HISTORY

ADVENT OF EUROPEANS
Introduction
Commercial contacts between India and Europeans were ancient via the land route, but
there were various shortcomings of Land-based routes like multiple taxations, theft,
conflicts with tribes/kingdoms etc.

● Therefore in 1494, Columbus of Spain started for India searching for a Sea Route and
discovered America instead.

● In 1498, Vasco da Gama of Portugal discovered a new sea route from Europe to India,
utilising which he reached Calicut by sailing around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.
This was the first arrival of European in India by Sea route.

Why Europeans came to India?

● Trade-in Agro-based products like Cotton and handicrafts was the primary reason
which led to the advent of Europeans.

● India was the primary source of spices. Some spices have antibiotic properties as well
as they were also used to preserve the food.

● Sea routes were discovered in order to reduce conflicts, taxation etc., which were
generally faced during land-based journeys.

Portuguese in India
● The Portuguese came to India to trade, and they wanted to take away the spice trade
from the Arab traders. They even resorted to piracy in order to capture the spice trade.

● Francis de Almeida was the first governor of the Portuguese in India. Later, in 1509
Albuquerque became the governor.
 ● Albuquerque captured Goa from the ruler of Bijapur in 1510. Subsequently, Goa
became the capital of the Portuguese settlements in India.

● Portuguese influence declined in India by the end of the 16th century as naval and
commercial powers of France, English and Dutch had given solid competition to
Portuguese and Spanish trade monopoly.

● Around the 17 th century, they had lost all their possessions in India except Goa, Diu
and Daman as the Marathas captured Salsette and Bassein in 1739.

● Portuguese lived for temporary periods in the settlements and then returned to Portugal.

● Portuguese were intolerant of the existing religions of India and tried to force people to
become Christian.

Causes of decline of Portuguese Power in India

● Rise of other trading powers, i.e. English, French, Dutch.

● Spain won Portugal in 1580 A.D. Phillip II of Spain neglected Portuguese dominions in
India.

● The Portuguese administration had become corrupt.

● The religious policy backfired them.

● In the 17th century, the Dutch also expelled the Portuguese from most parts of India.

British East India Company

● The British East India Company, sometimes also called John Company, was a Joint-
Stock Company established in 1600 as The Company of Merchants of London Trading
into the East Indies.

● William Hawkins stayed at the Court of Jahangir from 1608 to 1611.

● The British Company gained a foothold in India in 1612 when Mughal emperor
Jahangir granted the rights to establish a factory in Surat to Sir Thomas Roe.

● The Court of directors was the supreme authority in framing policies for the company.

Move of British towards Colonisation

● In the first 50 years of its arrival, the British East India Company had no interest in
developing colonies; it preferred to be engaged in trade only.

● This policy saw a change by 1650 when the power of the old guard British royalist
merchants was broken, and a new class of merchants wrested control of the Company.

● Later, they tried to establish political power to compel the Mughals to free trade and
keep the rival European out.

● In 1686 hostilities between the English and Mughal emperor broke out when the
English had declared war on Emperor. English lost the war and apologised for the same.

● In 1717 Farrukh Siyar confirmed the privileges granted in 1691 Farman and extended
them to Deccan and Gujarat.

The Dutch East India Company

● The Dutch East India Company was established in 1602.

● Dutch established their settlements at Masulipattinam, Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Pulicat,

Surat, Chinsura and Kasimbazar.

● Dutch exported indigo, cotton textiles, saltpetre, raw silk, and opium from India.

● It was the first company to issue stock.

● In the 17th century, before the prominence of the British, they emerged as the most
dominant power in European trade in the East.

● The main centre of the Dutch in India was Pulicat, and later it was replaced by
Nagapattinam.

● Indonesian Islands of Java, Sumatra, and the Spice Islands, where the spices were
produced, were the main interest of the Dutch.

● In 1667, the Dutch agreed to leave English settlements in India alone, while the English
gave up all claims to Indonesia.

● Dutch commercial activities started to decline by the beginning of the 18th century,
and with the Battle of Bedera with the English in 1759, it came to an end.

● Short sited commercial policy, which was mainly based on trade in spices, was also a
significant cause of the decline of Dutch Power.
The Danish East India Company
The Danish formed an East India Company and arrived in India in 1616.

● Substantial Danish settlement in India was Serampore in Bengal; it was also their
headquarters in India.

● They could not establish their position in India and finally sold all their Indian
settlements to the English in 1845.

● They were more concerned with missionary activities.

Dutch Colonialism
Dutch Colonies in India consisted of settlements and trading posts under control of the
Dutch East India Company. Dutch India did not have a political authority but rather was a
geographical location.

Out of all the European colonial powers that came to India, it was the Dutch who had the
shortest presence in comparison to the Portuguese and the English.

