page_title: Mir Osman Ali Khan
section_title: Final years of reign (1939 to 1948)
hierarchical_section_title: Mir Osman Ali Khan / Accession and Reign / Final years of reign (1939 to 1948)
caption_attribution_description: English: Nizam VII of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali khan (the then Rajpramukh/Governor) of Hyderabad State with King Saud of Saudi Arabia
context_page_description: His Exalted Highness Nawab Sir Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII GCSI GBE, was the last Nizam of the Princely State of Hyderabad, the largest princely state in British India. He ascended the throne on 11 August 1911, at the age of 25 and ruled the Kingdom of Hyderabad between 1911 and 1948, until it was annexed by India.
  He was styled as His Exalted Highness- the Nizam of Hyderabad. He was one of the wealthiest people of all time. The Nizam had 149 children. In 1937, he was featured on the cover of Time magazine as the richest person at the time.
  He was reputedly a benevolent ruler who patronised education, science and development. During his 37-year rule, electricity was introduced, railways, roads and airways were developed. He was known as "Architect of modern Hyderabad" and is credited with the establishment of numerous public institutions in the city of Hyderabad, including the Osmania University, Osmania General Hospital, State Bank of Hyderabad, Begumpet Airport, and Hyderabad High Court to name a few. Two reservoirs, namely Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar were built during his reign, to prevent another great flood in the city.
context_section_description: He arranged a matrimonial alliance between his first son Azam Jah and Princess Durrushehvar of the Ottoman Empire. It was believed at that time that the matrimonial alliance between the Nizam and the deposed Caliph would lead to the emergence of a Muslim ruler who could be acceptable to the world powers in place of the Ottoman Sultans. After India's Independence, the Nizam made vain attempts to declare his sovereignty over the state of Hyderabad, either as a protectorate of the British Empire, or as a sovereign monarchy. However, his power weakened due to the Telangana Rebellion and rise of the Razakars, a radical Muslim militia who wanted Hyderabad to remain under Muslim rule. In 1948, India invaded and annexed Hyderabad State, and the rule of the Nizam ended wherein the Nizam became the Rajpramukh and served from 26 January 1950 to 31 October 1956.
caption: The Nizam with King Saud during his visit to Hyderabad
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