Siraj ud-Daulah was born to the family of Mirza Muhammad Hashim and Amina Begum in 1733.
20 Facts About Siraj ud-Daulah
2.
Siraj ud-Daulah's great-grandfather was Mirza Muhammad Madani, who was of either of Arab or Turkic ancestry, the son of a foster-brother of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb; Madani himself began his career as a cup-bearer under the latter's son Azam Shah.
3.
Siraj ud-Daulah's great-grandmother belonged to the Turkic Afshar tribe of Khorasan.
4.
Siraj ud-Daulah was regarded as the "fortune child" of the family.
5.
Siraj ud-Daulah received the special affection of his grandfather and was raised at the Nawab's palace with all necessary education and training suitable for a future Nawab.
6.
Young Siraj ud-Daulah accompanied Alivardi on his military ventures against the Marathas in 1746.
7.
In 1750, Siraj ud-Daulah revolted against his grandfather and seized Patna, but quickly surrendered and was forgiven.
8.
Apprehending serious opposition from her, Siraj ud-Daulah seized her wealth from Motijheel Palace and placed her under confinement.
9.
Hence, when the East India Company began further enhancement of military strength at Fort William in Calcutta, Siraj ud-Daulah ordered them to stop.
10.
William Watts, the Company representative at the court of Siraj ud-Daulah, informed Clive about a conspiracy at the court to overthrow the ruler.
11.
Siraj ud-Daulah had to make camp 27 miles away from Murshidabad.
12.
At such a sudden attack, the army of Siraj ud-Daulah became undisciplined and could think of no way to fight.
13.
Much of the army retreated, betrayed by a conspiracy plotted by Jagat Seth, Mir Jafar, Krishna Chandra and Omichund among other; Siraj ud-Daulah lost the battle and had to escape.
14.
Siraj ud-Daulah rode away and went first to Murshidabad, specifically to Heerajheel or Motijheel, his palace at Mansurganj.
15.
Siraj ud-Daulah ordered his principal commanders to engage their troops for his safety, but as he was bereft of power due to the loss at Plassey, they were reluctant to offer unquestioning support.
16.
Some advised him to deliver himself up to the English, but Siraj ud-Daulah equated this with treachery.
17.
Siraj ud-Daulah has gained a positive reputation in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan for his opposition to the beginning of British rule over India.
18.
Historian Sushil Chaudhary argued that Siraj ud-Daulah ud-Daula's villainous character is a misrepresentation.
19.
The end of Siraj ud-Daulah's reign ended Bengali autonomy and marked the beginning of British power in India.
20.
Siraj ud-Daulah's legacy has become the subject of cultural war between those who want to offer some moral defense for Western imperialism as a civilizing mission and those who see the colonial period as one in which the strong exploited the weak, and reject the contention that Europe had much to offer India in terms of culture or that Europeans conducted themselves in a morally superior way.