The Battle of Buxar took place on October 22, 1764, between the British army led by Hector Munro and a combined alliance of Indian rulers from Bengal, Awadh, and the Mughal Empire. This historic battle laid the groundwork for the British to rule India for the next 183 years. The British East India Company set its sights on Bengal after winning the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The battle ended in 1765, with the Mughal Emperor surrendering and Bengal coming under British control. In this article, we will learn in detail regarding the causes and significance of Battle of Buxar which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Battle of Buxar – Background

• Mir Kasim, the Company reasoned, would be an ideal puppet for them. Mir Kasim, on the other hand, defied the Company's expectations.
• Ram Narayan, Bihar's deputy governor, refused to respond to the nawab's repeated requests to submit Bihar's revenue accounts.
• Mir Kasim couldn't stand up to such open defiance of his authority. However, Ram Narayan was supported by Patna's English officials.
• Misuse of the Company's dastak or trade permit (a permit that exempted the specified goods from duty payment) by Company officials also contributed to tensions between the nawab and the English.
• The nawab lost tax revenue as a result of the dastak's misuse.
• It also forced local merchants to compete unfairly with Company merchants.
• The English company had obtained the right to trade in Bengal without paying transit dues or tolls through an imperial farman.
• However, the Company's servants claimed the same privileges for their private trade.
• Dastak was also sold to Indian merchants for a commission by the Company's servants.
• Furthermore, they used coercive methods to obtain goods at lower prices, which was contrary to the spirit of duty-free trade.
• Duty-free shopping simply meant getting a good deal in an otherwise competitive market.
• Mir Kasim decided to abolish the duties entirely, but the British objected and insisted on preferential treatment over other traders.
• The Nawab-Company feud over transit duty sparked war between the English and Mir Kasim in 1763.
• The English won at Katwah, Murshidabad, Giria, Sooty, and Munger in quick succession.
• Mir Kasim fled to Awadh (or Oudh), where he formed a confederacy with the Nawab of Awadh, Shuja-ud-Daulah, and the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II, to reclaim Bengal from the English.

Events of Battle of Buxar

• It was one of the subcontinent's first major defeats, as a combined army of 40,000 men from the Mughals, Awadh, and Mir Qasim was brutally defeated by a British army of 10,000 men.
• The lack of coordination among the major three disparate allies was one of the primary reasons for this defeat.
• When Mirza Najaf Khan led the Mughal Army's first flank to ambush the British at dawn, Major Hector was able to form the British lines in twenty minutes and halt the Mughals' advance.
• As a result, Munro divided the British Army into columns and pursued the Mughal Grand Vizier Shuja-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh, who responded by blowing up his boat bridge after crossing the river.
• This had the unintended consequence of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and his regiment abandoning the war.
• According to historian John Willaim Fortescue, the British suffered 847 casualties, while Indian allies lost 2000 soldiers.
• Munro then decided to help the Marathas, who were described as a "warlike race" known for their unwavering hatred of the Mughal Empire and its Nawabs.

Participants in the Battle of Buxar

Mir Kasim

• He objected to the English's use of "dastak" and "farmans".
• He plotted against them by forming an alliance with the Nawab of Awadh and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II.

Shuja-ud-Daulah

• He was the Nawab of Awadh.
• He formed a confederacy with Mir Qasim and Shah Alam-II.

Shah Alam II

• He was the Mughal Emperor.
• He wished to drive the English out of Bengal.

Hector Munro

• He was a British Army major.
• He led the English side in the Buxar War.

Robert Clive

He signed treaties with Shuja-Ud-Daulah and Shah Alam-II after winning the buxar war.

