🏛️ Bengal as Regional Power (1717-1770)
📜 Timeline of Rulers
| Nawab |
Period |
Key Points |
| Murshid Quli Khan |
1717-1727 |
Founder of Bengal's autonomy. Made Bengal wealthiest province |
| Shuja-ud-Din |
1727-1739 |
Son-in-law of Murshid Quli Khan |
| Sarfaraz Khan |
1739-1740 |
Son of Shuja-ud-Din. Overthrown by Alivardi Khan |
| Alivardi Khan |
1740-1756 |
Fought Marathas. Grandfather of Siraj |
| Siraj-ud-Daulah |
1756-1757 |
Last independent Nawab. Defeated at Plassey |
| Mir Jafar |
1757-60, 1763-65 |
British puppet. Traitor of Plassey |
| Mir Qasim |
1760-1763 |
Tried to resist British. Lost at Buxar |
💰 Bengal's Economic Strength
🌾 Why Bengal Was Richest
- Murshid Quli Khan's Reforms: Revenue reforms ensured surplus income
- Political Stability: Stable governance unlike rest of India
- Agricultural Prosperity: Fertile land, good development policies
- Strategic Location: Control of trade routes
🏦 Power Structure
- 15 Major Zamindars: Controlled 50%+ of Bengal's revenue by 1727
- Merchant Bankers: Unique financial power alongside zamindars
💎 Jagat Seth - The Banker King Super PYQ
Most influential banker in Bengal - key player in Plassey conspiracy!
📊 Financial Power:
- Annual Income: ₹14 lakh (one of richest men in world)
- Darshani Hundi: Highest bill of exchange - ₹1 crore+ value ₹1 Cr
- Control: Entire money circulation of Bengal
- Clients: Provided affordable loans to Zamindars & Nawab
⚡ Political Influence:
- Saying: "If Jagat Seth collapsed, entire Bengal trade would collapse"
- Backed: Alivardi Khan's rise to power (1740)
- Plassey Role: Conspired with British against Siraj-ud-Daulah
- Why: Siraj refused to give British monopoly despite Jagat Seth's favor
👴 Alivardi Khan (1740-1756)
📍 Rise to Power
- 1740: Overthrew Sarfaraz Khan in coup
- Support: Jagat Seth backed him financially
⚔️ Maratha Problem
- Challenge: Constant Maratha raids on Bengal
- Target: Marathas even looted Jagat Seth's estates
- Treaty of 1751:
• Pay ₹1.52 lakh annually as tribute to Marathas
• Hand over Odisha temporarily to Marathas
💔 Succession Crisis (1756)
- Death: Alivardi Khan died in 1756
- Contenders:
• Siraj-ud-Daulah (grandson, chosen successor)
• Ghaseti Begum (daughter, opposed Siraj) PYQ
- Result: Bitter conflict, but Siraj emerged victorious
👑 Siraj-ud-Daulah (1756-1757)
🎯 Initial Challenges
- Internal Opposition: Ghaseti Begum's faction
- Economic Pressure: Powerful bankers (Jagat Seth) wanted British favors
- European Powers: British & French competing for monopoly
⚠️ The Monopoly Decision
- Issue: Should Siraj grant monopoly to British or French?
- Jagat Seth's Wish: Favored British
- Siraj's Decision: Refused exclusive rights to ANY European power PYQ
- British Reaction: Saw it as threat to their economic interests
- Result: This angered British, led to Plassey conspiracy
🔥 Rising Tensions with British
British Violations (1756): Super PYQ
- Stopped Peshkash: Tribute payments stopped
- Stopped Nazrana: Gift payments stopped
- Krishna Das Shelter: Gave shelter to fugitive wanted by Nawab
- Fort William Fortification: Installed cannons without permission
- Siraj's Order: Remove cannons from Fort William
- British Response: Refused to comply
- Result: Direct confrontation inevitable
⚫ Capture of Fort William & Black Hole of Calcutta
📅 20 June 1756
- Attack: Siraj attacked & captured Fort William in Calcutta
- British Prisoners: 146 British prisoners confined
- Confinement: Kept in small room overnight
- Deaths: Due to suffocation, only 23-26 survived
- Rest: Reportedly died PYQ
⚠️ Historical Note: British historians exaggerated this incident to justify retaliation
and demonize Siraj-ud-Daulah. Modern historians question the exact numbers and circumstances.
