Kingdom of Rohilkhand
In 1721, a fourteen-year-old boy named Ali Mohammed Khan stood at the head of a militia in Katehir. He had been adopted by Sardar Daud Khan Rohilla after his own father was murdered by the Raja of Kumaon. This young leader carved out a kingdom from the collapsing Mughal Empire while the administration under Emperor Muhammad Shah crumbled around him. His authority grew unchallenged for five years following the invasion of Nadir Shah in 1739. Ali Mohammed distinguished himself by helping suppress the rebellion of the Barah Sayyids, who were former de-facto rulers of the empire. As a reward, he received the title of Nawab from Muhammad Shah in 1737. The borders of this new state largely came into existence as a check to the power of Oudh State. Nawab Ali Mohammed was supported by Wazir al Mulk, Qamarudin Khan during these early consolidation efforts. By 1748, Ahmed Shah Abidali's invasion allowed Ali Mohammed to return to Katehir and re-establish his rule virtually independently.
On his deathbed in 1749, Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan appointed Hafiz Rehmat Khan as Guardian of Rohilkhand until his sons reached majority. Ali Mohammad left six sons including Faizullah Khan and Abdullah Khan as elder sons. He made arrangements to divide the Kingdom among them and asked Rehmat Khan to swear upon the Koran to observe the promise. However in 1754, Hafiz Rehmat resolved no longer to regard the pledges and appropriated most valuable portions of Rohilkhand for himself. The larger share went to Hafiz Rehmat while smaller districts were assigned to Faizullah Khan and Abdullah Khan. This led to a confederation-like structure with the Nawab at its head and Rohilla Chiefs answering him especially regarding military engagements. Rehmat Khan and Dundi Khan's machinations won out and Ali Mohammed Khan's children were sidelined in the new government. Most positions of power given to Afghan chiefs like Najib-ud-Daula received land grants that were quickly usurped upon the Nawab's death.
In 1757, the powerful Maratha Empire defeated the Rohillas and Afghans near Delhi where Najib Khan was taken prisoner. A larger Maratha force defeated the Rohillas again in 1772 when they could not repay their debt. The Nawab of Oudh invaded Rohilkhand in 1773 after appealing to Warren Hastings for assistance. The British provided help in return for a sum of forty lakhs of rupees. The decisive battle occurred on the 23rd of April 1774 at Miranpur Katra where Colonel Alexander Champion defeated the Rohillas under Hafiz Rahmat Ali Khan. Hafiz Rahmat Khan died during this engagement causing the Rohillas to flee to the mountains near Loll Dong. Rohilkhand fell to Awadh and was plundered and occupied by the invading forces. Most of the kingdom was annexed into Oudh at the end of the First Rohilla War due to mismanagement and internal division.
Faizullah Khan signed a treaty on the 7th of October 1774 in the presence of British Commander Colonel Champion. This agreement established the Rohilla State of Rampur as a pliant state under British protection thereafter. Faizullah Khan managed to become its Nawab while retaining his former territory in Rampur. The kingdom of Rohilkhand was abolished and afterwards became part of Oudh State. A dozen Rohilla states formed around the weakening central government including Badaun, Moradabad, and Bareilly. Four of these states were created during the division of Rohilkhand at the request of Ahmed Shah Abidali for the sons of Nawab Ali Muhammad Khan. Najibabad and Farrukhabad also emerged as notable chieftancies after 1748. The surviving dynasty continued to rule over Rampur long after the main kingdom's destruction.
An unusually large proportion of Muslim converts represented a quarter of the population within the kingdom. The majority of inhabitants remained Hindu throughout the period from 1721 to 1774. Rohillas were Afghans who migrated to north India during the 17th and 18th centuries yet Ali Mohammed Khan himself was not Afghan by birth. He was actually a Jat boy adopted into the Barech tribe by Sardar Daud Khan Rohilla. In the 19th century descendants of Ali Mohammed Khan started claiming he was a Barha Sayyid and began using that title. They could not present any pedigree or valid historical proof in support of this claim. The Nawabs even sought service of a prominent religious leader named Najmul Ghani for establishing ancestry from Ali which was widely rejected. The Rohillas emerged as a mixture of old domiciled Indian Pathan families, Indian converts to Islam and new adventurers from the northwest.
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Common questions
Who founded the Kingdom of Rohilkhand and when did it begin?
Ali Mohammed Khan founded the Kingdom of Rohilkhand in 1721. He was a fourteen-year-old boy who stood at the head of a militia in Katehir after being adopted by Sardar Daud Khan Rohilla.
What happened to the Kingdom of Rohilkhand on the 23rd of April 1774?
The decisive battle occurred on the 23rd of April 1774 at Miranpur Katra where Colonel Alexander Champion defeated the Rohillas under Hafiz Rahmat Ali Khan. Hafiz Rahmat Khan died during this engagement causing the Rohillas to flee to the mountains near Loll Dong.
Why did the Kingdom of Rohilkhand end in 1774?
Most of the kingdom was annexed into Oudh at the end of the First Rohilla War due to mismanagement and internal division. The Nawab of Oudh invaded Rohilkhand in 1773 after appealing to Warren Hastings for assistance.
How many sons did Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan leave behind when he died in 1749?
Ali Mohammad left six sons including Faizullah Khan and Abdullah Khan as elder sons. He made arrangements to divide the Kingdom among them and asked Rehmat Khan to swear upon the Koran to observe the promise.
When was the treaty signed that established the Rohilla State of Rampur?
Faizullah Khan signed a treaty on the 7th of October 1774 in the presence of British Commander Colonel Champion. This agreement established the Rohilla State of Rampur as a pliant state under British protection thereafter.