Third battle of Panipat (14th January 1761)

Causes:
The weakness of Mughal empire created a power vacuum in north india. On one
side Ahmad Shah Abdali hoped to dominate India and on the other hand
marathas coveted the power at Delhi. The maratha conquest of Punjab from the
Afgans was a direct challenge to Abdali and the later decided to accept it.
Battle:
The battle took place at Panipat on 14th January 1761. The afghans were headed
by ahmad shah Abdali and supported by the najib ud daula , Shuja ud daula of
oudh and the rohilla chieftains. The maratha army was led by Sadashiv rao
bhau. The battle is considered to have been one of the largest and most eventful
fought in the 18th century, and it had perhaps the largest number of fatalities in
a single day reported in a classic formation battle between two armies. The
marathas lost the day.
Causes of maratha defeat:
1.Abdalis forces outnumbered the maratha forces
2.Near famine conditions prevailed in maratha camp as road to Delhi was cut
off by Afghan war and there was no replenishment
3.all muslim powers rallied under Abdali while the overbearing attitude of
marathas estranged Hindu powers like Jat, Rajput and Sikhs and they did not
align with them
4. mutual jealousy of maratha commanders, individualistic spirit led to ill-
discipline and defiance of orders whereas entire Afghan army worked under a
single leader and a single plan.
5. Abdalis troops were better organised and better equipped
6. Sadashiv Rao Bhauji was self-conceited leader and discounted the Jat chief
Surajmal’s advice of leaving behind Women, children, old people, families of
soldier and noncombatants and extensive baggage train and long train of heavy
artillery on the other side of Chambal in Maratha's stronghold of Jhansi and
Gwalior or in protection of Suraj Mal’s one of 4 forts in Jat strongholds.

Holkar advised Bhau to drag out the campaign till rains set in and to follow the
predatory method of light cavalry warfare which the marathas were used to.

However Sadashiv rao Bhau’s overconfidence and arrogance led him to ignore
these advices which was a major cause for failure of marathas.
Importance:

The Maratha dream of empire extending across India was lost. They lost an
entire generation of great Maratha warriors the battle cleared the way for the
rise of British power in India as both Marathas and Afghans lost a lot on the
battlefield.

The battle of Plassey (23 rd June 1757)

Background:

Siraj-ud-daula the nawab of Bengal felt that the east India company was
conniving with his rivals Shaukat Jung of Purnia and Ghasiti begum of Dacca.
The English were expecting another round of struggle in Europe and has started
strengthening Fort Williams and mounted guns on it. They also gave shelter and
asylum to political offenders from Bengal. Finding his authority floundered
nawab attacked and besieged Fort William on 15th June 1756. This was
followed by the Black hole tragedy wherein out of 146 prisoners including
women and children lodged in a prison in fort William only 23 survived the
next morning. The British sent reinforcements under Colonel Robert Clive and
Admiral Charles Watson from Madras to Bengal and recaptured Calcutta.
Meanwhile Clive arranged a conspiracy wherein Mir Jaffar (the commander in
chief of nawabs army), rai Durlabh, Jagat Seth(influential banker of Bengal)
and Omi Chand an intermediary joined. It was p[planned to make mir Jaffer the
nawab who in turn would reward the company and pay compensation to the
company for the losses suffered earlier. Clive then seized the initiative
to capture the French fort of Chandannagar.[3] Tensions and suspicions between
Siraj-ud-daulah and the British culminated in the Battle of Plassey.

Battle of Plassey:

On 23rd June 1757 the rival forces faced each other on battlefield of Plassey a
mango grove 22 miles south of Murshidabad. The nawabs large army
commanded by treacherous general Mir Jaffar. When the nawabs able general
mir Madan was killed mir Jaffar played upon the fears of the nawab and asked
him to retire to Murshidabad. The French men who held out were soon
overpowered by Clive and Mir Jaffar merely looked on. Clive won the battle.

Consequences:

1. Mir Jaffar declared himself the king and Siraj-ud-daula was captured and
put to death.
2. The English were rewarded and given grant of zamindari of 24 parganas
and various other rewards
3. All French settlements were surrendered to British.
 4. The British merchants and officials no longer needed to pay duties on
private trade.

Importance of battle of Plassey

1. never recovered and the Dutch were humbled. The British proceeded to It
put British yoke on Bengal which could never be put off. The new nawab
was dependant on British bayonets and heavily dependent on British for
his position.
2. They became virtual masters of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa The vast
resources of Bengal were placed at the disposal of British for plunder.
These resources helped British to conquers wars of deccan and extend
influence over north India.
3. The British monopolised the trade and commerce in Bengal. The French
monopolise the political power in Bengal. The company now became a
commercial cum military cum political body.

Battle Of Buxar (22nd October 1764)

Causes

1. The interests of the British and the nawab of Bengal Mir Kasim were
irreconcilable.
2. The nawab sought to limit the encroachment of the English on his
jurisdiction. The abuse of inland trade by the British was wreaking havoc
for finance of the nawab.
3. The English would hold courts and punish by not only injuring his people
but also punish nawabs officers
4. The immediate clash was over regulation of inland duties. The nawab
never questioned the British right to carry out trade without payment of
custom duties, what he objected to was the misuse of company’s dastak ie
permit which exempted the goods specified from payment of duties. The
company’s servants sold these to Indian merchants for a commission.
They also used coercive methods to get things at cheaper rates.
5. When no compromise was arrived at mir kasim took the drastic step of
abolishing all inland duties thus placing Indian merchants at the same
footing as English

Battle of Buxar

The war broke out in 1763. Mir kasim was ousted and he escaped to Oudh
and combined with the Emperor of delhio and Nawab of Oudh to oust
British from Bengal. The two armies meyt at Buxar on 22nd October 1764.
The British won the day under Major munro due to superior military power
of British.
Importance of battle

1. Buxar confirmed the decisions of Plassey. The English power in Northern

India became unchallengeable. The new Nawab of Bengal their stooge,
the nawab of oudh a grateful subordinate ally and the Emperoro their
pensioner. The battle was the beginning of the end for the Mughal
Empire's political control, as the Company continued to consolidate its
influence over vast territories
2. The whole territory up to Allahabad lay at the feet of British and the road
to Delhi open. The English now faced the Afghans and Marathas in the
final struggle for the Empire of Hindustan.