The battle of Plassey (1757 AD) and the battle of Buxar (1764 AD) were
decisive in establishing the British control over Bengal and Awadh
respectively.
1. Bengal
Misuse of Royal Farman for Trade in Bengal by the British:
The English East India Company secured a royal farman in 1717 AD by the
Mughal Emperor granting the Company the freedom to export and import
goods from and to Bengal without paying taxes and right to issue dastaks
(passes) for the movement of such goods. The Company servants were also
permitted to trade but were required to pay the same taxes as Indian
merchants. This farman was a major cause of tension between the Company
and the Nawabs because it fetched less revenue for Bengal. All the
Nawabs of Bengal, from Murshid Quli Khan to Alivardi Khan, had been
annoyed with the British misuse of the farman. Moreover, the Company’s
servants misused the power to issue dastaks for the Company’s goods
which caused loss to the royal treasury.
Siraj-ud-Daulah’s Ascendancy to Throne: The
hot-tempered Siraj-ud-Daulah who succeeded his grandfather, Alivardi
Khan in 1756 AD, asked the Company to trade as per the same rules and
regulations as in the times of Murshid Quli Khan. The British refused to
comply and levied heavy duty on Indian goods entering Calcutta, which
was under their control. This move greatly annoyed the Nawab. The
Company was also fortifying Calcutta as part of its preparation for war
with the French. The Nawab ordered to demolish their fortifications. The
British refused to obey the order of Nawab causing more tension between
the Nawab and the British. Consequently, Siraj ud- Daulah invaded
Kasimbazar and captured Fort William in Calcutta (present Kolkata) in
1756 AD.
Battle of Plassey: British hatched a conspiracy by
which they planned to place Mir Jafar on the throne of Bengal. They
first presented a near impossible set of demands which Siraj-ud-Daulah
refused to comply with thereby worsening the already tense situation. A
battle ensued at Plassey, (20 miles from present Murshidabad) in June
1757 AD. Mir Jafar and Rai Durlabh betrayed the Nawab and sided with the
British. Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah was put to death by Mir Jafar’s son
Miran. The British emerged winner in the battle of Plassey.
After their victory, the British proclaimed Mir Jafar as the Nawab of
Bengal and got the right to free trade in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa
(now Odisha). besides a huge sum of money as compensation. Mir Jafar
could not meet the demands of the Company. Subsequently in 1760 AD, the
British made Mir Qasim, son-in-law of Mir Jafar, the Nawab of Bengal.
But he also did not completely bow down to the unreasonable and
illegitimate demands of the British and the obvious happened. The
British defeated Mir Qasim following a series of battles in 1763 AD.
Furthermore, in order to legitimize its reign in Bengal, the company
signed a treaty with the Nawab of Bengal Nizam ud-Daula in 1765 AD and
secured the Nizamat of Bengal and from Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II they
got the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.
2. Awadh
Emergence of Awadh as an Independent State: As the
Mughal empire declined and lost its control, Awadh grew stronger and
more independent. Awadh was important because it controlled the doab,
the fertile plain between the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers and had
enough wealth to safeguard its independence from the threats of the
increasing influence of the English East India Company. The Nawabs of
Awadh were a Persian Shia Muslim dynasty from Nishapur. Saadat Khan
Burhanul Mulk was appointed the first Nawab of Awadh in 1722 AD who set
up his court in Faizabad near Lucknow. His successor was Safdarjung
(1737 AD–1754 AD), an influential noble at the Mughal court in Delhi.
British Enmity with Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula: The third
Nawab, Shuja-ud-Daula (1754 AD–1775 AD) broke ranks with the British
after forming alliance with Mir Qasim, the deposed Nawab of Bengal. He,
along with Mir Qasim and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II was decisively
defeated at the Battle of Buxar on 22-23 October 1764 AD
by the British and was forced to cede parts of his territory. As part
of their accession design, the British appointed a resident in 1773 AD,
thereby gaining control of more territory and authority in the state.
The fourth Nawab was Asaf-ud-Daula (1775 AD-1797 AD) who shifted the
capital from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775 AD.
Nawab Sadat Ali Khan II and Treaty of 1801 AD: In
1798 AD, the fifth Nawab Wazir Ali Khan (1797AD–1798 AD) was accused by
the British to be unfaithful and uncaring towards his own people.
Subsequently he was forced to abdicate and replaced by his uncle Saadat
Ali Khan II with the help from the British. The assassination of a
British Resident in 1798 AD in Benares by the deposed Wazir Ali gave the
British further excuse for interference in internal affairs of Awadh.
Lord Wellesley exploited it to the best possible extent by virtue of
treaty of 1801 AD. Saadat Ali Khan II was reduced to a mere puppet
king under the provisions of the treaty. He was forced to disband his
own troops and agreed to bear the huge expense of the British army.
Annexation of Awadh with British India: The final
moment came and Awadh was annexed to the English East India Company
under the terms of the Doctrine of Lapse on the grounds of internal
misrule on 7 February 1856 AD by the order of the Governor General of
the British East India Company, Lord Dalhousie.
