Chapter 1: DECLINE OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE

Introduction

The proud Mughal Empire which had ruled the north for two centuries was declining and soon
the emperor of Delhi became a pensioner for the British. The process of disintegration began
with Aurangzeb and his policies yet at the time of his death 1707 the Empire was still strong.
After his death his sons quarreled amongst themselves and Bahadur Shah won. He had a more
tolerant and secular policy. Under him the Rana's of Mewar and Marathas were appeased and
earlier policy of aggression was withdrawn. Sikhs too were conciliated by giving Guru Gobind
Singh a Mansab rank. However due to grant of Mansabs and posts the royal treasury was
exhausted. His death in 1712 plunged Delhi into civil war.

Jahandar shah followed him to the throne as he was supported by the most powerful noble
Zulfiqar khan. Zulfiqar khan controlled the administration and adopted a policy of tolerance
towards chief of Mewar and Marathas. However against the Sikhs he continued the old policy of
aggression. Soon the other nobles poisoned the emperors ears against Zulfiqar khan. He began
secretly plotting against Zulfiqar khan. Finally Jahandar khan was killed by the next successor
Farrukh Siyar.

Farrukh Siyar was undependable and worthless successor. The Sayyid brothers were
instrumental in helping him win. They got important posts in the administration. The emperor
wanted to rule personally but the Sayyid brothers believed that the he should be a puppet and
they should handle administration to reverse the decay of the Empire. This led to conflicts
between the emperor and the Sayyid brothers and finally the emperor was killed. In his place
three successor princes were nominated. Two died quickly and the last Muhammad shah took
the throne.

Under the Sayyid brothers the Mughal ties with Rajputs, Marathas and Jats were strengthened.
But corruption had increased. The Sayyid's couldnt rule properly due to continuous quarrels
with other nobles. The death of the emperor had created public revulsion against them. The other
nobles called the anti Islamic and anti Mughal due to their tolerant policy. The emperor too
wanted to rule freely. Hence soon rebellion started against the Sayyids and they were killed.

Muhammad shah reigned for 30 years. An emperor who had sound knowledge of administration
was needed to save the Empire but Muhammad shah wasnt that. He led a life of luxury and
pleasure. This disgusted his nobles and they left to carve semi independent states. The corruption
too had increased under his reign. One such Wazir Nizam ul Mulk founded the south state of
Hyderabad.

It was in this period the afghan king nadir shah descended in the north. He was attracted by the
vast wealth. He invaded the North West frontier but met with no resistance. The nobles of
Mughal court quarreled and wouldnt unite even when the enemy was insight. This led to their
heavy defeat. A bloodbath was seen in Delhi and Nadir Shah captured the Mughal treasury,
Kohinoor diamond and the peacock throne. The Mughal emperor had been taken prisoner and
released after he gave up all provinces west of Indus. After nadir shah the Mughals saw repeated
attacks from Ahmed Shah Abdali. Abdali was nadir shahs ablest general and became the ruler
of Afghanistan. He defeated the Marathas in 1761 at Panipat. The Mughal Empire had shrunk to
just kingdom of Delhi but the Mughal never participated in the affairs of the state. Shah Alam II
who ascended throne in 1759 spent the initial years wandering away from his kingdom as he was
in mortal fear from his Wazir. He joined Shuja ud dawla and Mir Qasim in battle of Buxar
against the English East India Company but was defeated. He remained as a pensioner in the
Allahabad fort till 1772 and returned to Delhi under protective arm of the Marathas. When Delhi
was captured by Marathas in 1803 till 1857 the Mughals were only political front of the British.

In fact after 1759 Mughals remained only because they symbolized political unity of the country
in the minds of the people.

Causes of the decline of the Mughals:

1. Aurangzebs policy of expansion put pressure on men and material.

2. His intolerant policy on Hindu chief Shivaji in Deccan and Sikhs put additional strain on
the Empire. This drained the resources of the Empire and ruined trade and industry.

3. The North West front was exposed as Aurangzeb concentrated on Deccan for 25 years.

4. His inability to subdue the Marathas undermined prestige of the Empire and local chief
too dreamed of independence.

5. When Aurangzeb tried to re extend the imperial sway over Rajputs and earned the ire of
Rajputs it further led to confrontation.

