
The Kingdom of Awadh (, , also Oudh State, Kingdom of Oudh, Awadh Subah, or Awadh State) was a
Mughal subah, then an independent kingdom, and lastly a
British protectorate in the
Awadh region of
North India until its annexation by the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of the state, also written historically as Oudhe.
As the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
declined and decentralized, local governors in Oudh began asserting greater autonomy, and eventually Oudh matured into an independent polity governing the fertile lands of the Central and Lower
Doab.
The capital of Oudh was in
Faizabad, but the Company's Political Agents, officially known as "Residents", had their seat in
Lucknow
Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
. At par existed a Maratha embassy, in the Oudh court, led by the
Vakil of the
Peshwa, until the
Second Anglo-Maratha War. The Nawab of Oudh, one of the richest princes, paid for and erected a
Residency in Lucknow as a part of a wider programme of civic improvements.
Oudh joined other Indian states in an upheaval against British rule in 1858 during one of the last series of actions in the
Indian rebellion of 1857. In the course of this uprising, detachments of the
Bombay Army of the East India Company overcame the disunited collection of Indian states in a single rapid campaign. Determined rebels continued to wage sporadic guerrilla clashes until the spring of 1859. This rebellion is also historically known as the
Oudh campaign.
After the British
annexation of Oudh by the
Doctrine of Lapse, the
North Western Provinces became the North Western Provinces and Oudh.
History
''Oudh Subah'' was one of the initial 12 subahs (later expanded to 15 ''subahs'' by the end of Akbar's reign) established by
Akbar during his administrative reforms of 1572–1580. A Mughal ''
Subah'' was divided into ''
Sarkars'', or districts. ''Sarkars'' were further divided into ''
Parganas'' or ''
Mahals''.
Saadat Ali Khan I was appointed
Subahdar of Oudh Subah on 9 September 1722, succeeding
Girdhar Bahadur. He immediately subdued the autonomous Shaikhzadas of
Lucknow
Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
and Raja Mohan Singh of
Tiloi, consolidating Oudh as a state. In 1728, Oudh further acquired
Varanasi,
Jaunpur and surrounding lands from the Mughal noble Rustam Ali Khan and established stable revenue collection in that province after quelling the chief of
Azamgarh,
Mahabat Khan. In 1739 Saadat Khan mobilized Oudh to defend against
Nader Shah's
invasion of India, ultimately being captured in the
Battle of Karnal. He attempted to negotiate with Nader Shah but died in Delhi.
Establishment
In 1740, his successor
Safdar Jang moved the capital of the state from
Ayodhya to
Faizabad.
Safdar Jang gained recognition from Persia after paying tribute. He continued Saadat Khan's expansionist policy, promising military protection to Bengal in exchange for the forts at
Rohtasgarh and
Chunar, and annexing portions of
Farrukhabad with Mughal military aid which was ruled by
Muhammad Khan Bangash.
As the
Mughal empire
The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
began to dissolve in the early 18th century, many ''subahs'' became effectively independent.
As regional officials asserted their autonomy in
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
and the
Deccan as well as with the rise of the
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...
, the rulers of Oudh gradually affirmed their own sovereignty.
Safdar Jang went as far as to control the ruler of Delhi, putting
Ahmad Shah Bahadur on the Mughal throne with the cooperation of other Mughal nobility. In 1748 he gained the
subah of
Allahabad with Ahmad Shah's official support. This was arguably the zenith of Oudh's territorial span.
The next nawab,
Shuja-ud-Daula, extended Oudh's control of the Mughal emperor. He was appointed
vazir to
Shah Alam II in 1762 and offered him asylum after his failed campaigns against the British in the
Bengal War.
British contact and control
Since Oudh was located in a prosperous region, the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
soon took notice of the affluence in which the Nawabs of Oudh lived. Primarily, the British sought to protect the frontiers of Bengal and their lucrative trade there; only later did direct expansion occur.
Shuja-ud-Daula
British dominance was established at the
Battle of Buxar of 1764, when the East India Company defeated the alliance between the nawab of Oudh
Shuja-ud-Daula and the deposed nawab of Bengal
Mir Kasim.
The battle was a turning point for the once rising star of Oudh. The immediate effect was the British occupation of the fort at
Chunar and the cession of the provinces of Kora and
Allahabad to Mughal ruler
Shah Alam II under the Treaty of Benares (1765). Shaja-ud-Daula further had to pay 5 million rupees as an indemnity, which was paid off in one year.
The long-term result would be direct British interference in the internal state matters of Oudh, useful as a buffer state against the
Marathas. The treaty also granted British traders special privileges and exemptions from many customs duties, which led to tensions as British monopolies were established.
Shuja-ud-Daula bought the Mughal provinces of Kora and Allahabad in the Treaty of Benares (1773) with the British (who held ''de facto'' control over the area) for 50 lakh rupees, increased the cost of Company mercenaries, and military aid in the
First Rohilla War to expand Oudh as a buffer state against Maratha interests.
Done by
Warren Hastings, this move was unpopular among the rest of Company leadership, but Hastings continued a harsh policy on Oudh, justifying the military aid as a bid to strengthen Oudh's status as a buffer state against the Marathas. To shape the policy of Oudh and direct its internal affairs Hastings appointed the resident
Nathaniel Middleton in Lucknow that year as well. At the conclusion of the First Rohilla War in 1774, Oudh gained the entirety of
Rohilkhand and the Middle
Doab region, only leaving the independent
Rampur State as a Rohilla enclave.
