History of Uttar Pradesh in the Mughal Period

Babar defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Lodi rulers at the Battle of Panipat in 1526 AD and occupied Agra, But even after this, the Afghans continued their resistance in the Ganga valley and Sambhal, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Kalpi, Etawah and Kannauj had surrendered only after a bitter fight. Babar founded the Mughal empire but his son Humayun had to face a crushing defeat at the hands of Afghan chief Sher Shah. The main battlefield in the war between the Mughals and Sher Shah were Chunar, Chausa and Bilgram. Sher Shah himself was killed in 1545 AD fighting the Chandels in his bid to occupy the famous Kalinjar fort. With the death of Sher Shah, a luminous star on the horizon of Mediaeval history had set. After this, a series of important events took place.

Humayun ascended the throne once again and after his death the second battle of Panipat was fought. Akbar ascended the throne in 1556 AD ushering in a new era in Indian history. It was an era of peace, prosperity and strong administration, of liberalism and integration of Hindu and Muslim cultures. This process of integration continued during the period of his successors, Jahangir and Shahjahan. As contemporary Muslim historians observe, the role of Uttar Pradesh in taking 'Hindustan' to the pinnacle of progress, prosperity and glory was significant. Two famous ministers of Akbar, namely Birbal and Todermal, belonged to Uttar Pradesh. Agra continued to be the capital of the Mughal empire till Shahjahan shifted the capital to Delhi. The reversal of this liberal policy by Aurangzeb was a great setback to the Mughal empire. Within a few decades of his death, the mighty Mighal empire was finished. Even during his life time, Bundelkhand had sounded the siren of revolt under Veer Chhatrasal. This war of Bundelas was fought intermittantly for 50 years and Chhatrasal had to accept help of Peshwa Bajirao which helped the Marathas to get a foothold in Uttar Pradesh.

In Avadh the local governor, Saadat Ali Khan declared independenace in 1732 AD and his successors continued to rule up to 1850 AD. Almost simultaneously the Rohillas also established an independent State in Rohilkhand and continued to rule up to 1774 AD, when the then Nawab of Avadh defeated them with the help of East India Company. The Marathas tried for sometime to establish themselves in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab, but their defeat at Panipat in 1761 AD put an end to their expansionist ambitions.

Nawabs of Avadh

The British East India Company came into contact with the Avadh rulers during the reign of the third Nawab of Avadh, Shuja-ud-daula (1754-1775 AD). Shuja-ud- daula had entered into an alliance with Mir Qasim, the fugitive Nawab of Bengal, against the Company, In 1784. Mir Qasim was defeated by the British and was forced to cede Kara and Allahabad. Thereafter the Britishers pursued a policy to usurpe large territories by coercing the rulers of Avadh at one time and cajoling them at the other.The territories obtained from the Nawabs in 1775,1779 and 1801 AD and those won by Lord Lake from the Scindia in 1803 AD were initially attached to the Bengal province and were named as Conquered and Ceded Provinces.

In 1816 AD, the districts of present Kumaon, Garhwal and Dehra Dun were taken from the Gurkha invaders under the Treaty of Sanguli and annexed to British territories. The large territory thus formed was made an administrative unit called the North-Western Provinces in 1836 AD. Pursuing a policy of annexing States, Lord Dalhousie ultimately annexed Avadh in 1856 AD and placed it under a Chief Commissioner. The last Nawab of Avadh, Wajid Ali Shah was externed to Calcutta and put on a pension. At the same time Jhansi was also annexed by the British.

First War of Independence and After

The relations between the Nawabs and the East India Company remind us of the weaknesses of the Nawabs on the one hand and arrogance, might and betrayal on the part of the British on the other. When the British usurped Avadh, it was but natural that there should be a ravolt at the national level. It happened in 1857 A.D. In this revolt, which was, in effect, the first war of Indian independance, the people of  Uttar Pradesh played a glorious role. The sense of duty and dedication to the cause of freedom displayed in this historic struggle by Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, Begum Hazrat Mahal of Avadh, Bakht Khan, Nana Saheb, Maulvi Ahmadullas Shah, Raja Beni Madhav Singh, Azimullas Khan and a host of other patriots have made them immortal. 

In 1858 AD, the Delhi Division was taken out from the North-Western Provinces and the State's capital was shifted from Agra to Allahabad. On November 1, the same year, political power was tranferred from East India Company to Queen Victoria through a Royal Proclamation. In 1877 AD, the posts of Lt. Governor of North-Western Provinces and Chief Commissioner of Avadh were merged. From then, this large territory was called North Western Provinces of Agra and Avadh. The name was again changed in 1902 AD to United Provinces of Agra and Avadh. It was made a Governor's province in 1921 AD and after some time its capital was shifted to Lucknow. Its name was shortened to United Provinces in 1937 AD. About two and a half years after independance i.e. January 12, 1950, it got its present name of Uttar Pradesh. When the Constitution of free India came into force on January 26, 1950, Uttar Pradesh became a full-fledged province of the Republic of India. There is not doubt the the history of Uttar Pradesh has run concurrently with the history of the country during and after the British rule, but it is also well know that the contribution of the people of the State in National Freedom Movement had been significant.