Consequences of Battle of Buxar

• The combined armies of Mir Kasim, the Nawab of Awadh, and Shah Alam II were defeated by English forces led by Major Hector Munro on October 22, 1764, at Buxar.
• The English campaign against Mir Kasim was brief but powerful.
• The significance of this battle lay in the fact that the English defeated not only the Nawab of Bengal, but also the Mughal Emperor of India.
• The victory established the English as a major power in northern India and a contender for supremacy over the entire country.
• Following the battle, Mir Jafar, who was appointed Nawab in 1763 after relations between Mir Kasim and the Company soured, agreed to hand over the districts of Midnapore, Burdwan, and Chittagong to the English for army maintenance.
• The English were also allowed duty-free trade in Bengal, with the exception of a 2% salt duty.
• After Mir Jafar's death, his minor son, Najimud-dula, was appointed nawab, but the real power of administration rested with the naib-subahdar, who could be appointed or dismissed by the English.

Treaty of Allahabad 1765

In August 1765, Robert Clive signed two important treaties in Allahabad, one with the Nawab of Awadh and the other with the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II.

Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula agreed to

• surrender Allahabad and Kara to Emperor Shah Alam II;
• pay Rs 50 lakh to the Company as war indemnity; and
• give full possession of his estate to Balwant Singh, Zamindar of Banaras.

Shah Alam II agreed to

• reside in Allahabad, which was ceded to him by the Nawab of Awadh, under the protection of the East India Company;
• issue a farman granting the diwani of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa to the East India Company in exchange for an annual payment of Rs 26 lakh; and
• a provision of Rs 53 lakh to the Company in exchange for the said provinces' nizamat functions (military defence, police, and administration of justice).

Dual Government in Bengal (1765-72)

• Following the Battle of Buxar, the East India Company established itself as the true ruler of Bengal.
• In Bengal, Robert Clive established the dual system of government, i.e., the rule of two—the Company and the Nawab—under which both the diwani, i.e., revenue collection, and nizamat, i.e., police and judicial functions, came under the control of the Company.
• As the diwan, the Company exercised diwani rights and nizamat rights through its right to nominate the deputy subahdar.
• The Company inherited the diwani and nizamat functions from the Emperor and the subahdar of Bengal, respectively.
• The system provided significant benefits to the company.
• It gave the puppet Indian ruler the appearance of authority while retaining sovereign power in the hands of the Company.
• The nawab was in charge of maintaining peace and order, but he had to rely on the Company for both funds and forces because the latter controlled the army and revenues.
• The Company appointed two deputy diwans, Mohammad Reza Khan for Bengal and Raja Sitab Roy for Bihar, to carry out diwani functions.
• Mohammad Reza Khan also served as the deputy nazim or subahdar.
• The dual system caused an administrative breakdown, which was disastrous for the people of Bengal.
• Neither the Company nor the Nawab were concerned with administration or public welfare.
• In 1772, Warren Hastings abolished the dual system.

Conclusion

• Clive did not want to annex Awadh because it would have required the Company to protect a large land border from Afghan and Maratha invasions.
• The treaty turned the Nawab into a staunch ally of the Company and turned Awadh into a buffer state.
• Similarly, Clive's arrangement with Shah Alam II was motivated by pragmatic concerns. It turned the Emperor into a valuable 'rubber stamp' for the Company. Furthermore, the emperor's farman legalised the Company's political gains in Bengal.
• Mir Kasim, Bengal's dethroned Nawab, spent the rest of his life in abject poverty and died in June 1777.

FAQs

Q1: What was the Battle of Buxar, and when did it take place?

Q2: Who were the key participants in the Battle of Buxar?

Q3: What were the main causes of the Battle of Buxar?

Q4: What was the outcome of the Battle of Buxar?

Q5: How did the Battle of Buxar affect the Mughal Empire?

