Historical Memory Journey
François Bernier
François Bernier’s travel account is useful for the Mughal world, Bengal’s economy, and courtly politics.
read · historical-literature
Timeline View
1704-1717
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.
1757
The Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked a decisive shift in Bengal's political destiny. A short military encounter turned into a structural transfer of power as the East India Company used alliance, betrayal, and financial leverage to secure influence in Bengal. The aftermath reshaped governance, revenue extraction, and sovereignty, laying the foundation for long-term colonial rule.