6. Weak successors who focused on personal pleasure were responsible for the decline. The
absence of fixed rule of succession led to civil war among the princes this led to loss of
life and weakened the administrative fabric of the Empire.

7. Revenue policy of Aurangzeb too was harsh and affected the peasant. The agriculture
produce declined which couldnt sustain the mighty state. The jagirdars harassed the
 peasants for revenue; this wasnt passed on to the treasury. The decline in trade and
industry compared to Europe led to India lagging behind it economically and politically.

8. Absence of political nationalism meant that people were loyal to their respective
kingdoms not the country.

9. Foreign invasions by nadir shah and Abdali. Also rise of the British.

10. Weakness of the army as the mansabdars couldnt maintain their full quota of the
soldiers.

Chapter 2: INDIAN STATES AND SOCIETY IN 18TH

CENTURY
11. Introduction

12. After the decline of the Mughal Empire many kingdoms declared independence and
newer states emerged in India.

13.Hyderabad:

14. Hyderabad was founded by Nizam ul Mulk Asaf Jah in 1724. He was a noble of the
Muhammad shah the Mughal emperor. His repeated attempts of reforming the
administration were rejected by the emperor and so he moved back to south to form his
state. He formed an efficient administration. He followed a tolerant policy against all
religions. He forced the powerful zamindar lobby to respect him. He successfully resisted
Maratha's from his land. However he failed to rid the revenue system of corruption due to
his untimely death. After him the Hyderabad state too was in a state of turmoil.

15.Bengal:

16. Murshid quli khan too declared independence from the central authority after it grew
weak. He however sent tributes to the Mughals. He suppressed the powerful zamindars
and organized an efficient administration. He was tolerant and secular. He introduced
agrarian reform but collected revenue cruelly. He promoted trade and industry. The
Nawabs however were short sighted with regards to English east India Company. They
forced it to obey laws of the land but didnt take these trading companies as threats to the
kingdom. They failed also in two more aspects building a strong army and checking
corruption amongst local officials. Both these factors led to the defeat of Nawab Siraj ud
dawlah at the hands of English east India Company in 1857.
17.Awadh:

18. Saadat khan burhan ul Mulk was the founder of Awadh. He was far sighted and able
ruler. He too was disillusioned by the central government and chose to fortify his feudal
area. He had to wage continuous wars against the big zamindars who had fortified their
areas. He successfully suppressed them and brought relief to the farmers. He was secular
towards all religions.

19.Mysore:

20. The end of Vijaynagar Empire gave a new lease of lie to Mysore kingdom. The minister
Nanaraj and Devraj captured power and the king Krishna Raj became a mere puppet.
Haider Ali was an ordinary soldier in the Mysore army. He took advantage of the
opportunities that came his way and rose in rank. He learned western military tactics
from French experts and applied them in battles. Soon he defeated Nanaraj and became
king. Though he was illiterate he was an efficient administrator. He extended his power in
Mysore and soon made it into a powerful kingdom. He fought the Nizam of Hyderabad,
Marathas and British repeatedly and defeated them.

21.Haider Ali and British

22. First Anglo Mysore War

23. The English east India Company allied with Nizam of Hyderabad in 1766 to attack
Haider Ali. But he fought back and threatened to attack madras. So a treaty was signed
where conquered territories were handed back and mutual cooperation against each
others enemies was assured. But when the Marathas attacked Haider Ali the British
didnt help hence he mistrusted them. British had secured support of Marathas after the
first Anglo Maratha in 1782. Haider Ali inflicted defeats on them and forced them to
surrender in large numbers.

24. Second Anglo Mysore War

25. The British under Hastings bribed the Nizam and he withdrew from the alliance with
Haider Ali. Hastings also diverted the army from the Maratha war against Haider Ali and
finally defeated him. This was the second Anglo Mysore war. His son Tipu sultan
succeeded him after his death in the second Anglo Mysore war. Finally as the war was a
stalemate peace treaty was signed in 1784.

26.
27.Tipu Sultan vs British
28. Tipu sultan was a complex character. He was deeply interested in literature and had a
library. He took interest in French revolution. He had planted a tree of liberty in his
kingdom and was a member of Jacobin club. His army was trained in western tactics and
armed with muskets and bayonets with French help. He also was building a navy and had
constructed ports.

