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Unit 1: British Expansion

Mir Jafar or Sayyid Mir Muhammed Jafar Ali Khan bears the formal title of Shuja ul-Mulk, Hashim Notes
ud-Daula, Nawab Jaafar Ali Khan Bahadur, Mahabat Jang. He was the second son of Sayyid Ahmad
Najafi. He is remembered in India by the name of Gaddar-e-Hind. He took over the reign as the
eighth Nawab of Bengal and also counted as the first of Najafi dynasty.
Mir Jafar became the Nawab of Bengal by cheating Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daulah and surrendered the
Nawab’s army against Robert Clive in the battle field. His rule is regarded as the initiation of the rule
of British in India. It was a key stem in the complete domination of British in India. He got a job in the
army of the Nawab and gradually promoted himself. Nawab Alivardi Khan afterwards married off
his half-sister Shah Khanam and provided 7000 horses to command. His early military career was
glorious. Mir Jafar rescued the nephew of Alivardi Khan, the hapless Sauqat Jung, from the hold of
Mirza Baqir at Katak. He also played a vital role in various military campaigns of Alivardi Khan,
against the Marathas and against the earlier Nawab Murshid Quli Khan’s grandson.
He was an ambitions man. He had conspired along with Ataullah (the faujdar of Rajmahal) of
murdering Alivardi Khan. However, the conspiracy was disclosed and he was deprived of most of
his powers. Thereafter he returned to Murshidabad and was successful to win the trust of Siraj-Ud-
Daulah, the grandson of the Nawab. There he conspired with Shawkat Jang to invade Bengalwhich
was again disclosed resulting in his replacement. There was a pact between the British and Mir Jafar
to overthrow Siraj in order to make him the Nawab of Bengal.
The British soldiers under the command of Robert Give advanced to Murshidabad and confronted
Siraj in the Battle of Plassey in the year 1757. Mir Jafar’s army betrayed Siraj-Ud-Daulah by denying
fighting for him and in the end Siraj was defeated and killed. Mir was made the new Nawab. However
he realised that the British had high expectations and he attempted to set free from them with the
help of the Dutch. The Dutch were defeated by the British and British retaliated by compelling Mir to
renounce the throne in favour of Mir Qasim, his son-in-law. Mir Qasim was made the ruler but he
did not bow to the British. The Company fought with him and he was overthrown. Mir Jafar however
was able to gain the confidence of the British and he was again made the Nawab of Bengal in the year
1763. He was the Nawab till he died in the year 1765.
Mir Qasim
Mir Qasim (also spelt Mir Kasim; full name: Mir Kasim Ali Khan) was the Nawab of Bengal from
1760 to 1763. He was installed as Nawab by the British East India Company replacing Mir Jafar, his
father-in-law, who had himself been installed by the British after his role in the Battle of Plassey.
However, Mir Jafar had started to assert independence by trying to tie up with the Dutch East India
Company. The British eventually overran the Dutch forces at Chinsura and replaced Mir Jafar with
Mir Qasim. Qasim later fell out with the British and fought them at the Battle of Buxar. His defeat has
been suggested as the last real chance of preventing a British-ruled India following Britain’s victory
in the Seven Years War.
The Alliance with the English East India Company
Nawab Mir Jafar had sent to Calcutta his kinsman, Mir Qasim, to represent him at the Conference
regarding the Administration and settlement of the apportionment of 10 annas of the revenue to Mir
Jafar and 6 annas to the English, and regarding the enjoyment of the office of Diwan by Mir Jafar.
On the death of Sadiq Ali Khan (Mir Miran); the eldest son of Nawab Mir Jafar, the Army demanding
their pay which had fallen into arrear for some years mutinied in a body, besieged the Nawab in the
Chihil Satun Palace, and cut off supplies of food and water. In consequence, the Nawab wrote to Mir
Qasim Khan to the effect that the army had reduced him to straits for demand of arrear pay.
Mir Qasim Khan, in concert with Jagat Seth conspired with the English Chiefs, and induced the latter
to write to Nawab Mir Jafar to the effect that the mutiny of the army for demand of pay was a very
serious matter, and that it was advisable that the Nawab abandoning the Fort should come down to
Calcutta, entrusting the Fort and the Subah to Mir Qasim Khan.
Mir Qasim with full self-confidence, on attaining his aim, returned to Murshidabad. The English
Chiefs leaguing with Mir Qasim Khan brought out Nawab Jafar Khan from the Fort, placed him on a
boat, and sent him down to Calcutta. Mir Qasim entered the Fort, mounted the masnad of Nizamat,

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