Wajid Ali Shah (1822–1887)
Born 1822 CE, died 1887 CE.
Mirza Wajid Ali Shah (Urdu: واجد علی شاه; 30 July 1822 – 1 September 1887) was the eleventh and last King of Awadh, holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856. Wajid Ali Shah's first wife was Alam Ara who was better known as Khas Mahal (transl. : "special wife") because of her exquisite beauty. She was one of two Nikahi wives (a Nikah is the formal, legally binding Islamic marriage contract between a man and a woman, creating a lawful, mutually respectful partnership). His second wife, Muhammadi Khanum, better known as the Begum Hazrat Mahal, rose against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 as the regent of Awadh. His kingdom, long protected by the British East India Company (EIC) under a treaty, was annexed by the EIC on 11 February 1856, two days before the ninth anniversary of his coronation. The Nawab was exiled to Garden Reach in Metiabruz, then a suburb of Kolkata, where he lived out the rest of his life on a generous pension. He was a poet, playwright, dancer and great patron of the arts.
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