Editing Princely state (section)

==History==
[[File:India1765and1805b.jpg|thumb|250px|right|1765–1805 map of India, shown with a territorial division between Hindus, Muslims and the British]]
[[File:British Indian Empire 1909 Imperial Gazetteer of India.jpg|thumb|Political subdivisions of the Indian Empire in 1909 with British India (pink) and the princely states (yellow)]]

The princely states at the time of Indian independence were mostly formed after the disintegration of the [[Mughal Empire]]. Many Princely states had a foreign origin due to the long period of external migration to India. Some of these were the rulers of [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]] ([[Turco-Persian tradition|Turco-Persians]]), [[Bhopal State|Bhopal]] ([[Afghans]]) and [[Janjira State|Janjira]] ([[Habesha peoples|Abyssinian]]). Among the Hindu kingdoms, most of the rulers were [[Kshatriya]]. Only the [[List of Rajput dynasties and states|Rajput states]], [[Manipur (princely state)|Manipur]], and a scattering of [[History of South India|South Indian kingdoms]] could trace their lineage to the pre-Mughal period.<ref name=AZ>{{Cite book |first=John |last=Zubrzycki |title=Dethroned |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2024 |pages=41 |isbn=978-1-80526-053-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aYHgEAAAQBAJ&q=dethroned+patel+alexander |quote=Princely States at the time of Indian independence owed their existence to the slow collapse of the Mughal Empire following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. Centuries of foreign domination meant that many of the rulers who carved out their own states were outsiders. The Nizams of Hyderabad were of Turkoman stock. Bhopal was established by one of Aurangzeb's Afghan generals. Rampurs first ruler, Nawab Faizullah Khan, was a Pashtun. Tonk in present day Rajasthan was founded by Pindari freebooters. The seaboard state of Janjira was the creation of an Abysinnian pirate. Among the Hindu kingdoms, most of the rulers were Kshatriya. Only the Rajput states and a scattering of South Indian kingdoms could trace their lineage to the pre-Mughal period. }}</ref>