Siraj-ud-Daulah and Bengal Politics before Plassey

Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah succeeded his maternal grandfather, Alivardi Khan, as the Nawab of Bengal in April 1756 at the age of 23. His brief 14-month reign was defined by internal court rivalries, economic disputes with the British East India Company, and strategic errors that led directly to the Battle of Plassey in June 1757.

Internal Dynastic Rivalries and Court Factions

Siraj-ud-Daulah faced immediate domestic opposition to his succession from family members and influential court administrators.

Opposing Domestic Factions

• Ghaseti Begum (Mehar-un-Nissa): The eldest aunt of Siraj-ud-Daulah, who operated from Motijheel Palace in Murshidabad. She sought to install her adopted son, Shaukat Jung, on the throne.
• Shaukat Jung: The cousin of Siraj-ud-Daulah and the Faujdar of Purnea. He challenged the succession with support from a section of the Murshidabad nobility.
• Mir Jafar: The Mir Bakshi (Commander-in-Chief) of the Bengal army and brother-in-law of Alivardi Khan, who harbored ambitions for the throne.
• Jagat Seth (Mahtab Chand): The head of the powerful banking house of Jagat Seth, who controlled credit, currency minting, and revenue transfers in Bengal.

Consolidation of Domestic Power

• Siraj-ud-Daulah seized Motijheel Palace, confiscated Ghaseti Begum’s wealth, and placed her under house arrest.
• He replaced Mir Jafar as Mir Bakshi with Mir Madan, a loyal commander.
• He marched against Shaukat Jung and killed him at the Battle of Manihari in October 1756, temporarily securing his northern frontier.

Causes of Conflict with the British East India Company

The rift between the young Nawab and the British East India Company stemmed from political insolence, commercial evasions, and military defiance.

Misuse of Dastaks

• The Company servants abused the dastaks (trade permits granted by Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar in 1717) for private trade, evading state custom duties.
• This practice caused financial losses to the Bengal treasury and placed native merchants at a competitive disadvantage.

Unauthorized Fortifications

• The British started repairing and extending the fortifications at Fort William in Calcutta without the Nawab’s permission, citing the threat of the Seven Years’ War with France.
• Siraj-ud-Daulah ordered both the British and French to stop all military construction. The French complied at Chandernagore, but the British refused.

Refuge to Political Fugitives

• The Company gave asylum to Krishna Das, son of Rajballabh (a key administrator under Ghaseti Begum), who fled to Calcutta with state funds.
• Governor Roger Drake insulted the envoy sent by Siraj-ud-Daulah to demand the return of Krishna Das.

Escalation: Fall of Calcutta to Alinagar

The refusal of the British to comply with state orders prompted swift military action from the Nawab.

Capture of Fort William (June 1756)

• Siraj-ud-Daulah attacked the British factory at Kasimbazar and captured it on June 4, 1756.
• He marched to Calcutta and captured Fort William on June 20, 1756. Governor Roger Drake and several military officials fled down the Hooghly River to Fulta.
• The Nawab renamed Calcutta as Alinagar and placed it under the administrative charge of Manik Chand.
• British propaganda later highlighted the Black Hole Incident (June 20, 1756), where J.Z. Holwell claimed 123 out of 146 British prisoners suffocated in a small cell. Modern historians view these numbers as exaggerated.

Reconquest and Treaty of Alinagar (1757)

• Admiral Charles Watson and Colonel Robert Clive led a British relief force from Madras and recaptured Calcutta in January 1757.
• On February 9, 1757, Siraj-ud-Daulah signed the Treaty of Alinagar.
• The treaty restored all Company privileges under the 1717 Farman, permitted the fortification of Calcutta, allowed the Company to mint coins, and compensated the British for losses.

The Murshidabad Conspiracy and Road to Plassey

The signing of the Treaty of Alinagar did not restore stability, as Robert Clive actively sought to depose Siraj-ud-Daulah.

Capture of Chandernagore

• In March 1757, Clive attacked and captured the French settlement at Chandernagore, neutralizing French artillery support for the Nawab.
• This action violated the sovereignty of Bengal, but Siraj-ud-Daulah failed to take military action against the British.

The Secret Treaty

• Clive negotiated a secret treaty with Mir Jafar on June 4, 1757, promising him the throne of Bengal in return for 17.5 million rupees, territorial concessions, and commercial monopolies.
• Omichand demanded a 5% share of the treasury, prompting Clive to draft two agreements: a genuine one on white paper excluding Omichand, and a forged one on red paper with Admiral Watson’s forged signature including him.

Key Historical Facts

Siraj-ud-Daulah’s birth name was Mirza Muhammad. His grandfather Alivardi Khan granted him the titles Siraj-ud-Daulah (Light of the State) and Chiraag-ud-Daulah (Lamp of the Empire). During the attack on Fort William in June 1756, the defense of the fortress was left to J.Z. Holwell after Governor Roger Drake and Captain-Commandant Minchin abandoned the post. Siraj-ud-Daulah placed Calcutta under the charge of Manik Chand, who accepted bribes from the British upon Clive’s arrival in 1757. The loyal commanders who fought alongside Siraj-ud-Daulah till the end were Mir Madan and Bahadur Ali Khan, along with a small artillery unit commanded by French officer Jean Law. Mir Madan died early during the Battle of Plassey on June 23, 1757, hit by a cannonball after a rainstorm dampened the Nawab’s gunpowder supplies. Siraj-ud-Daulah fled to Murshidabad on a camel and was later captured in Rajmahal by Mir Miran, the son of Mir Jafar, who ordered his execution on July 2, 1757.