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{{for|other people|Munni Begum (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}

{{Infobox royalty
| name = Munni Begum
| title = [[Begum]] of [[Nawab of Bengal]]
| image = MunniBegum.jpg
| caption = Tomb of Munni Begum at [[Jafarganj Cemetery]]
| succession = [[Empress consort]] of the [[Bengal]], [[Bihar]] and [[Orissa]]
|reign-type = 1st reign
|reign = 2 June 1757 – {{nowrap|20 October 1760}}
|reign-type1 = 2nd reign
|reign1 = 25 July 1763 – {{nowrap|17 January 1765}}
| birth_date = 1720
| birth_place = Balkunda, [[Uttar Pradesh]]
| death_date = 10 January 1813 (aged 93)
| death_place = [[Murshidabad]], [[India]]
| consort = yes
| spouse = [[Mir Jafar]]
| issue = [[Najimuddin Ali Khan]] <br> [[Najabat Ali Khan]]
| full name =
| house =
| father =
| mother =
| religion = [[Shia Islam]]
| burial_place = [[Jafarganj Cemetery]], [[Murshidabad]]
| burial_date =
| signature =
}}

'''Munni Begum''' was the second wife of the [[Nawab of Bengal]], [[Mir Jafar]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HIISikCITAgC&q=Munni+Begum+mir+jafar&pg=PA69|title=Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women: An Annotated Bibliography & Research Guide|last=Aftab|first=Tahera|date=2008|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004158498|pages=69|language=en}}</ref>

==Early life==
Munni was born in Balkunda, [[Tomb of Akbar the Great|Sikanda]], [[Uttar Pradesh]]. Her mother sold her to dancing girl named Bishu when she was young. Bishu taught Munni dancing and made Munni part of her dance troupe. Munni traveled with the troupe to different [[princely states|royal houses]] of [[Indian Subcontinent|India]], dancing in the royal courts. She became famous because of her beauty and skills.<ref name="mbis">{{cite web|last1=Iabal|first1=Shahryar ZR|title=Munni Begum|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Munni_Begum|website=Banglapedia|access-date=7 November 2017|language=en}}</ref>

==Career==
Bishu's troop was invited to dance at the wedding of Ikramuddaula, the adapted son of [[Ghaseti Begum]] and [[Nawazish Muhammad Khan]] of the Nawab of Bengal family. After the wedding, the troupe remained in Murshidabad where they believed there would be more opportunities for them. Munni was believed to the pretties of the girls. She caught the eye of Mir Jafar, the chief of staff of [[Alivardi Khan|Nawab Alivardi's]] Army. Mir Jafar made Munni a part of his harem. She was an intelligent woman and soon became the principal consort of the [[harem]]. She would even overshadow the first wife of Mir Jafar, Shah Khanam. The [[British East India Company]] led by [[Robert Clive]] defeated the Nawab [[Siraj ud-Daulah]] with the help of Mir Jafar. The British made Mir Jafar the new Nawab of Bengal. Mir Jafar died on 5 February 1765, leaving Munni a widow and in control of the fortunes of Mir Jafar.<ref name="mbis" />

Munni became a good friend of Robert Clive, who promised her his support and in return she gave him half a million rupees. The payment to Clive had secured her sons position on the [[Masnad]]. She became the most important female member of the Nawab family. She managed the estate and the salaries of the royal household. Her son, [[Najimuddin Ali Khan]], became the Nawab and her power increased. Najimuddin died in May 1766. Her second son, [[Najabat Ali Khan]] succeeded to the throne. He died in 1770 and was succeeded by the son of Babbu Begum, [[Ashraf Ali Khan]]. Babbu Begums influence rose as a result while the influence of Munni decline over the royal household. Munni then helped the British East India Company remove the [[Naib Nazim]], Reza Khan, on accusations of corruption. Munni was made the head of the harem again with Raja Gurudas appointed her deputy. [[Rani Bhabani]] gifted Munni a [[Palanquin]] with 30 people to carry it. She also gifted a plot of land to pay the cost of 30 servants. She was removed from the guardianship of the young Nawab by the court of directors of the East India company after political opponents of her ally [[Warren Hastings]], the governor of India, raised allegation of corruption against them.<ref name="mbis" /><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZL38wll43-MC&q=Munni+Begum+mir+jafar&pg=PA224|title=The Transition in Bengal, 1756-75: A Study of Saiyid Muhammad Reza Khan|last=Khan|first=Abdul Majed|date=3 March 2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521049825|pages=224|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7MXExXXb9usC&q=Munni+Begum+mir+jafar&pg=PA64|title=English Law in India|last=Banerjee|first=A. C.|date=1983|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=9788170171836|pages=64|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YH6ijJnUPmcC&q=Munni+Begum+mir+jafar&pg=PA233|title=Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal|last=McLane|first=John R.|date=25 July 2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521526548|pages=233|language=en}}</ref>

==Death==
Munni died on 10 January 1812 at the age of 93. The [[Union Jack]] was hoisted at half-mast and 90 guns were fired in [[Fort William, India]]. She was buried beside her husband, Mir Jafar, in his family graveyard.<ref name="mbis" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-26573|title=The Tombs of Murshidabad|date=8 March 2008|work=The Daily Star|access-date=7 November 2017|language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Begum, Munni}}
[[Category:1813 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:Nawabs of Bengal]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:1720 births]]
[[Category:People from Uttar Pradesh]]

Munni Begum (noble) - Revision history

>Worldbruce: clean up, omit publisher when substantially identical to work