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British Conquest for Bengal: Battles of Plassey and
Buxar
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Bengal in the 17 -18 Century
In Mughal Period: Bengal was the most fertile and the richest province of the
Mughal Empire and included present day Bangladesh and states of Bihar and
Odisha.
The authoritative powers of the province lay in the hands of the Nawab of
Bengal.
Economic Importance: Bengal held economic importance for its famous textiles,
silk and saltpetre.
Exports from Bengal to Europe consisted of saltpetre, rice, indigo, pepper, sugar,
silk, cotton textiles, handicrafts, etc.
Importance for the British: Bengal became the first kingdom to be occupied by the
British in India. The East India Company carried on profitable trade with this province.
The enormous resources of Bengal came in handy for financing the British
expansion.
Nearly 60% of the British imports from Asia consisted of goods from
Bengal.
The British East India company laid the foundation of Calcutta and established
British commercial settlement in the 1690s.
The Company paid a sum of Rs 3,000 (£ 350) per annum to the Mughal emperor
who allowed them to trade freely in Bengal.
In contrast, the Company’s exports from Bengal were worth more
than £ 50,000 per annum.
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Conflicts among Nawabs and the British: The special privileges enjoyed by the
British Company was strongly opposed by the Nawabs of Bengal as it meant a huge loss
to the provincial exchequer.
Consequently, the friction between the British commercial interests and the
Bengal government became the chief cause for conflict between the two.
As a result, the British felt a need for a “puppet” as the Nawab on the throne of
Bengal to willingly give them trade concessions and other privileges and establish
their indirect but ultimate power in the province.
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey was fought in 1757 in the Plassey (or Palashi) region of West
Bengal, on the east of Bhagirathi river.
Troops of the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive, came up against the
forces of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and his French allies.
Background
Siraj-ud-Daulah: The then Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah succeeded his
grandfather Alavardi Khan after his death.
Alavardi Khan was the Deputy Governor of Bihar who assumed the throne after
killing Sarfaraz Khan, an incapable son of Murshiq Quli Khan, Dewan of Bengal.
Siraj-ud-Daulah was surrounded by a number of rivals in his own court who
helped the British in winning the Battle of Plassey.
Events Preceding the Battle: The British victory in the Carnatic had already
made Siraj apprehensive of the growing power of the East India Company.
Moreover, the officials of the Company made rampant misuse of its trade
privileges that adversely affected the nawab’s finances.
The British also fortified Calcutta without the nawab’s permission which the
nawab took as an ignorance to his sovereign power.
The infuriated Nawab marched to Calcutta and occupied Fort William in
June 1756.
Shortly after Fort William's surrender, on June 20, 175, Siraj confined 146 British
prisoners in a small dungeon in Calcutta, out of which 123 prisoners died of
suffocation. It is infamously known as the ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’.
This event brought the hostility of the British in the open.
The Battle
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Arrival of Robert Clive: Following this tragic defeat of British by the Nawab of
Bengal, a strong force under Robert Clive was sent from Madras to overthrow nawab
and strengthen the British position in Bengal.
The discontented followers of the Nawab, such as Mir Jafar and other Bengali
generals, were bribed to forge an alliance with the British.
Mir Jafar, a kin of Siraj was promised the throne in return for supporting
the British.
Course of War: Clive’s army was confronted by the nawab’s army at Plassey (Palashi)
along with the French soldiers on their side.
The nawab’s army of 50,000 soldiers outnumbered Clive’s force of just 3000.
However, the secret alliance of the British with the conspirators
strengthened the British foothold in the battle.
Moreover, Mir Jafar, with around one-third of the Bengali army, did
not join the battle and contributed to Nawab's defeat.
Under compelling circumstances, the Nawab tried to escape with his army
but was killed by Miran, the son of Mir Jafar.
Significance: The Battle is regarding a historic turning point for British in
India; it established political and military supremacy of the British in Bengal.
Post War
After the Battle of Plassey Clive proclaimed Mir Jafar as the Nawab of Bengal and
placed him on the throne of Murshidabad.
Mir Jafar in order to satisfy the British as per the agreement gave the Zamindari
of 24 Parganas (group of villages) of Bengal to the company.
However, this could not satisfy the British and consequently he was removed from the
throne and his son-in-law Mir Kasim was placed on the throne as the new
Nawab of Bengal.
