Zamindars of Bengal

The Zamindars of Bengal were influential in administration, in the Bengal region, in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, which consists of territories East Bengal which is now Bangladesh and West Bengal. The Nawabs of Bengal ruled the area under the Mughal Empire from 1717 to 1880. Murshid Quli Jafar Khan governed the area, through his feudal chiefs, the zamindars, which mirrored the European system of serfdom. The zamindars dominated most of the villages in Bengal.
The Baro-Bhuyan occupied the region west of the Kayastha in the south bank of the Brahmaputra river, and west of the Kayastha Chutia kingdom in the north bank, and were prevalent in the area since 1498. The Gain family of Bengal were prominent zamindars who owned large amounts of land and built their ancestral castles in Dhanyakuria, now owned by the state-government.
Thakur Hariwansh Narayan Singh of khilwat near Hajipur, Bihar ruled over an area of 22,445 km2 but later the more than 2/3 part of total land is occupied by East India Company. The Dutta Chowdhury family of Western Howrah region were prominent zamidars who owned the entire Muzaffarpur pargana. 
Zamindars were the landholders of demarcated areas, responsible for collecting revenue for the monarchy and rose into prominence during the British colonial era, owing to the opportunity availed by the British in India. Mostly credited with cultural, architectural, educational, economical development and urbanisation of Calcutta and discredited for the exploitation of rural Bengal.
History and events.
In 1612, Sir Thomas Roe was instructed by King James I to visit the Mughal Emperor to arrange for a commercial treaty which would give the Company exclusive rights to reside and build factories in Surat and other areas. The British were given the ability to trade in the Indian Empire by Emperor Jahangir.
1757–1764.
In 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, the rule of the Nawabs were undermined by the British and later they received the "diwani" (Vice Royalty) from the Nawabs. In effect, the British now directly controlled Bengal and most of its zamindars who were previously under the Nawabs and the Imperial Mughal rule. The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) saw the transformation of events of 1757 to 1764 where European forces were in a struggle to oust the Indian rulers and establish rule in Bengal, that resulted in direct rule over all of India.
In 1764, the Battle of Buxar, saw the loss of Bengal from the Mughals, as Emperor Shah Alam II became a pensioner of the British after a loss. With him, Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula, the Ruler of Awadh was restored, while Nawab Mir Qasim, the Ruler of Bengal lost his control on Bengal.
The Treaty of Allahabad was signed on 16 August 1765 between Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II (son of late Emperor Alamgir II) and Lord Clive of the British East India Company after the Battle of Buxar (1764). Based on the terms of the agreement, Shah Alam II granted "Diwani rights" or right to administer the territory and collect taxes to the East India Company. These rights allowed the Company to collect revenue from the people of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. In return, the Company gave an annual tribute of 2.6 million rupees (260,000 British pounds) while securing for Shah Alam II the districts of Kora and Allahabad. The tribute money paid to the emperor was for the maintenance of the court of Allahabad. The accord also dictated that Shah Alam II restore to Balwant Singh the province of Varanasi as long as Balwant Singh continued to pay revenue to the Company. Awadh was returned to Shuja-ud-Daula but Allahabad and Kora was taken from him. The Nawab of Awadh also had to pay 53 Lakhs rupees of war indemnity to the British.
British rule.
This European conquest of "The Kingdom of Bengal" would later instill the Company rule in India (and would later on turn into the British Empire), which effectively began in 1793 after the (local rule) was abolished, and lasted until 1858, when, following the events of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, where the Bengal Army was one of the main protagonists and under the Government of India Act 1858, the British Crown assumed direct administration of India in the new British Raj that would rule all of the Indian subcontinent (present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Burma). While the Battle of Plassey secured a foothold for the British East India Company in the rich province of Bengal only, the Battle of Buxar is really the battle that secured its political ascendancy in India.
The Viceroyalty and later direct Royal British Rule over Bengal started as the British being given the Jemmidarship (British diminutive of the word "zamindari") by the Rulers of Bengal.
Direct rule by the Crown.
In 1877, the title of Emperor of India of the Mughal Royal Family ("Imperial House of Timur") went to the British Royal family, first to Queen Victoria (1877-1901), King Edward VII (1901-1910), King George V (1910-1936), King Edward VIII (1936) and finally King George VI (1936-1948).
Philanthropy.
Under the British, the zamindars grew more powerful, shedding their image as landed aristocrats, and taking honorary royal titles such as Raja and Maharaja recognized by the British Royal Family themselves. Some families such as the Burdwan Raj family (or Burdhaman) ruled over territories in excess of 13,000 km2, while the Rajshahi Raj family ruled over an area of 33,670 km2. The Baro-Bhuyan occupied the region west of the Kachari kingdom in the south bank of the Brahmaputra river, and west of the Chutiya kingdom in the north bank, and were prevalent in the area since 1498. The Gain family of Bengal were prominent zamindars who owned large amounts of land and built their ancestral castles in Dhanyakuria, now owned by the state-government.
Abolition.
Even after the abolition of the zamindari system, zamindari family members such as Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin became the second Governor-General of Pakistan, and later the second Prime Minister of Pakistan. Nawab Bahadur Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury's grandson, "Nawabzada" Muhammad Ali Bogra became the third Prime Minister of Pakistan. "Sahibzada" Iskander Mirza, a relative of the Nawabs of Bengal and also of Muhammad Ali Bogra became the first President of the Republic of Pakistan.