it is a brief introduction about battle of plassey

2. MAJOR RULING KINGDOMS DURING THE
BATTLE OF PLASSEY AND BUXAR IN THE 18TH
CENTURY

3. • In the first half of the 18th Century, the East India
Company was establishing itself firmly in Bengal.
• Bengal was rich and fertile province, with a lot of
riverine ports.
EIC trade was especially profitable
• in Bengal.

4. 1696 – Sutanati fortified, after conflict with the
local zamindar.
1698 – EIC buys zamindari of the 3 villages of
Sutanuti, Gobindpur, and Kalikata (Kalighat), for
₹1200.
– These three villages later became modern
Calcutta.
1700 to 1701 – Fort William built at Sutanuti.
– Named after King William III of
England.

5. 1717 – Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar gives farmans to the British
mission led by John Surman.
Called Magna Carta of the East India Company.
IMPACT:
In Bengal – exemption of customs duties for the East India
Company’s imports and exports.
– Only an annual payment of ₹3000 to the Mughal Emperor.
– EIC permitted to issue dastaks (passes) for the transport of
goods.
– EIC allowed to rent more lands around Calcutta.

6. The Nawabs of Bengal
1717 – Farrukhsiyar replaced the system of imperial
Mughal viceroys, with hereditary Nawabs in Bengal.
The Nawab of Bengal ruled as the de facto
independent ruler of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.
Issued coins in the name of the Mughal Emperor.
1740s – Orissa de facto lost to Marathas.

7. Bengal now extended
from the frontier of
Awadh to Arakan in
Burma.

8. 1740 to 1756 – Nawab Alivardi Khan.
– Support from the rich and influential
Jagat Seth bankers.
1756 – Teenager Siraj ud-Daula became Nawab.
– Many enemies in family.
– Enemies among nobles and merchants,
probably because of his own vices.

9. The Many Enemies of Siraj
• Faujdar of Purnea – Shaukat Jang (cousin)
• Ghasiti Begum (aunt)
• Bengal army’s commander – Mir Jafar (Alivardi Khan’s brother-in-
law)
• Jagat Seth
• Raj Ballabh
• Rai Durlabh
• Omnichand
Court nobles

10. To tackle the situation, Nawab Siraj ud-Daula:
Defeated and killed Shaukat Jang in battle.
Appointed Mohan Lal (a Kashmiri pandit) as administrator,
who held powers of the prime minister.

11. The East India Company’s position
• The EIC had been misusing its trade privileges.
• Company employees used dastaks to smuggle goods and evade
taxes even in their private trade .
Revenue losses for the Nawab.
1756 – Seven Year’s War began in Europe.
– Tensions between EIC and the French in India.
– EIC enhanced military fortifications at Fort William, Calcutta.

12. • Siraj ordered both – the French and the EIC – to halt their
military fortifications.
The French complied, but the EIC did not.
EIC dug a moat around Fort William.
EIC gave asylum to a political refugee – Krishna Das (son of
Raj Ballabh), whom Siraj wanted to capture and arrest.
Siraj developed deep distrust against the British.

14. June 1756 – Siraj sends troops to Calcutta, to
punish the British for constructing
fortifications without permission.
– Siraj’s troops capture English factory at
Kasimbazar.
– Black Hole of Calcutta.
– Colonial accounts say 123/146 died.

15. • In retaliation, EIC sent a force under
Lieutenant Governor Robert Clive and
Admiral Charles Watson.
• The force recaptured Calcutta.
(January 1757)
• Set up a Council there.
• Siraj brought his army to Alinagar*

16. Treaty of Alinagar February 1757
–all old privileges confirmed again.
–Moat around Fort William allowed.
•Now Clive’s forces looked to eliminate French
influence in Bengal.

17. 1757 – Clive and Watson’s forces capture
Chandernagore from the French.
– Siraj had sent reinforcements to
Chandernagore, but EIC had bought the governor of
Hooghly, in order to prevent the help from Siraj
reaching the French.

18. • Clive expelled all French from their factories in Bengal (3rd
Carnatic War ongoing).
• Clive now conspired with the rivals of Siraj, to replace him.
Who sided with Clive?
Mir Jafar
• - Mir Bakshi (Military commander).
• Manikchand - Officer in charge of Calcutta.
• Omichand - Rich merchant.
Jagat Seths
• - Biggest bankers of Bengal.
• Khandim Khan - Commanded a large number of Siraj’s troops.

