# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
India - Remembering the Battle of Plassey

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
While India celebrates the 150th anniversary of a failed uprising, another equally historical event that deserves to be commemorated is largely forgotten. Two hundred and fifty years ago, on 23 June 1757, a small army led by Englishman Robert Clive

# data[].attributes.body
Buxar Completed the work Plassey

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The context

By the mid-18th century, the Mughal Empire, which had once controlled most of the Indian sub-continent, was in a state of collapse as native Indian and European states attempted to carve out their own political and economic power bases.

The East India Company was one of these competing powers. While battling the French for trading supremacy, it simultaneously began to involve itself in local politics, especially in Bengal, India's richest province.

The Bengali ruler Siraj-ud-Daulah had been in dispute with the Company for some time. A year before the Battle of Plassey, when the Company refused to halt military preparations against the French following the outbreak of the Seven Years War (1756-63), he had attacked and captured its stronghold of Fort William in Calcutta (Kolkata).

Regime change

On learning that Siraj was negotiating with the French, the Company decided a change of regime was needed to achieve its political and financial goals. It was not alone in wanting Siraj gone. Mahtab Rai, head of the Jagat Seth Bengal banking family, was concerned that the Nawab would seize the Seth's huge wealth for his own ends.

The Jagat Seths and Clive therefore secretly offered to make one of Siraj's army commanders, Mir Jafar, the new nawab of Bengal, if Siraj was defeated in battle. On 23 June 1757 Mir Jafar got his chance at Plassey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By the mid-18th century, the Mughal Empire, which had once controlled most of the Indian sub-continent, was in a state of collapse as native Indian and European states attempted to carve out their own political and economic power bases. The East India Company was one of these competing powers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Battle of Plassey was a major battle that took place on 23 June 1757 at Palashi, Bengal. It was an important British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies. It let the British East India Company take control of this part of the Indian subcontinent. Their area of control grew over a large part of the Indies in the next hundred years.

The battle took place at Palashi, Bengal on the river banks of the Bhagirathi River. The fighting took place about 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Calcutta. This was near Murshidabad which was the capital of Bengal at the time. Plassey is the anglicised version of Palashi. The battle was between Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and the British East India Company.

The battle took place after the attack and plunder of Calcutta by Siraj-ud-daulah and the Black Hole tragedy (Sir William Meredith, during the Parliamentary inquiry into Robert Clive's actions in India, vindicated Siraj ud-Daulah of any charges surrounding the Black Hole incident) . The troubles between Siraj-ud-daulah and the British led to the Battle of Plassey. The "trouble" was that the British strengthened the fortification around the Fort William without any intimation and approval; secondly, they grossly abused the trade privileges granted to them by the Mughal rulers, which caused heavy loss of customs duties for the government; and thirdly, that they gave shelter to some of his officers, for example Krishnadas, son of Rajballav, who fled Dhaka after misappropriating government funds. Hence, when the East India Company started further enhancement of military preparedness at Fort William in Calcutta, Siraj asked them to stop. The Company did not heed his directives, so Siraj-ud Daulah retaliated and captured Kolkata (Shortly renamed as Alinagar) from the British in June 1756.The Nawab gathered his forces together and took Fort William.

The British sent more soldiers under Colonel Robert Clive and Admiral Charles Watson from Madras to Bengal. The British retook control of Calcutta. Clive then took control of the French fort of Chandernagar. The battle was fought during the Seven Years' War (1756-63). The French East India Company sent a small group to fight against the British. Siraj-ud-Daulah had more soldiers and chose to fight at Plassey. The British were worried about having fewer soldiers. They formed a conspiracy with Siraj-ud-Daulah's demoted army leader Mir Jafar as well as others such as Yar Lutuf Khan and Rai Durlabh. Mir Jafar, Rai Durlabh and Yar Lutuf Khan brought their soldiers near Plassey but did not actually join the battle. Siraj-ud-Daulah's army was beaten by about 3,000 soldiers of Col. Robert Clive, and Siraj-ud-daulah fled from the battlefield.

This is thought to be one of the most important battles for the control of the Indian subcontinent by the colonial powers. The British now had influence over the Nawab. They also got a lot of revenue from trade. The British used this revenue to increase their military power. They pushed the other European colonial powers such as the Dutch and the French out of South Asia. This was a sign of the expansion the British Empire in Asia.

As a reward for his treachery, Mir Jafar was made the Nawab of Bengal.

Images for kids

The Mughal Empire's Nawab of Bengal Alivardi Khan adopted strict attitudes towards European mercantile companies in Bengal.

Siraj believed that the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II had not given permission to the British East India Company to expand its influence in Bengal.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Battle of Plassey was a major battle that took place on 23 June 1757 at Palashi, Bengal. It was an important British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies. It let the British East India Company take control of this part of the Indian subcontinent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Battle of Plassey: Major victory of British East India company over Nawab of Bengal; Know details