29. The British regarded him as their deadliest enemy.

30. Third Anglo Mysore War

31. The treaty of 1784 had only postponed hostilities to the future. Tipu had attempted to
establish contact with turkey and France by sending envoys there. The third Anglo
Mysore war resulted in Tipu defeat in 1792. He had to pay a huge indemnity and
surrender his sons to the British as hostages. It destroyed Tipu's dominant position
in south and established British supremacy there.

32. In 1798 the new governor general Wellesley took charge and brought his scheme of
subsidiary alliance. By this the British would station an army in the allying kingdom and
protect it from internal and external threats. In return the king should disband his army,
accept a British resident and govern on his advice, relinquish all deals with other foreign
powers and pay a tribute to British for the army or cede a territory to them. This ensured
that the protectorate kingdom became a puppet in their hands.

33.
Fourth Anglo Mysore War

34. Wellesley knew Tipu would never accept this treaty and fourth the fourth Anglo Mysore
war in 1799 and defeated Tipu. When Tipu was finally defeated in 1799 even the British
were amazed at his revenue administration. He was accused of being orthodox but he
had given large donations to building of temples too.

35.Rajputs:

36. The Rajputs took advantage of the weakness of the Mughals and freed themselves from
central control. However they were divided and always in civil war or quarrels with each
other. Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Amber was an outstanding ruler. He was an able
administrator. He founded Jaipur and made it a seat of science and arts. He was a
reformer and a law maker. He was also an astronomer and constructed observatories at
Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi.

37.Sikhs:
38. Guru Nanak in 15th century founded Sikhism which spread amongst lower classes of
Punjab and Jat peasants. Under Guru Gobind Singh they became a political and military
force. He fought constant wars against Aurangzeb but became a noble under Bahadur
shah.

39. After his death his follower Banda bahadur rallied the Sikhs and carried warfare against
the Mughal army till he was killed in 1715. The Sikhs then rose gain after the foreigners
invaded India and created a political vacuum. The Sikh organized themselves as misls
and ruled different parts of Punjab and Kashmir. Initially they cooperated with each other
but soon this unity faded.

40. At this time Ranjit Singh rose to prominence. He was a skilled administrator and a
soldier. He soon formed a kingdom in Punjab and captured Kashmir, Lahore, Amritsar,
Multan and Peshawar. He built an army of skilled soldiers of different religions and
started manufacturing cannons. His army was second only to east India Company. He
was tolerant and secular. When the English forbade him to expand east of Sutlej he kept
quite. He was a realist and saved his Empire. But he didnt fight the foreign threat and left
it to his successors who werent as skilled and who were conquered by the British.

41.Maratha Power:

42. Shahu grandson of Shivaji Maharaj was a prisoner of Aurangzeb. After Aurangzebs
death Shahu was released and a civil war broke out between him and his aunt Tarabai
who had continued the fight against the Mughals under her son Shivaji II. Shahu won this
war with the help of Balaji vishwanath who became the Peshwa. Balaji vishwanath was
an able administrator and won many Maratha chiefs to Shahu's cause. Shahus Empire
now extended to all Maharashtra except Kolhapur where Tarabai ruled.

43.Peshwa Power

44. Balaji Vishwanath

45. Balaji vishwanath and his son made Peshwa the functional head of Marathas. Balaji
vishwanath helped the Mughal heads ascend to throne like Zulfiqar khan, Farrukh Siyar
and Sayyids. In return he got chauth and sardeshmukhi for the Marathas. He also
increased ambition of Maratha chiefs to increase rule to the north by showing them the
weakness of the Mughals. However he gave too much freedom to the Maratha
sardars. They could collect the chauth and sardeshmukhi and keep a large part of it to
themselves. They could also expand the Maratha Empire. Hence the Empire became huge
but the autonomous sardars were in control. They didnt hesitate to join the Mughals,
Nizam or British if the central authority was too strict.
46. Baji rao I

47. Baji rao I was the next Peshwa and a skilled guerilla warrior comparable to Shivaji
maharaja. He expanded the Maratha Empire to even Malwa, Gujarat and Bundelkhand
too. He forced Mughal officials to grant them chauth and sardeshmukhi over new areas
and conceded them to Maratha Empire. He also defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad, Siddis
of janjira and Portuguese. His main fault was that he failed in establishing an
administration over new areas.

