Mir Jafar
Topic: Europeans in India and the Rise of Company Rule · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 4 "The Colonial Era in India"
Meaning
Mir Jafar was the military commander of Siraj-ud-daulah, Nawab of Bengal. Before the Battle of Plassey in 1757, he made a secret deal with the Company officer Robert Clive. Clive promised to make him Nawab. In return, Mir Jafar's troops would not fight. In India, his name is still used to mean traitor.
Example
The battle was fought at Palashi (Plassey), about 150 km north of present-day Kolkata, in 1757. Mir Jafar's troops made up most of the Nawab's army, and they stood aside. This let the smaller British force win. The Company then made Mir Jafar Nawab of Bengal, but he had to depend on British support. In 1760 the Company replaced him with Mir Qasim. It brought Mir Jafar back in 1763.
Don't confuse with
- Mir Qasim: he was Mir Jafar's son-in-law and the next Nawab. The Company also put him on the throne, but he later fought the Company and lost at Buxar in 1764. Mir Jafar is remembered for helping the British at Plassey.
Related concepts
- Divide and rule
- Dastak
- Black Hole of Calcutta
- Siraj-ud-daulah
- Robert Clive
- Battle of Plassey
- Mir Qasim
- Battle of Buxar 1764
- Treaty of Allahabad 1765
- Diwani of Bengal