History of Dutch Colonialism in India

Merchants of the Dutch East India Company first established their presence in the Indian
subcontinent when they established a reading post in Dutch Coromandel, notably Pulicat.
They were mainly trading in textiles and spaces. They also established presence in Surat
and Bengal in 1616 and 1627 respectively.

To note, the first factory founded by Dutch in India was at Masulipatnam in 1605.

The Dutch East Indies even conquered Sri Lanka from the Portuguese in 1656. Following
this they constructed a series of forts on the Malabar coast to protect against invasion.

Despite their presence in India, the Dutch were more invested in strengthening their
presence further east in Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula.

By the end of the 17th century the following were the principal factories of the Dutch
East India company in India

● Surat – 1616

● Bimlipatam – 1641

● Karaikal – 1645
 ● Chinsurah – 1653

● 1658 – Baranagar, Kasimbazar (near Murshidabad), Balasore, Patna, Nagapatam

● Cochin – 1663

From their outposts in the above locations the following items were traded:I

● Indigo manufactured in Yamuna Valley & Central India

● Silk and textiles from Bengal, Gujarat

● Saltpetre from Bihar

● Opium and Rice from Ganga Valley

By the middle of the 18th century the Dutch began to lose their influence in the Indian
subcontinent due to the relentless colonial pursuits of their British rivals. The Battle of
Colachel in 1741 permanently ended Dutch presence in South India when the Travancore
army defeated an army of the Dutch East India company.

From then on Dutch began to lose their holdings to the British the Anglo-Dutch treaty of
1814 further accelerated the decline of Dutch colonialism in India. Following the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 further ratified the further possessions of the Asia Holdings
of the Dutch and the English. The treaty was a result of a series of conflicts between the
English and the Dutch East India Companies.

The terms of the treaty stipulated that all properties and establishment were to take place
on 1 March 1825. By the middle of 1825 the Dutch East India company had lost most of
their trading posts in India.

Facts about the Dutch East India Company

● The Dutch East India undertook the world’s first recorded Initial Public
Offering in the year 1602 and so established the world’s first Stock Exchange.

● The Dutch East India were more interested in maintaining a monopoly rather than
imperialism. Empire came later, in the 18th century, as a safeguard for monopoly.

● The Dutch East India Company was in fact an early-modern corporate model of
vertically integrated global supply chain and a proto-conglomerate, diversifying
into multiple commercial and industrial activities such as international trade.
 ● In the early modern period, the Dutch were pioneering capitalists who raised the
commercial and industrial potential of underdeveloped or undeveloped lands
whose resources they exploited, whether for better or worse.

● In many respects, modern-day corporations are all the ‘direct descendants’ of the
Dutch East India Company model. It was its 17th-century institutional innovations
and business practices that laid the foundations for the rise of giant global
corporations in subsequent centuries

The French
Colbert, a minister under Louis XIV, formed the French East India Company in 1664 CE.

Francis Caron established the first French factory in Surat about 1668 CE.

Maracara built a factory at Masulipatnam in 1669 CE.

Francois Martin created Pondicherry (Fort Louis) in c. 1673 CE, which later became the
seat of the French holdings in India, and he served as its first governor.

The French took Chandranagore near Calcutta from the governor, Shaista Khan, in 1690
CE.

At Balasore, Mahe, Qasim Bazar, and Karaikal, the French erected factories.

The advent of French governor Joseph François Dupleix in India in around 1742 CE
marked the start of Anglo-French warfare, which culminated in the legendary Carnatic
wars.

Pondicherry - The Nerve Centre of French

Francois Martin, the director of the Masulipatnam factory, was granted a location for a
colony in 1673 by Sher Khan Lodi, the administrator of Valikandapuram (under the
Bijapur Sultan).

Pondicherry was established in the year 1674.

Caron was succeeded as French governor by Francois Martin the next year. Other
sections of India, notably the coastal regions, were also home to the French company's
plants.

The French East India Company's commercial centres included Mahe, Karaikal,
Balasore, and Qasim Bazar.
Francois Martin established Pondicherry as a significant location after gaining command
in 1674. It was, after all, the French's bastion in India.

First Carnatic War (1740–48)

The Anglo-French War in Europe was triggered by the Austrian War of Succession, and
the First Carnatic War was a continuation of that conflict. The Treaty of Aix-La
Chapelle, which brought the Austrian War of Succession to a close, concluded the First
Carnatic War in 1748. Madras was returned to the English under the provisions of this
treaty, while the French received their colonies in North America in exchange.

Second Carnatic War (1749–54)

Dupleix, the French governor who had led the French armies to victory in the First
Carnatic War, aspired to expand his authority and political influence in southern India by
engaging in local dynastic rivalries to beat the English. The English and the French
agreed not to intervene in native rulers' quarrels. Furthermore, each side was left in
control of the territory that they had occupied at the time of the pact. It became clear that
Indian authority was no longer required for European success; rather, Indian authority
was growing increasingly reliant on European backing.

