Editing Warren Hastings (section)

===Conquest of Bengal===
{{Further|Battle of Buxar}}
Hastings was personally angered when investigating trading abuses in Bengal. He alleged that some European and British-allied Indian merchants were taking advantage of the situation to enrich themselves personally. Persons travelling under the unauthorised protection of the British flag engaged in widespread fraud and illegal trading, knowing that local [[customs official]]s would be cowed into not interfering with them. Hastings felt this was bringing shame on Britain's reputation and urged the authorities in Calcutta to put an end to it. The Council considered his report but ultimately rejected Hastings' proposals. He was fiercely criticised by other members, many of whom had themselves profited from the trade.<ref>Turnbull pp. 36–40.</ref>

Ultimately, little was done to stem the abuses, and Hastings began to consider quitting his post and returning to Britain. His resignation was only delayed by the outbreak of fresh fighting in Bengal. Once on the throne Qasim proved increasingly independent in his actions, and he rebuilt Bengal's army by hiring European instructors and [[Mercenary|mercenaries]] who greatly improved the standard of his forces.<ref>Turnbull p. 36.</ref> He gradually felt more confident, and in 1764, when a dispute broke out in the settlement of [[Patna]], he captured its British garrison and threatened to execute them if the East India Company responded militarily. When Calcutta dispatched troops anyway, Mir Qasim executed the hostages. British forces then went on the attack and won a series of battles culminating in the decisive [[Battle of Buxar]] in October 1764. After this, Mir Qasim fled into exile in Delhi, where he died in 1777. The Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the East India Company the right to [[Dewan|collect taxes]] in Bengal on behalf of the Mughal emperor.

Hastings resigned in December 1764 and sailed for Britain the following month. He left deeply saddened by the failure of the more moderate strategy that he had supported, but which had been rejected by the hawkish members of the Calcutta Council. Once he arrived in London, Hastings began spending far beyond his means. He stayed at fashionable addresses and had his picture painted by [[Joshua Reynolds]] even though, unlike many of his contemporaries, he had not amassed a fortune while in India. Eventually, having run up enormous debts, Hastings realised he needed to return to India to restore his finances, and applied to the East India Company for employment. His application was initially rejected as he had made many political enemies, including the powerful director [[Laurence Sulivan]]. Eventually, an appeal to Sulivan's rival Robert Clive secured Hastings the position of deputy ruler at the city of Madras. He sailed from Dover in March 1769. On the voyage on board, the ''Duke of Grafton'' became ill, and he was cared for<ref>{{Cite ODNB |title=Marian Hastings |date=2004-09-23 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/63512 |editor-last=Matthew |editor-first=H. C. G. |access-date=2023-06-12 |place=Oxford |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/63512 |editor2-last=Harrison |editor2-first=B.}}</ref> by the German [[Marian Hastings|Baroness Marian von Imhoff]] (1749–1837)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG146264 |title=Marian Hastings |website=The British Museum}}</ref> and her husband. He fell in love with the Baroness, and they began an affair, seemingly with her husband's consent. Hastings' first wife, Mary, had died in 1759, and he planned to marry the Baroness once she had obtained a divorce from her husband.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} The process took a long time and it was not until 1777 that news of the divorce came from Germany, and Hastings was finally able to marry her.