1 . The State was founded by Mir Kamar-ud-din All Khan, better known by his titles of Chin Killij Khan Fateh Jang, Nizam-ul-Mulk and Asaf Jah. He was the son of Aurangzeb's General, Ghazi-ud-din Khan Feroz Jang, who traced his descent through Shaikh Alam and Shaikh Shab-ud-din Suhrvardi to Abu-Bakr, the first Khalifa. 2. Nizam-ul-Mulk was first appointed Viceroy of the Deccan in 1712, and by 1724, he made himself virtually independent of the Moghul Emperor at Delhi. On his death in 1748, the succession to the maBnad was fiercely contested by his sons, the English and French Set- tlements of Madras and Pondicherry espousing in turn the cause of the rival claimants. Eventually in 1751, by the influence of M. Bussy, Salabat Jang, the third son, emerged successful from the struggle. Though French influence predominated at his court, he was compelled to surrender Musulipatam to the English Company and to permit no French settlement in his dominions. In his wars with the Mahrattas he was unsuccessful, but in 1761, after the shock which the Mahratta power received at Panipat, he was able to regain most of the territory he had lost. In the same year he was deposed by his younger brother Nizam Ali Khan. Nizam All's long feign was a period of great importance to Hyderabad. In 1765, in conjunction with the Peshwa, he attacked and defeated Janoji Bhonsla, who was compelled to restore to him three- fourths of the districts which he had received in 1763. Three years later the Nizam concluded a treaty with the East India Company by which the latter agreed to pay au annual PeMash of Its. v,UU,OOl) for the Northern Circars which had been granted to them by a Farman and to provide a body of troops to assist him and his successors. In 1767, the Nizam allied himself with Haider Ali against the Company, but was compelled early in the next year to conclude a treaty of peace by which the agreement regarding the tenure of the Northern Circars and the provision of troops by the Company was revised and by which a stipu* lation was made that the troops which the Company was liable by Treaty to be called on to supply, should not be used against any Chief in alliance with the Company. He again prepared for War in 1779 when the intervention of the Supreme Government led to the restoration to Basalat Jang, the Nizam's brother, of the Guntur District. In 1795, Nizam Ali unsuccessfully attacked the Mahratta Confederacy at Kurdla and was forced to surrender territories, including the Fort of Daulatabad, valued at Es. 35,00,000 a year a,nd to pay a sum of three crores of rupees. The prohibition against the use of the Subsidiary Force on this occasion led to its withdrawal at the Nizam's request and to the organi- sation by him of a force under French Officers, British influence was restored in 1798, when Captain James Achilles Kirkpatriek concluded a treaty of alliance determining the permanent strength of the Subsidiary Force and stipulating that toe French Officers in the Nizam's service should be disbanded and no more foreigners employed, In 1799 the Nizam aided the Company in tha War with Tippu Sultan, on the suc- cessful termination of which, the partition treaty of Mysore was signed. In 1800 a new Subsidiary Treaty was concluded by which the strength of the Subsidiary Force was permanently increased and the Nizam agreed to supply a Contingent of 6,000 Infantry and 9,000 Horse to act with the Subsidiary Force in case of war. The death of Nizam Ali and the succession of his eldest surviving son, Sikandar Jah, occurred on the 7th August 1803, three days after the out-break of the Second Mahratta War. Before the end of the year the war was concluded, and the Treaty of Deogaon assigned to the Nizam the whole of Berar West of the Wardha, except the hill forts which were acquired in 1822 and all the districts held by Soindhia to the South of the Ajanta Hills. The Con- tingent supplied by the Nizam in the war had proved inefficient and was subsequently reorganised under the command of British Officers. The force thus created was known at first as the Russell Brigade, theu, until 1853, as the Nizam's Contingent and thenceforward until 1903, when it was absorbed into the Indian Army, as the Hyderabad Contingent. The Contingent acquitted itself well in the Third Mahratta War, which broke out in 1817, and at the close of which the Treaty of 1822 was concluded. Under this Treaty the Nizam received a quittance of all demands, past and future, on account of Chant h and acquired, by ex* change of territory, a well-defined frontier. At this time the Resident, Mr. C. T. (afterwards Sir Charles and subsequently Lord) Metcalfe, with a view to the better administration of the State, appointed Euro- pean Officers to supervise the collection of the revenue and the control of the police in the districts, In L824>, the Nizam was enabled, by the capitalisation of the demand for PeshJcash for the Northern Circars, which was arranged by Mr. Metcalfe, to settle the just claims of the banking firm of William Palmer and Company. Their more exorbitant demands, for which the State could not be held liable, were repudiated, with the result that the firm failed. 