Battle of Buxar
The Battle of Buxar was fought between the forces under the command of the British
East India Company, led by Hector Munro, and the combined armies of Mir Qasim,
Nawab of Bengal till 1763; Shuja-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Awadh; and the Mughal
Emperor Shah Alam II.
Background
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Mir Qasim: He was the ablest among all the successors of Alavardi Khan.
Mir Qasim, an efficient and strong ruler, determined to improve the affairs of the
state and shifted his capital from Murshidabad to Munger (Bihar) in
1762.
He realized the importance of a full treasury and an efficient army required to
maintain his independence.
Mir Qasim regarded himself as an indepen dent ruler which was a problem
for the British as they wanted him to be a puppet in their hands.
Tussle between Mir Qasim and the British: Due to the misuse of the Farman of
1717 by the British to evade internal custom duties, Mir Qasim took the extreme step of
abolish ing all duties on internal trade and benefitting his own subjects by
giving them the concession that the British had forcefully snatched.
This was strongly protested by the British and a preferential treatment over
other traders was demanded.
These conflicts over transit duty led to the outbreak of wars between the
British and Mir Kasim in 1763 which resulted in British victories at Katwa,
Murshidabad, Giria, Sooty and Munger.
Mir Kasim fled to Oudh (Awadh) and formed a confederacy with the Nawab of
Awadh, Shuja-ud-daulah, and the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II, with a view to
recover Bengal from the British.
The Battle
Course of War: In October 1764, in a final attempt to oust the British from Bengal,
the combined armies of Mir Kasim, the Nawab of Awadh and Shah Alam II came
together to fight against the former.
The armies of Nawabs and the Mughal emperor were decisively defeated by the
British forces under Major Hector Munro at Buxar.
Result: This decisive battle confirmed British power over Bengal and marked
the end of the attempt to rule Bengal through a puppet nawab.
The battle resulted in the Treaty of Allahabad, 1765 in which the Mughal
Emperor surrendered sovereignty of Bengal to the British.
Lord Robert Clive, the victor at the Plassey, became the first governor
of Bengal.
Significance: Unlike the battle of Plassey which was more of British conspiracy, the
battle of buxar was a full-fledged war which established the British prowess in
warfare.
The importance of this battle lay in the fact that not only the Nawab of Bengal but
also the Mughal Emperor of India was defeated by the British.
The victory made the British, a great power in northern India and contenders
for supremacy over the whole country.
Post War
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After the battle, Mir Jafar was reinstated as the Nawab of Bengal in 1763.
He agreed to hand over the districts of Midnapore, Burdwan and Chittagong to
the British for the maintenance of their army.
The British were also permitted duty-free trade in Bengal, except for a duty of 2% on
salt.
He died in 1765 and was succeeded by his son Najm-ud-Daulah. However, the real
power of administration still remained with the British.
Najm-ud-Daulah signed a treaty with the Company and became a titled
pensioner on fifty-three lakhs of rupees per year which was reduced with every
new successor.
In 1772, the British completely ended the pensions and took over the direct
charge of Bengal.
Treaty of Allahabad, 1765
In 1765, two Treaties were concluded by Robert Clive at Allahabad with Nawab Shuja-
ud-Daulah and Emperor Shah Alam II.
Under the first treaty with the Nawab of Awadh:
Allahabad and Kara were surrendered by the Nawab to Mughal
Emperor Shah Alam II.
A sum of Rs 50 lakh was paid to the Company as war indemnity.
Balwant Singh, the Zamindar of Banaras, was given full possession of his estate.
Under the second treaty with Shah Alam II:
The emperor was asked to reside at Allahabad under the Company’s protection.
The Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa were granted to the East India
Company in lieu of an annual payment of Rs 26 lakh
An amount of Rs 53 lakh was to be given by the Mughal Emperor to the Company
in return for nizamat functions (military defence, police, and administration of
justice) of the said provinces.
Note:
The major difference in the significance of the Carnatic Wars (1740-48, 1749-53 and 1758-
63), Battle of Plassey (1757) and Battle of Buxar (1764) is:
The Carnatic Wars established British supremacy in trade in India.
The Battle of Plassey laid the foundation of British Empire in India.
The Battle of Buxar established the British as masters of Bengal, Bihar and
Orissa and made them a great power of Northern India and contenders for the
supremacy of the whole country.
