The Battle of Buxar was the decisive battle which defined British as a ruler that was fought between English Forces, and combined army of Mir Kasim, the Nawab of Bengal, Nawab of Oudh and Shah Alam II, Mughal Emperor. The battle was the outcome of misuse of Farman and Dastak, and also the trade expansionist aspiration of English.

After consolidating gains made at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the British East India Company assembled an army consisting mainly of Indian sepoys and Indian cavalry and sought to assert its control of Bengal against the Mughal Empire..

In 1760, Mir Jafar was succeeded by his son-in-law Mir Kasim. He handed over the districts of Chittagong, Midnapore and Burdwan to the Company. Robert Clive returned to England in the same year. Mir Kasim (reign:1760 to 1763), made an attempt to recover Bengal from the hands of British. On 22 October 1764, the Battle of Buxar took place and the Indian armies were defeated. The battle of Buxar proved itself to be a turning point in the history of India. In October 1764, the combined Indian force confronted the British near the town of Buxar. The British, under the command of Sir Hector Munro, were divided into three sections. On the left flank, Major Stibbert commanded regular troops; on the right were the Bengalese troops, commanded by Major Champion. Supporting these in the center were the Bengal cavalry backed by four companies of sepoys. Champion advanced first and attacked a small village close to the town. After a series of bloody encounters the Indian forces were pushed back, allowing Champion to occupy the village. Meanwhile, the main Indian force advanced to engage Stibbert’s regular troops. However, having secured the village on the Indian left flank, Champion was able move out and outflank the Indian advance. Despite their superiority in numbers, the Indians were encircled and took heavy casualties from British musket volleys. A detachment of Durrani cavalry was unable to turn the battle and the Indians retreated.

In 1765, Shuja-ud-daulah and Shah Alam signed treaties at Allahabad with Clive who had become the Governor of the company. Under these treaties, the English company secured the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, which gave the company the right to collect revenue from these territories. The Nawab of Awadh ceded Allahabad and Kora to the Mughal Emperor who began to reside at Allahabad under the protection of the British troops. The company agreed to pay Rupees 26lakhs every year to the Mughal Emperor but they stopped making this payment soon after. The company promised to send its troops to defend the Nawab against any invaders, for which the Nawab would be required to pay. Thus, the Nawab of Awadh became dependent on the company. In the meantime, Mir Jafar had again been made the Nawab of Bengal. After his death his son was installed as the Nawab. The officials of the company made huge personal profits by extorting money from the Nawab.

Events leading to the Battle Field:-

a]Misuse of Farman and Dastak by British which challenged the Mir Qasim’s authority and sovereignty.

b]Abolition of all duties on internal trade of British.

c]Misbehaviour of the Company’s servant- They compelled the Indian artisans, peasants and merchant to sell their goods at cheap price , and also started the tradition of bribes and gifts.

d]Plundering attitude of British which not only abuses the trade ethics but also challenges the Nawab authority.

The battle of Buxar proved itself to be a turning point in the history of India. The interest of British was concentrated in the three coastal areas namely Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. The Anglo-French wars in Carnatic and the battles of Palasi and Buxar began the period of British conquest of India. By 1765, the British had become the virtual rulers of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. The Nawab of Awadh had become dependent on them and so was the Nawab of Carnatic who was their creation.