🗡️ Robert Clive's Retaliation
🚢 British Response
- Help Sought: Fort William officers requested military help from Madras
- Robert Clive: Arrived with reinforcements
- Naval Support: Backed by British naval forces
📜 Treaty of Alinagar (February 1757)
- Context: Siraj saw growing British threat
- Terms:
• Restored British trading privileges
• Paid compensation for British losses
- Reality: Siraj bought time, but conspiracy already underway
⚔️ Battle of Plassey (23 June 1757)
🕵️ The Conspiracy
- Robert Clive: Secretly conspired
- Co-Conspirators:
• Mir Jafar - Siraj's Commander-in-Chief Super
PYQ
• Jagat Seth - Influential banker
• Omi Chand, Rai Durlabh (other nobles)
- Promise: Mir Jafar promised Nawabship after Siraj's defeat
⚔️ The Battle
- Date: 23 June 1757
- Location: Plassey (near Murshidabad)
- Duration: Short & one-sided
- Betrayal: Mir Jafar & his troops didn't fight
- Result: Siraj defeated & fled
- End: Siraj captured & executed Super PYQ
🎯 Significance: Battle of Plassey (1757) marked beginning of British political
dominance in India. It was more a conspiracy than a battle!
💸 Consequences of Battle of Plassey
1. British Economic Gains
| Payment |
Amount |
Purpose |
| Immediate War Indemnity |
£275,000 |
Compensation to British |
| Mir Jafar Payments (1757-60) |
Rs. 22.5 million |
Various gifts & compensations ₹225 Lakh |
| Zamindari Rights |
- |
Burdwan, Midnapore, Chittagong (24 Parganas) |
- Military Use: British used this money to strengthen their army
2. Economic Shift in Bengal
- Before Plassey: Bengal trade financed by gold imports from Europe
- After Plassey: Bengal's wealth exported to Britain & China PYQ
- Result: Drain of wealth from Bengal began
3. Mir Jafar as Puppet Nawab (1757-1760)
- Reality: No real power, British controlled everything
- Resistance Attempt: Sought help from Dutch
- Dutch Intervention: British defeated Dutch at Battle of Bedara (1759)
- 1760: British removed Mir Jafar, installed Mir Qasim as Nawab
🔨 Mir Qasim (1760-1763)
💰 Price of Nawabship
- Zamindari Rights: Granted British rights over Burdwan, Midnapore, Chittagong
- Bribes: Paid Rs. 25 lakh to British officers to secure position
₹25L
🎯 Mir Qasim's Reforms
- Capital Shift: Moved capital from Murshidabad to Munger PYQ
• Reason: Reduce British interference
- Military Reforms: Modernized army with European officers
- Trade Reform: Abolished internal trade duties Super
PYQ
• Allowed Indian merchants to compete with British
• Challenged British monopoly
- Revenue Reform: Improved tax collection system
⚔️ Conflict with British
- British Demand: Exclusive trade privileges
- Mir Qasim's Policy: Equal treatment for all merchants
- British Anger: Lost their economic advantages
- Result: War broke out
- Escape: Mir Qasim fled to Awadh
🤝 Triple Alliance
- Mir Qasim (ex-Nawab of Bengal)
- Shuja-ud-Daulah (Nawab of Awadh)
- Shah Alam II (Mughal Emperor)
⚔️ Battle of Buxar (22 October 1764)
📊 Forces
| Side |
Strength |
Leadership |
| Allied Forces |
17,000 soldiers |
Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah, Shah Alam II |
| British |
Smaller but better trained |
Major Hector Munro PYQ |
⚔️ Battle Details
- Allied Army: 17,000 soldiers but poorly coordinated
- British Advantage: Superior tactics & technology
- British Commander: Major Hector Munro
- Result: Decisive British victory Super PYQ
🎯 Significance: Battle of Buxar (1764) was MORE decisive than Plassey! It secured
complete British control over Bengal, Bihar & Odisha and made Mughal Emperor a British pensioner.