48. Balaji Baji rao

49. His death made his son Balaji Baji rao the heir. King Shahu had before dying made the
Peshwa the official head of the Marathas. The new Peshwa took Maratha power over
entire India. He forced Bengal Nawab, state of Mysore, Mughals, Rajputs, Jats and Sikhs
too pay tribute to them. The Mughal Wazir was now their puppet. They disposed the chief
appointed by Ahmed Shah Abdali and this brought in direct conflict with the afghan
warrior. In the battle of Panipat the Marathas were routed. This tragic news reached the
Peshwa and he died due to the shock.

50.Reasons for the defeat of Maratha's at Panipat:

51. 1. They failed to find any allies in the north as all mighty powers were incensed at
their behavior.

52. 2. They meddled in the internal affairs of Rajputs and imposed fines on Jats and
Sikhs who mistrusted them and refused to support them.

53. 3. Senior commanders of Marathas quarreled with each other.

54.

55.Maratha Power 1761 - 1818

56. The defeat of the Marathas gave a chance to the east India Company to increase its power
over Bengal and south India. The next Peshwa Madhav rao restored the Maratha prestige
too some extends. The Mughals and Rajputs, Jats and Mysore were once again brought
under control and forced to pay tribute. By now powerful Maratha families had
emerged those were totally autonomous and not under the Peshwa's control like
Gaikwad at Baroda, Holkar, Scindia, and Bhosle.

57. After Madhav rao his brother Raghunath rao the brother of Balaji Baji rao and Narayan
rao brother of Madhav rao fought for Peshwa post. The son of Madhav rao, Sawai
 Madhav rao was appointed head and Raghunath rao went to the British. The supporters of
Sawai Madhav rao led by Nana Phadnis and supporters of Raghunath rao clashed
constantly. The strong Maratha families now refused to participate in the Maratha affairs
and remained autonomous.

58. The fight between Raghunath rao, British and Marathas was the first Anglo Maratha war.
The British sided with Raghunath rao in hopes of making territorial gains in event of
victory but they were defeated. The British then fought Mahadji Scindia but he too was
an able soldier and their war [first Anglo Maratha war] was a stalemate. The British got
20 year of peace with the Marathas.

59. When Sawai Madhav rao died Baji rao II son of Raghunath rao succeeded him. He was a
worthless ruler. He signed a subsidiary alliance with the British and became their puppet.
The British power had now increased and they decided to end the Marathas by dividing
and ending each of the Maratha sardars separately. The Holkar and Scindia remained
unconquered. The expansionist policy of Wellesley had created a huge debt and he was
recalled. The peace treaty was signed with Holkar.

60. The Marathas again made an effort to regain lost pride in 1817 but they failed to unite
forces and draft a comprehensive strategy. This led to their defeats. The other Maratha
houses remained as subsidiary power but Peshwa power was extinguished. Peshwa was
pensioned off and a province of Bombay was created by marquis of Hastings. After
these wars the British controlled all of India except Sind and Punjab. They now
could expand beyond the frontiers of India.

Chapter 3: ENTRY OF EUROPEANS IN INDIA

Introduction

Trade routes to India

India was famous for spices which were in high demand in European cuisine. The three
prominent trade routes till the 15th century were through central Asia, through red sea and then
Egypt and Europe via Mediterranean sea and Persian gulf by sea and then through Iraq and
turkey and again by sea through Venice and Genoa. The Turkish lands were captured by
Ottomans and the trade routes were affected. The renaissance had led to the quest for discovery
of newer routes through sea to India. Finally Vasco da Gama found an all sea route to India via
Cape of Good Hope.

The opening of trade routes to India and America were hailed as very important. The American
islands were rich in precious minerals and soon they became consumers of European
manufactured goods. The Atlantic became a zone of high trade activity. The Portuguese to were
the first to enter into Africa and they became the pioneers of slave trade. The slaves were bought
for manufactured European goods and sold in West Indies and American lands for sugar and
cotton which were exchanged for manufactured goods in Europe. This triangular trade was
dominated by Portuguese along with the eastern trade with India.

Though the Portuguese were ruthless and religious intolerant they lost their monopoly in
later part of 16th century to the English, Dutch and French. The English due to their naval
power and industrial revolution became the superpower of the world and had colonies in Africa,
America and East Asia. The English though initially weak were by the end of the 16 th century
dominant in naval powers.

