Why connect Plassey to Permanent Settlement?
Together they show a shift from military-political takeover to fiscal and landholding structures that shaped colonial rural Bengal.
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Discover Bengal · Unfolded
❦Colonial Bengal: From Plassey to Permanent Settlement
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Company conquest, revenue extraction, famine, and early colonial politics
Follow Bengal from Plassey and Buxar to Diwani rights, famine, Permanent Settlement, and early representative politics.
Est. 1947 · Bengal✺A Bilingual Archive
Topic Overview
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Follow Bengal from late Nawabi rule through Company conquest, revenue experiments, famine pressures, Permanent Settlement, and the politics that reshaped rural society.
Beginner summary: Start with Plassey and Buxar to understand how military defeat, fiscal power, and land revenue transformed Bengal.
Advanced summary: Compare battle narratives with revenue institutions, famine vulnerability, zamindari change, and early colonial political representation.
Connected Events
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18 events
1757
Battle of Plassey
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1764
Battle of Buxar
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1765
East India Company Gets Diwani Rights in Bengal
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1770
Great Bengal Famine
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1793
Permanent Settlement in Bengal
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1727
Shuja-ud-Din Administrative Phase in Bengal
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1756
Black Hole of Calcutta and Imperial Propaganda Debate
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1861
Indian Councils Act and Limited Representation in Bengal
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1704-1717
Murshid Quli Khan Shifts the Capital to Murshidabad
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1717
Murshid Quli Khan Formally Appointed Nawab
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1740
Alivardi Khan Becomes Nawab
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1741-1751
Maratha Raids on Bengal (Bargi Invasions)
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1756
Siraj ud-Daulah Captures Calcutta
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1763
Mir Qasim's War with the East India Company
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1857
Sipahi Revolt
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1864-1865
Duar War / Anglo-Bhutanese War
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1874
Assam Reorganization and Sylhet's Administrative Detachment
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1930
Chittagong Armoury Raid
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Related Figures
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19 figures
Siraj ud-Daulah
Nawab of Bengal
Robert Clive
East India Company Commander
Mir Jafar
Commander and Later Nawab of Bengal
Miran
Military Actor in Mir Jafar Camp
Rai Durlabh Ram
Nawab's commander at Plassey
Yar Latif Khan
Nawab's Military Commander
Mohanlal
Key Officer Loyal to Siraj ud-Daulah
Mir Madan
Nawab's artillery commander at Plassey
Jagat Seth
Banking House and Court Financier
Umichand
Merchant-Broker
Charles Watson
Royal Navy Admiral
Eyre Coote
Company Military Officer
Alivardi Khan
Former Nawab of Bengal
Murshid Quli Khan
Nawab of Bengal
Mir Qasim
Nawab of Bengal
Shah Alam II
Mughal Emperor
Warren Hastings
Company Governor-General
Charles Cornwallis
Governor-General of Bengal
Surendranath Banerjea
Nationalist Leader and Organizer
Reading Resources
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Selected source-backed references
Palashi, The Battle of
Banglapedia
Battle of Plassey
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Battle of Buxar
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Diwani
Banglapedia
Great Bengal Famine of 1770
Wikipedia
Permanent Settlement, The
Banglapedia
Revenue Sale Law, 1793
Banglapedia
A Comprehensive History of Modern Bengal, 1700-1950
Edited by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya
Learning Path
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Follow these links in sequence
1. event
Battle of Plassey
Start the main sequence.
2. event
East India Company Gets Diwani Rights in Bengal
Read the next turning point.
3. figure
Siraj ud-Daulah
Review a central figure.
4. period
Colonial Rule and Resistance
Place the topic in period context.
5. resource
Palashi, The Battle of
Read the first source-backed reference.
6. resource
Permanent Settlement, The
Read the second source-backed reference.
FAQ
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Common questions for this topic
Is this only a military history topic?
No. Battles matter, but the hub emphasizes revenue, famine, land rights, and social consequences after Company rule expanded.
Which figures should I compare?
Compare Siraj ud-Daulah, Robert Clive, Mir Jafar, Mir Qasim, Shah Alam II, Warren Hastings, and Cornwallis across conquest and revenue change.
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