Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan

Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan, also known as Mirza Muhammad Hashim, was a Mughal aristocrat from Nawab of Bengal family and the father of Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal.

Biography

Khan was the son of Haji Ahmad, the older brother of Alivardi Khan, the future Nawab of Bengal. He was given the title Khan by the Nawab of Bengal, Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan. He had two brothers, Nawazish Muhammad Khan and Sayed Ahmed Khan, all the siblings worked for the administration of the Nawab. Khan married Amina Begum, the daughter of Alivardi Khan. They had two sons, one of whom was Siraj ud-Daulah, the future Nawab, and the other Mirza Muhammad. After Alivardi Khan became the nawab of Bengal Khan was made the governor of Bihar and given the title of Haibat Jang.[1][2]

Khan defended Bengal and Bihar from Maratha attacks. Mustafa Khan, the Afghan general in the Bengal Army, and Nawab Alivardi Khan killed Bhaskar Pandit, the leader of the Maratha raids. Mustafa Khan expected the governorship of Bihar as his reward when he was refused that he revolted. He attacked Mongyer and laid siege to Patna. Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan defended Patna and the rebels were crushed by an Army led by Nawab Alivardi Khan. Mustafa Khan launched another invasion of Bihar with the support of Maratha general Raghoji I Bhonsle. They pillaged various areas of Bengal and Mir Habib was able to enter Murshidabad, the seat of the Bengal Nawab. They were finally driven out by Nawab Alivardi Khan.[1]

Death

Following the invasion of India by the Afghan Ahmad Shah Durrani the former Afghan soldiers in the Bengal Army revolted and tried to establish their rule in Bihar. They took over Patna and assassinated Zain ud-Din Ahmed Khan in 1748 and took prisoner his two sons and wife Amina Begum. The Marathas joined the rebels and Haji Ahmed was killed by the rebels. Alivardi Khan put down the rebellion and rescued Amina Begum and her two sons.[1][3]

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References
  1. Karim, KM. "Zainuddin Ahmad Khan". en.banglapedia.org. Banglapedia. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  2. Bengal Nawābs, Containing Āzād-āl-Husaini's Naubahār-i-Murshid Quli Khāni, Karam Āli's Muzaffarnāmah, and Yusuf ʻĀli's Āhwāl-i-Mahābat Jang. Asiatic Society. 1952. p. 86.
  3. Ray, Aniruddha (2016). Towns and Cities of Medieval India: A Brief Survey. Taylor & Francis. p. 429. ISBN 9781351997317.
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