Mīr Qasim | |
|---|---|
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| Nawab Nazim of Bengal and Bihar | |
| Reign | 20 October 1760 – 7 July 1763 |
| Predecessor | Mir Jafar |
| Successor | Mir Jafar |
| Full name | Mir Muhammad Qasim Ali Khan |
| Died | (1777-05-08)8 May 1777 Kotwal,Maratha Empire |
| Noble family | Najafi |
| Spouses | Nawab Fatima Begum Sahiba, daughter ofMir Jafar and Shah Khanum |
| Issue |
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| Father | Mir Razi Khan |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Mughal Empire |
| Branch | Nawab of Bengal |
| Rank | Nawab Faujdar (formerly) |
| Battles / wars | Bengal War Battle of Buxar |
Mir Qasim (d. 8 May 1777) was theNawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763. He was installed as Nawab with the support of theBritish East India Company, replacingMir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been supported earlier by the East India Company after his role in winning theBattle of Plassey for the British. However, Mir Jafar eventually ran into disputes with the East India Company and attempted to form an alliance with theDutch East India Company instead. The British eventually defeated the Dutch atChinsura and overthrew Mir Jafar, replacing him with Mir Qasim.[1] Qasim too later fell out with the British and fought against them atBuxar. His defeat has been suggested as a key reason in the British becoming the dominant power in large parts ofNorth andEast India.[2]
Mir Syed Qasim was the son of Mir Muhammad Razi Khan, and claimed descent fromAli al-Ridha.[citation needed] His paternal grandfather, Sayyid Husayn Ridhwi, entered theMughal Empire during the reign ofAurangzeb, who married him to the daughter of Mir Hadi (Sheikh Sulayman Fazail). Ridhwi was conferred the title of Imtiaz Khan, and made theWaqia-navis (Interior Minister) and subsequently theDewan ofBihar. Qasim's grandfather also wrotePersian poetry under thepen name ofKhalis, and a lengthydiwan is attributed to him.[3]
Qasim was married to Fatima Begum, a daughter ofMir Jafar and Shah Khanum, and a granddaughter of NawabAlivardi Khan of Bengal.[4][5] Prior to becoming theNawab of Bengal, he served as theFaujdar ofRangpur for roughly two decades.[6]
Upon ascending the throne, Mir Qasim rewarded the East India Company with lavish gifts.He also granted it the right to collect revenue of the districts ofBurdwan,Midnapore andChittagong.[citation needed] However, Qasim soon ran into disputes with the Company over trade issues, as they objected to Qasim's attempt to levyimport and export tariffs on their goods. In particular, they objected to a 9%duty imposed of all foreign traders. The relationship between Qasim and the company slowly deteriorated, and he shifted his capital fromMurshidabad toMunger in present-dayBihar where he raised an army, financing his new troops by streamlining tax collection.[1]
Qasim vigorously opposed the East India Company's position that their Mughal license (adastak) meant that they could trade without paying taxes (other local merchants withdastaks were required to pay up to 40% of their revenue as tax). 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 inPatna in 1763,massacring 45 Europeans, including the Resident. Mir Qasim allied withShuja-ud-Daula ofAvadh andShah Alam II, the incumbentMughal emperor against the British. However, their combined forces were defeated in theBattle of Buxar in 1764.[7] Qasim also launched a brief invasion ofHinduKingdom of Nepal in 1763 during the reign ofMaharajadhirajaPrithvi Narayan Shah, the firstKing of Nepal. Kanak Singh Baaniya, Chief Minister of Makwanpur, 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 generalGurgin Khan to invade Nepal. Gurgin was swiftly defeated by Shah's army, and retreated.[citation needed]
UnlikeSiraj-ud-Daulah before him, Mir Qasim was an effective and popular ruler. His defeat at Buxar established the East India Company as a powerful force in the province of Bengal in a much more real sense thanat Plassey seven years earlier andat Bedara five years earlier. By 1793 the East India company had abolished theNizamat (referring to the Mughal suzerainty) and became completely in charge of the former Mughal province.
Having lost all his men and influence after his defeat at Buxar, Qasim was expelled from his camp byShuja-ud-Daula on 23 October 1764; fleeing toRohilkhand,Allahabad,Gohad andJodhpur, and eventually settling at Kotwal, nearDelhi ca. 1774.[citation needed]
Mir Qasim died in obscurity and abject poverty possibly fromdropsy, at Kotwal, near Delhi on 8 May 1777.[citation needed]
Mir Qasim Born: (Unknown) Died: 8 May 1777 | ||
| Preceded by | Faujdar ofRangpur 1740 – 20 October 1760 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Nawab of Bengal 20 October 1760 – 7 July 1763 | Succeeded by |
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