The Battle of Plassey

One of the most decisive battles of the British conquest of the Indian subcontinent, the victory at the battle of Plassey consolidated the British power thus making it easier for them to collect exorbitant taxes and satisfy their motives of trade. But how did all this happen. How could a band of foreign nationalists who came to buy silk and species managed to win a war.? Well that’s the charm of history.

The East India Company which came to India in the year 1612, had gained a substantial presence in the Indian subcontinent by the end of 17th century. And by the first half of the 18th century they had established their trading centres at Bombay, Kolkatta and Madras and also had an upper hand over their rivals the French and the Dutch .So they always pressed for less taxes and free trade to the successive Nawabs but the Nawabs were strong and refused any kind of concession for the company while at the same time demanded large tributes from the company for its right to trade.

After the death of Alivardi Khan, his 23 year old grandson Siraj-ud-ullah became the Nawab of Bengal. He was a man of ferocious temper and feeble understanding. So to secure its interests the company tried to help one of the Nawabs rival to ascend the throne which it failed to do so. This infuriated the Nawab too much that he asked the company to stop meddling in its political affairs and stop fortifications and pay the revenues. But all the negotiations failed.

So the angered Nawab at once his 30000 soldiers marched to the British factory at Kasimbazar, arrested all the officials, blocked all the ships and headed towards Calcutta to capture the fort there. Fort William was captured and all the English soldiers were imprisoned in what came to be known as the black hole. Not the one which Stephen hawking discovered. But this black hole was a chamber which measured 14*18 feet and 143 prisoners were all flocked into this single room. Days later when the prisoners were released only 23 walked out free where as all others died due to suffocation and asphygation.

When this news reached the company officials at Madras, they sent a troop of 3000 soldiers commanded by Robert Clive, the British officer who had brought fame to the company by winning the Carnatic wars and Charles Watson. But however the company didn’t want a war at first place. The letter from the council read “the object of this expedition was not merely to re-establish the British settlement in Bengal but also to obtain ample recognition of the company’s privileges and reparations for its losses without the risk of any war.”

Meanwhile William Watts, a British official at the court of Bengal informed Robert Clive of a conspiracy that was being hatched by a few to overthrow the Nawab Siraj-ud-ullah. So Robert Clive held clandestine meetings with Mir Jafar, Lutuf Khan and Rai Durlabh. He made an alliance with these people that they would not participate in the war in case if a war was inevitable and in return Mir Jafar would get the throne.

The battle actually took place at Palashi, the anglicised version being Plassey on the banks of river Bhagirathi on 23rd of June 1757. But the battle would go on to last for only 11 hours. The British had a combined troop of 3000 soldiers while the Nawab army accounted to more than 50000 soldiers. But 35000 of them did not fight the war as they were commanded by the defector Mir Jafar. So the Nawab lost the battle due to the political shrewdness of the British.

As per the alliance, Mir Jafar was made the Nawab of Bengal, the British got huge sum of money as war reparations and were given the right to collect taxes and trade free. Siraj-ud-ullah was assassinated. Thus the war came to an end but its ripples could be felt even after decades and centuries.

The east India Company would later go on to win the battle of Buxar and become Diwan of Bengal and would continue its policy of annexation by introducing many controversial laws like the subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse and so on until the first war of Indian independence in 1857.