Shuja‑ud‑daula as a Diplomat (1754‑65)
By A. F. M. Khalilur Rahman
Summary
'Shuja‑ud‑daula as a Diplomat (1754‑65)' traces the political career of Shujāʿ‑ud‑Daula, the Nawab of Oudh, during a turbulent decade in north India. Born in 1732, Shujaʿ inherited his father’s ambition and was appointed deputy‑wazir before assuming the full wizarat. The article recounts his intrigues in Delhi, alliances with Rohilla chiefs and Jat rulers, and attempts to secure the imperial wizarat amid shifting Maratha and Afghan invasions. Shujaʿ adopted a pragmatic diplomacy, alternately negotiating with and betraying allies to preserve his position. He attempted to use Prince Ali Gauhar (later Shah ʿĀlam II) against the regent Imad‑ud‑Daula and later joined him in campaigns in Bengal and Bihar. Despite initial successes, his plans unravelled after the Battle of Buxar (1764), where British forces defeated his coalition and forced him to sign the Treaty of Allahabad. The treaty restored his territories but made Oudh a buffer state under British influence, ending Shujaʿ’s bid for independent powerfile:///home/oai/share/563019_compressed-15-125.pdf#:~:text=service%20in%20Behar%20and%20Bengal.,Hindustan%20and%20gave%20battle%20tofile:///home/oai/share/563019_compressed-15-125.pdf#:~:text=He%20interviewed%20Clive%20ac%20Benares,daula%E2%80%99s%20diplomatic%20career.
Conclusion
The article concludes that Shujāʿ‑ud‑Daula’s decade of diplomacy was marked by opportunism and miscalculation. Although he skillfully balanced regional powers and momentarily regained his domain, his reliance on shifting alliances left him vulnerable to British intervention. The Treaty of Allahabad ended his independence and turned Oudh into a British‑controlled buffer state, illustrating the limits of eighteenth‑century Indian rulers’ autonomy in the face of colonial expansion.