| Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad Deccan | |
|---|---|
 Coat of Arms of the Hyderabad | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Style | His Exalted Highness |
| First monarch | Chin Qilich Khan |
| Last monarch | Osman Ali Khan |
| Formation | 31 July 1724 |
| Abolition | 17 September 1948 |
| Residence | Chowmahalla Palace |
| Appointer | Hereditary |
| Pretender(s) | Azmet Jah |
Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State (now[update] part of the Indian state of Telangana, the Marathwada region of Maharashtra and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). Nizam is a shortened form of Niẓām ul-Mulk (Persian: نظام الملک; lit. 'Administrator of the Realm'), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I when he was appointed Viceroy of the Deccan by the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar. In addition to being the Mughal Viceroy (Naib) of the Deccan, Asaf Jah I was also the premier courtier of the Mughal Empire until 1724, when he established an independent realm based in Hyderabad, but in practice, continued to recognise the nominal authority of emperor.
The Asaf Jahi dynasty was founded by Chin Qilich Khan (Asaf Jah I), who served as a Naib of the Deccan sultanates under the Mughal Empire from 1713 to 1721. He intermittently ruled the region after Emperor Aurangzeb's death in 1707. In 1724 Mughal control weakened, and Asaf Jah became virtually independent.[1][2][3] Later the Nizam defeated the Marathas with the alliance of the British.
When the English East India Company achieved paramountcy over the Indian subcontinent, they allowed the Nizams to continue to rule their princely states as client kings. The Nizams retained internal power over Hyderabad State until 17 September 1948, when Hyderabad was integrated into the new Indian Union.[4]
The Asaf Jahi dynasty had only seven recognized rulers, but there was a period of 13 unstable years after the rule of the first Nizam when two of his sons, Nasir Jung,and Salabath Jung, and grandson Muzafur Jung ruled. They were never officially recognised[by whom?] as rulers. The seventh and last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, fell from power when India annexed Hyderabad State in 1948 in Operation Polo.[5] Today, the title is held by his great grandson and pretender, Azmet Jah.[6]
- ^ Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: P-Z. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780313335396. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- ^ Barua, Pradeep (2005). The State at War in South Asia. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0803213449. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- ^ Nath Sen, Sailendra (1994). Anglo-Maratha Relations, 1785–96, Volume 2. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 9788171547890. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "This day, that year: How Hyderabad became a part of the union of India". 16 September 2018. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ "Police Action: What happened in Hyderabad State during 1948 and beyond". The Siasat Daily. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "Azmet Jah coronated as ninth titular Nizam of Hyderabad". India Today. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2023.