Battle of Buxar

2026-04-28T22:32:51Z

82.36.65.176:

{{Short description|1764 battle of the Bengal War}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Buxar
| partof = the [[Bengal War]]
| image = Sir Hector Munro by David Martin.jpg
| caption = Portrait of [[Hector Munro, 8th Laird of Novar|Hector Munro]] with the battle in the background
| date = 22–23 October 1764
| place = [[Buxar]], [[Bihar]]
| coordinates = {{coord|25|34|N|83|59|E|region:IN-BR_type:event|display=inline,title}}
| result = British victory{{Bulleted list|[[Treaty of Allahabad]]}}
| combatant1 = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}{{Bulleted list|{{flagicon image|Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg}} [[East India Company]]}}
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Mughal Empire.png}} [[Mughal Empire]]<ref name="History of the Freedom Movement in India">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n_Vi8sSjgYsC&pg=PA2|title=History Of The Freedom Movement In India (1857–1947)|publisher=New Age International|author=Sen, Sailendra Nath|year=2009|isbn=9788122425765|page=2}}</ref> {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Bengal Subah]] {{flagicon image|अवध ध्वज.gif}} [[Oudh State]] {{flagicon image|Flag of the Royal House of Benares.svg}} [[Banaras State|Kashi Kingdom]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg}} [[Hector Munro, 8th laird of Novar|Sir Hector Munro]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Mughal Empire.png}} [[Shah Alam II]]{{Surrendered}}<ref name="History of the Freedom Movement in India" /> {{flagicon image|Flag of the Mughal Empire.png}} [[Mirza Najaf Khan|Najaf Khan]] {{flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Mir Qasim]] {{flagicon image|अवध ध्वज.gif}} [[Shuja-ud-Daula]] {{flagicon image|Flag of the Royal House of Benares.svg}} [[Maharaja Balwant Singh of Benares|Balwant Singh]]
| strength1 = 17,072
| strength2 = 40,112
| casualties1 = 289 killed 499 wounded 85 missing<ref name=Fortescue102 /><ref name=Black160/>
| casualties2 = 2,000 killed 4,000 wounded<ref name="Fortescue102">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7a-6PwAACAAJ | title=Fortescue's History of the British Army | publisher=Naval & Military Press | date=2004 | last=John William | author-link=John William Fortescue | volume=2 | isbn=978-1-84342-715-5}}</ref>
| campaignbox = {{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, 8th of Novar|Hector Munro]], against the combined armies of [[Shah Alam II]], the [[List of emperors of the Mughal Empire|Emperor of the Mughal Empire]]; [[Mir Qasim]], the [[Nawab of Bengal]]; [[Maharaja Balwant Singh of Benares|Balwant Singh]], the Maharaja of the [[Benares State]]; [[Shuja-ud-Daula|Shuja-ud-daula]], the [[Nawab of Awadh]].<ref>{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Modern History (1707–1947) |author=Parshotam Mehra |isbn=0-19-561552-2 |year=1985 |publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref>

The battle was fought at [[Buxar]], a "strong fortified town" within the territory of [[Bihar]], located on the banks of the [[Gangas|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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zaman |first=Faridah |date=2015 |title=Colonizing the Sacred: Allahabad and the Company State, 1797–1857 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43553588 |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume=74 |issue=2 |pages=347–367 |doi=10.1017/S0021911815000017 |jstor=43553588 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The defeated Indian rulers were forced to sign the treaty, granting the East India Company [[Dewan|Diwani]] rights, which allowed them to collect revenue from the territories of [[Bengal]], [[Bihar]], and [[Orissa]] on behalf of the Mughal emperor.

==The Battle==
The East India Company troops engaged in the fighting numbered 17,072:<ref name="Cust1858">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DoZCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA113 | title=Annals of the Wars of the Eighteenth Century: 1760–1783 | publisher=Mitchell's Mibdglitiry Library | last=Cust | first=Edward | author-link=Edward Cust | year=1858 | volume=III | location=London | page=113}}</ref> 1,859 British regulars, 5,297 Indian [[sepoy]]s and 9,189 Indian [[cavalry]]. Whereas the Mughal Empire and alliance armies were estimated to be over 40,000.

