Mir Jafar Ali Khan Bahadur (c. 1691– February 5, 1765) is the first Nawab of Bengal with support from the British East India Company.
He is the second son of Sayyid Ahmad Najafi.
His rule is widely considered the start of British imperialism in India and is a key step in the eventual British domination of vast areas of the subcontinent.
Siraj ud-Daulah, the previous Nawab of Bengal along with his army had been defeated and killed in the Battle of Plassey by the British due to the betrayal of the commander of Siraj ud-Daulah′s army, Mir Jafar, who had betrayed Siraj ud-Daulah to become the next Nawab.
Thus after helping the British defeat Siraj ud-Daulah he becomes the new Nawab of Bengal in 1757 with military support from the British East India Company as a reward for his betrayal.
However, Jafar fails to satisfy constant British demands for money.
In 1758, Robert Clive discovers that through his agent Khoja Wajid, Jafar has made a treaty with the Dutch at Chinsura.
Dutch ships of war are also seen in the River Hooghly.
Circumstances lead to the Battle of Chinsura.
British company official Henry Vansittart proposes that since Jafar is unable to cope with the difficulties, Mir Qasim, Jafar's son-in-law, should act as Deputy Subahdar.
In October 1760, the company forces him to abdicate in favor of Qasim.
However, Qasim's independent spirit and plan to force the East India company out of his dominion lead to his overthrow, and Jafar is restored as the Nawab in 1763 with the support of the company.
Mir Qasim, however, refuses to accept this and goes to war against the company.
Jafar rules until his death on January 17, 1765 and lies buried at the Jafarganj Cemetery in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India.