Third Carnatic War (1758–63)

When Austria attempted to reclaim Silesia in 1756, the Seven Years' War (1756– 63)
broke out in Europe. Once again, the United Kingdom and France were on opposing
sides. The Treaty of Peace Paris (1763) restored the French industries in India, but after
the war, French political dominance vanished. The Dutch having already been beaten in
the Battle of Bidara in 1759, the English became the dominant European force on the
Indian subcontinent.

English Success and the French Failure – Causes

The English company was a private enterprise, which instilled in the people a sense of
pride and self-assurance. The French company, on the other hand, was a
government-owned enterprise. The French government-controlled and regulated it, and it
was boxed in by government policies and decision-making delays. The English navy was
superior to the French fleet, and it assisted in cutting off the important maritime route
between France and its Indian colonies. Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras were all under
English control, whilst Pondicherry was under French control. The French prioritized
territorial ambition over business interests, leaving the French enterprise cash-strapped.

The French (1664-1760)

France was the last of the main European maritime powers to engage the East India trade
in the 17th century. The French had no sustainable trading firm or permanent station in
the East six decades after the formation of the English and Dutch East India companies
(in 1600 and 1602, respectively), and at a period when both enterprises were increasing
factories (trading posts) on the beaches of India. The first French commercial venture to
India is thought to have occurred during King Francis I's reign in the first part of the 16th
century

Rise of the French

The French had a desire to engage in East Indian trade from the early 16th century, their
arrival at the Indian ports was delayed. Indeed, the French were the last Europeans to
arrive in India for commercial purposes. During Louis XIV's reign, the king's famed
minister Colbert set the groundwork for the Compagnie des Indes Orientales (French East
India Company) in 1664, in which the king also had a vested stake. A 50-year monopoly
on French commerce in the Indian and Pacific Oceans was granted to the French East
India Company. The French king also awarded the corporation a perpetual concession
over the island of Madagascar, as well as any additional countries it may capture. The
Company invested a lot of money and energy attempting to resurrect the Madagascar
colonies, but with little result. Then, in 1667, Francois Caron led an expedition to India,
where he established a factory in Surat. After securing a patent from the Sultan of
Golconda, Mercara, a Persian who followed Caron, established another French workshop
at Masulipatnam in 1669. Shaista Khan, the Mughal subahdar of Bengal, granted the
French permission to develop a colony at Chandernagore near Calcutta in 1673.

The Nerve centers of French

Sher Khan Lodi, the ruler of Valikandapuram (under the Bijapur Sultan), awarded
Francois Martin, the director of the Masulipatnam factory, a colony site in 1673.
Pondicherry was established in 1674. Francois Martin took over as French governor the
next year, succeeding Caron. The French corporation also constructed plants in various
sections of India, notably around the coast. The French East India Company had key
commercial centers at Mahe, Karaikal, Balasore, and Qasim Bazar. Francois Martin
established Pondicherry as a significant location after assuming command of it in 1674.
It was, indeed, the French stronghold in India.

French East India Company

The French East India Company was a colonial commercial venture that was established
on September 1, 1664, to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trade firms
in the East Indies. The company's interest in the Mughal Empire would not be much
simpler to come by. On September 4, 1666, the French obtained a royal mandate from
Emperor Aurangzeb allowing them to trade via the port of Surat. By 1683, the French
had shifted their focus to the prestigious location of Pondicherry, but the change did little
to alleviate the Company's persistent lack of finance. With the collapse of the Mughal
Empire, the French sought to meddle in Indian political matters in order to defend their
interests, most notably by forming alliances with local kings in south India. The
commencement of war between the Dutch and the French had a negative impact on the
French position in India. The Dutch seized Pondicherry in 1693, bolstered by their
affiliation with the English after the Revolution of 1688. Despite the fact that the Treaty
of Ryswick, signed in September 1697, returned Pondicherry to the French, the Dutch
garrison hung on to it for another two years. Pondicherry flourished once more under
Francois Martin's capable leadership and grew to become the most significant French
outpost in India. When the War of Spanish Succession broke out in Europe, the French
company's fortunes in India took another turn for the worse. As a result, they were forced
to close their facilities in Surat, Masulipatnam, and Bantam in the early 18th century.
When Francois Martin died on December 31, 1706, the French in India suffered another
loss. The British were France's major adversary. As a result of continual battles in
Europe, particularly the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, the
British gained control of French colonies in India. The lands were restored to France by
the Treaty of Paris in 1763. It was granted a seven-year monopoly on all trade with
countries beyond the Cape of Good Hope. The agreement, however, did not foresee the
French Revolution, and the monopoly was terminated on 3 April 1790 by an act of the
new French Assembly that excitedly stated that the profitable Far Eastern trade would
now be "thrown open to all Frenchmen." The Company was unable to sustain itself
financially. In 1785, the firm was reorganized and 40,000 shares of the stock were issued
at a price of 1,000 livres each. The firm, unaccustomed to either competition or official
disfavor, declined steadily and was eventually dissolved in 1794.
The Anglo-French Struggle for Supremacy
However the British and French arrived in India for trade, they were eventually dragged
into Indian politics. Both had ambitions to wield political influence in the region. The
Anglo-French competition in India mirrored the customary rivalry between England and
France throughout their histories; it began with the commencement of the Austrian War
of Succession and culminated with the Seven Years' War. In India, the competition,
which took the shape of three Carnatic wars, determined once and for all that the English,
not the French, would be the lords of India. South India's political status was unsettled
and perplexing in 1740. Nizam Asaf Jah of Hyderabad was old and busy fighting the
Marathas in the western Deccan, while his subordinates speculated about the
ramifications of his death. To the south of his dominion was the Coromandel Coast,
which lacked a strong monarch to preserve power balance. Instead, there was the
remainder of the former Vijayanagara empire in inner Mysore, Cochin, and Travancore
on the Malabar Coast, and minor realms of Madura (Madurai), Tanjore (Thanjavur), and
Trichinopoly in the east (Thiruchirapally). The loss of Hyderabad signaled the end of
Muslim expansionism, and the English adventurers prepared their plans accordingly. In
particular, in India, the rivalry, which took the shape of three Carnatic wars, determined
once and for all that the English, rather than the French, were the better candidates to
establish their control over India.

