Archive · 25 May 2025
Historians Suspect Foul Play in Death of Awadh's Last Nawab
Imagine a ruler named Wajid Ali Shah, who lived a long time ago.
He was getting money from the British, but some people think the British didn't want to pay him anymore.
When he died, some historians thought something was wrong.
They believe someone might have poisoned him, maybe because the British wanted to save money.
It's like a mystery where some people think the ruler was killed, but others may not agree.
They suspect a person close to the ruler might have given him bad medicine to make him die.
Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, died in Calcutta in 1887 while on British pension.
Some historians, like Mirza Ali Azhar, suspect his death was not natural but a murder.
The alleged conspiracy involved a British plot to save on pension payments.
Wajid Ali Shah's death occurred shortly after taking medicine from Munsarim-ud-Daulah.
The Nawab's last moments involved a struggle to write, allegedly thwarted by Munsarim-ud-Daulah.
- Who
- Wajid Ali Shah, Mirza Ali Azhar, Munsarim-ud-Daulah, and possibly the British.
- What
- The death of Wajid Ali Shah is under suspicion of being a murder.
- When
- September 21, 1887
- Where
- Calcutta
- Why
- Some historians suspect the British had him murdered to avoid paying pension.
Official Account
Alleged Conspiracy
Cause of Death
Official Account
The death was natural.
Alleged Conspiracy
Wajid Ali Shah was murdered by poison.
- Deceased
- Wajid Ali Shah
- Date of Death
- September 21, 1887
- Location of Death
- Calcutta
- Pension Amount
- Rs 12 lakh annually
- Suspected Perpetrator
- Munsarim-ud-Daulah
- Suspected Motive
- British plot to save money
