Carnatic State | |||||||||||||
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| 1692–1855 | |||||||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||||||
 Arcot State, on the Bay of Bengal, marked as "Carnatic" at its height of power. | |||||||||||||
| Status |
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| Capital | Gingee (1692–1710), Arcot (1710–1768), Chepauk (1768–1855) | ||||||||||||
| Official languages | Persian,Tamil,Urdu | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Islam (state religion) | ||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
| Nawab | |||||||||||||
• 1692–1703 (first) | Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung | ||||||||||||
• 1710–1732 (first independent) | Saadatullah Khan I | ||||||||||||
• 1824–1855 (last) | Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Mughal rule in India Maratha rule in India Company rule in India | ||||||||||||
• Progenitor of family appointed governor | 1692 | ||||||||||||
• Established | 1692 | ||||||||||||
| 23 September – 14 November 1751 | |||||||||||||
| 26 July 1801 | |||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1855 | ||||||||||||
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| Today part of | India | ||||||||||||
_-_Prince_Azim-ud-Daula_(1775%25E2%2580%25931819)%2c_Nawab_of_the_Carnatic_and_His_Son_Azam_Jah_(1800%25E2%2580%25931874)_-_1180953_-_National_Trust.jpg)
TheCarnatic Sultanate (Persian:سلطنت دكرناتك;Tamil:ஆற்காடு நவாப்;Urdu:کرناٹک ریاست) also known asCarnatic State orArcot State was a kingdom insouthern India between about 1690 and 1855, ruled by a Muslimnawab under the legal purview of theNizam of Hyderabad, until their demise.[1][2] They initially had their capital atArcot in the present-day Indian state ofTamil Nadu. Their rule is an important period in the history of the Carnatic andCoromandel Coast regions, in which theMughal Empire gave way to the rising influence of theMaratha India, and later the emergence of theBritish India.
The old province, known as the Carnatic, in whichMadras (Chennai) was situated, extended from theKrishna River to theKaveri River, and was bounded on the West byMysore kingdom andDindigul, (which formed part of theSultanate of Mysore). The Northern portion was known as the 'MughalCarnatic', the Southern the 'MarathaCarnatic' with theMaratha fortresses ofGingee andRanjankudi. Carnatic thus was the name commonly given to the region of Southern India that stretches from theEast Godavari ofAndhra Pradesh in the north to theMaratha fort of Ranjangudi in the south (including theKaveri River delta), andCoromandal Coast in the east toWestern Ghats in the west.
With the decline ofVijayanagara Empire in 1646, the Hindunayaks, established in Madurai, Tanjore and Kanchi, made themselves independent. However, they quickly became tributaries to the kings of Golconda and Bijapur, who divided the Carnatic between them.Mughal EmperorAurangzeb in 1692 appointedZulfiqar Khan as the firstsubahdar of the Carnatic with his seat at Arcot as a reward for his victory over theMarathas led byRajaram I.[3]
With the decline of the Mughal empire, the Carnaticsubah became independent as the Carnatic Sultanate, which controlled a vast territory south of theKrishna River. The NawabSaadatullah Khan I moved his court fromGingee toArcot. His successorDost Ali Khan conquered and annexedMadurai in 1736.
In 1740, theMaratha forces descended on Arcot. They attacked the Nawab,Dost Ali Khan, in the pass of Damalcherry. In the war that followed, Dost Ali, one of his sons Hasan Ali, and a number of prominent persons lost their lives. This initial success at once enhanced Maratha prestige in the south. From Damalcherry, the Marathas proceeded to Arcot, which surrendered to them without much resistance. Chanda Sahib and his son were arrested and sent toNagpur.
Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah became the ruler in 1749, however he was not officially crowned until 1752, and he was only recognised as an independent ruler by the Emperor of Delhi in 1765.
