Microhistory Lost in a Global Narrative? Revisiting the Grant of the Diwani to the English East India Company

• In Event: Rethinking Microhistory in an Age of Global Narratives

Abstract

The rise of British power in India (and the associated narrative of British imperialism) begins with the grant of the diwani (the right to collect revenue) of Bihar, Bengal and Orissa to the English East India Company by the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II in 1765. The diwani was granted as a free gift to the Company in perpetuity after Shah Alam II and his allies were defeated by the EIC at the battle of Buxar in 1764. While there are no doubts regarding the significance of this moment in the global narrative of the rise of British power, were there immediate local implications of this grant for the then contemporary powers like the nawab of Awadh, the Marathas (who held control over Orissa at this time and were continuously claiming revenues from Bengal)? If yes, have these small but significant narratives been lost in the grand narrative of the rise of British power vis a vis the Mughals? More importantly, what significance this grant had for the beleaguered Mughal Emperor who had been trying from pillar to post to reclaim the province of Bengal? As a matter of fact, Shah Alam II did not have control over the diwani of Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. But in granting that as a gift to the Company, he not only reclaimed the right of revenue from the nawab of Bengal, but also asserted the Mughal sovereignty. This paper is an attempt to highlight those local, micro narratives associated with the grant of the diwani which have somehow been ignored in the global narrative of the rise of British power.

Author

• Sonal Singh, Delhi University