3. Sikandar Jah died on the 21st May 1829, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Nasir-ud-Daula. By 1852, the pay of the Contingent had fallen heavily into arrears, and the Officers and men were reduced to such straits that it was found necessary to relieve them by direct payments from the British Treasury, debited against the Darbar. The financial embarrassment of the State, and its consequent inability to meet its obligations, had long been causes of complaint, and the Governor General ultimately resolved to demand territorial security for the payment of the Contingent. By the Treaty of 1853, the Province of Berar and certain districts in the Raichur Doab and on the Western Frontier of Hyderabad were assigned for this purpose, and were administered by British Officers under control of the Resident. It was stipulated that accounts should* be rendered, and that the .Nizam should receive any surplus that might remain after the charges of the administration and the Hyderabad Contingent had been defrayed. 3 4. Nasir-ud-Daula died on the Hth March 1857, and wag succeeded by his elder son Afzal-ud-Daula. Hyderabad owing to the exertions o the Minister, Sir Salar Jang, gave little cause for anxiety during the Mutiny of 1857. In July of that year, a city mob under the leadership of a fanatical Maulvi and a Pathan named Turra Baz Khan attacked the Residency, but was repulsed, and there was no attempt at a general rising. The State was so quiet that it was found possible to detach some troops of the Contingent and Subsidiary Force for service against the mutineers in Central India. After the Mutiny the Treaty of 1853 was considerably modified to the Nizam's advantage. By the Treaty of I860, Bcrar was retained but all other districts assigned in 1853 were restored, the confiscated territory of the rebellious Raja of Shorapur was ceded to the Nizam and a debt of 50 lakhs of rupees due to the Government of India was cancelled. On the other hand the Nizam agreed to forego the demands for accounts of the assigned districts. In 1862, an adoption sanad was granted to the Nizam and in 1867 an extradition treaty was concluded. 5. Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, the late Nizam, succeeded his father Afzal ud-Daula on the 26th February 1869. During his minority the State was administered by Sir Salar Jang and Shams-ul-Umra, who were appointed co -regents. In 1870, a Railway Agreement was concluded permitting the construction of lines of railway within the State and transferring jurisdiction over railway lands to the Government of India. On the 5th February 1884, the Nizam was invested with full powers of administration and Salar Jang II, the elder son of the co-regant who had died in 1883, was appointed Minister. He resigned in 1887, and was succeeded by Bashir-ud-Daula Asman Jah, who, on his resignation in 1893, was succeeded by Sir Vikar-ul-Umra. In 1901 on the resignation of Sir Vikar-ul-Umra, the Peshkar, Maharaja Sir Kisheu Pershad, G.C.I.E., Yamin us-Saltanat, of Chandu Lai's family, was appointed Minister. In 1898, the Nizam established a Legislative Council. The Council was to consist of the Chief Justice, a Puisne Judge of the High Court, the Inspector General of Revenue, the Director of Public Instruction, the Inspector General of Police, and the Financial Secretary. In 1894, Act I of 1304 Fasli received the Nizam's sanction recognising the right of the people to share in the work of framing laws and to representation. In 1900, this Regulation was re-enacted with certain modifications as Act III of 1309 Fasli, and is still in force, The Council at present consists of 20 members, in addition to the President. Of these, 11 are official, 7 non-official and 2 extraordinary members. The President of the Executive Council is also the President of the Legislative Council. The Member of Council whose department is concerned with a bill before the Council, is Vice- President for the time