Mir Jafar
| Mir Jafar | |||||
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Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (Nawab of Bengal) Shuja ul-Mulk (Hero of the country) Hashim ud-Daulah (Sword of the state) Ja'afar 'Ali Khan Bahadur Mahabat Jang (Horror in War) | |||||
_and_Mir_Miran_(right).jpg) Mir Jafar (left) and his eldest son, Mir Miran (right). | |||||
| Reign | 1757–1760 and 1763-1765 | ||||
| Predecessor | Siraj ud-Daulah | ||||
| Successor | Mir Qasim (after 1760) and Najimuddin Ali Khan (after 1765) | ||||
| Wives |
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| Issue |
Sadiq Ali Khan Bahadur (Mir Miran) | ||||
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| Dynasty | Najafi | ||||
| Father | Sayyid Ahmed Najafi (Mirza Mirak) | ||||
| Born | 1691 | ||||
| Died | January 17, 1765 (aged 74) | ||||
| Burial | Jafarganj Cemetery, Murshidabad | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Mir Jafar Ali Khan Bahadur, commonly known as Mir Jafar, (c. 1691–February 5, 1765) was the first Nawab of Bengal under Company rule in India. He was the second son of Sayyid Ahmad Najafi. His rule is widely considered the start of British rule in India and was a key step in the eventual British domination of the subcontinent. By the defeat of Siraj in the battle of Plassey the british establish their rule in India. ]. After Siraj decline Mir Jafar was installed as the Nawab in 1757 by the British East India Company. However, Jafar failed to satisfy the constant demand of money from the British. In 1758, Robert Clive discovered that Jafar through an agent, Khoja Wajid, had made a treaty with the Dutch at Chinsurah. Dutch ships of war were also seen in Hooghly. Circumstances led to the Battle of Chinsurah and the Battle of Biddera. British Governor Henry Vansittart of Bengal proposed that Jafar was unable to cope up with the difficulties and Mir Qasim, Jafar's son-in-law, should act as Deputy Subahdar. In October 1760, ultimately the company forced him to abdicate in favor of Qasim. However, Qasim's independent spirit led to his overthrow and Jafar was restored as the Nawab in 1763. He ruled till his death on January 17, 1765 and lies buried at the Jafarganj Cemetery in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India.
Faujdar of the Nawab of Bengal
In the year 1747, the Marathas led by Raghoji I Bhonsle, began to raid, pillage and annex the territories of the Alivardi Khan. During the Maratha invasion of Odisha, its Subedar Mir Jafar and Ataullah Faujdar of Rajmahal completely withdrew all forces until the arrival of Alivardi Khan and the Mughal Army at the Battle of Burdwan where Raghoji I Bhonsle and his Maratha forces were completely routed. The enraged Alivardi Khan then dismissed the shamed Mir Jafar.[1]
Nawab of Bengal
After Siraj Ud Daulah’s defeat and subsequent execution, Jafar achieved his long-pursued dream of gaining the throne, and was propped up by the British as puppet Nawab. Jafar paid Rs. 17,700,000 as compensation for the attack on Calcutta to the company and traders of the city. In addition, he gave bribes to the officials of the company. Clive, for example received over two million rupees, Watts over one million[2] Soon, however, he realized 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 the Battle of Chinsurah in November 1759 and retaliated by forcing him to abdicate in favor of his son-in-law Mir Qasim. However, 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.
Shah Alam II's attempts to overthrow Mir Jafar
"Some ill-designing people had turned his brain, and carried him to the eastern part of the Mughal Empire, which would be the cause of much trouble and ruin to our regimes."
In the year 1760 after gaining control over Bihar, Odisha and some parts of the Bengal, the Mughal Crown Prince Ali Gauhar and his Mughal Army of 30,000 intended to overthrow Mir Jafar, Imad-ul-Mulk after they tried to capture or kill him by advancing towards Awadh and Patna in 1759. But the conflict soon involved the assertive British East India Company. The Mughals were led by Prince Ali Gauhar, who was accompanied by Muhammad Quli Khan, Hidayat Ali, Mir Afzal and Ghulam Husain Tabatabai. Their forces were reinforced by the forces of Shuja-ud-Daula and Najib-ud-Daula. The Mughals were also joined by Jean Law and 200 Frenchmen and waged a campaign against the British during the Seven Years' War.[4]
Although the French were eventually defeated, the conflict between the British East India Company and the Mughal Empire would continue to linger and ended in a draw, which eventually culminated during the Battle of Buxar.
Legacy
Jafar was a puppet of British East India company. After the defeat of Sirajuddoula the British ruled Bengal for next 190 years. Jafar is widely reviled by the people of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. The word "mirjafar" in Bengali and the phrase "meer jafar" in Urdu, are used much as quisling is used in English, and Jaichand of Kannauj in Indian history. Allama Iqbal, in his poetry wrote about his treachery in these words, "Jaffar az Bengal, Sadiq az Deccan; nang-e-deen, nang-e-millat, nang-e-watan" which mean "Jafar(Mir) of Bengal and Sadiq(Mir) of Deccan are a disgrace to the faith, a disgrace to Nation, a disgrace to Country. British with the help of Jafar and Mir Sadiq were able to conquer Bengal and kingdom of Mysore (Sultanat-e-Khuda daad)."
Jafar's great-grandson Iskandar Mirza, who had joined Army in 1920 in Military Police, was appointed and served as the first President of Pakistan.[5][6]
References
- ↑ Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A-E. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313335372.
- ↑ Modern India by Dr. Bipin Chendra, a publication of National council of Educational Research and Training
- ↑ Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Volume 13. University Press. 1852.
|first1=missing|last1=in Authors list (help) - ↑ O`malley, L.S.S. Bihar And Orissa District Gazetteers Patna. Concept Publishing Company, 1924. ISBN 9788172681210.
- ↑ Iskandar Mirza, Ayub Khan, and October 1958, by Syed Badrul Ahsan, The New Age, Bangladesh, October 31, 2005.
- ↑ Murshidabad family information, Christopher Buyers, July 2005 - May 2006.
External links
- "Riyazu-s-salatin", A History of Bengal, Ghulam Husain Salim (translated from the Persian): viewable online at the Packard Humanities Institute
- Banglapedia article on Mir Jafar
- Humayun, Mirza (2002). From Plassey to Pakistan. Washington D.C.: University Press of America; Revised edition (July 28, 2002). ISBN 0-7618-2349-2.
- Murshidabad History-Mir Muhammad Jafar Ali Khan
Notes
- ^ "Riyazu-s-salatin", Ghulam Husain Salim - a reference to the appointment of Mohanlal can be found here
- ^ "Seir Muaqherin", Ghulam Husain Tabatabai - a reference to the conspiracy can be found here
- A website dedicated to Mir Jafar
See also
- Battle of Plassey
- Siraj Ud Daulah
- Nawabs of Bengal
- Robert Clive
- Mir Jafar Awards
- Great Britain in the Seven Years War
Footnotes
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| Mir Jafar Born: 1691 Died: January 17, 1765 | ||
| Preceded by Siraj ud-Daulah (before 1757) and Mir Qasim (before 1763) |
Nawab of Bengal 1757-1760 and 1763-1765 |
Succeeded by Mir Qasim (after 1760) and Najimuddin Ali Khan (after 1765) |
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