The Betrayal that Led to British Rule in India
At the Battle of Plassey on June 23rd, 1757, an East India Company army led by Robert Clive defeated Siraj al Dawlah, the Nawab or royal ruler of Bengal. That kicked off nearly two centuries of British rule in India. However, for something so momentous, the battle was an unimpressive affair militarily. Its outcome had been determined in advance by deceit and betrayal. Clive struck a deal with the Nawab’s main generals, key among them Mir Jafar, to simply stay put and do nothing.
An Arab by birth, Mir Jafar (1691 – 1765) had arrived in India as an adventurer. He rose high at the side of his father in law, general Ali Vardi Khan, whom Jafar assisted in a conspiracy that seized Bengal in 1740. He eventually betrayed Ali Vardi’s grandson and successor, Siraj al Dawlah, to bring Bengal under British control, with himself installed as a British puppet ruler. Jafar was the commander of Bengal’s army when the British East India Company warred against Siraj al Dawlah, and he entered into secret negotiations with the British to betray his ruler.