Battle of Plassey, History, Causes, Impacts, Short Note

Battle of Plassey

The Battle of Plassey took place on June 23, 1757, in the West Bengali region of Plassey. The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daula, and the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive, engaged in this fight. In this conflict, the French soldiers fought alongside Siraj-ud-daula against Robert Clive. The Battle of Plassey is an important part of history for UPSC Preparation.

The Battle of Plassey is regarded as a turning moment in British Indian history and as a significant victory for the British. It consolidated British dominance in Bengal on the political and military fronts. The majority of historians consider the Battle of Plassey to be the pivotal event that established British authority and sovereignty over India.

This article will examine the background, causes, and other key information related to the Battle of Plassey. There will also be some questions from last year’s examination on this topic in the UPSC exam. This article will clarify the main traits of the subsidiary alliance system and various sorts of alliances.

Read More: Partition of Bengal

Battle of Plassey Background

Understanding the circumstances leading up to the Battle of Plassey in 1757 is crucial. Alivardi Khan, Siraj-Ud-grandfather, Daula’s succeeded him as the Nawab of Bengal. The previous year, he had been appointed Nawab of Bengal, and he had ordered the English to halt building more fortifications.

After the British won the Carnatic Wars, Siraj-Ud-Daula became concerned about the British’s growing influence in India. The Company’s officials frequently abused their trading privileges, which had a negative impact on the nawab’s finances.

Without the Nawab’s consent, the British strengthened Fort Williams, which enraged him even more. He marched to Fort Williams, where he grabbed 146 Britons and imprisoned them in a cramped space where 123 of them perished. This incident is referred to as the “Calcutta Black Hole Tragedy.”

In response, Robert Clive was dispatched to Bengal to help the British maintain their grip there. He offered Mir Jafar kindred in exchange for his treachery of the Nawab of Bengal by bribing several of the Nawab’s top officials.

Read More: Khilafat Movement

Battle of Plassey was Fought Between

1. Siraj-ud-Daulah

The Nawab of Bengal was named Siraj-ud-Daulah. It is said that Siraj-ud-Daulah imprisoned 146 English people who were confined to a very small room, causing 123 of them to suffocate to death. While Calcutta was governed by the British, Siraj-ud-Daulah invaded and captured the English fort there.

2. Robert Clive

The East India Company’s top commander in Bengal was Robert Clive. Robert Clive granted sanctuary to Krishna Das, the economic fugitive son of Raj Vallabh, disappointing the Siraj-ud-Daulah. He abused the East India Company’s right to commerce. He strengthened the fort at Calcutta without the Nawab’s consent.

3. Mir Jafar

He was an excellent military leader for the Nawabs. He was bought by the East India Company to defraud Siraj-ud-Daulah. He planned with the East India Company in an effort to succeed as Bengal’s Nawab.

4. Rai Durlabh

He served as a representative in the nawab’s courts. Although he joined Siraj-ud-army, Daulah’s he did not participate in battle, betraying Siraj-ud-Daulah.

5. Jagat Seth

He worked in finance. Siraj-ud-Daulah was imprisoned and then killed as a result of his participation in the conspiracy.

6. Omi Chand

He was a commanding officer over Calcutta. He was in charge of signing the agreement that Clive and others negotiated prior to the Battle of Plassey.

Read More: Non Cooperation Movement

Battle of Plassey Chronology

The Nawab stormed and took control of the firm’s plant in Kasim Bazar as a measure of warning after the company disobeyed his orders to prohibit the usage of Dastak and stop the building of Fort William. The company pillaged and ransacked Hooghly as retaliation. This further enraged the new Nawab, who invaded Fort William in June 1756.

The company’s officials were caught off guard and outnumbered; some of them surrendered and were taken prisoner; others managed to escape through the back gate and into the Hooghly River. Along with Governor Drakes, they sought refuge on the tidal island known as Fulta in the Hooghly River, and from Fulta, they despatched a letter to Madras.

The English Prisoners were imprisoned under Nawab’s decree. He changed Calcutta’s name to Alinagar, granted Manik Chand administrative control of the new city, and then left for Murshidabad. Meanwhile, a sizable British army led by Admiral Watson and Robert Clive arrived in Bengal from Madras in December 1756.

