| Second battle of 'Midnapur' | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Maratha invasions of Bengal | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Nawabs of Bengal | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 7,500 [1] | Similar strength to Bengali Army.[ citation needed ] | ||||||
In 1746, the Independent Nawabs of Bengal and the Maratha Confederacy fought each other at the Second Battle of 'Midnapore'.
Due to continuous raids by the Marathas a proposal of peace was brought forward where the Delhi emperor (Mughal emperor) promised to pay 10 lakhs of annual chauth to Rajah Shahu for the Bengal Subah. Alivardi Khan not being very fond of the proposal, argued that the proposal would only be just, if Shahu effectually kept Raghuji Bhonsle out of Bengal rather than merely ordering him to do so. [2] [3]
The battle was commanded by Alivardi Khan's general, Mir Jafa r against Mir Habib's lieutenant Sayyid Nur [2] who was joined by Janoji Bhonsle of the Maratha Confederacy close to Midnapore Town. Mir Jafar won a decisive battle against Mir Habib. [4] [2]
The main Maratha force joined Mir Habib, who had come up from Balasore. As a result, Mir Jafar retreated to Burdwan where Alivardi Khan defeated the Janonji lead Marathas in the Battle of Burdwan. [4] [5]
Mir Syed Jafar Ali Khan Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah, commonly known as Siraj-ud-Daulah or Siraj ud-Daula, was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. The end of his reign marked the start of the rule of the East India Company over Bengal and later almost all of the Indian subcontinent.
Balaji Baji Rao, often referred to as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his father, the Peshwa Bajirao I.
The Nawab of Bengal was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the de facto independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa which constitute the modern-day sovereign country of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. The Bengal Subah reached its peak during the reign of Nawab Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan. They are often referred to as the Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The Nawabs were based in Murshidabad which was centrally located within Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha. Their chief, a former prime minister, became the first Nawab. The Nawabs continued to issue coins in the name of the Mughal Emperor, but for all practical purposes, the Nawabs governed as independent monarchs. Bengal continued to contribute the largest share of funds to the imperial treasury in Delhi. The Nawabs, backed by bankers such as the Jagat Seth, became the financial backbone of the Mughal court.
Mir Syed Jafar Ali Khan Bahadur, more commonly known as just Mir Jafar, was a commander-in-chief or military general who reigned as the first dependent Nawab of Bengal of the British East India Company. His reign has been considered by many historians as the start of the expansion of British control of the Indian subcontinent in Indian history and a key step in the eventual British domination of vast areas of pre-partition India. He is best known for his betrayal to Nawab Siraj-ud-daulah in the Battle of Plassey.
Midnapore, or sometimes Medinipur, is a former district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Midnapore. On 1 January 2002, the district was bifurcated into two separate districts namely Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur. It was the largest district of West Bengal by area and population at the time of bifurcation.
Mir Qasim was the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763. He was installed as Nawab with the support of the British East India Company, replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been supported earlier by the East India Company after his role in winning the Battle of Plassey for the British. However, Mir Jafar eventually ran into disputes with the East India Company and attempted to form an alliance with the Dutch East India Company instead. The British eventually defeated the Dutch at Chinsura and overthrew Mir Jafar, replacing him with Mir Qasim. Qasim too later fell out with the British and fought against them at Buxar. His defeat has been suggested as a key reason in the British becoming the dominant power in large parts of North and East India.
Alivardi Khan was the fourth Nawab of Bengal from 1740 to 1756. He toppled the Nasiri dynasty of Nawabs by defeating Sarfaraz Khan in 1740 and assumed power himself.
Bargis were a light cavalry mercenary group of Maratha Empire's who indulged in large scale plundering of the countryside of western part of the Bengal Subah for about ten years (1741–1751) during the Maratha invasions of Bengal. Maratha invasions took place almost as an annual event for 10 years.
The Maratha invasions of Bengal (1742–1751), also known as the Maratha expeditions in Bengal, were the frequent invasions by the Maratha forces in the Bengal Subah, after their successful campaign in the Carnatic region at the Battle of Trichinopoly. The leader of the expeditions was Raghoji Bhonsle of Nagpur. The Marathas invaded Bengal many times from April 1742 to March 1751, which caused widespread economic losses in the Bengal Subah.
The Bengal Subah, also referred to as Mughal Bengal, was the largest subdivision of Mughal India encompassing much of the Bengal region, which includes modern-day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and some parts of the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha between the 16th and 18th centuries. The state was established following the dissolution of the Bengal Sultanate, a major trading nation in the world, when the region was absorbed into the Mughal Empire. Bengal was the wealthiest region in the Indian subcontinent.
Mehar un-Nisa Begum, better known as Ghaseti Begum, was the eldest daughter of Alivardi Khan, Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa during 1740–1756.
The Battle of Burdwan occurred between the Bengal Subah and the Maratha Confederacy in 1747. After the dismissal of Mir Jafar by Alivardi Khan, an army was amassed to defend against the invading Maratha forces of Janoji Bhonsle at Orissa. Alivardi Khan managed to heavily repulse and defeat the Marathas in this battle.
The First Battle of Katwa occurred between the Bengal Subah and Maratha Confederacy in 1742. The Marathas under Raghoji initially attacked and captured Katwa and Hooghly in Bengal. The Nawab of Bengal Alivardi Khan, using conscripted tribal and peasant levies from Birbhum, responded with a direct attack on the Maratha camp at Katwa from the rear in nightfall and the entire Maratha Army was evacuated out of Bengal on 17 September 1742, believing a much larger force had charged them. The Maratha commander Bhaskar Pant was treacherously killed.
The Second Battle of Katwa occurred between the Bengal Subah and the Maratha Confederacy in 1745.
Mir Habib Isfahani was a warlord who used to be in the employment of the Mughal Subedars (officers) of Bengal, but after being discontent with promotions, went on to aid the Maratha invaders of Bengal and aided in the various Maratha campaigns carried out in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and adjoining places.
Amina Begum was a Bengali aristocrat from the Nawab family of Bengal and mother of Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal.
Zain ud-Din Ahmad Khan, also known as Mirza Muhammad Hashim, was an aristocrat from the Nawab of Bengal family and the father of Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal.
Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar, known as Baba Bhaskar Pandit or Bhaskar Pant by the people of Bengal and Maharashtra, was a Maratha general and statesman. He was the dewan of the Maharaja of Nagpur, Raghuji Bhonsle. He played an important role in the kingdom of Nagpur's expansion. The first Maratha invasion of Bengal in 1741, as also the third in 1744, was led by him. He was an able military leader, proven by his success in the Maratha invasions of Bengal and conquest of Chhattisgarh. He was killed by Alivardi Khan on 30 March 1744.
Mirza Agha Muhammad Baqer was an aristocrat of the Mughal Empire and the Zamindar of Buzurg-Umedpur and Salimabad. In the Mughal period, these two parganas were spread over a large part of the greater Barisal region. Baker was the son-in-law of Murshid Quli Khan II, the Naib Nazim of Orissa under Nawab Sarfaraz Khan. Baqer had an important role in the conflict between Tabrizi and Alivardi Khan regarding the inheritance of Orissa's Naib Nazimate. He also founded the port marketplace of Bakerganj, which later became the headquarters of the Backergunge District. The legendary origin of the Bakarkhani bread is also attributed to him.
The Battle of Birbhum occurred in 1743 and took place between the Bengali forces led by Alivardi Khan against the Maratha Confederacy which was led by Raghuji I.
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