Signed on February 9, 1757, the Treaty of Alinagar between the Nawab of Bengal and the East India Company raised the curtains for British colonial expansion in India.

Treaty of Alinagar, 1757

• Signed on February 9, 1757, the Treaty of Alinagar was signed between Robert Clive of the East India Company and Mirza Muhammad Siraj Ud Daula, then Nawab of Bengal.
• It is said to be one of the key events leading up to the Battle of Plassey later that year.
• Plassey was where the English laid a significant blow, defeating the nawab. It paved the way for the East India Company’s takeover of Bengal.
• The name Alinagar was a short-lived reference to modern-day Kolkata, and the treaty came about after the nawab was faced with both the British and Afghan forces.
• He compromised with the former; however, the peace was short-lived.

British advent in India: A quick backgrounder

• After the Anglo-Mughal War which took place between 1686 and 1690, the British began consolidating their presence in the subcontinent.
• It had established the Fort St. George in what was Madras, Fort William in then Calcutta and Bombay Castle by the beginning of the 18th century.
• The British initially helped local princes and nawabs quell uprisings or revolts and they, in turn, gave them concessions.

Course of the treaty

• In January 1757, the British attacked the town of Hooghly, close to then Calcutta, with over 700 men.
• The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daulah, who had just come to power a year earlier in his early 20s, mobilised forces.
• His troops would overpower the British and reach Calcutta on January 10, 1757, having lost over 600 men.
• However, the losses sustained in the war had resulted in the nawab losing confidence.
• He signed what came to be known as the Treaty of Alinagar with Robert Clive – who became the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency – on February 9, 1757.
• Siraj-ud-daulah agreed to the restoration of the company’s factories and allowed for the fortification of Calcutta.

Aftermath of the battle

• The British then moved on to wrest the remaining territories in Bengal from the French, laying siege to Chandannagar.
• However, the move did not go down well with the nawab.
• But, Daulah was also wary of Afghan forces under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Marathas.
• Traders in his kingdom were already wary of him and there was a conspiracy led by the likes of his military general, Mir Jafar.
• Events would later culminate in the Battle of Plassey on June 23, 1757.
• It resulted in the East India Company gaining hold of Bengal and was a significant event in its rise to power in the subcontinent.

Try this question.

Q.For most Indians, the history of British colonial rule in India begins in Plassey. However, the roots of it were sown long back. Discuss. (250W)

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