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{{Short description|1764 battle of the Bengal War}}{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}

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conflict	Battle
image	Sir Hector Munro by David Martin.jpg| image_size = 300px date 22–23 October 1764 Buxar, Bengal, Company rule in India>India| result = Company victory {{flagicon image>Flag of the Principality of Bengal (15th-18th century).svg}} Bengal Subah	{{flagicon image>अवध ध्वज.gif}} Awadh	Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg}} East India Company{{flagicon image|Flag of the Royal House of Benares.svg}} Kingdom of Kashi-Benares	25px) Shah Alam II{{Surrendered}} (File:Flag of the Mughal Empire.png	Mirza Najaf Khan>Najaf Khan {{flagicon image	Mir Qasim {{flagicon image>अवध ध्वज.gif}} Shuja-ud-Daula	Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg}} Sir Hector Munro{{flagicon image|Flag of the Royal House of Benares.svg}}Balwant Singh| strength2 = 40,112| strength1 = 17,072| casualties1. = 655 killed		PUBLISHER=NAVAL & MILITARY PRESS	LAST=JOHN WILLIAM	VOLUME=2, 978-1-84342-715-5, | casualties = 289 killed 499 wounded 85 missing| partof = Decline of the Mughal Empire}}{{Campaignbox Bengal War}}The Battle of Buxar was fought between 22 and 23 October 1764, between the forces of the British East India Company, under the command of Major Hector Munro, and the combined armies of Balwant Singh, Maharaja of the Banaras State; Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal; Shuja-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh; and Shah Alam II, Emperor of the Mughal Empire.BOOK, A Dictionary of Modern History (1707–1947), Parshotam Mehra, 0-19-561552-2, 1985, Oxford University Press, The battle was fought at Buxar, a “strong fortified town” within the territory of Bihar, located on the banks of the Ganges river about {{convert|130|km}} west of Patna; it was a challenging victory for the British East India Company. The war was brought to an end by the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765.JOURNAL, Zaman, Faridah, 2015, Colonizing the Sacred: Allahabad and the Company State, 1797-1857,www.jstor.org/stable/43553588, The Journal of Asian Studies, 74, 2, 347–367, 10.1017/S0021911815000017, 43553588, JSTOR, The defeated Indian rulers were forced to sign this treaty, granting the East India Company diwani rights, which allowed them to collect revenue from the territories of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa on behalf of the Mughal emperor. This gave the company immense economic control, enabling them to pass financial policies to exploit the resources of the region for their own benefit. Battle The British engaged in the fighting numbered 17,072BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=DoZCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA113, Annals of the Wars of the Eighteenth Century: 1760–1783, Mitchell’s Mibdglitiry Library, Cust, Edward, Edward Cust, 1858, III, London, 113, comprising 1,859 British regulars, 5,297 Indian sepoys and 9,189 Indian cavalry. The alliance army’s numbers were estimated to be over 40,000. was defeated by a British army comprising 7,000 men. A lack of basic co-ordination among these three disparate allies was responsible for their decisive defeat.{{cn|date=February 2024}}Mirza Najaf Khan commanded the right flank of the Mughal imperial army and was the first to advance his forces against Major Hector Munro at daybreak; the British lines formed within twenty minutes and reversed the advance of the Mughals. According to the British, Durrani and Rohilla cavalry were also present and fought during the battle in various skirmishes. But by midday, the battle was over and Shuja-ud-Daula blew up large tumbrils and three massive magazines of gunpowder.Munro divided his army into various columns and particularly pursued the Mughal Grand Vizier Shuja-ud-Daula the Nawab of Awadh who responded by blowing up his boat-bridge after crossing the river, thus abandoning the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and members of his own regiment. Mir Qasim also fled with his 3 million rupees worth of gemstones and later died in poverty in 1777. Mirza Najaf Khan reorganised formations around Shah Alam II, who retreated and then chose to negotiate with the victorious British.JOURNAL, Singh, Sonal, 2017, Micro-history Lost in a Global Narrative? Revisiting the Grant of the “Diwani” to the English East India Company,www.jstor.org/stable/26380344, Social Scientist, 45, 3/4, 41–51, 26380344, JSTOR, (File:IGI1908India1765a.jpg|thumb|Political map of the Indian Subcontinent in the year 1765)The historian John William Fortescue claimed that the British casualties totalled 847: 39 killed and 64 wounded from the European regiments and 250 killed, 435 wounded and 85 missing from the East India Company’s sepoys. He also claimed that the three Indian allies suffered 2,000 dead and that many more were wounded. Another source says that there were 69 European and 664 sepoy casualties on the British side and 6,000 casualties on the Mughal side.