Mir Jafar (circa 1691-1765), Nawab of Murshidabad

Sitter in 1 portrait
Mir Jafar was ruler of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. With the assistance of the British under Robert Clive, Jafar succeeded Siraj-Ud-Daulah as the eighth Nawab of Bengal. In return for British help in the plot that brought him the throne, Mir Jafar was obliged to cede some territory around Calcutta, to confirm and strengthen British commercial privileges, and to make huge public and private payments as rewards and indemnities to his British allies. These payments led to the state's financial ruin and his authority quickly eroded. After Clive's departure in 1760, Jafar made concessions to the British that led to his financial and political downfall. At his death he was addicted to opium and suffered from leprosy.