📜 Treaty of Allahabad (1765)
👑 Agreement with Shah Alam II
- Respect: Shah Alam II treated with respect & recognized as Mughal Emperor
- Pension: British granted Rs. 26 lakh per year pension ₹26L/year
- Territory: Allowed to retain Allahabad & Kora
- British Gain: Diwani of Bengal, Bihar, Odisha Super PYQ
• Diwani = Tax collection rights
🤝 Agreement with Shuja-ud-Daulah
- Restored: As Nawab of Awadh
- War Indemnity: Rs. 50 lakh to British
- Territory Lost: Allahabad & Kora given to Mughal Emperor
⚖️ Dual System of Administration (1765-1772)
Two-Headed Monster: Super PYQ
- Diwani (Revenue): Controlled by British
• Collected taxes from Bengal, Bihar, Odisha
• Bengal wealth funded British expansion
- Nizamat (Administration): Remained with Nawab
• Nawab: Responsible for law, order, justice
• Reality: Puppet with no real power
- British Resident: Stationed in Murshidabad to control Nawab
💔 Result:
- ✗ British collected revenue but took NO responsibility for administration
- ✗ Nawab had administrative duties but NO money
- ✗ People suffered - no one accountable
- ✗ Led to Great Bengal Famine of 1770 (1/3 population died)
📅 Complete Timeline
1717: Murshid Quli Khan declares Bengal's autonomy
1740: Alivardi Khan becomes Nawab with Jagat Seth's support
1751: Treaty with Marathas - ₹1.52 lakh annual tribute
1756: Siraj-ud-Daulah becomes Nawab after defeating Ghaseti Begum
20 June 1756: Black Hole of Calcutta tragedy
Feb 1757: Treaty of Alinagar - British privileges restored
23 June 1757: Battle of Plassey - Siraj defeated, Mir Jafar installed
1757-60: Mir Jafar pays Rs. 22.5 million to British
1759: Battle of Bedara - British defeat Dutch
1760: Mir Qasim replaces Mir Jafar. Pays Rs. 25 lakh bribes
1760-63: Mir Qasim's reforms: Capital to Munger, trade duties abolished
22 Oct 1764: Battle of Buxar - British defeat triple alliance (17,000 soldiers)
1765: Treaty of Allahabad - Diwani granted, Rs. 26 lakh pension to Shah Alam II
1765-72: Dual Government - exploitation & Bengal Famine (1770)
🎯 PYQ Sniper Shots
Q: Who was Jagat Seth?
A: Most powerful banker in Bengal. Annual income ₹14 lakh. Issued Darshani Hundis worth ₹1
crore+. Conspired with British in Plassey.
Q: Who opposed Siraj-ud-Daulah in succession?
A: Ghaseti Begum (Alivardi Khan's daughter)
Q: What did Siraj stop paying to British?
A: Peshkash (tribute) and Nazrana (gifts)
Q: When was the Black Hole of Calcutta incident?
A: 20 June 1756 (146 prisoners, only 23-26 survived)
Q: When was Battle of Plassey fought?
A: 23 June 1757
Q: Who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey?
A: Mir Jafar (his Commander-in-Chief) + Jagat Seth
Q: How much did Mir Jafar pay British (1757-60)?
A: Rs. 22.5 million
Q: How much did Mir Qasim pay as bribes?
A: Rs. 25 lakh to British officers
Q: Where did Mir Qasim shift capital?
A: From Murshidabad to Munger (to reduce British interference)
Q: What was Mir Qasim's trade reform?
A: Abolished internal trade duties - allowed Indians to compete with British
Q: When was Battle of Buxar fought?
A: 22 October 1764
Q: Who commanded British at Buxar?
A: Major Hector Munro
Q: How many soldiers in allied army at Buxar?
A: 17,000 soldiers (Mir Qasim + Shuja-ud-Daulah + Shah Alam II)
Q: What did British get in Treaty of Allahabad?
A: Diwani (tax collection rights) of Bengal, Bihar, Odisha
Q: Pension to Shah Alam II per Treaty of Allahabad?
A: Rs. 26 lakh per year
Q: What was Dual Government?
A: British: Diwani (revenue) | Nawab: Nizamat (administration) [1765-72]
UPPCS Modern India • From Your Class Notes