Siraj-ud-daulah
Topic: Europeans in India and the Rise of Company Rule · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 4 "The Colonial Era in India"
Meaning
Siraj-ud-daulah was Nawab of Bengal from 1756 to 1757. He took the throne after his grandfather, Alivardi Khan. He clashed with the English East India Company over two issues. The Company was building forts without his permission, and it was misusing its trade rights. He wanted to stop the Company from acting like a state inside his kingdom. His defeat opened the way to British rule in India.
Example
In 1756, Siraj-ud-daulah captured the Company's base at Calcutta. The Company sent Robert Clive, who made a secret deal with Mir Jafar, the Nawab's own commander. At the Battle of Plassey in 1757, Mir Jafar's troops stood aside, and the Nawab lost even though some French forces helped him. He ran away, but he was captured and killed.
Don't confuse with
- Shuja-ud-daulah: he was Nawab of Awadh. He fought the Company at Buxar in 1764. Siraj-ud-daulah was Nawab of Bengal and lost at Plassey in 1757.
Related concepts
- Divide and rule
- Dastak
- Black Hole of Calcutta
- Robert Clive
- Battle of Plassey
- Mir Jafar
- Mir Qasim
- Battle of Buxar 1764
- Treaty of Allahabad 1765
- Diwani of Bengal