First Carnatic War (1740–48)

The Coromandel coast and its hinterland were given the name Carnatic by Europeans.
The First Carnatic War was a European extension of the Anglo-French War triggered by
the Austrian War of Succession. The First Carnatic War is famous for the Battle of St.
Thome (in Madras), which took place between French forces and the forces of
Anwar-ud-din, the Nawab of Carnatic, to whom the English called for assistance

Cause of the war

Although France, aware of its more inferior position in India, did not favor extending
hostilities to India, the English navy, led by Commodore Curtis Bennett, captured some
French ships in order to irritate France. The French Governor-General, Marquis
Joseph-Francois Dupleix, requested assistance from Anwar-ud-Din, Nawab of Carnatic,
who warned the British that his province was neutral territory and that no attack on
French territories would be permitted. In 1746, France reacted by taking Madras with the
assistance of a fleet from Mauritius, the Isle of France, led by Admiral La Bourdonnais,
the French ruler of Mauritius. The seizure of Madras sparked a heated debate between
Dupleix and La Bourdonnais. Dupleix desired to hand up the town to the Nawab as
reparations for violating the Nawab's neutrality edict, whilst La Bourdonnais desired to
ransom the town back to the British. This debate continued until October when
Anwar-ud-Din decided to step in. He dispatched an army of 10,000 soldiers, led by his
son Mahfuzz Khan, to besiege the French at Madras.

Result of the First Carnatic war

At St.Thome on the banks of the Adyar River, a small French force led by Captain
Paradise destroyed a large Indian army led by Mahfuz Khan. The First Carnatic War
concluded in 1748 with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-La Chapelle, which ended the
Austrian War of Succession. Madras was returned to the English under the provisions of
this treaty, while the French received territory in North America in exchange. The war
showed the Europeans in India that even a small disciplined force could successfully beat
a much bigger Indian army. Furthermore, this fight demonstrated the significance of
naval might in the AngloFrench conflict in the Deccan.

Second Carnatic War (1749–54)

The Anglo-French rivalry in India formed the backdrop for the Second Carnatic War.
Even after the First Carnatic War ended, India's calm was short-lived. Nizam-ul-Mulk,
Mughal administrator of the Deccan and semi-independent Nawab of Hyderabad, died in
1748. The succession to his position was contentious, and the British and French were
quickly drawn into the squabble amongst the aspirants. The French aimed to enhance the
power and French political influence in southern India by meddling in local dynastic
rivalries in order to beat the English. The British strengthened their grip in southern India
during the Second Carnatic War, which lasted from 1749 to 1754.

Course of the war

The death of Nizam-ul-Mulk, the founder of the independent kingdom of Hyderabad, in
1748, and the release of Chanda Sahib, the son-in-law of Dost Ali, the Nawab of
Carnatic, by the Marathas in the same year, offered the chance. In Hyderabad, Muzaffar
Jang, the grandson of the Nawab, challenged Nasir Jang, the son of the Nizam, to the
throne of Hyderabad, claiming that the Mughal Emperor had chosen him as governor of
Hyderabad.
There were two contenders for the Nawabship of Carnatic, a subsidiary office formally
dependent on the Nizam, farther south. Muzaffar Jang, Chanda Sahib, and the French
army defeated and killed Anwar uddin in the Battle of Ambur (near Vellore) in 1749.
The Nawab was assassinated early in the conflict, leaving his son Mohammed Ali to
claim the Nawabship. Muzaffar Jang was appointed Nizam of Hyderabad and Subahdar
of Deccan, while Dupleix was made administrator of all Mughal provinces south of the
Krishna River. Muzaffar Jung, however, was assassinated a few months later, and the
French placed Muzaffar's uncle Salabat Jung as the new Nizam. After failing to give
meaningful support to Muhammad Ali at Trichinopoly, the English company's Robert
Clive proposed a diversionary attack against Governor Saunders of Madras. After
numerous fights, Muhammad Ali, who was ultimately established as the Nawab of
Carnatic, executed Chanda Sahib.

