Bengal War, Campaign for the Eastern Subah's, was waged by the Mughal imperial crown Prince Ali Gauhar (later known as

Shah Alam II Shah Alam II (; 25 June 1728 – 19 November 1806), also known by his birth name Ali Gohar (or Ali Gauhar), was the seventeenth Mughal Emperor and the son of Alamgir II. Shah Alam II became the emperor of a crumbling Mughal empire. His power ...

) so as to recapture the

Nawab of Bengal The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, a ...

from the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

. Hostilities began in 1756 and ended in 1765.

Background

The

English East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

captured the territories of the

during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...

and refused to pay taxation and tribute to the Great Moghul. This annexation caused

to wage the Bengal War in 1759. Although the Battle of Patna (1758), Battle of Chinsurah (1758) and Battle of Fort St. David (1758) were already fought.

Campaign

was joined by

Mir Qasim Mir Qasim ( bn, মীর কাশিম; died 8 May 1777) was the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763. He was installed as Nawab with the support of the British East India Company, replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been su ...

and most of the battles of the Bengal War took place around the city of

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...

whose leaders Ramnarian was an ally of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

was defeated in 1759. In 1760 Shah Alam II was routed by John Caillaud, and Miran (son of Mir Jafar). In 1761

was also joined by the

Rohilla Rohillas are a community of Pashtun ancestry, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. The Roh ...

Durrani The Durrānī ( ps, دراني, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan (Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, Pakistan, but ...

's and the ''Nawab Vizier'' (Grand Vizier)

Shuja-ud-Daula Shuja-ud-Daula (b. – d. ) was the Subedar and Nawab of Oudh and the Vizier of Delhi from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775. Early life Shuja-ud-Daula was the son of the Mughal Grand Vizier Safdarjung chosen by Ahmad Shah Bahadur. Unlike ...

who had been a belligerent in the victory against the

Maratha Confederacy The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

at the Third Battle of Panipat. Together they marched towards

Murshidabad Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district. During ...

; compelled again to retreat in defeat. They then besieged Patna, but was beaten off by Capt. Knox’s force. Shah Alam II was taken prisoner by Major Camac, 1761, in Bihar; and allowed to retire to

Awadh Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...

where he was crowned emperor again. From there he planned further expeditions against

Bengal Subah The Bengal Subah ( bn, সুবাহ বাংলা; fa, ), also referred to as Mughal Bengal ( bn, মোগল বাংলা), was the largest subdivision of the Mughal Empire (and later an independent state under the Nawabs of Benga ...

with the help of Nawab

. But perhaps his most formidable subject during the Bengal War was

. Together they formed a coalition led by the Great Moghul himself at the

Battle of Buxar The Battle of Buxar was fought between 22 and 23 October 1764, between the forces under the command of the British East India Company, led by Hector Munro, and the combined armies of Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal till 1764; the Nawab of Awadh, ...

against the East India Company's Hector Munro of Novar. Shah Alam II, who would later become a pensioner of the British East India Company in 1765.

Aftermath

Shah Alam II did manage to capture and hold

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Ben ...

before becoming a pensioner of the English. John Caillaud had set three official seals to document expressing an intent to kill

, while he had the Mughal Crown Prince, allegations that Caillaud would later strongly deny.John Caillaud at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
/ref> The English East India Company waged a campaign to overthrow

Gallery

File:Shah Alam II, Mughal emperor of india, reviewing the East India Companys troops.jpg, The

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

, as a prisoner of the

, 1781 File:The Navab's arrival before Clive's position.jpg, The

File:अवध के नवाब शुजाउद्दौला.jpg,

served as the leading

Nawab Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Noba ...

Vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, he was a lifelong of

. File:Mughal amir horseback large c hi.jpg,

Mirza Najaf Khan Mīrzā Najaf Khān Bahādur, simply known as Najaf Khan (b. 1723 – 26 April 1782 d.) was an adventurer of Safavid lineage who came to Delhi around 1740 from Iran after Nader Shah had displaced Safavid dynasty in 1736. He became a courtier of M ...

Baloch, the commander-in-chief of the

Mughal Army The Army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 15th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselves, ...

. File:IGI1908India1765a.jpg, Political map of the Indian Subcontinent in the year 1765. File:Mir Jafar (left) and Mir Miran (right).jpg, Mir Jafar and his son Mir Miran. File:Sir Hector Munro by David Martin.jpg, Sir Hector Munro of Novar.

References

{{British colonial campaigns Wars involving the Mughal Empire Wars involving the British East India Company

Background

Campaign

Aftermath

Gallery

See also

References