What is the significance and aftermath of the Battle of Buxar
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The Battle of Buxar was fought on 23 October 1764 between the East India Company on one side and the combined forces of the Mughal Emperor, the Nawab of Awadh and the Nawab of Bengal on one side. The East India Compay won the battle. This victory had important consequences in the history of India.
1. The British acquired control over large parts of Northern India in the present day states of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. They acquired the diwani or the power to collect revenue from these parts.
2. The Mughal Empire became completely powerless with the emperor becoming a pensioner of the British. The East India Company was now the most powerful force in India.
3. Awadh became a buffer state between the British and the Mughal territories.
The Battle of Buxar, a significant battle in the history of India, was fought between British East India Company and the combined forces of Nawabs and the Mughal Emperor. While the East India Company's force was led by Hector Munro, the Indian force was led by the Mughal rulers of three princely states - Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal, Shuja-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Awadh and Shah Alam II, the Mughal Emperor. Both the Nawabs were governors under the Mughal Emperor. This historic battle was fought on 23rd October, 1764. The battle was fought at a place called Buxar, which was in Bengal during that time and later on it became a part of Bihar, as it was just 130 km west of Patna.
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Battle of Buxar
Name of the Battle: The Battle of Buxar
Venue: Near Buxar. Then within the territory of Bengal, Buxar, presently, is one of the 38 districts of Bihar in India
Date and Year: 23rd October, 1764
The Battle of Buxar, a significant battle in the history of India, was fought between British East India Company and the combined forces of Nawabs and the Mughal Emperor. While the East India Company's force was led by Hector Munro, the Indian force was led by the Mughal rulers of three princely states - Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal, Shuja-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Awadh and Shah Alam II, the Mughal Emperor. Both the Nawabs were governors under the Mughal Emperor. This historic battle was fought on 23rd October, 1764. The battle was fought at a place called Buxar, which was in Bengal during that time and later on it became a part of Bihar, as it was just 130 km west of Patna.
The reasons that led to the Battle
The seeds of the Battle of Buxar were sown after the Battle of Plassey, when Mir Qasim became the Nawab of Bengal. The primary cause was the conflict between the English and Mir Qasim. Mir Qasim was an independent ruler and was the strongest and ablest of all Nawabs. He undertook some reformation, under which there was a reduction in expenditure on administration and palaces; fire locks and guns were manufactured, there was regular payment of salaries, new taxes were imposed and the capital was shifted from Monghyar to Murshidabad, which annoyed the British nobles and officers. The English wanted Mir to remain as a puppet in their hands. But, he always wanted to keep himself away from the British influence. This led to a number of conflicts between him and the English. He was defeated in three successive battles (between June to September 1763) before the Battle of Buxar, which eventually compelled him to flee to Allahabad where he met Shuja-ud-Daulah. In the meantime, after the acquisition of power as the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II also wanted to combine several states as one physically stronger empire, which included Bengal (Bengal+Bihar+Orissa). But, he also could not overpower the British and was under the shelter of Shuja-ud-Daulah who always wanted to destroy the English supremacy in Bengal. Thus, one of the main causes of hostility between the English and the three rulers was the share of Bengal. Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II joined hands to fight against the English to establish their sovereignty over the whole of Bengal and reduce the power of the British. They declared war against the English on 23rd October, 1764 at the battleground Katkauli, 6 kilometres from Buxar. This was a war which was fought for just few hours but marked as one of the most significant wars in Indian History.
The Strength of Warring Forces
In the Mughal force, there were 40,000 men in the battle of Buxar, while the English East India Company's Hector Monroe's forces included 10,000 men, out of which 7000 were from British Army (857 European soldiers and 6213 sepoys). The Britishers had formed a stone memorial at Katkauli after the war. In the Battle of Buxar, 847 were killed and wounded from the English forces while on the Indian side, more than 2,000 officers and soldiers were killed.
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