Result of the Second Carnatic war

The French government, irritated by the large financial losses caused by Dupleix's
policies, decided to recall him in 1754. Dupleix was replaced as French
Governor-General in India by Charles Robert Godeheu. Godeheu pursued a strategy of
conciliation with the English, signing the Treaty of Pondicherry with them, in which the
English and French promised not to intervene in the disputes of native kings.

Third Carnatic War (1758–63)

When Austria sought to reclaim Silesia in 1756, the Seven Years' War (1756–63) erupted
throughout Europe. Britain and France were once again at odds

Course of the war

The French army, led by Count Thomas Arthur de Lally, conquered the English forts of
St. David and Vizianagaram in 1758. The English then went on the attack, inflicting
significant losses on the French navy led by Admiral D'Ache at Masulipatnam. The
English won the crucial battle of the Third Carnatic War on January 22, 1760 at
Wandiwash (or Vandavasi) in Tamil Nadu. The English army, led by General Eyre
Coote, completely destroyed the French army led by Count de Lally and imprisoned
Marquis de Bussy. Lally gallantly fought Pondicherry for eight months before
surrendering on January 16, 1761.
Result of the Third Carnatic War
The Third Carnatic War turned out to be pivotal. The third war ended with the Treaty of
Paris (1763), which restored Pondicherry and Chandannagar to France but limited them
to commercial operations. Despite the fact that the treaty restored the French industries
in India, French political power in India faded after the war. Following that, the French,
like their Portuguese and Dutch rivals in India, restricted themselves to tiny enclaves and
commerce. The English rose to become the dominant European force in the Indian
subcontinent.

Causes for the English Success

The English corporation was a private enterprise, which instilled in the people a spirit of
optimism and self-assurance. With less governmental oversight, this corporation may
make choices quickly without waiting for clearance from the government. The French
corporation, on the other hand, was a state-owned enterprise. It was governed and
regulated by the French government, and it was constrained by government policies and
decision-making delays. The English navy was superior to the French fleet, and it
assisted in cutting off the important maritime route between France's colonies in India
and France. The English controlled three significant cities: Calcutta, Bombay, and
Madras, while the French controlled just Pondicherry. The French prioritized
geographical ambition over business interests, resulting in a lack of cash for the French
enterprise. Regardless of their imperialistic motivations, the British never ignored their
business interests. As a result, they always had the cash and, as a result, a solid financial
position to aid them considerably in their conflicts against their adversaries. The
supremacy of the British commanders was a crucial element in the English triumph in
India. In comparison to the English side's lengthy list of commanders - Sir Eyre Coote,
Major Stringer Lawrence, Robert Clive, and many more - the French side had just
Dupleix.

Battle of Buxar 1764 –

The Battle of Buxar is one such confrontation between the British army and their Indian
counterparts which paved the way for the British to rule over India for the next 183 years.
The Battle of Buxar took place in 1764.

What was the Battle of Buxar? It was a battle fought between the English Forces, and a
joint army of the Nawab of Oudh, Nawab of Bengal, and the Mughal Emperor. The battle
was the result of misuse of trade privileges granted by the Nawab of Bengal and also the
colonialist ambitions of East India Company Background of the Battle of Buxar Before
the battle of Buxar, one more battle was fought. It was the Battle of Plassey, that gave the
British a firm foothold over the region of Bengal. As a result of the Battle of Plassey,
Siraj-Ud-Daulah was dethroned as the Nawab of Bengal and was replaced by Mir Jafar
(Commander of Siraj's Army.) After Mir Jafar became the new Bengal nawab, the British
made him their puppet but Mir Jafar got involved with Dutch East India Company. Mir
Qasim (son-in-law of Mir Jafar) was supported by the British to become the new Nawab
and under the pressure of the Company, Mir Jafar decided to resign in favour of Mir
Kasim. A pension of Rs 1,500 per annum was fixed for Mir Jafar.

A few reasons which were the key to the Battle of Buxar are given below:

● Mir Qasim wanted to be independent and shifted his capital to Munger Fort from
Calcutta.

● He also hired foreign experts to train his army, some of whom were in direct conflict
with the British.

● He treated Indian merchants and English as same, without granting any special
privileges for the latter.

These factors fuelled the English to overthrow him and war broke out between Mir
Kasim and the Company in 1763.

Who were the combatants of the Battle of Buxar?

