The EIC's Forgotten Spy: William Paxton and the Fall of Siraj-ud-Daulah

Long before the Battle of Plassey, the East India Company was fighting a secret war of intelligence. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy world of Company espionage in Mughal India — from the barid, the Mughal intelligence bureau, to the British spy William Paxton, who infiltrated the court of Siraj-ud-Daulah and helped Robert Clive topple a nawab. They uncover how the Company used hundis (bills of exchange) to move money under the noses of local rulers, and how the akhbarat (newsletters) provided a stream of political gossip. The episode also reveals the tragic fate of the Bengal spy network after Plassey, as the Company's new masters turned the tools of intelligence against their former allies. A story of bribery, betrayal, and the corporate machinery of empire. #EastIndiaCompany #WilliamPaxton #SirajUdDaulah #Plassey #MughalEmpire #Bengal #Spy #Intelligence #Barid #Hundi #Akhbarat #RobertClive #MirJafar #Murshidabad #1757 #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo