The EIC's Forgotten Admiral: Charles Watson and Bengal

In this episode of The East India Company, Lucas and Luna dive into the overlooked career of Vice-Admiral Charles Watson, the naval commander who helped Robert Clive secure Bengal after Plassey. Watson's Royal Navy squadron bombarded the Mughal fort at Chandernagore, crippling French power in the region. His capture of the French ship Le Duc de Penthièvre and his role in the siege of Calcutta in 1756 set the stage for Company dominance. But Watson's greatest achievement was his diplomatic finesse: he negotiated with the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah, and later with Mir Jafar, ensuring British naval supremacy on the Hooghly River. The episode also explores the forgotten fate of Watson's flagship, the HMS Kent, and the controversy surrounding his sudden death in 1757—was it natural causes or something more sinister? Join us as we uncover the story of the man who controlled the waves that carried the Company to empire. #CharlesWatson #RoyalNavy #BattleOfPlassey #Chandernagore #SirajUdDaulah #MirJafar #HooghlyRiver #HMSKent #EastIndiaCompany #Bengal #FrenchEastIndiaCompany #NavalHistory #1756 #1757 #Kolkata #Calcutta #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo