When did the Nawabs of Bengal exist?

The Nawabs of Bengal existed 1717–1772. On this map it is drawn 1718–1761.

How large was the Nawabs of Bengal?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Nawabs of Bengal covered about 389,000 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

Nawabs of Bengal

Hereditary Nawabi · 1717–1772

Murshid Quli Khan, a converted Brahmin who rose to be diwan (revenue chief) of Bengal, manoeuvred the Mughal viceroy Azim-us-Shan out of the province and merged the offices of diwan and subedar. In 1716 he shifted the capital from Dhaka to a new city, Murshidabad, and in 1717 Emperor Farrukhsiyar recognised him as hereditary Nawab Nazim, founding the Nasiri dynasty.

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Type: Hereditary Nawabi (de facto independent monarchy within nominal Mughal suzerainty)
Existed: 1717–1772
Shown on the map: 1718–1761
Peak area: roughly 389,000 km² spanning Bengal, Bihar and Orissa — the richest province of the Mughal Empire, in eastern South Asia.
Region: South Asia

Origins and founding

Capitals and territory

Murshidabad was the capital throughout, with deputies (naib nazims) at Dhaka, Patna, Cuttack and Chittagong; the territory stretched from the border of Oudh in the west to Arakan in the east. Bengal continued to mint coins in the Mughal emperor's name and remitted the largest share of tribute to Delhi.

Major rulers and key events

Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan (1727–1739) presided over the subah's peak and built the Farrabagh palace complex. Alivardi Khan seized the throne by killing Sarfaraz Khan at the Battle of Giria (1740), founding the Afshar dynasty, and spent his 16-year reign repelling devastating Maratha (Bargi) invasions (1741–1751) — which reportedly killed 400,000 civilians — before agreeing to pay chauth tribute; he also suppressed four Afghan insurrections in Bihar (1745–1750). His grandson Siraj ud-Daulah stormed Calcutta in June 1756, but was betrayed by his commander Mir Jafar and crushed by Robert Clive at Plassey on 23 June 1757. Mir Qasim's counter-attack ended in defeat at Buxar (1764).

Government, economy and culture

The Nawabi presided over proto-industrialisation: the Bengal–Bihar–Orissa triangle produced muslin (Dhaka), silk (Murshidabad), saltpetre, gunpowder and ships (Chittagong), financed by the Jagat Seth banking house and courted by the British, French, Dutch, Danish and Ostend companies. Court culture produced the Murshidabad style of Mughal painting and patronised Hindustani music and the Baul tradition.

Decline and end

After Plassey the British installed puppet nawabs; the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) granted the Company the diwani, creating dual government until 1772, when Warren Hastings abolished the Nizamat's substance and moved administration to Calcutta. The nizamat was formally ceded in 1793, and the title was reduced to a Murshidabad peerage by 1880.

Legacy and significance

Plassey and Buxar were the hinge of world history: the conquest of the richest Mughal province financed and supplied Britain's entire subsequent conquest of India, while Bengal's textile economy was systematically dismantled in favour of British manufactures.

Common questions

What was the Nawabs of Bengal?: Murshid Quli Khan, a converted Brahmin who rose to be diwan (revenue chief) of Bengal, manoeuvred the Mughal viceroy Azim-us-Shan out of the province and merged the offices of diwan and subedar. In 1716 he shifted the capital from Dhaka to a new city, Murshidabad, and in 1717 Emperor Farrukhsiyar recognised him as hereditary Nawab Nazim, founding the Nasiri dynasty.
When did the Nawabs of Bengal exist?: The Nawabs of Bengal existed 1717–1772. On this map it is drawn 1718–1761.
How large was the Nawabs of Bengal?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Nawabs of Bengal covered about 389,000 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 Nawabs of Bengal?: Murshidabad was the capital throughout, with deputies (naib nazims) at Dhaka, Patna, Cuttack and Chittagong; the territory stretched from the border of Oudh in the west to Arakan in the east. Bengal continued to mint coins in the Mughal emperor's name and remitted the largest share of tribute to Delhi.
Who ruled the Nawabs of Bengal?: Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan (1727–1739) presided over the subah's peak and built the Farrabagh palace complex. Alivardi Khan seized the throne by killing Sarfaraz Khan at the Battle of Giria (1740), founding the Afshar dynasty, and spent his 16-year reign repelling devastating Maratha (Bargi) invasions (1741–1751) — which reportedly killed 400,000 civilians — before agreeing to pay chauth tribute; he also suppressed four Afghan insurrections in Bihar (1745–1750).
How did the Nawabs of Bengal end?: After Plassey the British installed puppet nawabs; the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) granted the Company the diwani, creating dual government until 1772, when Warren Hastings abolished the Nizamat's substance and moved administration to Calcutta. The nizamat was formally ceded in 1793, and the title was reduced to a Murshidabad peerage by 1880.
How was the Nawabs of Bengal governed?: The Nawabi presided over proto-industrialisation: the Bengal–Bihar–Orissa triangle produced muslin (Dhaka), silk (Murshidabad), saltpetre, gunpowder and ships (Chittagong), financed by the Jagat Seth banking house and courted by the British, French, Dutch, Danish and Ostend companies.
Why does the Nawabs of Bengal still matter?: Plassey and Buxar were the hinge of world history: the conquest of the richest Mughal province financed and supplied Britain's entire subsequent conquest of India, while Bengal's textile economy was systematically dismantled in favour of British manufactures.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Nawabs of Bengal en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawabs_of_Bengal

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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