Nawabs of the Carnatic (also referred to as the Nawabs of Arcot), ruled the Carnatic region of South India 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, in which the Mughal Empire gave way to the rising influence of the Maratha Empire, and later the emergence of the British Raj.
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The old province known as the Carnatic, in which Madras (Chennai) was situated, extended from the Krishna river to the Coleroon, and was bounded on the West by Cuddapah, Salem and Dindigul, all of which formed part of the Sultanate of Mysore. The Northern portion was known as the Mughal Carnatic, the Southern the Maratha Carnatic with the Maharatta frontier fortress being Gingee. Carnatic, the name commonly given to the region of Southern India between the Eastern Ghats and the Coromandel Coast and the Western Ghats, extends from Palghat to Bidar and stretches from the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in the North, to Cape Comorin at the Southern-most tip of Tamil Nadu State.
The Nawabs of the Carnatic trace their origin back to second Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab.[1] The Nawabdom of the Carnatic was established by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who in 1692 appointed Zulfiqar Ali Khan as the first Nawab of the Carnatic, with his seat at Arcot as a reward for his victory over the renegade Marathas led by Rajaram.[2] With the Vijayanagara Empire in serious decline, the Nawabdom of the Carnatic controlled a vast territory south of the Krishna river. The Nawab Saadatullah of (1710–1732) moved his court from Gingee to Arcot. His successor Dost Ali (1732–1740) conquered and annexed Madurai in 1736.
In 1740, the Maratha forces came down upon Arcot. They attacked the Nawab, Dost Ali in the pass of Damalcherry. In the war that followed, Dost Ali, one of his sons Hasan Ali, and a number of prominent persons lost their lives. This initial success at once enhanced Maratha prestige in the south. From Damalcherry the Marathas proceeded to Arcot. It surrendered to them without much resistance. Chanda Saheb and his son were arrested and sent to Nagpur
Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah (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, placing him heavily in debt. As a result he had to surrender much of his territory to the East India Company.
The thirteenth Nawab, Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan (1825–1855), died without issue and the British annexed the Carnatic Nawabdom applying the doctrine of lapse. 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. 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.
| Name | Reign Began | Reign Ended | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung | 1690 | 1703 |
| 2 | Daud Khan | 1703 | 1710? |
| 3 | Muhammad Sa'adatullah Khan I | 1710 | 1732 |
| 4 | Dost Ali Khan | 1732 | 1740 |
| 5 | Safdar Ali Khan | 1740 | 1742 |
| 6 | Muhammad Sa'adatullah Khan II | 1942 | 1944 |
| 7 | Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan | 1744 | 31 July 1749 |
| Name | Reign Began | Reign Ended | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan | 1744 | 31 July 1749 |
| Name | Reign Began | Reign Ended | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chanda Shahib | 1749 | 1752 |
| 1 | Muhammad Ali Khan Wala-Jah | 31 July 1749 | 16 October 1795 |
| 3 | Ghulam Hussaini Umdat-Ul-Umara | 1795 | 1801 |
| 4 | Azim-ud-Daula | 1801 | 1819 |
| 5 | Azam Jah | 1819 | 1825 |
}
| Lineage | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amir | Reign | ||||
| Azim Jah | 1867–1874 | ||||
| Sir Zahir-ud-Daula Bahadur | 1874–1879 | ||||
| Intizam-ul-Mulk Muazzaluddaula Bahadur | 1879–1889 | ||||
| Sir Muhammad Munawar Khan Bahadur | 1889–1903 | ||||
| Sir Ghulam Muhammad Ali Khan Bahadur | 1903–1952 | ||||
| Ghulam Mohiuddin Khan Bahadur | 1952–1969 | ||||
| Ghulam Mohammed Abdul Khader | 1969–1993 | ||||
| Muhammed Abdul Ali | 1993-1993 | ||||
| Mohammad Ismail | 1993-infinite | ||||