Mir Jafar

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Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, meeting with Mir Jafar after Plassey, by Francis Hayman
Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, meeting with Mir Jafar after Plassey, by Francis Hayman

Sayyid Mir Muhammed Jafar Ali Khan, formal title Shuja ul-Mulk, Hashim ud-Daula, Nawab Ja'afar 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Mahabat Jang commonly known as Mir Jafar, second son of Sayyid Ahmad Najafi, (1691 –February 5, 1765) was Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. He succeeded Siraj-Ud-Daulah as the eighth Nawab of Bengal, and the first of the Najafi dynasty. His rule is widely (though somewhat inaccurately) considered the start of British rule in India; it was, however, a key step in eventual British domination of the country.

Mir Jafar is generally regarded in the same manner as Vidkun Quisling in Norway, Benedict Arnold in the United States, and Philippe Pétain in France. His memory is widely reviled by the people of Bengal; the word "mirjafar" in Bengali and the phrase "meer jafar" in Urdu are now synonymous with traitor, used much as quisling is used in English.[citation needed]

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[edit] Early life

An Arab by descent, Mir Jafar came to Bengal as a penniless adventurer. He took up a job in Nawab's army and slowly promoted himself. Nawab Ali Vardi Khan later gave him the hand of his half-sister (Shah Khanam) and seven thousand horses to command.

Mir Jafar's initial military career was not without glory. He rescued Ali Vardi Khan's nephew, the hapless Saulat Jung, from the clutches of Mirza Baqir at Katak. He played a prominent role in Ali Vardi Khan's many military campaigns, specially against the grandson of the earlier nawab Murshid Quli Khan, and the Marathas.

However, Mir Jafar had higher ambitions. Arrogant in his position he took advantage of an Ali Vardi Khan weakened by a decade of fighting with Marathas to enter into a conspiracy with Ataullah (the faujdar of Rajmahal) to overthrow and murder the Nawab [1]. However, the conspiracy was unearthed and he was stripped of most of his powers. He returned to Murshidabad, where he regained the trust of the Nawab's grandson, Siraj-Ud-Daulah, and slowly returned to power and prominence.

[edit] The overthrow of Siraj-Ud-Daulah

Soon after Ali Vardi Khan's natural death, Siraj Ud Daulah became the Nawab of Bengal at Murshidabad. On ascending the throne, he made the controversial decision of elevating a Kayastha named Mohanlal as his supreme Diwan[2]. This elevation of a Hindu to such a prominent position caused the established nobility, and in particular Mir Jafar, great offence. He was then the bakshi or head of the armed forces, second only to the Nawab, and the elevation of Mohanlal to a post above him was taken almost as a personal insult. He became determined to overthrow Siraj-Ud-Daulah and gain the Nawabi for himself.

His opportunity came when Shiraj-Ud-Daulah was distracted in his campaign against the British. This was the time when the British contacted him (along with others in the Nawab's court) and offered him the throne if he betrayed Siraj-Ud-Daulah. The Nawab's behaviour had alienated many of his nobles, and many lent a sympathetic ear. However, Siraj-Ud-Daulah returned victorious from Kolkata and discovered the conspiracy; he demoted Mir Jafar and appointed Mir Madan, who was loyal to the Nawab, the new bakshi. Ghulam Husain says "Sirāju-d-daulah plac­ing large batteries in front of Mīr Jafar’s palace was ready to blow him up, and ordered him to quit the City." There is some question here as to why Mir Jafar was not more severely reprimanded, but its probable that Siraj-Ud-Daulah was wary of going too far given Mir Jafar's influence and widespread dissatisfaction in his court at the time.

Mir Jafar was left smarting under this new insult while Siraj-Ud-Daulah was busy with his campaign against the British. He now linked up with the rich banker Jagat Sheth and the former Diwan, Rai Durlabh and sent out feelers to the British East India Company. On 1st May 1757, the British Calcutta Council made a secret treaty with Mir Jafar, promising to place him on the throne of Bengal. William Watts, the chief of the British factory at Cossimbazar conducted the conspiracy with remarkable diplomatic skill and secrecy. On 5 June 1757 he personally visited Mir Jafar and obtained his oath of allegiance.

Meanwhile, the British had recovered from initial setbacks against Siraj-Ud-Daulah, received reinforcements from Madras, and regrouped under Robert Clive. Siraj-Ud-Daulah was forced to sign the Treaty of Alinagar and retreat to his capital at Murshidabad. He then attempted to win back the support of Mir Jafar, and apparently thought he had successfully obtained the backing of the considerable military force still under Jafar's command (though no longer Bakshi, Mir Jafar retained a substantial number of foot soldiers and cavalry). Mir Jafar, it is recorded, was not particularly impressed by the promises of the notoriously cruel and unreliable Siraj-Ud-Daulah but with some duplicity agreed to support him while continuing to encourage the British in their advances. Siraj-Ud-Daulah finally met the British forces at Plassey for the definitive stand. On the day of the Battle of Plassey, Siraj-Ud-Daulah had the advantage of overwhelming force, but at the critical time Mir Jafar's men stood watching passively rather than engage. This wiped out much of the numerical superiority that Siraj-Ud-Daulah enjoyed, and the soldiers of Siraj-Ud-Daula were decimated by the smaller but much better armed and trained British forces. Siraj-Ud-Daulah fled but was eventually captured and executed.

[edit] The Nawab Years

After Siraj Ud Daulah’s defeat and subsequent execution, Mir Jafar achieved his long-pursued dream of gaining the throne, and was propped up by the British as puppet Nawab. Soon, however, he realised that British expectations were boundless and tried to wriggle out from under them; this time with the help of the Dutch. However, the British defeated the Dutch at Chinsurah and retaliated by forcing him to abdicate in favor of his son-in-law Mir Qasim. However, Mir Qasim proved to be both able and independent, willing to live with but not bow to the British. The Company soon went to war with him, and he was eventually overthrown. Mir Jafar managed to regain the good graces of the British; he was again appointed Nawab in 1763 and held the position until his death in 1765.

[edit] Descendants


Preceded by
Siraj ud-Daulah		 Nawab of Bengal
1757-1760, 1763-–1765		 Succeeded by
Mir Qasim, Najimuddin Ali Khan

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Humayun, Mirza (2002). From Plassey to Pakistan. Washignton D.C.: University Press of America; Revised edition (July 28, 2002). ISBN 0761823492. 

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Riyazu-s-salatin", Ghulam Husain Salim - a reference to the appointment of Mohanlal can be found here
  2. ^  "Seir Muaqherin", Ghulam Husain Tabatabai - a reference to the conspiracy can be found here
  1. ^ Iskandar Mirza, Ayub Khan, and October 1958, by Syed Badrul Ahsan, The New Age, Bangladesh, October 31, 2005.
  2. ^ [http://www.4dw.net/royalark/India4/murshidabad.htm Murshidabad family information, Christopher Buyers, July 2005 - May 2006.