Wajid Ali Shah exiled and Oudh annexed
- When
- 1856
- Where
- Oudh State; Garden Reach, Metiabruz
- Episodes
- 2
The British East India Company annexed the Oudh State in February 1856, deposing Nawab Wajid Ali Shah on grounds of alleged internal misrule. The Nawab was exiled to Metiabruz near Kolkata, where he lived on a pension. The annexation occurred under the Doctrine of Lapse, though later studies suggest Oudh was already under British control.
Episodes
- Annexation of Oudh
Lord Dalhousie deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and annexed Oudh State on 7 February 1856 under the Doctrine of Lapse.
- Exile to Metiabruz
Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to Metiabruz near Kolkata, arriving in May 1856 to live on a pension.
Background and detail
Annexation. On 7 February 1856, Governor-General Lord Dalhousie ordered the deposition of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. The Oudh State was annexed to British territories under the Doctrine of Lapse, citing alleged internal misrule. However, later studies suggest Oudh was neither as bankrupt nor lawless as claimed, and the Nawab had already played a largely titular role under British protection.
Exile. Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to Garden Reach in Metiabruz, a suburb of Kolkata. He traveled from Kanpur to Calcutta by steamer, arriving at Bichali Ghat near Metiabruz on 13 May 1856. He lived out his remaining years there on a generous pension, accompanied by his entourage of musicians and household staff.
People involved
- Wajid Ali Shah · Nawab of Oudh
- Lord Dalhousie · Governor-General of India (as named in the annexation order)
Sources
- Oudh State Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-02
- Wajid Ali Shah Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-06
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.