Examine the reasons for the Battle of Plassey being seen as the first war of the East India Company versus the Nawab of Bengal.
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Answer:
Battle of Plassey was a major turning point in modern Indian history that led to the consolidation of British rule in India. This battle was fought between the East India Company headed by Robert Clive and the Nawab of Bengal (Siraj-Ud-Daulah) and his French Troop. This battle is often termed as the ‘decisive event’ which became the source of ultimate rule of the British in India. The battle occurred during the late reign of Mughal empire (called later Mughal Period). Mughal emperor Alamgir-II was ruling the empire when the Battle of Plassey took place.
A few historians, while answering the question as to when did the British rule start in India, cite the Battle of Plassey as the source.
This article will talk about the Battle of Plassey in detail to help IAS Exam aspirants understand it for both prelims and mains (GS-I). You can also download the Battle of Plassey notes PDF from the link provided.
Causes of the Battle of Plassey
Majorly, the reasons for the Battle of Plassey to take place were:
The rampant misuse of the trade privileges given to the British by the Nawab of Bengal
Non-payment of tax and duty by the workers of the British East India Company
Other reasons that supported the coming of this battle were:
Fortification of Calcutta by the British without the Nawab’s permission
Misleading Nawab on various fronts by British
An asylum was provided to Nawab’s enemy Krishna Das
The East India Company had a strong presence in India majorly at Fort St. George, Fort William and Bombay Castle.
The British resorted to having an alliance with the Nawabs and princes in exchange for security against any form of external and internal attack and were promised concessions in return for their safety and protection.
The problem arose when the alliance was disrupted under the rule of Nawab of Bengal (Siraj-Ud-Daulah). The Nawab started seizing the fort of Calcutta and imprisoning many British Officials in June 1756. The prisoners were kept in a dungeon at Fort William. This incident is called the Black Hole of Calcutta since only a handful of the prisoners survived the captivity where over a hundred people were kept in a cell meant for about 6 people. The East India company planned an attack and Robert Clive bribed Mir Jafar, the commander-in-chief of the Nawab’s army, and also promised him to make him Nawab of Bengal.
The Battle of Plassey was fought at Palashi, on the banks of Bhagirathi river near Calcutta on June 23, 1757.
After three hours of intense fighting, there was a heavy downpour. One of the reasons for the defeat of Nawab was the lack of planning to protect their weapons during the heavy downpour which turned the table in favour of the British army apart from the major reason being the treachery of Mir Jafar.
Siraj-Ud-Daulah’s army with 50,000 soldiers, 40 cannons and 10 war elephants was defeated by 3,000 soldiers of Robert Clive. The battle ended in 11 hours and Siraj-Ud-Daulah fled from the battle post his defeat.
According to Robert Clive, 22 men died and 50 were injured from the British troops. The Nawab army lost about 500 men, including several key officials and many of them even suffered several casualties.