Wazir Ali Khan
| Wazir Ali Khan | |
|---|---|
|
Mirza (Royal title) Nawab Wazir of Oudh | |
 | |
| Reign | 1797–1798 |
| Full name | Asif Jah Mirza Wazir Ali Khan |
| Titles |
Nawab Wazir Marhoom va Muqfoor[nt 1] |
| Born | circa 1780 |
| Died | May 1817 |
| Place of death | Ft. Williams Calcutta |
| Buried | Casia Baguan |
| Predecessor | none |
| Successor | Sa`adat `Ali Khan II |
| Royal House | Nishapuri |
| Dynasty | Oudh |
| Religious beliefs | Shia Islam |
Wazir Ali Khan (Hindi: वज़ीर अली खान, Urdu: وزیر علی خان)(b. c. 1780 – d. c. 1817) was the fourth[1] nawab wazir of Oudh from 21 September 1797 to 21 January 1798,[2] and the son of Muhammad Nasir.[3]
Life
He was adopted the son of Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, who although keeping a harem of 500 women had no legitimate son. He purchased the pregnant daughter of a servant. Enchanted by the boy he adopted and pampered him. At 13 years of age Ali, who was known to have a cruel streak, was married at the cost of £ 300000 in Lucknow.
After the death of his "father" in September 1797 he ascended to the throne (musnud), with support of the British. Within four months they accused him of being unfaithful. Sir John Shore (1751–1834) then moved in with 12 battalions and replaced him with his uncle Saadat Ali Khan II.
Ali was granted a pension of 20,000 Rupies and removed to Benares. The government in Calcutta decided that he should be removed further from his former realm. Cherry, a British resident, relayed this order to him on 14 February 1799 during a breakfast invitation at which Ali had appeared with an armed guard. During the ensuing argument Cherry abused and ignored Ali's request which resulted in Ali striking Cherry a blow with his sabre, whereupon the guards killed the resident and two more Europeans. They then set out to attack the house of Davis, another colonial officer. He defended himself on the staircase of his house until rescued by British troops.
Subsequently Ali assembled a rebellious army of several thousand men. A quickly assembled force commanded by General Erskine moved into Benares and "restored order" by the 21st. Ali fled into Rajputana and was granted asylum by the Raja of Jeypore. On request of Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Mornington, the raja turned Ali over to the British on the condition that he neither be hanged nor be put in fetters.
The colonial government complied with this: Ali spent the rest of life - 17 years - in an iron cage in Fort Williams of Calcutta. He was buried in the Muslim graveyard of Casia Baguan.
Timeline
| Preceded by Asaf ad-Dowla Amani |
Nawab Wazir al-Mamalik of Oudh Sep 21 1797 – Jan 21 1798 |
Succeeded by Yamin ad-Dowla Nazem al-Molk Sa`adat `Ali Khan II Bahadur |
Literature
- Baillie, Laureen (Hrsg.): Indian Biographical Archiv; München, ISBN 3-598-34104-0, Fiche 492
- Davis, John Francis (1795–1890); Vizier Ali Khan; or, The massacre of Benares: a chapter in British Indian history .. (1871) (Orig. 1844)
- Higginbotham, J. J.; Men Whom India has Known; ²1874
- Ray, Aniruddha; Revolt of Vizir Ali of Oudh at Benares in 1799; in: Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 49th Session, Karnatak University, Dharwad, 1988: S 331–338
Notes
- ↑ Nawab Wazir Ali Khan
- ↑ Princely States of India
- ↑ HISTORY OF AWADH (Oudh) a princely State of India by Hameed Akhtar Siddiqui
External links
- Royal line of Nawabs of Oudh
- National Informatics Centre, Lucknow - Rulers of Awadh
- NAWABS OF OUDH & THEIR SECULARISM - Dr. B. S. Saxena
- HISTORY OF AWADH (Oudh) a princely State of India by Hameed Akhtar Siddiqui
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