19. Who sided with Siraj?
• Mir Madan – disgraced army commander.
• Mohan Lal – administrator.

20. EIC and Nawab of Bengal prepared for
battle at a field called Plassey in Bengal’s
Murshidabad district.
Murshidabad was the capital of the
Bengal nawabs.
Siraj had a numerically superior force.

21. Battle of Plassey
• On 23 June 1757.
• Owing to the conspiracy, the commanders of Siraj
refused to attack the EIC.
• Siraj was defeated and killed.
• Mir Jafar was made the new Nawab according to his
deal with Clive.
• Clive became the Governor of Fort William/Bengal
(1757-60).

23. 1757 to 1760 – Mir Jafar – Nawab of Bengal.
The EIC was granted free trade rights in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
Personal trade restrictions removed too.
EIC received the Zamindari of 24 Parganas district near Calcutta.
₹2.2 crore paid as war indemnity to EIC.
All French factories handed to EIC.

25. Mir Jafar soon found his treasury empty and realised
he had struck a bad deal.
He protested by inviting the Dutch to attack EIC and
was forced to abdicate in favour of his son-in-law Mir
Qasim.

26. 1760 to 1763 – Mir Qasim.
ceded Burdwan, Midnapore and Chittagong
He to EIC.
Shifted his capital from Murshidabad to Munger (Bihar), in order to
escape EIC influence on court.
Mir Qasim removed duties for internal trade thus bringing Indian
traders at par with EIC (which was already exempt from taxes)

27. He wanted to be independent while company wanted a puppet
1763 – Fought with company, defeated and fled to Awadh.
1763 to 1765 – Mir Jafar made Nawab again.

28. Battle of Buxar October 1764
In Awadh, a confederacy was formed with –
1. Shuja-ud-daulah, Nawab of Awadh
2. Shah Alam II, Mughal emperor
3. Mir Qasim , Nawab of Bengal*

30. • Their combined forces of 40,000 were defeated at Buxar by Hector
Munroe, leading only 7000 troops.
• This victory made EIC a great power in North India.

31. Robert Clive was sent for and arrived
from England
to negotiate a treaty with the mighty
Nawabs of Gangetic plains.

33. Treaty of Allahabad (August 1765)
With Shuja ud daulah of Awadh
• Surrender Kara and Allahabad
to Mughal emperor
₹50 lakh war indemnity
• to EIC
• Offensive and defensive
alliance
• Free trade rights in Awadh
With Shah Alam II of Delhi
• Allahabad and Kara given to
emperor
• Reside in Allahabad fort – prisoner
• Diwani rights of Bengal Bihar and
Orissa given to EIC in lieu of ₹26
lakh pension

34. • Treaty of Allahabad was “a
master stroke by Robert Clive.’’
• Awadh was made a buffer state
against future Maratha
invasions.
• Mughal authority was not
outright uprooted – to prevent
public reaction.

35. The Dual System in Bengal (1765 to 1772)
• Nizamat = Civil administration + criminal justice (law & order)
• Diwani = Revenue
British took over Diwani rights from Mughal but gave the Nizamat
(Civil administration) duties to Nawab of Bengal.
Military defence and foreign affairs of Bengal now lay with the EIC.

36. • For Revenue collection, EIC appointed 2 deputy Nawabs.
EIC got ALL the revenue but paid:
only ₹56 Lakhs annually for Public works and running
administration of ENTIRE Bengal to the Nawab’s administration.
Later reduced to ₹33 lakh.

37. Rationale behind the dual system
• Power without responsibilities.
Open annexation
• may have resulted joint war from princely states.
Evading Parliamentary oversight
• from Britain.
Other European powers
• may not have recognized the authority of
English in India.
• EIC was more interested in financial & commercial gains rather than
territorial acquisitions at that time.

38. The fallout
• This system ruined Bengal and brought its people utter misery.
Indian traders paid up to 40% tax competing with EIC paying 0%.
• Farmers were taxed into misery as no one cared about their welfare
–neither the deputy Nawabs nor the company.
• Great famine in 1769-72 killed nearly 30% population of Bengal.
EIC directors back in London were not happy
• either as their own
officials became highly corrupt – scandal in Parliament.
• In 1772 Warren Hastings, the newly appointed Governor General
abolished the dual system and EIC took Diwani in its own hands.