Battle of Buxar

With the arrival of Europeans in India, British East India steadily conquered several Indian territories. The Battle of Buxar is one such challenge between the British army and the Indians which led the British to rule India for the next 183 years. The Battle of Buxar was fought in 1764 to mark the end of the rule of a Nawab over Bengal. In the article, we will be covering the important details of the battle of Buxar along with the major parties involved and result as well as causes of the battles etc. 

What was the Buxar Battle?

The Buxar war was fought at Buxar on October 22, 1764, in northeastern India between the British East India Company, led by Major Hector Munro, and the combined army of an association of Indian States including Bengal, Awadh, and the Mughal Empire. This Battle of Buxar confined British power over Bengal and Bihar after their initial achievement at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and marked the end of the endeavor to rule Bengal through a puppet Nawab. Hereafter the company regained control. The British success at Buxar led to a large area of the Indian subcontinent coming under British control.

Battle of Buxar: History

The decisive Battle of Buxar was fought between British and Indian forces. It was fought in a town on the banks of the Ganges River. Mir Kasim, the Governor-General of Bengal, wanted to abolish the control of British rule. He formed an association with the Nawab of Oudh and Shah Alam II, the Mughal emperor. The combined Indian armies conquered Bengal and clashed with British troops, led by Major Hector Munro, in October 1764. This decisive Battle of Plassey resulted in the British victory. As a result of this victory, in 1765, the Treaty of Allahabad was signed by Robert Clive with the Nawab of Oudh and Shah Alam II. The treaty effectively authorized the British East India Company's control over the whole of Bengal.

Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula was put back to Awadh, with a dominant force and assurance of security, the emperor Shah Alam alleviated with Allahabad and a tribute and the partitions drawn at the boundary of Bihar. He took a decisive step in Bengal. In consideration for restoring Shah Alam to Allahabad, he received the privilege of the Diwani or revenue authority in Bengal and Bihar to the Company. This had previously been adored by the nawab, so there was a dual government, the nawab maintaining judicial and army functions, whereas the British East India Company was making use of the revenue. The Company was assimilated and became the Mughal revenue agent for Bengal and Bihar. There was as yet no consideration of direct administration, and the revenue was collected by a Muhammad Reza Khan, appointed by the company as Deputy Nawab at that time.

But this system made the British East India Company the virtual ruler of Bengal since it already possessed decisive military power. The Nawabs were left with the control of the judicial administration. He was later compelled to lend this over to the Company's deputy-nawab so that its control gets completed virtually. Despite this, the British East India Company was again on the verge of bankruptcy, which forced the Britishers to make further initiatives at reform. On one hand, Warren Hastings was appointed with a mandate for reform; whereas, on the other side, an appeal was made to the British state for a loan. This marks the initiation of state control of the Company and the thirteen-year governorship of Warren Hastings.

The first important work of Warren Hasting was that of an organizer. Prior to the initiation of the Regulating Act, he put the complete Bengal administration in sequence. The Indian deputies who had collected the revenue on behalf of the Company were overthrown and their places were captured by a Board of Revenue in Kolkata and English collectors in the districts. This marks the true beginning of the British administration in India.

Battle of Buxar Causes

The Battle of Buxar began after the Battle of Plassey. It happened when Mir Qasim received authority to become the Nawab of Bengal. The underlying reason for the Battle of Buxar was the conflict between the Britishers and Mir Qasim. Mir Qasim was an imperial ruler and was the power and intelligence of all Nawabs. He began some transformation, under which there was a cost reduction on administration and palaces. The firelocks and guns were also manufactured. There was a continuous payment of salaries, new taxes were imposed and the capital was shifted from Monghyar to Murshidabad, which distracted the British nobles and officers. 

The Britishers wanted to control Mir like a puppet, But, he always wanted to keep himself away from the British power. This resulted in several conflicts between Mir and the Britishers. Before the Battle of Buxar, Mir was defeated in three successive battles (between June to September 1763) which eventually forced him to take off Allahabad where he met Shuja-ud-Daulah. For the time being, after the attainment of power as the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II was willing to merge several states as one physically stronger empire, which included Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. But, he also could not control the British and was under the defense of Shuja-ud-Daulah who always wanted to defeat the British power in Bengal.

Therefore, the primary cause of conflict between the English and the three rulers was the share of Bengal. Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah, and Shah Alam II hold hands to fight against the English to establish their supremacy over the whole of Bengal and minimize the British power. On 23rd October 1764, they declared war against the English at the battleground Katkauli, 6 kilometers from Buxar. This was a war that was fought for just a few hours but observed as one of the most important wars in Indian History.

What Were The Reasons for the Battle of Buxar?

This critical Battle of Buxar confirmed British rule over Bengal and marked the termination of the attempt to rule Bengal through a victim nawab. This battle resulted in the Treaty of Allahabad, 1765 in which the Mughal Emperor abdicated supremacy of Bengal to the British. Lord Robert Clive, the conqueror at the Battle of Plassey, became the first governor of Bengal.

What Were The Results of Battle of Buxar?

The Battle of Buxar made the British East India Company the emperor of Bengal since it already had decisive military power. All that was left to the Nawab was the power of the judicial administration. But he was later compelled to lend this to the Company in 1793. Thus the company's control was completed practically.

Regardless of this, the East India Company was again prepared for bankruptcy, which compelled the British to make further initiatives at reform. Perhaps, on one side Warren Hastings was appointed with a mandate for reform; whereas, on the other side, an appeal was made to the British state for a loan. The result was the beginnings of state control of the Company. This made Warren Hastings the Governor-General of Bengal from 1772 to 1785.

Conclusion

Thus, we can say that Bengal was known as the first state that was occupied by the Britishers because of its economical significance. Britishers wanted a puppet ruler in Bengal so that they could trade without interruption. The Nawabs of Bengal were said to be the most efficient rulers who didn't want Britishers to misuse the Farman issued to them in 1717. Because of the increasing tussle between them, two major battles took place namely Battle of Plassey and Battle of Buxar which acted as a turning point in Indian history.