Discover Bengal · Unfolded
❦Mir Qasim
Nawab of Bengal and challenger to East India Company power
Installed as nawab in 1760 after the Company's removal of Mir Jafar, Mir Qasim tried to restore the financial and military capacity of Bengal's government. He moved the capital from Murshidabad to Monghyr, reorganised the army, surveyed land, resumed rent-free estates, and increased revenue collection.
Biography
Context
In the context of The period after Plassey, when the East India Company's private trade and political intervention increasingly constrained the nawab's authority. Company servants abused the 1717 dastak system to avoid inland duties, disadvantaging Indian merchants and reducing the nawab's customs revenue., Mir Qasim is recognized as Nawab of Bengal and challenger to East India Company power. Installed as nawab in 1760 after the Company's removal of Mir Jafar, Mir Qasim tried to restore the financial and military capacity of Bengal's government. He moved the capital from Murshidabad to Monghyr, reorganised the army, surveyed land, resumed rent-free estates, and increased revenue collection.
Contribution
Installed as nawab in 1760 after the Company's removal of Mir Jafar, Mir Qasim tried to restore the financial and military capacity of Bengal's government. He moved the capital from Murshidabad to Monghyr, reorganised the army, surveyed land, resumed rent-free estates, and increased revenue collection.
Impact
Mir Qasim abolished internal customs duties so Indian traders would not face a disadvantage that Company servants had claimed for themselves. The resulting conflict led to war in 1763; after defeat, he joined Shuja-ud-Daula and Shah Alam II, but the coalition lost at Buxar in 1764. The defeat strengthened the Company's claim to political supremacy and preceded the 1765 grant of the Diwani.
Timeline Placement
Mir Qasim appears in 2 linked timeline events, spanning 1763 - 1764.
First Appearance
1763
Latest Appearance
1764
Active Span
1763 - 1764
Linked Events
2
Legacy Summary
Mir Qasim abolished internal customs duties so Indian traders would not face a disadvantage that Company servants had claimed for themselves. The resulting conflict led to war in 1763; after defeat, he joined Shuja-ud-Daula and Shah Alam II, but the coalition lost at Buxar in 1764. The defeat strengthened the Company's claim to political supremacy and preceded the 1765 grant of the Diwani. This influence is reflected across 2 connected events.
References
Key sources for understanding this figure
A Comprehensive History of Modern Bengal, 1700-1950
A three-volume survey covering the Nawabi era, colonial remaking, and the freedom struggle through 1950.
Cited in: 1 events
Battle of Buxar
Overview of the 1764 battle that consolidated East India Company military-political leverage in eastern India.
Cited in: 1 events
Buxar, Battle of
Banglapedia entry explaining the East India Company, Mir Qasim, and the road from Bengal conflict to Buxar.
Cited in: 1 events
Diwani
Bengal-focused reference on the diwani system, the 1765 agreements, and how revenue authority passed to the East India Company.
Cited in: 1 events
East India Company
Overview of the Company's shift from trade to colonial rule, including the grant of diwani rights and its economic consequences in Bengal.
Cited in: 1 events
Seir Mutaqherin / Siyar-ul-Mutakhkherin
A late eighteenth-century history of Mughal India that is essential for understanding Bengal Nawabs and Plassey.
Cited in: 1 events
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