English East India Company:

The English East Indian Company was formed and given a charter to trade in the east by Queen
Elizabeth. The English Company was led by Captain Hawkins and received by Emperor
Jahangir. Though initially they were well received by due to Portuguese influence they were
expelled. The British realized that Portuguese influence had to be reduced in order to convince
the Mughals. In the naval battle the Portuguese were defeated and so the Mughal emperor
thought that in order to counter the supremacy of Portuguese in sea, friendship with the English
is important.

A Mughal Farman gave them permission to open factories on the west coast. Thomas roe
wasnt satisfied with this and bargained for more concessions. The British also started harassing
hajj pilgrims and Indian merchants taking advantage of its naval power. Finally the Mughals
relented and gave them permission to open factories throughout the Mughal territory.

The Portuguese were angered by this and in the naval battles the English won. Hostilities were
ended by giving the island of Bombay to British for marrying a Portuguese princess in 1662.
Soon the Portuguese lost all their Indian possession to English, Marathas and Dutch except
Daman Diu and Goa.

Dutch Conflict:

The conflict between Dutch and English too was intense but resulted in a stale mate. The English
couldnt remove the Dutch from their stronghold in Indonesia and the spice trade. But Dutch too
couldnt match the English might in India. Finally English decided to leave the Indonesian trade
and focus on India only. And similarly the Dutch too left the Indian trade except for a few
factories in the east coast. These too were lost to the English by 1795.
English east India Company:

After Surat the English power grew in India. When the tried to fortify their factory in Surat they
were arrested by the local authorities working for the Mughals. Similarly when the Companys
rivals attacked the Mughal shipping the Mughal forces arrested the Company officials till the
ransom was paid. The south India was more favorable to them as no strong government existed
there. The first factory in the south was opened in Masullipatinam and then in madras. The raja
gave them permission to fortify the madras factory and the Englishman Francis day built
there fort George.

After madras the island of Bombay came under British occupation. It too was fortified as the
Surat area was under threat from the increasing Maratha power. The English now moved their
sights on the east coast and opened factories in Orissa and Hugli. They wanted an independent
fortified factory for Bengal. They had now become ambitious and wanted to capture India and
turn it into a British colony. For this they challenged the mighty Aurangzeb but his force was
great and the British lost all factories on the east coast and even their fort in Bombay was
besieged. They gave up hope and resorted to flattery and forgiveness and asked for return to
trade.

Aurangzeb permitted this as he felt that foreign traders couldnt harm him. But the revenue they
brought from trade increased the state treasury. Also the British naval might was great enough to
ruin Indian trade with west. The British now fortified the few villages on the east coast in Bengal
and it became Calcutta. Job carnock built the fort William there. But due to strong Nawabs
in Bengal the east India Company was merely a zamindar.

The British had high hopes in south India as no strong kingdom existed there but it had to face
competition from the French. The French east India Company was government controlled but
had caught up with the English company in terms of trade and had factories in Bengal and
Pondicherry. The Anglo French conflicts in the south and east lasted for a period of 20 years and
ended with English supremacy. The French now lived under English protection in India. They
were permitted to keep Pondicherry with condition that no fortification be allowed.

The English were now the mightiest power in India. The war had taught them a few
lessons. In absence of modern nationalism in India they could be setup against each other
easily. The western trained Indian soldiers were as good as Europeans. The absence of
nationalism and respect of salt in the Indian mind made him a good and loyal soldier. Thus
the British went on to rule India with an army officer-ed by British but with Indian
Sepoy's.

Chapter 4: British Conquest Of India From 1756 - 1818

Introduction
The province of Bengal was the most fertile and suitable for trade and commerce. The British
saw its importance and established a factory in Calcutta. The Farman issued by the Mughal
emperor allowed free trade in Bengal but the Farman didnt apply to private trade by Company
officials. The Nawabs of Bengal had forced the British to pay heavy taxes due to wrong
interpretation of the Farman. Yet the Company officials continued to break rules whenever given
a chance. Nawab of Bengal was now Siraj ud dawlah, he learnt of fortification by British and
French. He ordered them to cease from this but the British continued. The Nawab waged a battle
and defeated the British. But in haste he allowed them to escape to an island guarded by British
navy. The Company officials waited there for reinforcements from madras. Meanwhile they
managed to lure Mir Jafar and other nobles of Nawabs court to their side. In the battle between
the English army led by Robert Clive and Admiral Watson and Nawab at Plessey the Nawab
was defeated. He was captured and executed. Mir Jafar replaced him. Mir Jafar paid tributes to
the Company but soon even he couldnt meet their demands and the British felt that he wasnt
able to fulfill their expectations and soon he too was replaced by his son in law Mir Qasim.

