The 1681 Battle of Hughli: Pirates, Mughals, and the Birth of Calcutta

In 1681, a French pirate named William Kidd was not yet born, but the waters of the Bay of Bengal were already thick with European privateers. This episode tells the story of the Battle of Hughli, a clash in 1686 between the English East India Company and the Mughal Empire that would change the course of South Asian history. We explore how a string of English forts and trading posts along the Hugli River, including one at a village called Calcutta, became a flashpoint with the nawab of Bengal, Shaista Khan. Lucas and Luna discuss the infamous 'interlopers,' the Company's bold decision to fortify without permission, and the fragile diplomacy that nearly led to the Company's expulsion from Bengal. We also consider the legacy of the battle: how it convinced the English to build a permanent fortification, Fort William, and how that decision laid the groundwork for the city that would become the capital of British India. A lesser-known but pivotal episode, this is the story of how a pirate's blunder and a nawab's grievance helped create modern Calcutta.

#History #FexingoHistory #BattleOfHughli #HugliRiver #EastIndiaCompany #MughalEmpire #ShaistaKhan #Calcutta #FortWilliam #WilliamKidd #Piracy #Interlopers #Bengal #JobCharnock #17thCentury #SouthAsianHistory #ColonialIndia #MaritimeHistory

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