IR

Treaty of Allahabad

Also: Treaty of Allahabad 1765, Diwani grant

Definition
The Treaty of Allahabad (August 1765) followed the Battle of Buxar. Through it, Mughal emperor Shah Alam II granted the East India Company the Diwani (right to collect revenue) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, and Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh made peace with the Company. It marked the Company's change from a trading body into a territorial power.
Summary card: Treaty of Allahabad. Signed: 12 and 16 August 1765 (two agreements), Allahabad. Company's representative: Robert Clive, in his second term as Governor of Bengal. Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa granted in return for an annual tribute of 26 lakh rupees to the emperor. Shah Alam II received Kora and Allahabad. Shuja-ud-Daula regained Awadh and paid a war indemnity of 50 lakh rupees. Led to the "Dual Government" in Bengal (1765–72)
Summary card © UPSCPrep.in

Background and evolution

After the Battle of Plassey (1757), the Company became the real power behind the Nawabs of Bengal. Mir Qasim, made Nawab in 1760, tried to assert independence, which led to war. He allied with Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, but their combined forces were defeated by the Company under Hector Munro at Buxar on 22 October 1764.

Clive returned to India in 1765 and chose not to annex Awadh, which would have stretched the Company's resources. Instead he restored it to Shuja-ud-Daula as a buffer state against the Marathas and Afghans. From the weakened emperor he obtained the legal right to collect revenue in the richest provinces of India, while the Nawab retained the Nizamat (police and judicial functions) under Company influence.

Painting of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam handing a scroll to Robert Clive
Shah Alam II granting the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to Robert Clive in 1765, as imagined by Benjamin West in 1818. Photo: Benjamin West, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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Last reviewed: 23 October 2026 · Original UPSCPrep.in content.