Nizam's Army

Introduction

When the Mughal empire started weakening, some provinces turned into independent kingdoms. These autonomous states came to be called successor states. These successor states included Hyderabad, Awadh, and Bengal.

The state of Hyderabad was founded by Asaf-Jah, who is popularly known as Nizam-ul- Mulk. So he was the first ruler(Nizam) of the state. He had large and strong-armed forces, which were further divided into two groups, one was regular forces and the other one was irregular forces. The regular army was an organized one with modern weapons and this included the imperial service troops, Golconda Brigade, and Myseram regiment. The irregular one had people from parts or groups such as Afghans, Sikhs, jats, Turks and Rohillas, etc. The irregular armed force was headed by three different commanders namely; Nizam, Diwan, and Shangal Umara or "Amin Kabir" (influential officials of Nizam).

The Private Military Which Was Organized by Nizam

A private military is mainly a kind of armed force which owe its allegiance to a particular person or group of people rather than the nation or state. In Hyderabad, the private armed force was called Razakars, which was formed by one of the Muslim nationalist party MIM(Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) leader called Bhadur Yar Jung during British raj in India. It was properly organized and made more volatile by Qasim Razvi in the reign of Nizam Osman Ali(last Nizam) during the time of independence of India. These Razakars were considered to be very brutal and fierce as they killed many people.

Duties and Responsibilities

In 1947 during the time of independence, when Hyderabad was given the choice of either merging with India or Pakistan. The Last Nizam of this state Osman Ali Asaf Jah refused this idea and rather chose to be continued as an independent princely state. Razakars were deployed by Qasim Razvi for protecting the continuation of the princely state of Hyderabad and resistance to the integration of the state to Dominion of India. As this armed force was very brutal, they killed many people in Telangana and Marathawada regions. They even murdered people, whom they were suspicious of against the idea of princely states. A war took place between Razakars and Indian troops which lasted for five days.

Ultimately the Razakar was routed by the Indian army and Razvi was imprisoned and later allowed to move to Pakistan Hyderbad was integrated with the dominion of India through Operation Polo.

Rise of Autonomous States

Realizing the weakness of the Mughal rulers, several regional kingdoms began to declare themselves independent and started challenging the Mughal authority. These autonomous states included the state of Awadh, Bengal, Hyderabad, Mysore, Jat, and Sikh state.

Bengal

This state was founded by Murshid Quli Khan in 1717 with the transfer of his capital from Decca to Murshidabad. He was succeeded by his son Shujauddin. Some of the other important rulers of this state were Alivardi Khan (who stopped the french east India company not to misusing the privileges), and Siraj-ud-daulah(fought the famous battle of Plassey in 1757), Mir Jafar, and Mir Qasim.

Awadh

The state of Awadh, modern-day Uttar Pradesh, was founded by Sadat Khan( also called as Burhan-ul-Mulk) in 1722. He joined the conspiracy against the sayyid brothers, which resulted in increased mansab being given to him. Later, driven out of the court forced him to come with a new principality of Awadh. Sadat Khan committed suicide because a large amount of booty was asked of him by Nadir Shah. After Sadat Khan, his son Safdar Jang became the nawab of Awadh.

Hyderabad

The independent state of Hyderabad was founded by Qilich Khan, who was given the title of Nizam-ul-Mulk by the Mughal emperor Farruksiyar. He did not like the idea of Mubriz Khan being appointed as the viceroy of Deccan. So, Qilich Khan fought with him and later killed him in the battle of Shkr-Kheda. And now he took over the viceroyship of Deccan and became the first Nizam.

Mysore

Another important state which asserted its independence was Mysore. It was allocated at the adjoining point of the eastern and western ghats under the rule of Wodeyars. Many powers had an eye on this area, therefore, turned into a constant battlefield. Ultimately it came under the control of Haider Ali, who had to face a lot of trouble for this. Even Britishers were in constant warfare for this area with Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan.

The Jat state

Due to the oppressive policies of Aurangzeb, the agriculturalist jat settlers of Delhi, Mathura, and Agra started revolting against the Mughal rule. And finally, Churaman and Badan Singh set up the jat state of Bharatpur. The jat state reached at its peak under Suraj Mal. His state includes the Subas of Agra, Mathura, Meerut, and Aligarh. After Srajmal’s death the jat state began to decline.

The Sikh state

The Sikhs were transformed into a militant sect by Guru Gobind Singh in order to protect their religion. The Sikhs asserted their authority during the time of invasion by Nadir Shan and Ahmed Shah Abdali. They structured themselves into 12 misls or confederacies, which were used to control different parts of the state. The strong kingdom of Punjab was founded by Ranjit Sigh(who belonged to one of the misl called Sukarchakiya). He expanded from Sutlej to jhelum and also annexed Lahore and Amritsar. But by the end of his reign, he was forced to sign the Tripartite treaty in 1838.

Conclusion

Taking advantage of weak Mughal rulers many regional kingdoms became powerful and declared their independence from the Mughal empire. These states started maintaining their own armies and conspiring against the Mughals. These autonomous states included the rise of Hyderabad, Bengal, Punjab, Mysore and Awadh, etc.

Few of these states even refused to attach themselves to India even after the British rule as the rulers of this independent kingdom or princely states wanted to maintain complete independence. One such state was Hyderabad which had its private army called Razakars. The Nizam of Hyderabad deployed his army to fight against the Indian troops, and tried to annex Hyderabad under ‘operation Polo’. Finally, after this operation, the state of Hyderabad was merged into India in 1948.

FAQs

Q1. Why was Hyderabad known as the city of Nizams?

Ans. Hyderabad was known as the city of Nizam because it was founded by Qilich Khan of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, given the title of Nizam. After him, six more Nizams of the same dynasty continued to rule Hyderabad.

Q2. What was the Tripartite treaty?

Ans. The tripartite treaty was signed by Ranjit Singh with Shah Shuja and the English company in which he agreed to provide passage to the Britsh troops through Punjab with consent to place Shah Shuja on the throne of Kabul.

Q3. What was operation Polo?

Ans. Operation Polo was the name given to the police action of newly independent India against Hyderabad in 1948. With the instructions of Indian Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian troops invaded and annexe the princely state of Hyderabad.

Q4. Why is the battle of Plassey important in Indian History?

Ans. The battle of Plassey was fought between Siraj-ud-daulah and East India company in 1757. This battle had an important place in Indian history because it established the military supremacy of the British in Bengal and it paved the foundation of the British empire in India.

Q5. Mention the reforms made by Tipu Sultan.

Ans.

• Economic reforms- Sending ambassadors to foreign countries to develop trade relations. Introduction of a new currency, weight and measures, and calendar.

• Revenue reforms- Abolition of the jagir system, reducing hereditary possession of poligars, and efforts were made to improve positions of the peasantry.

• Military reforms- Organised the infantry on European lines, established of the modern navy ship with two dockyards, and became a member of the Jacobin club.