Page 19 - SST Class 08

A plan of the Battle of Plassey, fought on 23rd battle of Buxar proved itself to be a turning point
June 1757 by Colonel Robert Clive, against the
Nawab of Bengal. Depiction of the battlefield,
with explanations of troop movements.
On June 23rd of that year, at the Battle of
Plassey, a small village and mango grove
between Calcutta and Murshidabad, the forces of
the East India Company under Robert Clive
defeated the army of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the
Nawab of Bengal.
Causes of the Defeat of Siraj-ud-Daula :
g The presence of traitors in the Nawab’s
household whom the English exploited to
their advantage.
g Mir Jafar, commander-in-chief of Nawab’s
army, proved to be a black sheep in the
battle.
g The banker of the Nawab, Jagat Seth, also
sided with the English and cheated the Nawab.
The Batle of Buxar, 1764
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.
The Battle of Buxar
On 22nd October 1764, the Battle of Buxar took
place and the Indian armies were defeated. The
Social Science-8
in the history of India. 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
26 lakhs 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 :
g Misuse of Farman and Dastak by British
which challenged the Mir Qasim’s authority
and sovereignty.
g Abolition of all duties on internal trade of
British.
g Misbehaviour of the Company’s servants.
They compelled the Indian artisans, peas-
ants and merchant to sell their goods at
cheap price and also started the tradition of
bribes and gifts.
g 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 (Kolkata), Bombay
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