As Mughal central authority weakened in the 18th century, ambitious governors carved out their own kingdoms. Hyderabad, Awadh, and Bharatpur are three key examples.
MCQ QuestionsModern History
Successor States
Mughal decline was gradual — power shifted piece by piece to regional strongmen
Hyderabad
Founded by Nizam-ul-Mulk, 1724
De facto independent after the Battle of Shakar Kheda, 1724
Founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty, which ruled until 1948
Awadh
Founded by Saadat Khan, 1722
Formally a Mughal province, but functioned virtually independent
Capital moved from Faizabad to Lucknow, 1775
Annexed outright by the British in 1856, a trigger for 1857
Bharatpur
Jat kingdom formalised, 1722
Built on decades of Jat resistance to Mughal authority
Suraj Mal, later ruler, nicknamed the “Plato of the Jats”
✊ Founders and the Moment of Independence
1. Nizam-ul-Mulk founds Hyderabad
- Fact Nizam-ul-Mulk (born Mir Qamaruddin Khan) founded Hyderabad. The Mughals appointed him Viceroy of the Deccan in 1713.
2. Shakar Kheda, 1724
- Fact He became a de facto independent ruler after defeating a rival at the Battle of Shakar Kheda, on 11 October 1724.
3. The Asaf Jahi dynasty
- Fact Emperor Muhammad Shah then gave him the title “Asaf Jah.” Nizam-ul-Mulk founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty, which ruled Hyderabad until 1948.
4. Saadat Khan founds Awadh
- Fact Saadat Khan (title: Burhan-ul-Mulk) founded Awadh. He was appointed Subedar (governor) of Awadh in 1722.
5. Formal loyalty, real independence
- Fact Like Hyderabad, Awadh stayed formally a Mughal province. In practice, it functioned as a virtually independent state.
6. Bharatpur’s Jat kingdom
- Fact Bharatpur’s Jat kingdom is usually dated to 1722 too. Churaman, a Jat zamindar, led decades of earlier resistance to Mughal authority near Agra and Mathura. His nephew, Badan Singh, is credited with formally establishing the state.
7. The “successor states” pattern
- Concept All three followed the same pattern. Historians call this pattern the “successor states.” A powerful Mughal governor converted his administrative charge into a hereditary, semi-independent kingdom, while staying formally loyal to the emperor in Delhi.
8. Other examples of the pattern
- Context Other successor states followed the same pattern elsewhere. Examples include Bengal, under Murshid Quli Khan from 1717, and Rohilkhand.
📘 Capitals, Culture and Successors
1. Hyderabad’s capital moves
- Fact Hyderabad’s capital moved from Aurangabad to Hyderabad city in 1763. This happened under Nizam-ul-Mulk’s son, Nizam Ali Khan (Asaf Jah II), not the founder himself.
2. Awadh’s line of Nawabs
- Fact Awadh’s Nawabs succeeded each other in this order: Saadat Khan, then Safdarjung (1739–54), then Shuja-ud-Daula (1754–75), then Asaf-ud-Daula (1775–97).
3. Lucknow becomes the capital
- Fact Asaf-ud-Daula permanently moved Awadh’s capital from Faizabad to Lucknow, in 1775.
4. The Bara Imambara
- Fact The Bara Imambara at Lucknow was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, between 1784 and 1791. It combined religious purpose with famine relief. By one well-documented account, nobles were paid to quietly demolish parts of the structure at night, so labourers had paid work rebuilding it by day.
5. Awadh’s Nawab becomes “King”
- Fact Later, in 1819, Awadh’s ruler Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar took the title “King” (Badshah), instead of Nawab. He did this with British encouragement.
6. Suraj Mal, “Plato of the Jats”
- Fact Bharatpur’s most celebrated ruler was Suraj Mal, who reigned from 1755 to 1763. Historians nicknamed him the “Plato of the Jats” and the “Jat Ulysses,” for his statesmanship.
7. Deeg Palace and Lohagarh Fort
- Fact Suraj Mal built much of Deeg Palace. Some of its pavilions used marble looted from Delhi’s Red Fort, after an 1761 raid. Bharatpur’s Lohagarh Fort, built in 1733, was never taken by direct assault.
Test Yourself
🏆 From Autonomy to the British Raj
1. Hyderabad’s Subsidiary Alliance
- Fact Hyderabad’s Nizam, Nizam Ali Khan, became the first Indian ruler to accept the British Subsidiary Alliance system, on 1 September 1798.
2. Awadh’s Subsidiary Alliance
- Fact Awadh accepted its own Subsidiary Alliance in 1801, under the Treaty of Lucknow. It ceded roughly half its territory to the British.
3. Annexation and 1857
- Fact The British fully annexed Awadh on 7 February 1856, under Governor-General Dalhousie, citing misgovernment. Historians widely see this annexation as a major trigger for the Revolt of 1857.
4. Bharatpur resists longer
- Fact Bharatpur resisted British conquest longer than the other two. A 1805 siege under Lord Lake failed; the British were repulsed four times.
5. The second siege succeeds
- Fact A second siege, in 1825–26 under Lord Combermere, succeeded. British forces mined and breached the fort’s walls, on 18 January 1826.
6. Three different endings
- Analysis After 1826, Bharatpur became a princely state under British paramountcy. Hyderabad remained one throughout British rule too.
7. Awadh’s different path
- Fact Awadh, unlike the other two, never became a princely state again after 1856. It stayed part of British India, later the United Provinces, until independence.
8. Independence-era endings
- Fact Bharatpur acceded to India in August 1947, and later merged into Rajasthan. Hyderabad’s Nizam initially resisted joining India. The Indian Army’s Operation Polo, from 13 to 17 September 1948, ended his rule.
9. See also: Bengal’s Nawabs
- See also For Bengal, another successor state whose story ended very differently, see ModHist0075 — Bengal’s Nawabs and the Road to Plassey.
📝 Previous Year Questions
UPSC Mains 2022, GS Paper I, Q11: Reorganization of States, a Continuous Process
- Mains PYQ Asked to discuss how the political and administrative reorganization of states and territories has been a continuous process since the mid-19th century — the successor states here are an early example of that process.
- View this Mains question →
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