Bengal Subah
Bangladesh, 1576–1757. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Bengal Subah was the largest subdivision of the Mughal Empire, encompassing much of the Bengal region, which includes modern-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, between the 16th and 18th centuries. The province was established following the dissolution of the Bengal Sultanate, when the region was absorbed into the Mughal Empire. By the 18th century, Bengal emerged as a de facto independent state under the rule of the Nawabs of Bengal, who acted on Mughal sovereignty. In 1757 and 1764, the British East India Company defeated the Nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey and the Battle of Buxar, and Bengal came under British influence.
Seat of power: Murshidabad
No rulers documented for this era yet.
Culture
- Bengal was the wealthiest region in the Indian subcontinent.
- Bengal Subah alone accounted for 40% of Dutch imports from Asia.
- The eastern part of Bengal was globally prominent in industries such as textile manufacturing and shipbuilding, and it was a major exporter of silk and cotton textiles, steel, saltpeter, and agricultural and industrial produce in the world.
Picture
The Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka was started by Prince Muhammad Azam Shah and later overseen by Shaista Khan, the Subahdar of Mughal Bengal.
Image: Farha Fawzia Atashi, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.