The growing influences of the English and the French and their colonial wars had a huge impact on the Carnatic. Wallajah supported the English against the French andHyder Ali, placing him heavily in debt. As a result, he had to surrender much of his territory to theEast India Company.Paul Benfield, an English businessman, made major loans to the Nawab for the purpose of enabling him, who, with the aid of the English, had invaded and conquered theMaratha state of Tanjore, to satisfy some claims of the Dutch atTranquebar on territories of theRajah of Tanjore.[4]
The thirteenth Nawab,Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan, died, and the British annexed the Carnatic Nawabdom, applying thedoctrine of lapse. Ghouse Khan's uncle Azim Jah was created the first Prince of Arcot (Amir-e-Arcot) in 1867 byQueen Victoria, and was given a tax free-pension in perpetuity.
| Name | Reign began | Reign ended | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung | 1692 | 1703 | Son ofAsad Khan, a renowned nobleman in the court of EmperorAurangzeb |
| 2 | Daud Khan Panni | 1703 | 1710 | Before he was made Nawab, the EmperorAurangazeb appointed him as a leading commander of theMughal Army. |
| 3 | Sa'adatullah Khan I | 1710 | 1732 | He was the last Mughal governor who was appointed as Nawab ofCarnatic. Belonging to aNavaiyit family,[5] he had no children and so he adopted his brotherGhulam Ali Khan's sonDost Ali Khan as his own and nominated him as successor. |
| 1 | Sa'adatullah Khan I | 1710 | 1732 | He was the last Mughal governor who was appointed as Nawab ofCarnatic. Having no children, he adopted his brotherGhulam Ali Khan's sonDost Ali Khan as his own and nominated him as successor. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Dost Ali Khan | 1732 | 1740 | Nephew ofSa'adatullah Khan I |
| 3 | Safdar Ali Khan | 1740 | 1742 | Son ofDost Ali Khan |
| De facto | Nawab Muruza Ali Khan | November 1742 | December 1742 | Cousin and Brother-in-Law ofSafdar Ali Khan |
| 4 | Sa'adatullah Khan II | 1742 | 1744 | Son ofSafdar Ali Khan. He was murdered in July 1744 atArcot. So, with him, thefirst dynasty of the Nawabs of Arcot came to an end. |
| 5 | Anwaruddin Khan | 1744 | 3 August 1749 | He was the 1stNawab of Arcot of thesecond dynasty. He was ofQannauji Sheikh origin.[6] |
| Names | Reign began | Reign ended | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chanda Shahib | 1749 | 1752 | Son-in-law of theDost Ali Khan,[7] under whom he worked as aDewan. Supported the French inCarnatic Wars. |
| 2 | Muhammad Ali Khan Wala-Jah | 3 August 1749 | 16 October 1795 | Son ofAnwaruddin Khan. Supported the British inCarnatic Wars. Moved the capital from Arcot toChepauk |
| 3 | Umdat ul-Umara | 1795 | 1801 | Son ofMuhammad Ali Khan Wala-Jah |
| 4 | Azim-ud-Daula* | 1801 | 1819 | Signed theCarnatic Treaty, ceding tax rights to theBritish |
| 1 | Azim-ud-Daula* | 1801 | 1819 | Nephew ofUmdat ul-Umara |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Azam Jah | 1819 | 1825 | Son ofAzim-ud-Daula |
| 3 | Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan | 1825 | 1855 | Son ofAzam Jah. He died in 1855 at the age of 31. He did not leave behind any male heir. |
| Lineage | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amir | Reign | Notes | ||||
| Azim Jah | 1867–1874 | younger son ofAzim-ud-Daula TheChepauk Palace, the official residence of the princes of the Carnatic had been taken over by the British in 1859. He constructed a new residence, theAmir Mahal, inRoyapettah. | ||||
| SirZahir-ud-Daula Bahadur | 1874–1879 | Son ofAzim Jah | ||||
| Intizam-ul-Mulk Muazzal ud-Daula Bahadur | 1879–1889 | younger son ofAzim Jah | ||||
| SirMuhammad Munawar Khan Bahadur | 1889–1903 | nephew ofIntizam-ul-Mulk | ||||
| SirGhulam Muhammad Ali Khan Bahadur | 1903–1952 | Son ofMuhammad Munawar Khan | ||||
| Ghulam Mohiuddin Khan Bahadur | 1952–1969 | younger son ofMuhammad Munawar Khan | ||||
| Ghulam Mohammed Abdul Khader | 1969–1993 | Son ofGhulam Mohiuddin Khan | ||||
| Muhammed Abdul Ali | 1993– | Son ofGhulam Mohammed Abdul Khader | ||||
![In the year 1702, Nawab Daud Khan, the Mughal Empire's local Subedar of the Carnatic, besieged and blockaded Fort St. George for more than three months,[8] the governor of the fort, Thomas Pitt, was instructed by the British East India Company to vie for peace](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aFort_St._George%2c_Chennai.jpg)