Mir Qasim proved to be a threat to the British power in Bengal. He wanted to free Bengal from
British control. For this he wanted to build a strong army and good administration. On the other
hand the British wanted a titular Nawab. This led to confrontation between them and soon the
Nawab with the help of Shuja ud dawlah, Nawab of Awadh and shah alam II, the fugitive
Mughal emperor waged a war against British. In this battle of Buxar they were defeated.

The battle of Buxar established British supremacy in India. The British got diwani rights of
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. All conquerors of odissa wanted domination over the Puri temple as it
gave legitimacy to their rule in minds of local.

The diwani rights gave the British full and legitimate control over Bengal. The governor of
Bengal Robert Clive started a dual system of government where the British were in charge of
collecting revenue and the army but Nawab and his officials were in charge of administration. In
effect this system meant no responsibility for both sides. The Nawab was entrusted with the
responsibility of collecting revenue on behalf of British so they plundered the peasants for as
much as they could and passed on a share to the British. This led to untold oppression in Bengal.

Sind: The British feared that Russia might try to attack India through Persia or Afghanistan.
This had to be prevented and hence British had to increase their influence in both these countries.
To do this Sind had to be brought under control.

Policy of annexation from 1848 to 1856

Lord Dalhousie came to India as the governor general and he wanted to extend the rule to all
parts of India. This he felt as he believed the British rule was better than the corrupt and
oppressive native rulers. He did this by his doctrine of lapse method. This meant that if the ruler
of a protectorate state died without a natural heir then the state would be annexed by the British.
The right of inheritance of the adopted child wasnt recognized.

CONTRIBUTION OF VARIOUS GOVERNORs AND GOVERNOR GENERALS

 I. Warren Hastings.

He followed Robert Clive as the governor of fort William. He was a reformist and the
steps he took were:

1. Abolished dual government system and the now the Company servants collected
revenue on their own.

2. Board of revenue was created and collectors were established to collect revenue. The
treasury was moved to a safer location of Calcutta from murshidabad. Calcutta soon
became the capital of Bengal and then India.

3. To remove the highly corrupt judicial system. Civil courts were created presided by the
collectors and criminal courts by an Indian judge. Appellate courts for civil and criminal
cases were there in Calcutta. Highest court of appeal for civil cases was sadar diwani
adalat and criminal cases were sadar Nizamat adalat.

4. A bank was established in Calcutta. Pre paid postal system was introduced. Police too
were created to stop dacoits.

5. He was a patron of Indian languages and arts. He was a person of oriental tastes.

Regulating Act, 1773:

The controller of east India Company was the court of proprietors and court of directors. The
three presidencies were independent and managed by governor and his council. The court of
directors was elected annually and managed the affairs of the Company. The mismanagement of
Indian territories led to bankruptcy of the Company and the directors asked for a loan. The
government passed this act as a precondition for the loan

It laid the foundations for a centralized administration in India. Governor of Bengal became the
governor general of Bengal with an executive council of four to assist him. Decisions would be
taken by majority and governor general could only vote in case of tie. Presidencies of Madras
and Bombay lost their independence and became subordinate to Bengal.

It established a supreme court of justice at Calcutta. It prohibited the servants of EIC from
accepting gifts and engaging in private trade.

Pitts Act, 1784:

Board of control was established to control political affairs in India. So a system of dual
government was created. The number of members in the governors council was reduced to 3.
The board of control was responsible to the parliament and controlled political affairs. The court
of directors was in control of commercial affairs.
An amendment to this act in 1786 allowed the governor general to overrule the majority of his
council.

II. Lord Cornwallis

He was a respected aristocrat. He led the British army in the war against America.
Although he had to surrender he still commanded deep respect amongst his fellow
countrymen.