The table below will inform the participants of the battle of Buxar and their significance
on the battle: Participants of Battle of Buxar Role in the Battle of Buxar

Mir Qasim - (Administering Bengal in place of Mir Jafar - Nawab of Bengal) He

disliked misuse of dastak, farmans by the English, hence tried to conspire against them by
forming an alliance with Nawab of Awadh and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II
Shuja-Ud-Daulah - Nawab of Awadh (Oudh) Was a part of a confederacy with Mir Qasim
and Shah Alam-II Shah Alam II - Mughal Emperor He wanted to overthrow English from
Bengal

Hector Munro - British Army Major He led the battle from the English side Robert Clive
Signed the treaties with Shuja-Ud-Daulah and Shah Alam-II after winning the battle
The Course of Battle of Buxar When the battle broke out in 1763, English gained
successive victories at Katwah, Murshidabad, Giria, Sooty and Munger. Mir Kasim fled
to Awadh (or Oudh) and formed a confederacy with the Shuja-Ud-Daulah (Nawab of
Awadh) and Shah Alam II (Mughal Emperor). Mir Qasim wanted to recover Bengal from
the English.

Read the course of battle in the points below:

● Mir Qasim fled to Oudh

● He planned a confederacy with Shuja-Ud-Daula and Shah Alam II in a final bid to

overthrow the English from Bengal

● Mir Qasim’s soldiers met the English army troops directed by Major Munro in 1764.

● The Joint armies of Mir Qasim were defeated by the British.

● Mir Qasim absconded from the battle and the other two surrendered to the English
army.

● The battle of Buxar ended with the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765. Result of Battle of
Buxar

● Mir Qasim, Shuja-Ud-Daula and Shah Alam-II lost the battle on October 22, 1764.

● Major Hector Munro won a decisive battle and Robert Clive had a major role in that.

● English became a great power in northern India.

● Mir Jafar (Nawab of Bengal) handed over districts of Midnapore, Burdwan and
Chittagong to the English for the maintenance of their army.

● The English were also permitted duty-free trade in Bengal, except for a duty of two per
cent on salt.

● After the death of Mir Jafar, his minor son, Najimud-Daula, was appointed nawab, but
the real power of administration lay in the hands of the naib-subahdar, who could be
appointed or dismissed by the English.

● Clive made political settlements with Emperor Shah Alam II and Shuja-Ud-Daula of
Awadh in the Treaty of Allahabad.

What is the Treaty of Allahabad (1765)?

Two important treaties were concluded in Allahabad between Robert Clive,
Shuja-Ud-Daulah & Shah Aam-II.

The key-points of the treaty of Allahabad are given below:

Treaty of Allahabad between Robert Clive & Shuja-Ud-Daulah:

● Shuja had to surrender Allahabad and Kara to Shah Alam II

● He was made to pay Rs 50 lakh to the Company as war indemnity; and

● He was made to give Balwant Singh (Zamindar of Banaras) full possession of his
estate.

Treaty of Allahabad between Robert Clive & Shah Alam-II:

● Shah Alam was commanded to reside at Allahabad which was ceded to him by
Shuja-Ud-Daulah under the Company’s protection

● The emperor had to issue a Farman granting the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to
the East India Company in lieu of an annual payment of Rs 26 lakh;

● Shah Alam had to abide by a provision of Rs 53 lakh to the Company in return for the
Nizamat functions (military defence, police, and administration of justice) of the said
provinces.

the battle of Plassey

The Battle of Plassey was fought between the East Indian Company forces under the
command of Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal on June 23, 1757.
Since East India Company was Imperial and mercantile in nature, they drastically
misused the trade privileges that adversely affected the Nawab's financial status which
infuriated Siraj-ud-Daulah. Causes of Battle of Plassey The major causes of the battle of
Plassey can be classified into two parts i.e.

1) Immediate reason was the attack of East India company on Chandranagor, a French
settlement that was taken by Siraj as a violation of the Treaty of Alinagor and;

2) The other long-term reason was –

• Siraj-ud-Daulah was unhappy with the drastic misuse of its trade privileges that
adversely affected Nawab's finances.
• The East India Company gave asylum to political fugitives like Krishna Das son of Raj
Vallabh who fled after taking a large number of treasures against the nawab's will.

• Siraj-ud-Daulah attacked and captured the British fort at Calcutta.

• East India Company made a conspiracy with those officers of Siraj-ud-Daulah who are
not satisfied with Nawab.

For example o Mir Jafar, who was the chief military commander of Siraj-ud-Daulah

o Jagat Seth was a banker of Bengal.

o Rai Durlabh, an official in the court of Nawab.

o Omichand, an officer in charge of Calcutta.

Under the deal, Mir Jafar was to be made the Nawab of Bengal, who in return would
reward the company for its services. With this English Company’s position strengthened
more which shows the English victory in the battle of Plassey was decided before the
battle was even fought. And, the Siraj-ud-Daulah although having the 50,000 strong force
was defeated by the handful of a clive's 3,000 forces.

