Lesson 4/45 min
The battles of Plassey and Buxar
On 23 June 1757, on the plain of Plassey beside the Bhagirathi, Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula fought the English commander Robert Clive. Betrayed by Mir Jafar, Yar Latif and Rai Durlabh, the nawab lost, and the sun of Bengal's independence set.
Plassey at a glance
- Date: 23 June 1757
- Sides: Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula against the English commander Lord (Robert) Clive
- Place: Plassey on the Bhagirathi, about 50 km north of Krishnanagar in Nadia
- Mir Madan and Mohanlal fought to the last; the commander Mir Jafar, Yar Latif, Rai Durlabh and Jagat Seth were in the plot
- The French officer Sinfray fought on the nawab's side (the name as the books give it)
- Siraj's killer: Muhammadi Beg, on the night of 2 July 1757
Five causes of the war
| # | Cause |
|---|---|
| 1 | The English did not send the customary gifts when Siraj took the throne |
| 2 | They built forts at Calcutta and Chandannagar against the nawab's order |
| 3 | They sheltered Krishnadas, the nawab's enemy |
| 4 | They grossly abused their trading privileges |
| 5 | They helped the nawab's enemies Ghaseti Begum and Shaukat Jang |
The Black Hole incident
- During the Calcutta campaign some English officials, including Holwell, were held in Fort William
- By Holwell's own account 146 people were kept in a small room and 123 died in the June heat
Did you know?: After Siraj's fall the English made Mir Jafar nawab. The phrase ‘the sun of Bengal's independence set’ is said of this battle.
Mir Qasim (nawab 1760–1763)
- Mir Jafar's son-in-law; the English put him on the throne in 1760 after removing Mir Jafar, who could not meet their demands
- Patriotic and independent-minded; drove the English out of Patna
- Moved the capital from Murshidabad to Munger
Watch out: Many books give Mir Qasim's rule as 1760–1764. According to Banglapedia his rule as nawab was 1760–1763; the Battle of Buxar came in 1764.
The Battle of Buxar
- Date: 22 October 1764; place: Buxar in Bihar
- Sides: the joint army of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh and Emperor Shah Alam II against Major Hector Munro's English force
- The English won; Shah Alam II joined the English side and Shuja-ud-Daula fled to Rohilkhand
- Mir Qasim went into hiding and died in 1777 (near Delhi)
- Result: English power could now collect revenue in the subcontinent; the Company received the diwani in 1765
Memory trick: One book holds that Buxar mattered even more than Plassey in setting up English rule, because the victory made it firmer.
Early English administration
| Ruler | What he did |
|---|---|
| Lord Clive | First British governor of Bengal; the dual system of rule; laid the foundation of the English empire |
| Warren Hastings | Abolished the dual system in 1772; five-year land settlement; first revenue board |
| Lord Cornwallis | Ten-year settlement, then the Permanent Settlement and Sunset Law of 1793; the zamindari system |
Watch out: One book dates Hastings's five-year settlement to 1773; according to Banglapedia it ran 1772–1777.
Check yourself
In which years were Plassey and Buxar fought?
At a glance
- 1
Plassey, 23 June 1757: Siraj-ud-Daula against Robert Clive, on the bank of the Bhagirathi.
- 2
He lost through the treachery of Mir Jafar, Yar Latif and Rai Durlabh; Siraj's killer was Muhammadi Beg.
- 3
Mir Qasim (nawab 1760–1763), Mir Jafar's son-in-law, moved the capital to Munger.
- 4
Buxar, 22 October 1764: Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula and Shah Alam against Major Munro; the English won.
- 5
Mir Qasim died in 1777; the Company received the diwani in 1765.
- 6
Cornwallis's Permanent Settlement was in 1793.