Salient points of his rule were:

1. He increased the salaries of the Company servants and prohibited their private trade.

2. He removed collectors from the post of judges of the civil courts. Separated judiciary
and administration.

3. Indians judges were appointed at the lowest judicial levels. District and city courts
had European judges. Provincial court of appeals had European judges. Highest court
of appeal at civil and criminal courts was governor general in council.

4. He appointed darogas in every thanas for policing.

5. He was the father of the Indian civil service.

6. He was responsible for implementing permanent settlement in Bengal and Bihar.

7. He was responsible for reformation, modernization, rationalization of civil service.

He started the covenanted civil service with only Europeans and un-covenanted civil
service for others.

III. Richard Wellesley

He was famous for introducing the subsidiary alliance system.

1. Pindaris rose during his regime as the thousands of soldiers who became unemployed as
they were dismissed due to the subsidiary alliance. These soldiers became dacoits.

2. He was the maker of madras presidency and creator of Agra province.

IV. Lord Hastings.

Salient features of his administration:

1. The Nepal and British territories were bordering each other. The Gurkhas were
aggressive and this led to confrontation. Lord Hastings declared war on Nepal and
defeated them.
 2. Ended the menace of the Pindaris.

3. Defeated the Marathas.

4. He was the maker of the Bombay province.

V. William Bentinck

He was the first governor general to believe in serving the Indian people.

Salient features of his administration:

1. He followed a policy of non intervention and non aggression with Indian princely
states.

2. He abolished the provincial court of appeals.

3. Introduction of local languages in lower courts and English in higher courts.

4. Responsible for abolition of sati, female infanticide and suppression of thugs.

5. English became the official language of India. Calcutta medical college was established.

6. Introduction of English education.

Charter Act, 1813: It reduced monopoly of EIC to trade with India. But it kept monopoly
for trade with china. It also allocated an amount of Rs. 1 lakh for promotion of Indian
education.

Charter Act, 1833: Ended all monopolies of EIC with respect to trade. Governor General of
Bengal became the governor general of India. It laid the foundation of Indianisation of public
services.

VI. Lord Dalhousie

He was the youngest governor general.

Salient features of his administration:

1. He followed the policy of annexation by annexing Punjab, lower Burma, Oudh and
central provinces to the British Empire.

2. He annexed the princely states if the rulers died without natural heirs. His doctrine of
lapse was the reason many kingdoms were added to the British Empire. This policy was
one of the reasons for princes joining the 1857 mutiny.
 3. The annexation of Oudh affected the sepoys of the British army as many came from
Oudh. They had privileged positions in the army but after the annexation they became
same as the remaining population. This too became a reason for 1857 mutiny.

4. He molded the new provinces into a centralized state. He shifted the Bengal artillery to
Meerut and shiplap became the permanent headquarters of the army.

5. Railways were started in India by him. The reasons were commercial, administrative
and defense.

6. Telegraph line was laid from Calcutta to diamond harbor. Telegraph and railways were
very useful for crushing the 1857 mutiny.

7. Post stamps were introduced. Uniform rate of half Anna was charged on post
throughout the country.

8. The universities of Calcutta, Madras and Mumbai were founded in 1857. John Wilson
was first chancellor of Mumbai university and KT Telang was first Indian chancellor.

9. He modernized the public works department and laid foundation for engineering service
in India.

He introduced the process of modernization in India and is hailed as The Maker of

Modern India.

VII. Lord Lytton

Salient features of his administration:

1. The vernacular press act was passed to muzzle periodicals in Indian languages and
curtail freedom of the press.

2. Arms act was passed to prevent Indians from keeping arms without license.

VIII. Lord Ripon

1. Repealed the vernacular press act.

2. Father of local self government. Started telephone in Kolkata in 1881.

3. Appointed hunter commission for expansion and improvement in elementary education

for the masses.

4. Passed the factory act to improve working conditions in factory.

 5. Tied to pass the Illbert bill which would have allowed Indian magistrates to try
Europeans. But the bill was rejected due to the popular protest against it.

IX. Lord Curzon

1. Passed the universities act that brought all universities under government control.

2. Police training schools were started for officers and constables.

3. Passed the legislation making it mandatory for government to protect archaeological

monuments.

4. Partition of Bengal was done by him.