Asaf-ud-Daula
Asaf-ud-Daula acceded to the nawabship of Oudh with British aid in exchange for the Treaty of Benares (1775) which further increased the cost of mercenaries and ceded the ''sarkars'' of
Benares
Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges, Ganges river in North India, northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hinduism, Hindu world.*
*
*
* The city ...
,
Ghazipur,
Chunar, and
Jaunpur. From this time onwards, Oudh consistently complied with the Company's demands, which continued to demand more land and economic control over the state.
The Treaty of Chunar (1781) sought to reduce the number of British troops in Oudh's service to cut costs, but failed in this measure due to the instability of Asaf-ud-Daula's rule and thus his reliance on British aid essentially as a puppet regime.
Later rulers
Saadat Ali Khan II acceded to the throne of Oudh in 1798, owing his seat to British intervention including Governor-General of Bengal
Sir John Shore's personal proclamation in Lucknow of his rule. A treaty signed on 21 February 1798 increased the subsidy paid to the British to 70 lakh rupees per year.
In light of the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
and British demands for greater revenue from the Company, in 1801,
Saadat Ali Khan II ceded the entire
Rohilkhand and
Lower Doab as well as the ''sarkar'' of
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the West Rapti River, Rapti river in the Purvanchal , Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometres east of ...
under the pressure of
Lord Wellesley to the British in lieu of the annual tribute. The cession halved the size of the polity, reducing it to the original Mughal
subah of Awadh (excepting Gorakhpur which was ceded) and surrounded it by directly-administered British territory, rendering it useless as a buffer. The treaty also mandated a government to be put in place that primarily served the citizens of Oudh. It was on the basis of the failure to meet this demand that the British later justified the annexation of Oudh.
Farrukhabad and
Rampur was not annexed by the British yet; instead, they served as separate princely states for the moment.
The kingdom became a British
protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...
in May 1816. Three years later, in 1819, the
Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah took the title of ''Badshah'' (king), signaling formal independence from the Mughal Empire under the advice of the
Marquis of Hastings.
Throughout the early 1800s until annexation, several areas were gradually ceded to the British.
British annexation
On 7 February 1856, by order of
Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, the
Nawab of Oudh,
Wajid Ali Shah, was deposed, and Oudh State was annexed to the territories of the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
under the terms of the
Doctrine of lapse on the grounds of alleged internal misrule.
[
]
Indian Rebellion of 1857
Between 5 July 1857 and 3 March 1858, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Begum Hazrat Mahal, the wife of Wajid Ali Shah proclaimed their son Birjis Qadr the ''Wali'' of Awadh and ruled as regent. At the time of the rebellion, the British lost control of the territory; they reestablished their rule over the next eighteen months, during which time there were massacres such as those that had occurred in the course of the Siege of Cawnpore.
After the rebellion, Oudh's territory was merged with the North Western Provinces, forming the larger province of ''North-Western Provinces and Oudh''. In 1902, the latter was renamed the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. In 1921, it became the United Provinces of British India. In 1937, it became the United Provinces and continued as a province in independent India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
until finally becoming the state of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
in 1950.
Government
Feudatory states
The following were feudatory estates — taluqdaris or parganas— of Oudh:
*Balrampur Estate
* Benares State until 1740
* Bhadri Estate
*Itaunja Estate
* Kohra Estate
* Nanpara Taluqdari
* Pratapgarh Estate
* Tulsipur State
Rulers
The first ruler of Oudh State belonged to the Shia Muslim Sayyid Family and descended of Musa al-Kadhim originated from Nishapur
Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Ni ...
. But the dynasty also belonged from the paternal line to the Kara Koyunlu through Qara Yusuf. They were renowned for their secularism and broad outlook.
All rulers used the title of 'Nawab
Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...
'.
Residents
Demographics
In the early eighteenth century, the population of Oudh was estimated to be 3 million. Oudh underwent a demographic shift in which Lucknow
Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
and Varanasi expanded to become metropolises of over 200,000 people over the course of the 18th century at the expense of Agra
Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...
and Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
. During this period the land on the banks of the Yamuna suffered frequent dry spells, while the Baiswara did not.
Although it was ruled by Muslims, a majority, roughly four fifths, of Oudh's population were Hindus
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
.
Culture
The Nawabs of Oudh were descended from a Sayyid
''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...
line from Nishapur
Nishapur or Neyshabur (, also ) is a city in the Central District (Nishapur County), Central District of Nishapur County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Ni ...
in Persia. They were Shia Muslims, and promoted Shia as the state religion. Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah instituted the Oudh Bequest, a system of fixed payments by the British paid to the Shia holy cities of Najaf
Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...
and Karbala. These payments, along with lifelong stipends to the wives and mother of Ghazi-ud-Din served as interest on the Third Oudh Loan taken in 1825.
The cities of Allahabad, Varanasi, and Ayodhya were important pilgrimage sites for followers of Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
and other Dharmic religion
Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...
s. The town of Bahraich was also revered by some Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
s.
See also
* Awadh region
* Wajid Ali Shah
* Begum Hazrat Mahal
* List of Indian monarchs
* Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway
* Oudh and Tirhut Railway
* Oudh Bequest
References
External links
*
Heraldry of Oudh State
{{coord, 26.78, N, 82.13, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title
Princely states of India
History of Awadh
History of Uttar Pradesh
Mughal subahs
British administration in Uttar Pradesh
Shia dynasties
1816 establishments in British India
Vassal and tributary states of the Mughal Empire