Hasan Raza Khan
Encyclopedia
Mirza Hasan Raza Khan Sarfarazuddaula Intizamulmulk (d. 1801) was the Prime Minister of Awadh from September 1776 to June 1796 in the regime of Asaf-ud-daula
Asaf-Ud-Dowlah
Asaf-Ud-Daula was the nawab wazir of Oudh from 26 January 1775 to 21 September 1797, and the son of Shuja-ud-Dowlah, his mother and grandmother being the begums of Oudh, whose spoliation formed one of the chief counts in the charges against Warren Hastings.-Life:A contemporary chronicler describes...

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Personal

Little is known of Hasan Raza Khan's antecedents except that he was the son of Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, who had perhaps held the post of "superintendent of the kitchen" under Shujauddaula
Shuja-ud-Daula
Shuja-ud-Daula was the Subedar Nawab of Oudh from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775, and the son of Muhammad Nasir.Though a minor royal, he is best known for his key roles in two definitive battles in Indian history - the Third Battle of Panipat which ended Maratha domination of India, and the...

.Mir Ghulam Ali, op. cit. 136. Ibrahim Khan's father, Jansipar Khan, seems to have been a man of some consequence in 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...

's time. Hasan Raza married the daughter of Ghulam Ali Khan, a courtier of Shujauddaula, and became a close friend of Muhammad Bashir Khan, an influential nobleman. By him he was introduced to the nawab who appointed him "superintendent of the kitchen" (darogha-i-bawarchikhana).Mir Ghulam Ali, op. cit. 136; Faiz Bakhsh, Op. cit. 135. He was known in those days by the name of Mirza Hasnu. Gradually he became a favourite of Shujauddaula, and after the death of Mian Basant was appointed "superintendent of the audience chamber" (darogha-i-diwankhana). Some popular stories about Shujauddaula's regard for Hasan Raza can be read in Imad-us-Sa'adat, pg. 136. After the nawab's death he fell into the background until the time he was appointed chief minister with the title of Sarfarazuddaula Intizamulmulk.

Rise to power

After the death of Mukhtaruddaula and Ilich Khan in quick succession, Asafuddaula chose Hasan Raza Khan for the post of his chief minister. He commanded respect from all. The Residents, Ives and Cherry, write well of him as does Shore.B.P.C. 15 Jun. 1792 Ives to Cornwallis 6 Jun.; B.P.C. 1 Aug. 1795 ; B.8.C. 10 Apr. 1797 Shore to Speke 5 Apr. His defects were his pride and illiteracy for which it was found necessary to appoint an assistant. Haidar Beg Khan was chosen for that office which he occupied till his death in 1792. It was he who in fact wielded all the authority leaving the patronage to his chief. Haidar Beg is, therefore, referred to in all the English correspondence of the period as the Acting Minister. After Haidar Beg's death Raja Tikait Rai
Raja Tikait Rai
Maharaja Tikait Rai Bahadur was the Diwan of Awadh from 1791 - 1796 in the regime of Asaf-u-daula.He was a Hindu Kayasth of the Saksena Dusre sub-caste....

 was appointed at post of acting minister. Like Haidar Beg he also exercised uncontrolled authority.

As chief minister Hasan Raza had little to do except accompany the nawab on his tours and hunting expeditions, but he received a handsome salary and nazars from the people on Id and other festivals. He was respected as a brother by Asafuddaula who called him bhaia.BJ3.C. 26 Feb. 1787 Harper to Corawallia 14 Feb. He can be said to have improved the 'tone' of the Court. He was deeply religious and did much for the instruction of the people in the principles and rites of the Shia sect.BJ3.C. 13 Apr. 1787 Kirkpatrick to GG 30 May.

He continued to be the chief minister till almost the end of Asafuddaula's days. During the residency of Cherry (April 1794- July 1796) he and his assistant, Raja Tikait Rai, joined the Resident in trying to reduce the influence of the nawab's favourites, Raja Jhao Lai, etc. This displeased the nawab who dismissed the ministers and got Cherry recalled in June 1796. Hasan Raza was reinstated by Shore after the deposition of Wazir Ali,BJ3.C. 28 Aug. 1787. but Sa'adat AH who had no patience with inefficiency asked him to retire with a pension of Rs. 25,000 a month. He refused the pension out of pride and lived for some time in great distress, practically on the charity of John Lumsden (Resident) and Almas. Later on, however, he applied through the Resident for the pension, but the nawab now offered to pay only Rs. 8,000 a month and the Resident refused to plead for him any more. Hasan Raza indignantly refused and retired completely from public life. He died in great poverty in 1801.Kamaluddin Haidar, Tawarikh-i-Awadh 1 153.

Famine of 1784-85

Nawab Asif-ud-daula
Asaf-Ud-Dowlah
Asaf-Ud-Daula was the nawab wazir of Oudh from 26 January 1775 to 21 September 1797, and the son of Shuja-ud-Dowlah, his mother and grandmother being the begums of Oudh, whose spoliation formed one of the chief counts in the charges against Warren Hastings.-Life:A contemporary chronicler describes...

 along with his prime minister Mirza Hasan Raza Khan and deewan Raja Tikait Rai
Raja Tikait Rai
Maharaja Tikait Rai Bahadur was the Diwan of Awadh from 1791 - 1796 in the regime of Asaf-u-daula.He was a Hindu Kayasth of the Saksena Dusre sub-caste....

, established a charitable institution (Rifah-e-Aam) which provided relief to thousands.
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