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The East India Company acquired a Charter from the Ruler of England, Queen Elizabeth I, granting it the sole right to trade with the East.
The sole right to trade in the East meant that no other trading group in England could compete with the East India Company. With this charter the Company could venture across the oceans, looking for new lands from which it is not to be republished could buy goods at a cheap price, and carry them back to Europe to sell at higher prices. -
The First English Factory is Built
The first English factory was built on the banks of river Hugli -
Aurangzeb, the Mughal Ruler, Died
Many Mughal governors (subadars) and big zamindars began asserting their authority and establishing regional kingdoms. As powerful regional kingdoms emerged in various parts of India, Delhi could no longer function as an effective center. But officials of the Company, who were carrying on private trade on the side, were expected to pay duty. This they refused to pay, causing an enormous loss of revenue for Bengal. -
The Battle of Plassey: The Beginning
Through the early eighteenth century the conflict between
the Company and the nawabs of Bengal intensified.
After the death of Aurangzeb, the Bengal nawabs asserted
their power and autonomy. They refused
to grant the Company concessions, demanded large
tributes for the Company’s right to trade and denied it any rights to mint coins and extend fortifications. -
Alivardi Khan Dies; Sirajuddaullah Follows
The Company tried to bribe Sirajuddaullah into becoming their puppet ruler and he got mad because they were trying to interfere in their political affairs. -
The Battle of Plassey
After everything failed, the
Nawab marched with 30,000 soldiers to the English
factory at Kassimbazar, captured the Company officials, disarmed all Englishmen, and
blocked English ships. Then he marched to Calcutta
to establish control over the Company’s fort there. On hearing the news of Calcutta, Company
officials in Madras sent forces under the command of
Robert Clive, reinforced by naval fleets. Finally, in 1757,
Robert Clive led the Company’s army against
Sirajuddaulah at Plassey. -
The Battle of Plassey; The Aftermath
One of the defeats of the Nawab was that the forces led by Mir Jafar, Sirajuddaulah’s commanders never fought the battle. Clive had
managed to secure his support by promising to make him nawab
after crushing Sirajuddaulah.
So then, after Sirajuddaullah was defeated, Mir Jafar was appointed as the Nawab. -
Mir Qasim
Even the puppet nawabs were not always
as helpful as the Company wanted them to be. After all,
they had to maintain a basic appearance of dignity and
sovereignty if they wanted respect from their subjects. When Mir Jafar complained, he was replaced by Mir Qaim. When Mir Qasim complained, he was defeated in the Battle of Buxar, driven out of Bengal and Mir Jafar was reinstalled.