Personalities involved in the Battle of Plassey-

1. Siraj-ud-Daulah: • Siraj-ud-Daulah was the Nawab of Bengal • Siraj-ud-Daulah is
believed to have imprisoned 146 English people who were put in a very tiny room
due to which out of 146, 123 died out of suffocation. • Siraj-ud-Daulah attacked
and seized the English fort at Calcutta, Calcutta was under the control of the
British.
2. Robert Clive- • Robert Clive was the commander in chief of the East India
Company in Bengal. • Robert Clive gave asylum to Krishna Das son of Raj
Vallabh who was an economic fugitive and that disappointed the Siraj-ud-Daulah.
• He misused the trade privilege given to East India Company. • He fortified the
fort at Calcutta without the permission of Nawab
3. Mir Jafar- • He was a brilliant commander-in-chief of the Nawabs army. • East
India Company bribed him for cheating Siraj-ud-Daulah. • He conspired with East
India Company in desire of becoming Nawab of Bengal.
 4. Rai Durlabh- • He was an official in the courts of the nawab. • Although he joined
the army of Siraj-ud-Daulah but did not help in battle, thus betraying
Siraj-ud-Daulah.
5. Jagat Seth- • He was a banker. • His involvement in the conspiracy resulted in
Siraj-ud-Daulah's imprisonment and killing of Siraj.
6. Omi Chand- • He was an officer in charge of Calcutta. • He was responsible for a
signatory to the treaty negotiated by Clive before the Battle of Plassey.

Chronology of events in Battle of Plassey

The British were misusing Dastak and started fortification and Nawab was warned but
the British had not responded. When the company did not comply with its instructions of
Nawab, regarding the prevention of misuse of Dastak and stopping the fortification of
Fort William, then Nawab, as a measure of warning, attacked and captured the company's
factory at Kasim Bazar. In retaliation, the company looted and plundered Hooghly. This
further provoked the new Nawab and in June 1756 Nawab attacked Fort William. The
company's officials were taken by surprise and were defeated, some of them surrendered
and were captured and some of them escaped through the back gate into the river
Hooghly. And they took shelter at the tidal Island called Fulta in river Hooghly along
with Governor Drakes, and from Fulta, they sent a message to Madras.

Nawab ordered the English Prisoners to be put behind bars. He changed the name of
Calcutta to Alinagar and gave the administrative charge of Alinagar to Manik Chand and
he returned to Murshidabad. Meantime by December 1756, a large British force under the
leadership of Robert Clive and Admiral Watson arrived in Bengal from Madras.

When Nawab got to know this, he developed fear and he decided to try a compromise
with the English also due to the fear of attacks by Ahmed Shah Abdali and the Marathas.
Meanwhile, Manik Chand had handed over Calcutta to the English without a fight. The
negotiation started between Nawab Siraj-udDaulah and Robert Clive which resulted in
the Treaty of Alinagor in February 1757. According to which Nawab agreed to restore the
trading privileges of the company, he allowed the company to undertake the fortification
of Fort William, he agreed to pay a war indemnity to the company and in return, Clive
promised that company would not attack the French at Chandra Nagar.

But in April 1757, the company attacked Chandranagar and the French were defeated.
Nawab talked with Clive and came to Calcutta with a small army and he was next going
to the farmhouse of Omichand. Britisher felt that Nawab wanted to fight and attacked.
Both sides attacked each other at Plassey in Nadia of West Bengal. Britishers were 3000
and Nawab had almost 65000 soldiers but due to the conspiracy between Mir Jafar and
Robert Clive the Nawab Siraj-udDaulah was captured and put behind bars and Mir Jafar's
son- Miran killed Nawab.

Impact of the Battle of Plassey

Political Impact - • The Battle of Plassey started the process of colonialization of India by
the British Company. The British Company established its political influence over Bengal
not directly but indirectly by putting Nawab Mir Jafar as a puppet on the throne of
Bengal. • British Company started using Bengal as a launching pad to manifest his
Imperial ambition.

Economic Impact-

The drain of wealth started first by plundering then misuse of privileges etc. • Mir Jafar
gave the Diwani right 25(twenty-five) paragana to the British Company. And now the
revenue from this region was to go in the favor of British Company. • Mir Jafar also
rewarded a huge amount of money not only to lord Clive but also to other British officers.
• After the Battle of Plassey British company maintained a monopoly over trade and
commerce in Bengal. • Thus Bengal once a rich province of the Mughals’ Empire started
beginning a region of Hunger, Famine, and Deprivation

Cultural Impact

The Battle of Plassey exposed the moral weakness of the Indian people and made it clear
to the British Company that India could be conquered with help of the Indian people
because they had no conception of nationalism.

