Siraj ud-Daula
Siraj ud-Daula was the last independent Nawab of Bengal, whose defeat at the Battle of Plassey in June 1757 at the hands of Robert Clive and the British East India Company marked the effective beginning of British colonial rule in India. The battle was decided less by fighting than by the treachery of his commander Mir Jafar, whom the British had bribed to hold back the bulk of the Nawab’s 50,000-strong army. Captured after the battle, Siraj was assassinated on the orders of Mir Jafar, who then became Nawab under British supervision. His defeat opened the vast resources of Bengal to Company exploitation and inaugurated a century and a half of British dominance in South Asia.
- Lived: 1733 CE – 1757 CE
- Nationality: indian
- Roles: ruler, military_leader
