BATTLE OF PLASSEY

RISE OF REGIONAL KINGDOMS

• After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal empire went into decline
due to a variety of factors, the most important being the lack of a powerful
and efficient ruler.
• Many Mughal governors and big zamindars began asserting their
independence and establishing independent kingdoms’
• The kingdoms of Bengal, Hyderabad, Awadh, Mysore rose up as
independent states
 THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
• In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I granted a Charter to the East India Company
conferring upon it the sole right to trade with the East. The Company was to invest
in sailing to new lands across the oceans, buy luxurious items from the East at cheap
prices and sell them back home at a high profit.
• The Company's ships first arrived in India, at the port of Surat, in 1608. Sir Thomas
Roe reached the court of the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, as the emissary of King
James I in 1615, and gained for the British the right to establish a factory at Surat.
• Entry of other European powers like the Portugese, the Dutch and the French led
to fierce competition among them
 East India Company in Bengal
• The first English factory was set up on the banks of the river Hugli in 1651.
• The factories were the warehouses where goods were stored and it had offices for
the Company officials to sit
• As trade expanded, they began building a fort around it and 2 years later, acquired
zamindari rights over 3 surrounding villages of Kolikata, Sutanuti and Govindpur
• Their position was further strengthened in 1717 by a farman from the Emperor
Farruksiyar which granted the Company the right to carry on duty free trade, to rent
38 villages around Calcutta and to use the royal mint.
 East India Company in Bengal
• The farman became a source of conflict when the ruler of Bengal, Murshid Quli
Khan refused to extend the right of duty free trade to private trade of Company
officials
• As the French began giving them competition, in 1755 the English began
renovating the fortifications around Calcutta without the Nawab’s permission
• Conflict became more critical when Siraj-ud-Daula became the Nawab in 1765. he
threatened to stop the lucrative trade of Comapnay officials by stopping the misuse
of dastaks.
• Other issues- grant of asylum to Krishna Ballabh who was charged with fraud by
the Nawab
• When the Company didn't listen to his warning, Siraj retaliated by taking over the
factory at Kasimbazar. This was followed by Siraj’s attack on Calcutta and its
capture on 20 June
• Robert Clive arrived with a strong force from Madras. The British now wanted to
replace the Nawab who was obstructing their trading privileges
• A disaffected faction at the Nawab’s court consisting of merchants, traders,
zamindars were bribed by Clive
• A conspiracy to replace Siraj with Mir Jafar, his commander-in-chief
• During the Battle of Plassey in June 1757 the Nawab’s army remained inactive
under Mir Jafar and Clive won a easy victory
 Consequence of the Battle
• The English army and navy each received 275,000 pound sterling for
distribution among their member
• The Company received Rs. 22.5 million from Mir Jafar; Clive got a personal
jagir worth Rs.34,000
• it also opened the way for Company officials to amass huge fortunes
• Mir Jafar found it difficult to comply with all the financial demands and soon
he was replaced by Mir Qasim. Unable to stop the misuse of dastaks, he
abolished internal trade altogether so he was replaced again with Mir Jafar
 Battle of Buxar 1764
• Mir Kasim tried to form an alliance with the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II
and Shuja-ud-daula of Awadh
• Shuja’s support was secured after he was promised Bihar and its treasures
along with a payment of 30 million
• Their combined army was defeated at the Battle of Buxar
 TREATY OF ALLAHABAD 1765
• Shah Alam granted the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
• A British Resident was posted at the court of Murshidabad
• Shuja-ud-daula had to pay Rs. 5 million; a British Resident was to be posted
at his court and the Company would enjoy duty free trading rights in Awadh
 Significance of the battles
• it proved once again the military superiority of the English and exposed the
inherent weakness of the native force
• it was with the defeat of Mir Kasim that the rule of independent Nawab
finally came to an end.
• it paved the way to the grant of Diwani to the East India Company by the
Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II.