Mir Qasim
Nawab Nazim of Bengal and Orissa
Reign: 20 October 1760- 7 July 1763 Predecessor: Mir Jafar Successor: Mir Jafar Full Name: Mir Muhammad Qasim Ali Khan Died: 8 May 1777 Kotwal near Delhi Noble family: Najafi Spouse: Nawab Fatima Begum Sahiba, Daughter of Mir Jafar and Shah Khanum Issue: Mirza Ghulam Ursiz Ja'afari Mirza Muhammad Baqir ul-Husain Nawab Muhammad Aziz Khan Bahadur Nawab Badr ud-din Ali Khan Bahadur
Father Mir Razi Khan Military career Allegiance: Mughal Empire Service: Nawab of Bengal Battles: Bengal War Battle of Buxar
Mir Qasim 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 supported earlier by the East India Company after his role in winning the Battle of Plassey for the British. However Mir Jafar eventually ran into disputes with the East India Company and attempted to form an alliance with the Dutch East India Company instead. The British eventually defeated the Dutch at Chinsura and overthrew Mir Jafar replacing him with Mir Qasim. Qasim later fell out with the British and fought against them at Buxar. His defeat has been suggested as a key reason in the British becoming the dominant power in large parts of North and East India.
LifeThe Nawab's arrival before Clive's position.
Upon ascending the throne Mir Qasim repaid the East India Company with lavish gifts as thanks for their support in his ascension to the throne. However Qasim soon ran into disputes to a 9% duty imposed of all foreign traders. The relationship between Qasim and the company slowly deteriorated and he shifted his capital from Murshidabad to Munger in present day Bihar where he raised an army financing his new troops by streamlining tax collection.
Qasim vigorously opposed the east India company's position that their Mughal license meant that they could tread without paying taxes. Frustrated at the British refusal to pay these taxes Mir Qasim abolished taxes on the local traders as well. this upset the advantage that the European Traders had been enjoying so far and hostilities built up. Mir Qasim invaded the Company offices in patna in 1763 killing several Europeans including the resident. Mir Qasim allied with Shuja-ud-Daula of Avadh and Shah Alam 2 the incumbent Mughal emperor against the British. However their Combined forces were defeated in the Battle of Buxar in 1764. Qasim also launched a brief invasion of Nepal in 1763 during the of Prithvi Narayan Shah the first King of Nepal. Kanak Singh a local Indian chief had requested Qasim's intervention against Shah after he had taken Bikram Sen, the King of Makwanpur, hostage. Qasim dispatched a military force under the command of his general Gurgin Khan to invade nepal. Khan was swiftly defeated by Shah's army and retreated.
Unlike Siraj-ud-Daulah before him Mir Qasim was an effective and popular ruler. Their victory at established the East India Company as a powerful force in the province of Bengal in a much more real sense than at Plassey seven years earlier and Bedara five years Earlier by 1793 the East India Company had abolished the Nizamat and become completely in change of the former Mughal province. Mir Qasim was defeated during the Battle of Murshidabad Battle of Gherain and of Udhwa nala.