The Shortest History of India by John Zubrzycki

Author:John Zubrzycki
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Schwartz Books Pty. Ltd.

A MOST SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS DEAL

The Black Hole would come to symbolise barbarity of the Indians in the minds of English policymakers and be used to strengthen the case for British rule. In the short term, the atrocity would become a rallying cry for the recapture of Calcutta and then the rest of Bengal. In January 1757, a British naval force took the city with little difficulty. But instead of returning to Madras, Clive pushed on to capture the French trading post at Chandernagore, leaving the British in control of the region. The stage was now set for the decisive Battle of Plassey.

Most historians dismiss Plassey as a mere skirmish. A morning cannonade was followed by a severe monsoonal storm that put most of the nawab’s ammunition out of commission, while the British protected theirs with tarpaulins. A spontaneous attack caused by the overenthusiasm of a British officer ended in victory for Clive’s forces. On paper, 800 Europeans and 2000 local troops had routed an enemy force of 50,000 men, but in reality ud-Daula never stood a chance. Traders and nobles wanting to get rid of the nawab had enlisted the support of his commander-in-chief, Mir Jafar (c. 1691–1765), who held back his forces just when they were needed. Bankrolling the conspirators were the Jagat Seths, the biggest financiers in Bengal, who had lost faith in ud-Daula providing the security needed for trade to flourish. Their involvement prompted the English historian Nick Robins to refer to Plassey as ‘more of a commercial transaction than a real battle’. Rather than being considered as the first step in the creation of the British Empire in India, Plassey ‘is perhaps better understood as the East India Company’s most successful business deal’.

Clive rewarded Jafar with the governorship of Bengal, though he was essentially a puppet ruler. Siraj ud-Daula was hunted down and murdered near his capital, Murshidabad. Aged just thirty-two, Clive found himself the conqueror of Bengal – and a very rich one at that. Despite strict instructions from London to repulse French attacks and not pick fights with local rulers, Clive had taken things into his own hands, seeing the opportunity for personal enrichment and political and economic gain for the Company. In a single stroke, he had netted £2.5 million for the Company and £234,000 for himself, making him one of the wealthiest men in England.

Clive returned to England in 1760 a hero, leaving as his successor Black Hole survivor Josiah Holwell. Eager to exploit the potential succession crisis that followed the death of Jafar’s son, Holwell wanted to take over the administration of Bengal. But this was opposed by the Company’s directors, who decided to make Jafar’s son-in-law Mir Qasim (?–1777) the new ruler. When Jafar tried to resist the move, he was deposed.

The British soon came to regret their support for Qasim. The newly installed nawab dismissed local officials suspected of collaborating with the Company, increased revenue demands, harassed English shipping and began reorganising his forces along European lines with the

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