Alivardi Khan (1671 – 9 April 1756) was the Nawab of Bengal from 1740 to 1756. He toppled the Nasiri dynasty of Nawabs by defeating

Sarfaraz Khan Sarfarāz Khān ( bn, সরফরাজ খান, fa, ; c. 1700 – 29 April 1740), born ''Mīrza Asadullāh'', was a Nawab of Bengal. Sarfaraz Khan's maternal grandfather, Nawab Murshid Quli Khan of Bengal (Bengal, Bihar and Orissa) nomin ...

in 1740 and assumed power himself. During much of his reign Alivardi encountered frequent Maratha raids under

Raghuji Bhonsle Raghoji Bhonsle or Raghoji I Bhonsale or Raghuji the Great (1695 – February 1755) of the Bhonsale dynasty, was a Maratha general who took control of the Nagpur Kingdom in east-central India during the reign of Shahu I. His successors rule ...

, culminating in the surrender of the province of

Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...

in a peace settlement in 1751. He also faced separatist rebellions in

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

as well as a revolt from his grandson

Siraj ud-Daulah Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah ( fa, ; 1733 – 2 July 1757), commonly known as Siraj-ud-Daulah or Siraj ud-Daula, was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. The end of his reign marked the start of the rule of the East India Company over Beng ...

, though these were suppressed. Alivardi spent the latter part of his reign rebuilding Bengal. He was a patron of the arts and resumed the policies of

Murshid Quli Khan Murshid Quli Khan ( fa, , bn, মুর্শিদকুলি খান; 1660 – 30 June 1727), also known as Zamin Ali Quli and born as Surya Narayan Mishra, was the first Nawab of Bengal, serving from 1717 to 1727. Born a Hindu in the De ...

. He maintained a politically neutral stance with the European powers in the

subcontinent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

and prevented any infighting amongst them in his dominions. He was succeeded by Siraj ud-Daulah in 1756.

Early life

Born in one of the cities of the

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

in 1676, he was originally given the name Mirza Muhammad Ali. His father Mirza Muhammad Madani, who was of either

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

or Turkish descent, was the son of a foster-brother of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb; Madani himself began his career as a

cup-bearer A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person must have been regarded as ...

under the latter's son

Azam Shah Qutb-ud-Din Muhammad Azam (28 June 1653 – 20 June 1707), commonly known as Azam Shah, was briefly the Mughal emperor who reigned from 14 March 1707 to 20 June 1707. He was the third son of the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and his chief cons ...

. Muhammad Ali's mother belonged to the Turkic Afshar tribe of Khorasan. Through her, he was a cousin of

Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan ( bn, সুজাউদ্দীন মুহম্মদ খাঁন, fa, ) was the Nawab of Bengal. He married Zainab un-nisa Begum and Azmat un-nisa Begum, the daughters of Murshid Quli Khan by Nasiri Banu Beg ...

. Like their father, he and his elder brother Mirza Ahmad (later known as Haji Ahmad) found favour under Azam Shah. Muhammad Ali was named superintendent of the ''filkhana'' (elephant-stables) as well as being given responsibility over the ''zardozkhana'' (department of embroidered cloths). However, following Azam Shah's death in 1707, the family fell into poverty. They migrated to

Cuttack Cuttack (, or officially Kataka ) in Odia is the former capital and the second largest city in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the headquarters of the Cuttack district. The name of the city is an anglicised form of ''Kataka'' which literally ...

, then under the deputy-governorship of their relative Shuja-ud-Din. Finding employment with the latter, Muhammad Ali and Mirza Ahmad proved themselves capable in supporting his government, later even aiding Shuja-ud-Din in becoming Nawab of Bengal.

Rise to power

In 1728, Shuja-ud-Din promoted Muhammad Ali to ''

Faujdar Faujdar is a term of pre-Mughal origins. Under the Mughals it was an office that combined the functions of a military commander along with judicial and land revenue functions. In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but d ...

'' (General) of

Rajmahal Rajmahal is a subdivisional town and a notified area in Rajmahal subdivision of the Sahebganj district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is situated at the banks of Ganges and was former capital of Bengal Subah under Mughal governor, Man Sin ...

and entitled him as ''Alivardi Khan''. In 1733, he was assigned as the ''Naib Nazim'' (Deputy '' Subahdar'') of

. A year later, he was titled ''Shuja ul-Mulk'' (Hero of the country), ''Hassemm ud-Daula'' (Sword of the state) and ''Mahabat Jang'' (Horror in War) and the rank of ''Paach Hazari

Mansabdar The Mansabdar was a military unit within the administrative system of the Mughal Empire introduced by Akbar. The word ''mansab'' is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. The system determined the rank and status of a government official an ...

'' (The rank holder of 5000) by Nawab Shuja ud-Din and returned to

Azimabad Azimabad ( hi, अज़ीमाबाद, ur, ) was the name of modern-day Patna during the eighteenth century, prior to the British Raj. Today, Patna is the capital of Bihar, a state in North India. In ancient times, Patna was known as Pata ...

. Alivardi aspired for larger authority. On 10 April 1740 in the

Battle of Giria The Battle of Giria were two battles that took place in Giria, India, Giria, an insignificant census town in Bengal, although not well known, were very significant in the history of Bengal and like the Battle of Plassey, had far reaching consequen ...

, he defeated and killed Shuja ud-Din's successor,

. Thus he took control of Bengal and Bihar. Then on 3 March 1741, he defeated Rustam Jang, deputy governor of Orissa and a relative of Sarfaraz Khan, in the Battle of Phulwarion. Orissa also came under Alivardi's control.

