The Battle of Plassey was fought between the Nawab Of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daulah, and the British East India Company in the year 1757.The victory of the British East India Company marked the start of their 196 years of rule over India. Robert Clive represented the British and formed alliances with the enemies of Nawab, like Mir Jafar, Rai Durlabh, Jagat Seth, and Omichand.Reaching the mid 18th century, the Mughal rulers who controlled the whole of India since the 1700s almost stretched to collapse as the rise of Marathas, Jats, and other regional rulers were at their highest point. Also, with the introduction of many European countries to India for trade and commerce, it started to become a matter of occupying a political status in the country and establishing a good economic base there. The British East India company was among those outside powers who at first came to just trade but later became a competing power. While getting involved in the Carnatic Battles with the French, the British soon started to involve themselves more in both local politics and trade, using the rich resources of the most abundant region of India, which was Bengal. The ruler of Bengal, Nawab Siraj-ud-daulah, was in a continuous dispute with the company for a long time. Just a year before this battle, when the company was involved in another seven years Carnatic war with the French, Siraj-ud-daulah attacked their fort in Calcutta, Fort William, which was a stronghold of the British.You can also read about the Battle of Gallipoli and the Battle of France on our website and can get more insight.Causes Of The Battle Of PlasseySiraj-ud-daulah was the independent ruler of Bengal. He became ruler at a very young age as he was the son of the youngest daughter of Alivardi Khan, who was the ruler before him. After two years of his rule, he began to retake Calcutta from the British by forming an alliance with the French East India Company.The bitterness and tense relationship between the Nawab and the British were because of the misuse of the trade privileges of the British officers in Bengal. The British Force also supported the conspirators of the Nawab. This behavior of British officials angered the Nawab as they were taking privileges from the Nawab but were not loyal to him, and this later turned into the battle between the British army and Nawab in the year 1757.This battle developed due to many causes. The East India Company was not very serious in paying taxes to the Nawab for trade practices as has been discussed before, neither were they regular in performing their duties. They used to misuse a lot of trade privileges for their benefit, which decreased the prosperity of the state, its people, and resources. The construction of Fort William by the British without the permission of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah, was a major strain in their relationship. The British granted an extension to the asylum to Krishna Das, who was the enemy of the Nawab as he took the funds of the government. The increased fortification around Fort William and betrayals by the British angered the Nawab even more, and he decided to capture Calcutta Fort.Soon after the surrender of Fort William, Siraj imprisoned about 100 British army soldiers in a very small dungeon. A lot of soldiers died because of suffocation, which gave the Britisher an obvious reason and justification to start a fight for revenge. Although, historians believe that the number would have been much smaller than what the British survivors claimed. This was known as the ‘Black Hole Tragedy’ and became a very controversial topic. After this incident, the British forces sent Rober Clive, who was in Madras, to Bengal to get back control over Calcutta and seize the fort back to form a British-friendly political environment there. Robert Clive’s army was helped by Mir Jafar, who was thrown out of the court of the Nawab earlier to appoint Mir Madan Khan and later became his enemy. They made a deal to make him the next Nawab of Bengal if they won the battle.It was quite evident who would lose the war. The Nawab lost as a result of the betrayal of Mir Jafar and also because of a lack of meticulous planning and less advanced weapons. The Nawab’s army had 50,00 soldiers, 10 war elephants, and 40 cannons against 3000 soldiers and British artillerymen led by Robert Clive of the East India Company. Siraj-ud-daulah later fled but was killed by his own men.Effects Of The Battle Of PlasseyThe Battle of Plassey is among the most prominent battles of British colonial powers in India to get control there. The new Nawab of Bengal, Mir Jafar, was highly influenced by the British. He was like a dominion head of the state. Now, instead of paying taxes and duties, they were extracting money from the Nawab. They made their army even stronger by making effective use of this money. Soon, other European powers, like the French and Dutch, were thrown out by the British from India to trade in the other regions in south Asia. From there, the British empire extended a lot in India.There were many political and economic effects of this battle after the new crown of Bengal was allocated. Soon, Mir Jafar was feeling dissatisfied with his situation as the British were indiscriminately using his dominion status. He later tried to incite the Dutch to have a combined attack on the British to improve their position. Hence, in 1759, the Dutch and British armies fought the Battle of Chinsura, and again, the British won. After this, Mir Qasim was made the new Nawab. After a few years, the British became the most influential and powerful force there. Robert Clive was called ‘Lord Clive’ and ‘Baron Clive of Plassey’ because of his amazing war tactics and was also elected to the British House of Commons. Because of the heavy exploitation of resources of Bengal by the British, the economy of India was severely depleted. There were various regulations imposed on the people and traders of Bengal, leading to more than half of their income being taken as taxes.Who won in the Battle of Plassey?This battle saw a British victory, which later extended to two decades of British rule in India. British control before this battle was not very significant. Robert Clive was responsible for the British-led English army.The Battle of Plassey was a direct result of the East India Company’s political rise and the British Empire’s political establishment in Bengal. The Battle of Plassey is seen as the beginning of British colonial rule in India. Robert Clive installed Mir Jafar as the Nawab of Bengal following the defeat of the Siraj-Ud-Daulah. The East India Company gained control of Bengal’s trade and commerce through Mir Jafar. After his return to England in 1760, the British government awarded Major General Robert Clive with the title of Lord for his victory in the battle.Battle Of Plassey SummaryThe Battle of Plassey took place at Palashi, which is at the banks of the Bhagirathi river near Calcutta city in the year 1757. It was the south of Murshidabad which was the then capital of Bengal. Siraj-ud-daulah, who was an independent Nawab of Bengal, fought with the advancing British army of the East India Company.After gaining control over Bengal from his maternal grandfather, Alivardi Khan, Siraj wanted to decrease British influence and stop their trade and fortifications in Bengal. As Bengal was the most prosperous state during that time, any kind of misuse of its resources would lead to a fall in the economy. He gave the orders to stop illegal activities to the English, but they didn’t listen. They were threatened after the Black Hole Tragedy, which gave rise to an already kindled fire between the both. The British appointed Robert Clive and Major Eyre Coote to fight the war, who, with the support of Mir Jafar, Yar Lutuf Khan, Bahadur Khan, and some of the other enemies of the Nawab, fought the war and won back Calcutta in the year 1757.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked learning the Battle of Plassey facts, then why not take a look at our facts on the Battle of Jutland or Battle of Chancellorsville?
The Battle of Plassey was fought between the Nawab Of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daulah, and the British East India Company in the year 1757.
