Siraj ud-Daulah
Siraj-ud-Daulah (born Mirza Muhammad Siraj ud-Daulah; ; 1733 – 2 July 1757) was the last independent Nawab of Bengal, reigning from 1756 to 1757. The end of his reign marked the beginning of the rule of the East India Company over Bengal and later almost all of the Indian subcontinent. Siraj ascended to the masnad on 9 April 1756, following the death of his maternal grandfather, Alivardi Khan, at the age of 23. Betrayed by Mir Jafar, the commander of Nawab's army, Siraj lost the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757. The forces of the East India Company under Robert Clive invaded and the administration of Bengal fell into the hands of the company. Siraj-ud-Daulah attempted to escape, but Mir Jafar seized him and brought him to his residence. He held the nawab by the waist and captured him, Siraj was executed on 2 July 1757. Early life Siraj was born to the family of Mirza Muhammad Hashim and Amina Begum in 1733. Soon after his birth, Alivardi Khan, Siraj's maternal grandfather, was appointed the Deputy Governor of Bihar. Amina Begum was the youngest daughter of Alivardi Khan and Princess Sharfunnisa, the paternal aunt of Mir Jafar. His father,