Battle of Buxar
The Battle of Buxar was fought between the British Army and the combined forces of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, Mir Qasim (Nawab of Bengal) and Shuja-ud-daula (Nawab of Awadh). The British East India Company had defeated the combined forces in the battle.
The battle took place on 22nd October, 1764. The battle took place at Buxar. At that time Buxar was within the territories of Bengal.
Mir Qasim fled to Oudh after losing to the British at the Battles of Katwa, Gina and Udaynala. There he joined forces with Shuja-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Oudh, and with Shah Alam II, the Emperor of Delhi, and fought the British at the Battle of Buxar on 22 October 1764. The combined Indian army lost the battle.
Significance: The victory at Buxar allowed the British to extend their domination up to Allahabad. Mir Qasim lost all hopes of curbing the British. In fact, with the fall of Mir Qasim, the era of independent Nawabs ended in Bengal. The seeds of British imperialism sown at Plassey flowered after the Battle of Buxar, a fact that makes the latter battle historically more important. It finally consolidated British rule in Bengal, the Nawab was reduced to a mere figure-head, the Company started an unchecked plundering of the wealth of Bengal, the Nawab of Oudh turned to a submissive ally and the Mughal emperor was reduced to thriving on an allowance from the Company. These were the first steps to start off Company’s domination in the north.
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