The conquest of Bengal

Even as the Carnatic Wars were going on the EEIC was keen on annexing Bengal ,one of the richest and most fertile provinces .The Company had a flourishing trade in Bengal because it enjoyed the privilege of importing and exporting goods without paying taxes;the right granted to them in 1717 by Farrukh Siyar ,the Mughal emperor .Under the Bengal Nawabs,the company was not allowed to misuse this right . Matters came to head when the young ,hasty and inexperienced Siraj-ud-daulah became the Nawab in 1756 .He tried to enforce the trade taxes strictly and also demanded that the EEIC should stop the fortification of Calcutta .The British refused while the French complied with his demand to demolish the fortifications at Chandernagore .Siraj marched to Calcutta and occupied it without much preparation. The British fled to take shelter in a nearby island.