The Battle of Buxar took place on 22 October 1764. It was fought between the British East India Company forces led by Hector Munro and the combined forces of the Nawab of Bengal Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Awadh Shuja-ud-Daulah and the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. The battle was fought at a small town Buxar situated within the territory of Bihar. It was the decisive battle that established the British as the ruler of India for the next two hundred years. The battle was the result of the misuse of Farman and Dastak by the British and their trade expansionist aspirations.
The strength of the British army involved in fighting numbered 7072 consisting of 859 British, 5297 Indian sepoys and 916 Indian cavalry. On the other hand, the strength of combined army was estimated to be around 40,000. Despite such a bulky difference in army, the combined army of 40000 men was defeated by the British army. The British victory disposed of the three main scions in Upper India. The Nawabs almost lost their military power after the Battle of Buxar. The battle was brought to an end by the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765.
Reason of Defeat
The major reason behind the outcome of battle in the favour of the British was the lack of basic co-ordination among the three major disparate allies. The alliance army didn't attack simultaneously encircling the British and thus suffered decisive defeat.
Consequences of Battle
The Battle of Buxar proved to a turning point in Indian history. In 1765, Shuja-ud-daulah and Shah Alam signed a treaty with Governor of the company Clive at Allahabad. Under this treaty, the Company was granted the Diwani rights of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, which authorized the company to collect the revenue from these territories. The Company ceded the territory of Kara and Allahabad from the Nawab of Awadh and handed it over to the Mughal ruler. The company promised a payment of 26 lakh rupees per annum to the Mughal ruler but soon the payment was closed by the company. The company promised the Nawab to provide military aid against any invasion but the Nawab would have to pay for it. So the Nawab of Awadh became dependent on the company. Meanwhile, Mir Jafar was again made the Nawab of Bengal. After Jafar's death his son was enthroned as the Nawab. The officers of the company earned a huge profit personally by extorting money from the Nawab.
Events Responsible for Battle
The battle was not the consequence of just one event but certain events were responsible for the occurrence of this battle. These events include :
1. The abolition of all duties on the internal trade of the British.
2. The British misused the Dastak and Farman which challenged the sovereignty and authority of Mir Qasim.
3. Misbehavior of Company Employees also laid down the foundation of this battle. They compelled Indian artisans, farmers and traders to sell their goods at a cheaper rate and also started the tradition of taking bribes and gifts.
The plunder policy of the British didn't only violated the rules of trade but also challenged the authority of the Nawab.
Conclusion
The Battle of Buxar turned out to be a decisive moment in Indian history. The battle was concentrated in specific territories where the British had their interest. The British was mostly interested in the three coastal regions viz Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. The Karnataka War, the Battle of Plassey and the Battle of Buxar, fought between the British and the French began an era of British success in India. The British became the de facto rulers of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa by 1765. The Nawabs of Awadh and Karnataka became dependent on British as they had only made them the Nawab. Thus, in this way British established their own monopoly in these territories.
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