcot and ruled from 1903 to 1952.- Early life :Ghulam Muhammad Ali Khan was born on February 26, 1882 to Muhammad Munawar Khan...

 Bahadur
1903 - 1952
Ghulam Mohiuddin Khan
Ghulam Mohiuddin Khan
Ghulam Mohiuddin Khan was the sixth prince of Arcot and served from 1952 to 1969. He was the younger brother of Ghulam Muhammad Ali Khan, the fifth Prince of Arcot.- Early life :...

 Bahadur
1952 - 1969
Ghulam Mohammed Abdul Khader
Ghulam Mohammed Abdul Khader
Ghulam Mohammed Abdul Khader was the seventh prince of the House of Arcot. He was the son of Ghulam Mohiuddin Khan, the sixth Nawab of Arcot and reigned from 1969 to 1993. He was succeeded by the currently reigning monarch Muhammed Abdul Ali....

 
1969 - 1993
Muhammed Abdul Ali
Muhammed Abdul Ali
Al-Hajj Nawab Ghulam Muhammad 'Abdu'l 'Ali Khan Bahadur is the current Prince of Arcot, holding this title since July 1993, upon demise of his father Ghulam Mohammed Abdul Khader...

 
1993 - current

See also

  • Carnatic Wars
    Carnatic Wars
    The Carnatic Wars were a series of military conflicts in the middle of the 18th century on the Indian subcontinent...

  • Amir Mahal
    Amir Mahal
    Amir Mahal is the official residence of the titular Nawab of Arcot and his family. Situated in Royapettah, a suburb in the present Chennai India, it was constructed in Indo-Saracenic style in 1798, the Amir Mahal has been the residence of the family since 1876....

  • Nizam of Hyderabad
  • Nawab of Masulipatam
    Nawab of Masulipatam
    The Nawabs of Masulipatam ruled under the Nizam in eastern India. The best known of them was Nawab Haji Hassan Khan.Their title later became Nawab of Banganapalle as they shifted from Masulipatam to Banganapalle...

  • Nawab of Banganapalle
    Nawab of Banganapalle
    The Nawab of Banganapalle was the leader of Banganapalle, a fief of the Mughal empire which later became a princely state of British India, before being incorporated into Kurnool district of the Madras Presidency.-Princely history:...

  • History of Tamil Nadu
    History of Tamil Nadu
    The region of Tamil Nadu in modern India has been under continuous human habitation since prehistoric times, and the history of Tamil Nadu and the civilization of the Tamil people are among the oldest in the world. Throughout its history, spanning the early Paleolithic age to modern times, this...

  • List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
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