Nawab learned of this and, as a result of his dread of being attacked by Ahmed Shah Abdali and the Marathas, he decided to try to reach a settlement with the English. Manik Chand, meanwhile, had peacefully ceded Calcutta to the English. Robert Clive and Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah began the negotiations that led to the Treaty of Alinagor, which was signed in February 1757.

According to this agreement, Clive pledged that the company would refrain from attacking the French at Chandra Nagar in exchange for the Nawab restoring the company’s trading privileges, allowing it to fortify Fort William, and paying it a war indemnity.

However, the company invaded Chandranagar in April 1757, and the French were routed. Nawab spoke with Clive, arrived in Calcutta with a little army, and then proceeded to Omichand’s property. Britisher believed that the Nawab was fighting and attacked him.

At Plassey in Nadia, West Bengal, both sides engaged in combat with one another. British troops were 3,000, and the Nawab had nearly 65,000 soldiers, but a plot hatched by Mir Jafar and Robert Clive resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of the Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah, and the subsequent murder of the Nawab by Mir Jafar’s son Miran.

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Battle of Plassey Result

The British Company’s colonialization of India began with the Battle of Plassey. By installing puppet Nawab Mir Jafar on the throne of Bengal, the British Company indirectly consolidated its political authority over Bengal. Bengal was used as a springboard by the British Company to carry out his imperial ambitions.

The theft of riches began with theft, followed by the abuse of privileges, etc. The British Company received the Diwani right 25 (twenty-five) paragana from Mir Jafar. And now the British Company would benefit from the revenue from this area. Lord Clive and other British officers received enormous financial rewards from Mir Jafar in addition to him.

Following the Battle of Plassey, Bengali trade and commerce were exclusively controlled by the British corporation. As a result, Bengal, once a prosperous province of the Mughal Empire, began to become a place of Hunger, Famine, and Deprivation.

The British Company understood after the Battle of Plassey that the Indian people could assist them to conquer India because they had no idea of nationalism and that this revealed the moral weakness of the Indian people.

Read More: Civil Disobedience Movement

Battle of Plassey Significance

The Transfer of Power was a result of the Battle of Plassey, which is why it is significant. Mir Jafar rose to the position of Nawab of Bengal after the Battle of Plassey. Mir Jafar was a puppet of Nawab, the firm employed him merely to meet its financial requirement. Therefore, that business could swiftly push its colonial interests. The corporation was of an Imperial nature, thus Mir Jafar was unable to satisfy its rapacious demands.

Mir Jafar thus began to become less important in the company’s imperial game. In order to discredit him, it was said that he had conspired with Dutch, but the truth was that he had failed to pay the vast sum of money the corporation had requested.

A deal was reached between the British firm and Mir Kasim as a result, and in September 1760, control was transferred. Some historians viewed this change in power in Bengal as a precursor to a revolution.

Read More: Jalliawala Bagh Massacre

Battle of Plassey UPSC

• The incident sparked the 1764 Battle of Buxar.
• Mir Jafar’s power was transferred to Mir Kasim, who took over as the new Nawab of Bengal.

Battle of Plassey FAQs

Q) Who fought Plassey battle?

Ans. On June 23, 1757, the Battle of Plassey took place in northeastern India. Robert Clive’s British East India Company troops confronted Siraj-ud-Daulah, the final Nawab of Bengal, and his French allies.

Q) Why the battle is called Plassey?

Ans. When Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah objected to the East India Company officers’ unauthorised use of privileges, the Battle of Plassey resulted.

Q) What is the Battle of Plassey in simple words?

Ans. The Battle of Plassey was a major battle that took place on 23 June 1757 at Palashi, Bengal.

Q) Why India lost Battle of Plassey?

Ans. The Nawab was opposed by Siraj’s ministers, who were deceived and bought off by the British. By his dependable ally Mir Jafar and other ministers, Siraj was betrayed.

Q) Who was killed by British in Battle of Plassey?

Ans. In 1757, Siraj-ud-Daulah was beaten by Clive at Plassey, and Calcutta was taken. The Black Hole Massacre and Nawab Siraj-ud-assault Daulah’s on British-controlled Calcutta came before the conflict.

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