State the causes and results of battle of plassey ?
Answers
The battle of Plassey was fought in 1757 between the British East India Company and Siraj-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Bengal. At the end of the battle, Company won. The main causes of the Battle of Plassey were: The British East India Company wanted to establish a puppet ruler on the throne 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 the 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.It is a battle fought between the East India Company force headed by Robert Clive and Siraj-Ud-Daulah (Nawab of Bengal). The rampant misuse by EIC officials of trade privileges infuriated Siraj. The continuing misconduct by EIC against Siraj-Ud-Daulah led to the battle of Plassey in 1757.
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.
Who Fought the Battle of Plassey?
The table below will inform the IAS aspirants to know the participants of the Battle of Plassey and their significance in the battle:
Participants of Battle of Plassey Role in the Battle of Plassey
Siraj-Ud-Daulah (Nawab of Bengal)
Involved in Black-Hole Tragedy (imprisoned 146 English persons who were lodged in a very tiny room due to which 123 of them died of suffocation)
Adversely affected by the rampant misuse of trade privileges by the EIC
Attacked and seized the English fort at Calcutta, it brought their hostility into the open
Robert Clive (EIC)
Gave asylum to political fugitive Krishna Das, disappointing Siraj-Ud-Daulah
Misuse of trade privileges
Fortified Calcutta without the nawab’s permission
Mir Jafar (Commander-in-Chief of Nawab’s army)
Bribed by East India Company (EIC)
Was to be made the Nawab by EIC for conspiring against Siraj-Ud-Daulah
Cheated Siraj-Ud-Daulah during the battle
Rai Durlabh (One of the Commanders of the Nawabs Army)
Joined his army with Siraj-Ud-Daulah’s but did not participate in the battle
Betrayed Siraj
Jagat Seth (Influential Banker)
Involved in the conspiracy involving the imprisonment and ultimate killing of Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daulah
Omi Chand (Bengal Merchant)
One of the principal authors of the conspiracy against Nawab and associated with the treaty negotiated by Robert Clive before the Battle of Plassey in 1757
Effects of Battle of Plassey
Apart from the British getting political power of Northern India but only after Nawabs, there were several other effects in many forms that came out as a result of the Battle of Plassey. They can be categorised as:
