Nawabs of Bengal

The nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary rulers of the Bengal Subah, the wealthiest province of Mughal India. In the early eighteenth century they governed Bengal, Bihar and Orissa as de facto independent monarchs while still striking coins in the Mughal emperor's name. From their capital at Murshidabad they presided over a thriving proto-industrial economy: cotton muslin, silk, shipbuilding, saltpetre and metalwork were produced for export, and European companies — British, French, Dutch, Danish and Austrian — established factories along the delta. The nawabs reached their height under Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan, and Alivardi Khan spent much of his sixteen-year reign fighting the Marathas. The British East India Company defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey in 1757 and installed puppet rulers; after Buxar in 1764 real authority passed to Calcutta. The dynasty survived as a ceremonial office until 1880, when its descendants were recognised only as nawabs of Murshidabad. Their revenue system and patronage of banking houses such as the Jagat Seths made Bengal the financial backbone of the Mughal court.