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=neUKEvaYPZYC, The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492-1792, Cambridge University Press, 28 March 1996, Black, Jeremy, Wyse, Liz, 2, Cambridge, England, Cambridge, 160, 978-0-521-47033-9, The victors captured 133 pieces of artillery and over 1 million rupees of cash. Immediately after the battle, Munro decided to assist the Marathas, who were described as a “warlike race”, well known for their relentless rivalry and unwavering hatred towards Mughal Empire, Durrani Empire, Rohilla Chieftaincies, different Nawabs of the subcontinent (most notably, Nawab of Bengal and Nawab of Awadh), Nizam of Hyderabad and short lived Sultanate of Mysore.According to one brigadier-general H. Biddulph, “the European infantry was composed of the Bengal European Battalion, two weak companies of the Bombay European Battalion, and small detachments of Marines and of H.M. 84th, 89th and 96th Regiments. The only officers killed were Lt. Francis Spilsbury of the 96th Foot and Ensign Richard Thompson of the Bengal European Battalion.“JOURNAL, Biddulph, H, 1941, 571. The Battle of Buxar, 1764,www.jstor.org/stable/44220683, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Society for Army Historical Research, 29, 79, 174, 44220683, JSTOR, JOURNAL, Cadell, P.R., 1941, 560. The Battle of Buxar, 1764,www.jstor.org/stable/44228260, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Society for Army Historical Research, 20, 78, 113, 44228260, JSTOR, Aftermath The Battle of Buxar had far-reaching consequences that reshaped the political landscape of colonial India. Its aftermath witnessed significant shifts in power dynamics and set the stage for British dominance in the Bengal reigon. Following their victory over the combined forces of the Nawab of Bengal, the Nawab of Awadh, and the Mughal Emperor—the three main scions—the British East India Company emerged as the preeminent power in Bengal. The battle was the beginning of the end for the Mughal Empire’s political control, as the Company continued to consolidate its influence over vast territories. However, this rise to power came with various challenges, especially from the zamindars of Bihar.JOURNAL, Maharatna, Paramita, 2012, The Zamindars of Bihar: Their Resistance to Colonial Rule between 1765-1781,www.jstor.org/stable/44156363, Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Indian History Congress, 73, 1435, 44156363, JSTOR, Mir Qasim disappeared into impoverished obscurity. Shah Alam II surrendered himself to the British, and Shuja-ud-Daula fled west hotly pursued by the victors. The whole Ganges valley lay at the company’s mercy; Shuja-ud-Daula eventually surrendered.JOURNAL, Bryant, G.J., 2004, Asymmetric Warfare: The British Experience in Eighteenth-Century India,www.jstor.org/stable/3397474, The Journal of Military History, 68, 2, 431–469, 10.1353/jmh.2004.0019, 3397474, JSTOR, In 1765, the British East India Company was granted the right to collect taxes from Bengal-Bihar. Eventually, in 1772, the East India company abolished local rule and took complete control of the province of Bengal-Bihar.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=XpdgQt6Tc54C, The Honourable Company, HarperCollins UK, 8 July 2010, Keay, John, John Keay, Paperback, London, 374, 978-0-00-739554-5, The battle exposed the inherent weaknesses and divisions among the Indian rulers. The lack of unity and coordination between the Nawabs and the Mughal Emperor made it easier for the British to overpower them. This further exacerbated the fragmentation of political power in India and paved the way for British imperialism.Moreover, the Battle of Buxar and its aftermath fuelled resentment and resistance among the Indian population. The oppressive policies and economic exploitation of the East India Company led to numerous uprisings and rebellions in the subsequent decades, most notably the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.{{cn|date=February 2024}} These revolts were fuelled by the growing discontent over British rule and their exploitative practices. The Battle of Buxar had profound consequences for colonial India. It solidified British dominance in the region, eroded the authority of the Indian rulers, and sowed the seeds of future rebellions. The battle and its aftermath played a pivotal role in shaping the course of Indian history, setting the stage for nearly two centuries of British rule. Gallery File:Shah Alam II, Mughal emperor of india, reviewing the East India Companys troops.jpg|The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, as a prisoner of the British East India Company, 1781File:The Navab’s arrival before Clive’s position.jpg|The Nawab of Bengal, Mir QasimFile:अवध के नवाब शुजाउद्दौला.jpg|Shuja-ud-Daula served as the leading Nawab Vizier of the Mughal Empire, he was lifelong of Shah Alam II. See also Battle of Plassey Treaty of Allahabad, 1765 The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 References {{Reflist}}{{Mughal Empire|state=expanded}}{{Indian independence movement}}{{Patna Division topics}}{{Authority control}}{{Coord missing|Bihar}}