Lesson 1/55 min
Clive, the Diwani and dual rule
On 23 June 1757, on the field of Plassey near Murshidabad, the army of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah faced the English commander Robert Clive. The nawab lost through the betrayal of Mir Jafar, Yar Lutuf and Rai Durlabh, though the French commander Sinfray fought hard on his side. This laid the foundation of English rule in Bengal.
Early dates of the Company
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1600 | The East India Company is formed |
| 1700 | The Calcutta fort is named Fort William (building began in 1696) |
| 1756 | Alivardi Khan dies; Siraj becomes nawab; Calcutta and Fort William taken, Calcutta renamed Alinagar |
| 1757 | 23 June: the Battle of Plassey; Siraj falls |
| 1764 | The Battle of Buxar: the English against Mir Qasim |
| 1765 | 12 August: the Company gets the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa; dual rule begins |
| 1770 | The Great Famine of 1770 (Bengali year 1176) |
| 1772 | Hastings ends dual rule |
| 1858 | Company rule ends |
Siraj-ud-Daulah and Plassey
- Siraj was Alivardi Khan's grandson, real name Mirza Muhammad; he became nawab in 1756
- Ghaseti Begum, Alivardi's daughter, was Siraj's enemy
- Causes of the quarrel: no gifts sent to the nawab, help for Ghaseti Begum and Shawkat Jang, shelter for Krishnadas, abuse of trade privileges, and forts built at Calcutta and Chandannagar against his orders
- Siraj's killer was Muhammadi Beg
- Bengal's first independent nawab was Murshid Quli Khan; the last was Siraj-ud-Daulah
- Mir Qasim, son-in-law of Mir Jafar, lost at Buxar. Zubair's book calls Buxar even more important than Plassey for fixing English rule
Clive
- Governor of Fort William in 1757–1760
- He laid the foundation of the English empire by beating the nawab at Plassey
- On 12 August 1765 the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II gave the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
- Terms: Rs 53 lakh a year to the nawab of Bengal and Rs 26 lakh a year to Emperor Shah Alam
- The Treaty of Allahabad gave the opening for dual rule
- Died on 22 November 1774, by suicide
Dual rule (1765–1772)
- The system: tax collection in the hands of local officials, real power with the English
- Introduced by Clive (1765), ended by Warren Hastings (1772)
- Muhammad Reza Khan guarded the minor Nawab Najm-ud-Daulah; his titles were Naib Diwan (for the Company) and Naib Nazim (for the nawab)
- Shitab Roy was Naib Diwan of Bihar
- Result: the famine of Bengali year 1176 (1770); about a third of Bengal died. The governor then was John Cartier (1769–1772)
- The Company's governing body was the Board of Directors
Watch out: Zubair's book calls the governor of the famine ‘Lord Cartier’; according to Banglapedia he was John Cartier, not a lord.
Check yourself
On what date was the Diwani of Bengal given to the Company, and by whom?
At a glance
- 1
Plassey 23 June 1757; Buxar 1764; Diwani 12 August 1765 (Emperor Shah Alam II).
- 2
Diwani terms: Rs 53 lakh a year to the nawab, Rs 26 lakh a year to the emperor.
- 3
Dual rule: introduced by Clive in 1765, ended by Warren Hastings in 1772.
- 4
Muhammad Reza Khan was Naib Diwan of Bengal, Shitab Roy of Bihar.
- 5
The famine of Bengali year 1176 = 1770; Clive died on 22 November 1774.