When did the Nawab of Awadh exist?

The Nawab of Awadh existed 1722–1856. On this map it is drawn 1727–1802.

How large was the Nawab of Awadh?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Nawab of Awadh covered about 116,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

South Asia · Mughals and successors

Nawab of Awadh

Semi-autonomous Mughal governorship evolving into an… · 1722–1856

Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk, a Shia Sayyid from Nishapur in Safavid Khurasan, was appointed Mughal governor of Awadh on 26 January 1722 and established a hereditary dynasty that made the province effectively autonomous as Mughal power waned after Aurangzeb's death in 1707.

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Type: Semi-autonomous Mughal governorship evolving into an independent Shia Muslim kingdom
Existed: 1722–1856
Shown on the map: 1727–1802
Peak area: roughly 116,000 km² in the Gangetic plain of northern India (modern Uttar Pradesh).
Region: South Asia

Origins and founding

Capitals and territory

The early capital was Faizabad; the court later moved to Lucknow (residence at Chattar Manzil), which became one of the most refined cities of Asia. The kingdom occupied the fertile middle Ganges doab, with tributary dependencies such as Benares (ceded to the Company in 1775) and, later, Rohilkhand annexed with British help in 1774.

Major rulers and key events

Saadat Khan's nephew and successor Safdar Jung (1739–1754) also became Mughal wazir; Shuja-ud-Daula (1754–1775) fought at the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) on the Mughal side, restored Shah Alam II, and was destroyed with his allies at Buxar (1764), after which Awadh became a buffer state of the Company, paying for British brigades. Asaf-ud-Daula (1775–1797) moved the capital to Lucknow and built the great Bara Imambara during the famine of 1783–84. The Treaty of 1801 forced the cession of half the kingdom (Rohilkhand, Gorakhpur, the Doab). In 1818 Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar took the title of King (Shah), formally ending Mughal allegiance.

Government, economy and culture

Awadh's court was the last great centre of Mughal successor culture: a Perso-Shia aristocracy patronising Urdu poetry, kathak dance, the Lucknow school of miniature painting and a distinctive cuisine; the wealthy agricultural economy attracted repeated British revenue demands and loans.

Decline and end

Deeply indebted and encircled by British territory, the kingdom's administration was denounced as misrule; in February 1856 Governor-General Dalhousie deposed the cultured, pleasure-loving Wajid Ali Shah and annexed Awadh outright — a seizure widely cited as a cause of the 1857 rebellion, in which Begum Hazrat Mahal and Birjis Qadr led the resistance from Lucknow.

Legacy and significance

Awadh's annexation epitomised the annexationist policies that provoked the 1857 uprising; Lucknow's siege became the rebellion's iconic episode, and the taluqdars of Awadh were afterwards recast as pillars of British rule.

Common questions

What was the Nawab of Awadh?: Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk, a Shia Sayyid from Nishapur in Safavid Khurasan, was appointed Mughal governor of Awadh on 26 January 1722 and established a hereditary dynasty that made the province effectively autonomous as Mughal power waned after Aurangzeb's death in 1707.
When did the Nawab of Awadh exist?: The Nawab of Awadh existed 1722–1856. On this map it is drawn 1727–1802.
How large was the Nawab of Awadh?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Nawab of Awadh covered about 116,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Where was the Nawab of Awadh?: The early capital was Faizabad; the court later moved to Lucknow (residence at Chattar Manzil), which became one of the most refined cities of Asia. The kingdom occupied the fertile middle Ganges doab, with tributary dependencies such as Benares (ceded to the Company in 1775) and, later, Rohilkhand annexed with British help in 1774.
Who ruled the Nawab of Awadh?: Saadat Khan's nephew and successor Safdar Jung (1739–1754) also became Mughal wazir; Shuja-ud-Daula (1754–1775) fought at the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) on the Mughal side, restored Shah Alam II, and was destroyed with his allies at Buxar (1764), after which Awadh became a buffer state of the Company, paying for British brigades. Asaf-ud-Daula (1775–1797) moved the capital to Lucknow and built the great Bara Imambara during the famine of 1783–84.
How did the Nawab of Awadh end?: Deeply indebted and encircled by British territory, the kingdom's administration was denounced as misrule; in February 1856 Governor-General Dalhousie deposed the cultured, pleasure-loving Wajid Ali Shah and annexed Awadh outright — a seizure widely cited as a cause of the 1857 rebellion, in which Begum Hazrat Mahal and Birjis Qadr led the resistance from Lucknow.
How was the Nawab of Awadh governed?: Awadh's court was the last great centre of Mughal successor culture: a Perso-Shia aristocracy patronising Urdu poetry, kathak dance, the Lucknow school of miniature painting and a distinctive cuisine; the wealthy agricultural economy attracted repeated British revenue demands and loans.
Why does the Nawab of Awadh still matter?: Awadh's annexation epitomised the annexationist policies that provoked the 1857 uprising; Lucknow's siege became the rebellion's iconic episode, and the taluqdars of Awadh were afterwards recast as pillars of British rule.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Nawab of Awadh en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawab_of_Awadh

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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