Mir Qasim
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Mir Qasim (also spelt Mir Kasim (d. 1777) was the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1764. He was installed as Nawab by the British East India Company replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been installed by the British after his treacherous role in the Battle of Palashi. However, Mir Jafar had started to act rebelliously by trying to tie up with the Dutch East India Company, and eventually the British overran the Dutch forces at Chinsura.
Upon ascending the throne, Mir Qasim repaid the British with lavish gifts, but he soon tired of British interference and endless avarice, and eventually shifted his capital inland from Murshidabad to Munger in Bihar, where he raised an independent army, financing them by streamling reforms in tax collection.
He opposed the Company position that their Mughal license (dastak) meant that they could trade without paying taxes (other local merchants with Mughal licenses were required to pay up to 40% of their revenue as tax). Eventually Mir Qasim abolished all taxes on the local traders as well. This upset the volume of British trade and hostilities built up until in 1763 Mir Qasim overran the Company offices in Patna, killing several Britishers including the Resident. The British retaliated.
After losing a number of skirmishes, Mir Qasim teamed up with Shuja-ud-Daula of Avadh, who was also threatened by the growing British might, and Shah Alam II, the itinerant Mughal emperor. However, their combined forces were defeated in the Battle of Buxar in 1764, thus ceding control of the rich Gangetic plain to the British.
Mir Qasim died in obscurity, possibly in Delhi in 1777.
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