Shuja-ud-Daula

Shuja-ud-Daula (19 January 1732 – 26 January 1775) was the third Nawab of Oudh and the Vizier of Delhi from 5 October 1754 until his death 26 January 1775.

He was a key 18th-century Mughal ally who despised the Maratha-backed grand vizier of the Mughal Empire Imad-ul-Mulk. He supported Prince Ali Gauhar (later Shah Alam II) against Mughal usurpers and became Grand Vizier. His army, backed by influential clans and Shi'a migrants from Kashmir, was a major force in North India. Shuja joined Ahmad Shah Durrani in the Third Battle of Panipat, helping defeat the Marathas by cutting their supply lines. Later, he allied with Shah Alam II and Mir Qasim to fight the British in the Battle of Buxar but was defeated. In 1765, he signed the Treaty of Allahabad, ceding territory and financial control to the East India Company. Though strategic, this marked the start of increasing British dominance in India.