MCQs

1. Which of the following was a key result of the Battle of Buxar?

a) British loss of Bengal

b) Treaty of Allahabad

c) Mughal resurgence

d) Formation of the Indian National Congress

2. Who led the British forces during the Battle of Buxar?

a) Robert Clive

b) Hector Munro

c) Warren Hastings

d) Charles Cornwallis

3. The combined forces of which three rulers fought against the British in the Battle of Buxar?

a) Mir Jafar, Tipu Sultan, and Shah Alam II

b) Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula, and Shah Alam II

c) Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, and Mir Qasim

d) Shuja-ud-Daula, Siraj-ud-Daula, and Shah Alam II

4. Which treaty formalized the British victory after the Battle of Buxar?

a) Treaty of Seringapatam

b) Treaty of Allahabad

c) Treaty of Versailles

d) Treaty of Amritsar

5. What was the immediate consequence of the British victory in the Battle of Buxar?

a) Establishment of British political control over India

b) British loss of Indian territories

c) British withdrawal from India

d) British economic control over Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa

GS Mains Questions and Model Answer

Q1: Discuss the significance of the Battle of Buxar in the establishment of British political and economic control in India.

Answer: The Battle of Buxar (1764) was a turning point in Indian history that marked the consolidation of British political and economic control in India. It was fought between the British East India Company and the combined forces of Mir Qasim (Nawab of Bengal), Shuja-ud-Daula (Nawab of Awadh), and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. The decisive British victory resulted in the Treaty of Allahabad (1765), which granted the Company diwani rights over Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. This gave the British control over revenue collection, effectively making them the de facto rulers of these provinces. The battle demonstrated the weakness of the Indian rulers and marked the decline of Mughal authority, leading to the expansion of British influence across India and laying the foundation for their colonial rule.

Q2: Analyze the causes and consequences of the Battle of Buxar.

Answer: The Battle of Buxar was the result of growing tensions between the British East India Company and Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal, who sought to assert his independence after being installed by the British. His alliance with Shuja-ud-Daula and Shah Alam II was an attempt to resist British interference in Indian politics. The battle was a major victory for the British, leading to the Treaty of Allahabad, which granted the Company the right to collect taxes in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. The consequences were far-reaching: it marked the beginning of British dominance in Indian politics and economy, weakening the influence of the Mughal Empire and regional rulers. It also paved the way for future British expansion and control over India.

Q3: Evaluate the role of the Treaty of Allahabad in formalizing British supremacy in India after the Battle of Buxar.

Answer: The Treaty of Allahabad, signed in 1765, played a critical role in formalizing British supremacy in India following their victory in the Battle of Buxar. By granting the British East India Company diwani rights over Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, the treaty gave the Company control over revenue collection, which was essential for their economic dominance. This economic control allowed the British to gradually take over the administration of these provinces, weakening the authority of local rulers and the Mughal Emperor. The treaty also placed Shuja-ud-Daula under British protection and made Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II a pensioner of the Company, symbolizing the decline of indigenous political power and the rise of British imperialism in India.

Previous Year Questions on  Battle of Buxar

1. UPSC CSE 2018

Question: Discuss the causes and outcomes of the Battle of Buxar (1764) and its significance in the expansion of British power in India. 

Answer: The Battle of Buxar (1764) was a crucial conflict in the expansion of British power in India. The battle was caused by the dissatisfaction of Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal, with the British East India Company's interference in his administration. He formed an alliance with Shuja-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh, and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II to resist the British. The British, led by Hector Munro, defeated the combined forces decisively. The battle’s outcome was formalized by the Treaty of Allahabad (1765), which granted the British the diwani (revenue collection) rights over Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, effectively giving them control over the region's resources. This victory marked a significant step in the British transformation from a trading company to a colonial power, as they established their economic and political supremacy in India.

2. UPSC CSE 2017

Question: Analyze the role of the Battle of Buxar in the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of British power in India. 

Answer: The Battle of Buxar (1764) played a decisive role in the decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of British power in India. After the defeat of the combined forces of the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh, and Mir Qasim of Bengal, the British East India Company emerged as the dominant power in Bengal. The Treaty of Allahabad (1765) that followed allowed the British to collect revenues in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, weakening Mughal control over their own territories. Shah Alam II became a pensioner of the Company, symbolizing the Mughal Empire’s decline into irrelevance. The battle marked the beginning of British political and economic dominance in India, setting the stage for their eventual colonization of the subcontinent.