Latest / The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History / The Battle of Buxar: Bengal's Last Stand Before British Rule
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the East India Company's rise in Bengal — the battles, the treaties, the economic strangulation. But there's one battle that really sealed everything, and it happened not in Bengal proper, but in Bihar, on the banks of the Ganges. Luna: You're talking about Buxar, right? Lucas: Exactly. The Battle of Buxar, fought on October 22, 1764. It's often overshadowed by Plassey, but in many ways it was more decisive. Plassey was a coup — a conspiracy with Mir Jafar betraying siraj ud daulah. Buxar was a straight-up field battle where the Company's army, just 7,000 men, defeated a combined force of over 40,000 from the Mughal emperor, the Nawab of Awadh, and the Nawab of Bengal. Luna: Wait, the Mughal emperor was actually there? Lucas: He was. Shah Alam II, the titular Mughal emperor, had fled Delhi and was essentially a refugee at the court of the Nawab of Awadh, shuja ud daula. Along with them was Mir Qasim, the former Nawab of Bengal who had been deposed by the Company. So this was a last-ditch alliance of Indian powers trying to push the British out. Lucas: The Company's forces were commanded by Major Hector Munro, a Scottish officer. And the battle itself was a masterclass in discipline. The Indian coalition had numerical superiority and artillery, but their coordination was poor. Munro used a defensive formation and let the enemy's attacks break against his lines. Luna: What happened to the leaders afterwards? Lucas: Mir Qasim fled into obscurity, eventually dying in poverty near Delhi. shuja ud daula was forced to sign a humiliating peace. And Shah Alam II — he actually came to terms with the British and signed the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765, which granted the East India Company the diwani rights over Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. That meant they became the official tax collectors for the Mughal emperor. Lucas: That treaty is really the legal foundation of British rule in India. From that point on, the Company wasn't just a trading corporation with an army — it was effectively the sovereign power in eastern India. And Robert Clive, who negotiated the treaty, became the first British governor of Bengal. Luna: And the Mughal emperor basically became a puppet. Lucas: Exactly. Shah Alam II spent the rest of his reign under British protection, issuing decrees that the Company dictated. The Battle of Buxar is really the moment the old order finally collapsed. Lucas: You know, this kind of deep dive into a single battle — it's exactly the sort of thing we love to bring you on this show, and we do it without any sponsorship or ads. If you value that independence, you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: It really helps us keep digging into these stories that don't get the attention they deserve. Lucas: So back to Buxar — what's fascinating is the aftermath. The Company immediately set about extracting revenue. They doubled the land tax, leading to the famine of 1770 that killed millions. That's a direct consequence of the diwani rights they acquired at Allahabad. Luna: It's staggering how quickly things changed. Lucas: And it all started with that one battle. The British had proved that they could defeat the combined might of the Mughal Empire and its vassals. From then on, there was no stopping their expansion.