Historedia
Asia PacificEvent

Deposition and defeat of Mir Qasim in Bengal

When
1763–1764
Where
Bengal province under Company influence; Company offices in Patna; North India, spanning Bengal, Avadh, and Mughal territories; Buxar, a fortified town in Bihar on the Ganges; Rohilkhand, Allahabad, Gohad, Jodhpur, and Kotwal near Delhi
Episodes
5

In 1763 the East India Company deposed Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal, after disputes over trade privileges. Qasim struck back by attacking the Company offices in Patna and massacring the European residents, then allied with Shuja-ud-Daula of Avadh and Emperor Shah Alam II. Their combined forces were crushed at Buxar in 1764, ending his rule.

Episodes

  1. 1763 · Bengal province under Company influenceDeposition of Mir Qasim

    The East India Company deposed Mir Qasim as Nawab of Bengal in 1763 after his resistance to Company trade privileges.

  2. 1763 · Company offices in PatnaMassacre at the Patna Company offices

    Mir Qasim invaded the Company offices in Patna in 1763, killing 45 Europeans including the Resident.

  3. 1763–October 1764 · North India, spanning Bengal, Avadh, and Mughal territoriesAlliance with Avadh and the Mughal emperor

    Qasim allied with Shuja-ud-Daula of Avadh and Mughal emperor Shah Alam II against the British.

  4. 22–23 October 1764 · Buxar, a fortified town in Bihar on the GangesDefeat at the Battle of Buxar

    The combined armies of Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula, and Shah Alam II were defeated by the Company at Buxar on 22–23 October 1764.

  5. 23 October 1764 · Rohilkhand, Allahabad, Gohad, Jodhpur, and Kotwal near DelhiExpulsion from camp and later wanderings

    Expelled by Shuja-ud-Daula on 23 October 1764, Qasim wandered through north India before settling near Delhi around 1774.

Background and detail

Background. Mir Qasim was installed as Nawab of Bengal in 1760 with Company support, replacing his father-in-law Mir Jafar, whom the British had overthrown after defeating a Dutch alliance at Chinsura. On ascending the throne he rewarded the Company with gifts and revenue rights over Burdwan, Midnapore, and Chittagong.

Break with the Company. Qasim opposed the Company's claim that its Mughal license, the dastak, entitled it to trade tax-free while local merchants paid up to 40 percent. Frustrated by British refusal to pay these taxes, he abolished taxes on local traders as well, deepening the conflict that led to his deposition.

Aftermath. After Buxar, Qasim lost all his men and influence and was expelled from camp by Shuja-ud-Daula on 23 October 1764. He fled through Rohilkhand, Allahabad, Gohad, and Jodhpur, eventually settling at Kotwal near Delhi around 1774. The victory made the Company preeminent in Bengal.

People involved

Sources

  1. Mir Qasim Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-11
  2. Battle of Buxar Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-21

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.