The death of Alivardi in 1756 gave rise to dissensions among various groups within the court on the questions of succession to the throne of Bengal and the battle of Plessey showed the depth of functionalized in the Nawab’s court.

The treachery of the close lieutenants of the Nawab rather than the might of the English decided the fate of the battle.

The battle of Plessey was followed, in the words of the Bengali Poet Nabin Chandra Sen, by “a might of external gloom for India”. This battle was of immense historical importance. It paved the way for the British mastery of Bengal and eventually of the whole of India. It boosted British prestige and as a single stroke raised them to the status of a major contender for the Indian empire.

British commercial preparation into Bengal was not merely disrupting the cycle of economic creativity in the interior, but was clearly threatening to jeopardies the Nawab’s authority. Under the circumstances, it was not surprising that the abuse of dastak by the company servants for their private trade was the immediate cause of the war of 1764.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The combined forces of Mir Kasim, Nawab of Awadh, Shah Alam and provinced nobility of Bihar and Orissa, failed to restrain the English advance and independent rule of the Nawabs in Bengal came to an end. This was one of the most decisive battles of Indian history for it demonstrated the superiority of English arms over the combined army of two of the major Indian power. It firmly established the British as masters of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa and placed Awadh at their mercy.