Question map
Why was the Battle of Buxar fought ?
Explanation
The Battle of Buxar (1764) was primarily caused by the conflict between Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal, and the British East India Company over trade privileges and administrative interference [t1][t7]. After being defeated in several skirmishes in 1763, Mir Qasim fled to Awadh (Oudh) [c2][t6]. There, he formed a formidable anti-British alliance with Shuja-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Oudh, and the fugitive Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II [c1][c3]. These three allies joined forces with the shared objective of expelling the English from Bengal and restoring their respective sovereign authorities [t2][t7]. On October 22, 1764, this confederacy clashed with the British forces led by Major Hector Munro at Buxar [c3][t5]. The decisive British victory led to the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765, which fundamentally altered the political landscape of India by granting the Company Diwani rights [c5][t2].
Sources
- [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 16: The Coming of the Europeans > Battle of Buxar (1764) > p. 258
- [2] Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 4: The British Conquest of India > Courtesy; National Archives of India, New Delhi > p. 70
- [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 5: Expansion and Consolidation of British Power in India > The Battle > p. 91
- [4] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 4: India on the Eve of British Conquest > Weak Rulers after Aurangzeb—An Internal Challenge > p. 63