Battle of Plassey, 1757 — 1757 · Plassey

Language Movement, 1952 — 1952 · Language

Liberation War, 1971 — 1971 · Liberation

Partition of Bengal and Swadeshi movement, 1905 — 1905 · Partition

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Discover Bengal · Unfolded

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Murshid Quli Khan

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Nawab of Bengal

He shifted Bengal's administrative center from Dhaka to Makhsudabad (later Murshidabad) and strengthened centralized fiscal governance in the early eighteenth century.

Est. 1947 · Bengal✺A Bilingual Archive

Biography

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Context

In the context of Mughal Bengal's revenue and administrative reorganization before 1757., Murshid Quli Khan is recognized as Nawab of Bengal. He shifted Bengal's administrative center from Dhaka to Makhsudabad (later Murshidabad) and strengthened centralized fiscal governance in the early eighteenth century.

Contribution

He shifted Bengal's administrative center from Dhaka to Makhsudabad (later Murshidabad) and strengthened centralized fiscal governance in the early eighteenth century.

Impact

His reforms and capital shift reshaped elite, financial, and administrative networks that structured later nawabi politics.

1704murshidabadadministration

Topic Hub: Explore related topics - Colonial Bengal: From Plassey to Permanent Settlement

Timeline Placement

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Murshid Quli Khan appears in 3 linked timeline events, spanning 1704-1717 - 1757.

First Appearance

1704-1717

Latest Appearance

1757

Active Span

1704-1717 - 1757

Linked Events

Legacy Summary

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His reforms and capital shift reshaped elite, financial, and administrative networks that structured later nawabi politics. This influence is reflected across 3 connected events.

References

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Key sources for understanding this figure

A Comprehensive History of Modern Bengal, 1700-1950

A three-volume survey covering the Nawabi era, colonial remaking, and the freedom struggle through 1950.

Cited in: 2 events

Murshid Quli Khan

Banglapedia entry outlining Murshid Quli Khan's administrative role and the capital transfer context in early eighteenth-century Bengal.

Cited in: 2 events

Riyaz-us-Salatin: A History of Bengal

A key Persian chronicle of Muslim rule in Bengal from the conquest of Nadia in 1204-05 to Plassey in 1757.

Cited in: 2 events

Seir Mutaqherin / Siyar-ul-Mutakhkherin

A late eighteenth-century history of Mughal India that is essential for understanding Bengal Nawabs and Plassey.

Cited in: 2 events

The English Factories in India

Calendar records of East India Company activity are valuable for trade, factories, and the commercial expansion that preceded colonial rule.

Cited in: 2 events

The History of Bengal, Vol. II: Muslim Period, 1200-1757

A standard survey of Bengal from the Turkish conquest through the end of Muslim rule in 1757.

Cited in: 2 events

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Related Figures

Farrukhsiyar

Mughal emperor who formalized Bengal's nawabi phase

Raja Sitaram Ray

Regional zamindar power figure in early-18th-century Bengal

Alivardi Khan

Former Nawab of Bengal

Charles Watson

Royal Navy Admiral

Eyre Coote

Company Military Officer

Ghaseti Begum

Nawabi Court Power Broker

Related Events

1704-1717

Murshid Quli Khan Shifts the Capital to Murshidabad

1717

Murshid Quli Khan Formally Appointed Nawab

1757

Battle of Plassey

Related Places

Murshidabad

Bengal Region

Palashi / Plassey

Appears In Events

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Timeline View

1704-1717

Murshid Quli Khan Shifts the Capital to Murshidabad

In the early eighteenth century, Murshid Quli Khan shifted Bengal's effective administrative center from Dhaka to Makhsudabad, later known as Murshidabad. The move strengthened centralized revenue management, aligned court and banking networks around a new political hub, and reoriented the province's governing geography before Plassey.

1717

Murshid Quli Khan Formally Appointed Nawab

In 1717, Murshid Quli Khan was formally appointed subahdar/nawab of Bengal, marking the institutional start of the nawabi regime. The arrangement preserved Mughal suzerainty while expanding provincial fiscal-political autonomy.

1757

Battle of Plassey

The Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked a decisive shift in Bengal's political destiny. A short military encounter became a structural transfer of power as the East India Company worked through court conspiracy, military defection, and financial alliance to break Siraj ud-Daulah's position. The aftermath reshaped governance, revenue extraction, and sovereignty, laying the foundation for long-term colonial rule.