[[Mirza Najaf Khan]] commanded the right flank of the Mughal imperial army and was the first to advance his forces against Major [[Hector Munro, 8th of Novar|Hector Munro]] at daybreak; the British lines formed within twenty minutes and reversed the advance of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]]s. 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 [[tumbrel|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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Singh |first=Sonal |date=2017 |title=Micro-history Lost in a Global Narrative? Revisiting the Grant of the "Diwani" to the English East India Company |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26380344 |journal=Social Scientist |volume=45 |issue=3/4 |pages=41–51 |jstor=26380344 }}</ref>
[[File:IGI1908India1765a.jpg|thumb|Political map of the Indian Subcontinent in the year 1765, ''green'' indicating territories loyal to emperor Shah Alam.]]

The historian [[John William Fortescue]] stated 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.<ref name=Fortescue102 /> He also stated that the three Indian allies suffered 2,000 dead and that many more were wounded.<ref name=Fortescue102 /> Another source says that there were 69 European and 664 sepoy casualties on the British side and 6,000 casualties on the Mughal side.<ref name="Black160">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=neUKEvaYPZYC | title=The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492–1792 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | date=28 March 1996 | author=Black, Jeremy | editor=Wyse, Liz | volume=2 | location=[[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]] | page=160 | isbn=978-0-521-47033-9}}</ref> The victors captured 133 pieces of artillery and over 1 million rupees of cash. Immediately after the battle, Munro decided to assist the [[Maratha]]s, who were described as a "warlike race", well known for their relentless rivalry and unwavering hatred towards [[Mughal Empire]], [[Durrani Empire]], Rohilla Chieftaincies, different [[Nawab]]s of the [[Indian subcontinent|subcontinent]] (most notably, [[Nawab of Bengal]] and [[Nawab of Awadh]]), [[Nizam of Hyderabad]] and short lived [[Sultanate of Mysore]].

According to one [[Brigadier general|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."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Biddulph |first=H |date=1941 |title=571. The Battle of Buxar, 1764 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44220683 |journal=Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research |publisher=Society for Army Historical Research |volume=29 |issue=79 |pages=174 |jstor=44220683 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cadell |first=P.R. |date=1941 |title=560. The Battle of Buxar, 1764 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44228260 |journal=Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research |publisher=Society for Army Historical Research |volume=20 |issue=78 |page=113 |jstor=44228260}}</ref>

==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 region. Following their victory over the combined forces of the [[Nawabs of Bengal|Nawab of Bengal]], the [[Nawab of Awadh]], and the [[Mughal emperors|Mughal Emperor]]—the three main scions—the [[East India Company|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.<ref name=":0" /> However, this rise to power came with various challenges, especially from the [[zamindars of Bihar]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Maharatna |first=Paramita |date=2012 |title=The Zamindars of Bihar: Their Resistance to Colonial Rule between 1765-1781 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44156363 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |publisher=Indian History Congress |volume=73 |pages=1435 |jstor=44156363 }}</ref>

[[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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bryant |first=G.J. |date=2004 |title=Asymmetric Warfare: The British Experience in Eighteenth-Century India |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3397474 |journal=The Journal of Military History |volume=68 |issue=2 |pages=431–469 |doi=10.1353/jmh.2004.0019 |jstor=3397474 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 1765, the British East India Company was granted the right to collect taxes from Bengal-Bihar. Eventually, in 1773, the East India company abolished local rule and took complete control of the province of Bengal-Bihar.<ref name="Keay2010">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XpdgQt6Tc54C | title=The Honourable Company | publisher=HarperCollins UK | date=8 July 2010 | last=Keay | first=John | author-link=John Keay| location=London | page=374 | isbn=978-0-00-739554-5}}</ref> 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 defeat them. This further exacerbated the fragmentation of political power in India and paved the way for British rule on the subcontinent.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Shah Alam II, Mughal Emperor of India, reviewing the East India Company's troops, 1781.jpg|1894 illustration of Shah Alam II reviewing the British East India Company's troops in 1781
File:The Navab's arrival before Clive's position.jpg|The [[Nawab of Bengal]], [[Mir Qasim]]
File: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]].
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Battle of Plassey]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Mughal Empire|state=expanded}}
{{Indian independence movement}}
{{Patna Division topics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buxar}}
[[Category:Battles involving the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Bengal Subah]]
[[Category:Military history of Bengal]]
[[Category:Battles involving the British East India Company]]
[[Category:1764 in India]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1764]]
[[Category:History of Bihar]]
[[Category:1760s in the Mughal Empire]]

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Battle of Buxar