Reign

Immediately after his usurpation of power, Alivardi had his takeover legitimized by the Mughal Emperor

Muhammad Shah Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar; 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748) was the 13th Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1719 to 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the ...

and resumed the policies of

. He also chose ''Faujdars'' from various regions such as

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

and Orissa. Since 1742, the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

raided

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

repeatedly, ravaging its territories. Alivardi almost immediately had a long ditch, called the ''Maratha ditch'', dug around

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

. Alivardi was a brilliant artillery tactician, though his armies were overrun by the large force of the Marathas from

Berar Berar may refer to: *Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra Province, India, historically known as Berar *Berar Sultanate (1490–1596), one of the Deccan sultanates *Berar Subah (1596–1724), a Subah of the Mughal Empire *Berar Province (1724 ...

who had arrived to pillage and conquer the territories of Bengal under the command of

Raghoji I Bhonsle Raghoji Bhonsle or Raghoji I Bhonsale or Raghuji the Great (1695 – February 1755) of the Bhonsale dynasty, was a Maratha general who took control of the Nagpur Kingdom in east-central India during the reign of Shahu I. His successors ruled ...

. In the year 1747, the Marathas led by Raghoji began to raid, pillage and annex the territories of Alivardi. During the Maratha invasion of Orissa, its ''Subedar'' Mir Jafar completely withdrew all forces until the arrival of Alivardi and the

Mughal army The Army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 15th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselves, ...

at the Battle of Burdwan, where Raghoji and his Maratha forces were completely routed. The enraged Alivardi then dismissed the shamed Mir Jafar. Alivardi's defending armies were overrun in

in the year 1751, despite receiving some assistance from

Shuja-ud-Daula Shuja-ud-Daula (b. – d. ) was the Subedar and Nawab of Oudh and the Vizier of Delhi from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775. Early life Shuja-ud-Daula was the son of the Mughal Grand Vizier Safdarjung chosen by Ahmad Shah Bahadur. Unlik ...

. But Orissa was ultimately surrendered to the ravaging

Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...

s by the Mughal Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur. These Maratha attacks continued until 1751 when a peace treaty was settled between Ahmad Shah Bahadur, Alivardi and Raghoji. In 1750, Alivardi faced a revolt from

, his daughter's son, who seized

, but quickly surrendered and was forgiven. Alivardi also subdued the revolt of a few unruly Afghans who were trying to separate

from his administration. According to some historians, Alivardi Khan's reign of 16 years was mostly engaged in various wars against the Marathas. Towards the end, he turned his attention to rebuilding and restoring

. He also saved Bengal from the effects of war of succession in Austria through proper vigilance and precautions, unlike south India, which got caught up in it. He maintained a policy of neutrality towards European powers and forbade the British, French and Dutch to have any hostility against each other in his dominion.

Cultural and musical development

Alivardi Khan was a patron of various musical instruments such as the

Veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps ...

and

Khol The khol is a terracotta two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India for accompaniment with devotional music (''bhakti''). It is also known as a mridanga (<

Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50 ...

Death and succession

Alivardi Khan died of

dropsy Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

at 5am on 9 April 1756, aged at least 80. He was succeeded by his daughter's son,

Siraj-ud-Daula Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah ( fa, ; 1733 – 2 July 1757), commonly known as Siraj-ud-Daulah or Siraj ud-Daula, was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. The end of his reign marked the start of the rule of the East India Company over Be ...

, who was aged 23 at the time. He was buried in Khushbagh next to his mother's grave.

Family

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Alivardi had only one wife, Sharfunnesa. They had three daughters, of whom at least two married sons of his elder brother Haji Ahmad. Alivardi outlived his sons-in-law and, having had no sons of his own, he was succeeded by his maternal grandson

. Alivardi's issue are as follows: * Mehrunnesa (

Ghaseti Begum Mehar un-Nisa Begum ( fa, ), better known as Ghaseti Begum ( bn, ঘসেটি বেগম, Ghôśeṭi Begôm), was the eldest daughter of Alivardi Khan, Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa during 1740–1758. Early life Ghaseti Begum was the ...

): married Nawazish Muhammad Shahmat Jang,

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

(1740–1755) * Maimuna Begum: according to some historians was married to Sayyid Ahmad Saulat Jang, governor of

Purnia Purnia ()(also romanized as Purnea) is a city that serves as the administrative headquarters of both Purnia district and Purnia division in the Indian state of Bihar. Total geographical area of Purnia Urban Agglomeration is which is nex ...

(1749–1756), and had one son: ** Shaukat Jung *

Amina Begum Amina Begum ( bn, আমিনা বেগম, fa, ) was a Bengali aristocrat from the Nawab family of Bengal and mother of Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal. Early life and background Amina Begum was the youngest daughter ...

: married Zainuddin Ahmad Haibat Jang, governor of

(1740–1747) **

, Nawab of Bengal ** Ikram ud-Daulah ** Mirza Mahdi Alivardi also had a number of half-siblings, including Muhammad Amin Khan and Muhammad Yar Khan, who served under him as a general and governor of Hugli respectively. His half-sister Shah Khanum was the wife of Mir Jafar, who later claimed the throne of Bengal in 1757. The historian

Ghulam Hussain Khan Ghulam Hussain Khan ( ar, غلام حسین خان طباطبائی) was an Indian historian from the 18th-century Bengal who is writer of the famous book ''Seir Mutaqherin'' (سیر المتاخرین; {{lit, ''Review of Modern Times''), one of t ...

was also a relative.

Early life

Rise to power

Reign

Cultural and musical development

Death and succession

Family

See also

Notes

References

Further reading