being. Of the 1 1 official members of the Chief Justice, the Legal Adviser and the Secretary, Judicial, Police and General Departments, are ex-offmo members. Of the 7 non-official members 2 are elected by the Jagirdars and land-owners, 2 by the pleaders of the High Court and the remaining 8 are nominated from among the residents of the State of whom one must be nominated from the Paigah Ilaqa. '6. On the 6th February 1885, the late Nizam was appointed a Knierht Grand Commander of the Star of India. In 1 903, he received the Grand Cross of the Bath at the Pelhi Darbar of that year, and in 1910 he was granted the Honorary Rank of Lieutenant-General in the Army, 7. On the 5th November 1902, an agreement was concluded under which the Nizam, whose sovereignty over Berar was re-affirmed, leased the Province to the Government of India in perpetuity in return for an annual rent of Rs. 25,00,000, the Government of India being empowered to make such ariangements as might seem to them desirable for the administration of the Province, which has since been attached to the Central Provinces, At the same time the Hyderabad Contingent was delocalised and, with the exception of the Artillery which was disbanded, incorporated in the Indian Army, the Government of India engaging to make due provision for the protection of the Niz.irn's Dominions. The Nizam on the other baud agreed to reduce his costly establishment of over 1 9,000 irregular troops to 12,000. Not only has this reduction been effected but in 1912, His Exalted Highness the Nizam's Government decided farther to reduce these troops by 800 men, a decision to which effect has also been given. On 24th October 1936 a new Agreement was concluded between His Imperial Majesty the King Emperor of India and His Exalted Highness the Nizam definitely recognizing and re-affirming His Exalted Highness' sovereignty over Berar and allowing for its adminis- tration with the Central Provinces under the Government of India Act, 1935. The King Emperor was graciously pleased to command that with effect from 18th November 1936 His Exalted Highness the Nizam and his successors shall hold the dynastic title of "His Exalted Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar " in recognition of hie sovereignty in the territory of Berar, and further to grant the title of " His High- ness the Prince of Berar " to the Heir- Apparent of His Exalted Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar and of his successors. 8. On the 28th September 1908, the portion of the City and of the Residency Bazars adjoining the Musi River was devastated by a sudden flood of unprecedented height. Much damage was caused and it is estimated that about 18,000 houses were washed away and there was considerable loss of life and property. A sum of over two lakhs of rupees was collected from all parts of the British Empire in aid of the sufferers, and various persons were awarded deeoiations by the Govern- ment of India for acts of bravery and self sacrifice during the disaster. 9. His Highness Mir Mahbub AH Khan died on the 29th August 1911, after a brief illness. His eldest son Mir Osman Ali Khan succeeded him and was officially installed by the Resident, Lieut.- Colonel (afterwards Sir) A. F. Piniiey, C.S.I., CJ.E. A special visit of congratulation was paid by His Excellency the Viceroy (Lord Hardinge) during the following month. 10. The present Nizam has one surviving half-brother, Mir Muham- mad Mohi-ud-din AH Khan (Basalat Jah) who was born in 1907. The name of the Heir- Apparent, His Highnees the Prince of Berar who was born on the 21sfc February 1907, is Mir Himayat Ali Khan (Walashan Nawab Azam Jah Bahadur) and the second son is Mir Shujaat Ali Khan (Walashan Nawab Muazzam Jah Bahadur). The Heir- Apparent is the Commander-in-Chief of His Exalted Highness the Nizam's Regular Forces in which he holds the rank of General. His brother is the Presi- dent of the City Improvement Board and holds the honorary rank of General. Sahibzada Basalat Jah is President of the Central Co-opera- tive Union, and cf the Commitees of the Jagirdars College and of Secondary Education. In November 1931 the Heir- Apparent and his brother were married at Nice (France) respectively, to Princess Durreshehwar Dur Dana Begani, the daughter, and Princess Nilofar Farhat Bej^am, the niece of the ex- Khalifa. A son was born to the Heir -Apparent in 1933, whose name is Nawab Mir Barkat Ali Khan (Mukaram Jah Bahadur Majeedi). His Exalted Highness the Nizam has conferred on him the honorary rank of Colonel of the Golconda Lancers.