Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan
Encyclopedia
Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawabs of the Carnatic , ruled the Carnatic region of South India between about 1690 and 1801. They initially had their capital at Arcot,vellore city...
of the second Dynasty. He was a major figure during the Second Carnatic War.
He was a direct descendant of Hazarath Omar, the Second Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of Islam . Nawab Anwaruddin Khan was born at Gopamau
Gopamau
Gopamau is a town and a nagar panchayat in Hardoi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Gopamau is located at . It has an average elevation of 143 metres .-Demographics:...
, a place in Hardoi District
Hardoi District
Hardoi disctrict is a district of Uttar Pradesh, India, and Hardoi town is the district headquarters. Hardoi district is a part of Lucknow division.-Economy:...
, United Provinces
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1947; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces, by which the province had been commonly known, and by which name it was also a province of...
, India in 1674. He was the son of Haji Muhammad Anwar. His official name was Amin us-Sultanat, Siraj ud-Daula, Nawab Haji Muhammad Jan-i-Jahan Anwar ud-din Khan Bahadur, Shahamat Jang, Subadar of the Carnatic.
He went to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and enlisted in the imperial army and soon rose to a high position. The Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
was very pleased with him on account of his faithful work. He served as Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
. Also he was posted to Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...
, where he served for several years as Governor. He was the Yameen-us-Sultanat (right hand man) of Nizam-ul-Mulk, the founder of Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
in India. He was also the ruler of Rajamundry.
Muhammad Anwaruddin was first appointed as the Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
during the minority of Muhammad Sa'id. After the death of Muhammad Sa'id, Anwaruddin was appointed by the Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
as his representative and Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawabs of the Carnatic , ruled the Carnatic region of South India between about 1690 and 1801. They initially had their capital at Arcot,vellore city...
on 28 March 1744. Thus he became the founder of the Second Dynasty of the Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawabs of the Carnatic , ruled the Carnatic region of South India between about 1690 and 1801. They initially had their capital at Arcot,vellore city...
. Anwaruddin maintaining a cordial relationship with the East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
would come into conflict with the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
after the death of Nizam-ul-Mulk in 1748.
In 1746, the French and the English fought and achieve their supremacy in India, each over the other. The soil of the Carnatic
Carnatic region
The Carnatic coast is the region of South India lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Coromandel Coast, in the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, south eastern Karnataka and southern Andhra Pradesh....
became the arena of their action. In 1746, the French captured the English possessions at Madras and Cuddalore
Cuddalore
Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...
.
Muhammad Anwaruddin fought against the French on the banks of the Adyar
Adyar River
Adyar or Adayar, originating near the Chembarambakkam Lake in Chengalpattu district, is one of the two rivers which winds through Chennai , South India, and joins the Bay of Bengal at the Adyar Estuary. The 42.5 km-long river contributes to the estuarine ecosystem of Chennai. Despite the high...
and won a decisive victory, recaptured the two towns and restored them to the English. Thus, he maintained the honour of his administration and established the power of his "Nizamath" or government.
Muhammad Anwaruddin received overtures for support from both from the English and the French, but supported the English. The French wanted to reduce the growing influence of the English in the Carnatic
Carnatic region
The Carnatic coast is the region of South India lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Coromandel Coast, in the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, south eastern Karnataka and southern Andhra Pradesh....
. So they supported Husayn Dost Khan, alias Chanda Sahib
Chanda Sahib
Chanda Sahib was the Nawab of the Carnatic between 1749 and 1752. His birth name is Husayn Dost Khan. He was the son-in-law of the Nawab of Carnatic Dost Ali Khan, under whom he worked as a Dewan. He belonged the Muslim Nait community which had ruled the Carnatic under the Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan...
as the rightful Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawab of the Carnatic
Nawabs of the Carnatic , ruled the Carnatic region of South India between about 1690 and 1801. They initially had their capital at Arcot,vellore city...
against Muhammad Anwaruddin, who was supported by the British.
As the British and the French supported their respective candidates for the Nawabship, they took sides in the case of the successors of the Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
also. After the death of the Nizam in 1748, there arose a rivalry between Nasir Jung
Nasir Jung
Mir Ahmed Ali Khan Siddiqi was the son of Nizam-ul-Mulk by his wife Saeed-un-nisa Begum. He was born February 26, 1712. He succeeded his father as the Nizam of Hyderabad State in 1748...
, the second son of Nizam-ul-Mulk and Muzaffar Jang, the grandson of Nizam-ul-Mulk. Muzaffar Jang came to the South with a strong force and allied himself with Chanda Sahib
Chanda Sahib
Chanda Sahib was the Nawab of the Carnatic between 1749 and 1752. His birth name is Husayn Dost Khan. He was the son-in-law of the Nawab of Carnatic Dost Ali Khan, under whom he worked as a Dewan. He belonged the Muslim Nait community which had ruled the Carnatic under the Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan...
and the French. The ageing Nawab Muhammad Anwaruddin, supported by the English, met the French army at Ambur
Ambur
Ambur Ambur is a developed Industrial Town of Vellore District in Tamil Nadu, India. Ambur is located at the 'Palaar' River Bank,on the Chennai - Bangalore Highway, both sides at a distance of approx 180 – 200 km....
in August 1749 and was killed in the battle. He was mentioned as the oldest soldier to die on battlefield till date in Ripley's believe it or not" (at age of 77).Ripley has mentioned cause of his death as gunshot wounds but that has not been independently verified.
See also
- Nawabs of Arcot