Battle of Plassey 1757

Battle of Plassey has sown the seeds of establishment of British rule in India. The Battle of Plassey was fought in the year 1757. In this article, you will learn about Battle of Plassey, Battle of Plassey information, reason of Battle of Plassey, effects of Battle of Plassey, providing key insights for GS Paper-I Indian History section of UPSC IAS Exam.

Table of Content

• Background of the Battle of Plassey
• Basics of Battle of Plassey
• Reasons of the Battle of 1757
• The Beginning of Battle and result
• Reasons of failure of Siraj-ud-daula
• Outcomes of the Battle of 1757
• Significance of Battle of 1757
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions

Background of the Battle of Plassey:

• In 1741, the Deputy Governor of Bihar Alivardi Khan had defeated the Nawab of Bengal Sarfaraz Khan in a battle.
• Alivardi Khan established himself as the new Subahdar of Bengal.
• Alivardi Khan offered money to the Mughal Emperor, Muhammad Shah Rangeela to solidify his position.
• Alivardi Khan governed Bengal for 15 years, during which he was able to repell the incursions of Marathas.
• Due to the Maratha incursions in Bengal, the British East India Company obtained permission from the Nawab to construct a protective ditch and fortify their settlement- Fort William.
• Alivardi Khan later knew about the Carnatic region, where European companies had established complete control.
• Realizing this, Alivardi Khan wanted to remove the Europeans from Bengal.
• However, Alivardi Khan passed away in 1756, and his grandson Siraj-ud-daula succeeded him as the new ruler.

Basics of Battle of Plassey:

• The Battle of Plassey was fought between the young Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-daula and the British East India Company.
• The battle was fought in year 1757.
• The battle was fought on the banks of the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River, near the small village of Plassey (Palashi).
• The Battle laid the foundation of the British East India Company in India.
• Mughal emperor during Battle of Plassey was Alamgir II.

Reasons of the Battle of 1757:

• The Company officials had misused the trade privileges given to the company for their own personal businesses.
  • This had impacted Nawab’s finances and states’ treasuries.
• Without seeking the Nawab’s consent, the English had also fortified their Calcutta’s factory.
• The Company further deceived Siraj-ud-daula by providing shelter to a political fugitive Krishna Das, against the Nawab’s wishes.
  • Krishna Das had fled with the treasures of the Nawab.
• Suspecting that Siraj-ud-daula will collaborate with the French and would curtail their trade privileges in Bengal, the Company became more concerned.
• Siraj-ud-daula attacked and captured the English fort in Calcutta due to political fugitive.
  • This openly revealed the animosity between them.
• Black Hole Tragedy: Siraj-ud-daula had confined 146 English individuals in a closed room, resulting in the suffocation and death of 123 of them.

The Beginning of Battle and result:

• The English position in Bengal was strengthened by the arrival of a force coming from Madras to Calcutta.
  • This force was commanded by Robert Clive.
• Siraj’s 50,000-strong force was defeated by a small contingent of Clive’s soldiers due to the conspiracy plotted with the Nawab’s officials.
• Siraj-ud-daula was captured and executed on the orders of Mir Jafar’s son,Miran.
  • Mir Jafar was one of the relative of Nawab and a traitor.

Reasons of failure of Siraj-ud-daula:

• RobertClive had formed a covert alliance with the Nawab’s traitors–
  • Mir Jafar- Relative of Nawab
  • Rai Durlabh- Commanders of the Nawabs Army
  • Jagat Seth- Banker in Bengal
  • Omichand- Bengali Merchant
• As per the agreement between traitors and Britishers- Mir Jafar will be appointed as the Nawab, and in return he will reward the Company for its assistance.
• This secret alliance had strengthened the English position more.

Outcomes of the Battle of 1757:

• The Battlegranted the English access to the vast resources of Bengal.
• The Battle enable them to virtually monopolize trade and commerce in the region.
• Mir Jafar became the Nawab of Bengal.
• Mir Jafar granted the English money and the zamindari of 24 parganas as a token of their alliance.

Significance of the Battle of 1757:

• The Battle held great political significance as it marked the inception of British rule in India.
• The Battle established the English as the dominant military force in Bengal by displacing their rivals French.
• The Company was also bestowed with territorial grants to maintain a well-equipped military.
• Virtually the ultimate authority was shifted to Robert Clive, upon whose support the Mir Jafar entirely relied.
• The English sovereignty over Calcutta was acknowledged.
• The Company had stationed a Resident at the Nawab’s court.

Conclusion

The consequences of Battle of Plassey were such that after the battle Britishers became a formidable force that cannot be reckoned with easily. The Britishers than conquered many other states using the same tactics and corruption prevalent amongst the Indians. The impact of this battle has changed the course of history of India.

Ref: Source-1

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