Transfer of power

After the Battle of Plassey, Mir Jafar became a Nawab of Bengal. Mir Jafar was a puppet
Nawab, he was used by the company just to meet its financial demand of the company.
So that company could promote its colonial interest very soon. Mir Jafar was not in a
position to meet the greedy demands of the company because the company itself was
Imperial in nature. As a result, Mir Jafar started losing his relevance in the imperial game
of the company. Thus an allegation was raised against him that he was making a
conspiracy with Dutch, but the reality was that he failed to pay the huge amount of
revenue demanded by the company. As a result British company made a compromise
with Mir Kasim thereby the transfer of power took place in September 1760. This
transfer of power was considered a kind of revolution in Bengal by some historians.

The scenario of Bengal after the historical Battle of Plassey:

The event led to the Battle of Buxar in 1764. • Transfer of power from Mir Jafar to Mir
Kasim. • Mir kasim was then the new Nawab of Bengal.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BRITISH

RULE IN BENGAL
INTRODUCTION:
During the first half of the eighteenth century, two large European commercial
enterprises, the British and the French were battling in India for profitable transactions.
This struggle evolved in severe English- French rivalry which took the form of three
Carnatic Wars. In order to cement their control, it was vital forthe English East India
Company to eradicate the French from this territory. The British East India Company beat
the French army at the battle of Wandiwash in 1761 ending almost a century of conflict
over sovereignty in India. In the meantime, the British victory in the battle of Plassey
started an age of political supremacy which was to skew the balance of commerce in
favour of the British who were to enjoy all kind of privileges from hence forth. Thus
from 1757, comes the period of political control for the British East India company which
is a subject of in-depth investigation.

The conquest of Bengal and aftermath (1757-1772):

Mir Jafar was named Nawab after Plassey, he was to be a puppet in the hands of Clive
and his soldiers. The cash payments following the victory of Plassey were enormous. The
British received around 28 million rupees, equivalent to 3 million pounds sterling,
ofwhich nearly half went to private persons, including Clive himself. The Company
obtained the revenue collection rights over multiple districts, and an unobstructed trading
access to the countryside. To be sure, Clive did not intend conquest, nor did the Company
s directors at home. The ‟ Company s servants in India, determined to amass riches for
them ‟ selves, denied any check on their unscrupulous operations. In the process, as they
lived increasingly more extravagantly, they became known as nabobs, from the Mughal
term nawab(governor) (governor). Forits part, the Company too sought increasingly
greater capital for its trading operations. Significantly, after 1757 the Company
discontinued the shipment of bullion to Bengal. Instead, in a significant change in Britain
s economic relationship with India, it used the ‟ ‟ province s internal tax earnings to
finance the purchase of the products it annually exported to England.

In October 1760, Mir Jafar was forced to abdicate in favour of his son-in-law, Mir Qasim,
who rewarded his benefactors by granting the Company the zamirdari of the districts of
Burdwan, Midnapore, and Chittagong, and giving handsome presents totaling 29 lakhs of
rupees to the high English officials. Mir Qasim, proved contrary to the English hopes, and
soon emerged as a danger to their position and intentions In Bengal. He was an able,
efficient, and forceful ruler, anxious to free himself from foreign domination, He
reasoned that since he had paid the Company and its servants handsomely for putting him
on the throne, they should now leave him alone to govern. He knew that a full treasury
and an efficient army were vital to secure his independence. He, thus, tried to prevent
public commotion, to boost his income by removing corruption from revenue
management, and to establish a modern and disciplined army along European lines. All
this was not to the liking of the English. Most of all they detested the Nawab's attempts to
control the misuse of the farman of 1717 by the Company's servants, who insisted that
their commodities whether destined for export or for internal use should be free of duties,
This hurt the Indian traders as they had to pay taxes from which the foreigners had
complete exemption. Moreover, the Company's servants unlawfully sold the dustaks or
free permits to loyal Indian merchants who were consequently able to dodge the internal
customs charges. These abuses damaged the harvest Indian traders via unfair competition
and deprived the Nawab of a very vital source of revenue, In addition to this, the
Company and its servants grew drunk by 'their new-found authority' and `the bright
possibilities of wealth' and, in their chase of riches, began to mistreat and ill-treat the
officials of the Nawab and, the poor people of Bengal. They forced the Indian officials
and zamindars to give those presents and bribes. They compelled the Indian artisans,
peasants, and merchants to sell their goods cheap and to buy dear from them, People who
objected were typically flogged or imprisoned. These years have been defined by a
British historian, Percival Spear, as "the period of blatant and unashamed looting." In
fact, Bengal was being robbed by the British Company.

Mir Qasim recognised that if these abuses persisted he could never hope to make Bengal
powerful or liberate himself of the Company's influence. He consequently took the bold
step of removing all tariffs on internal trade, thus offering his own subjects a concession
that the English had seized by force. But the Foreign merchants were no longer willing to
tolerate equality between themselves and Indians. They sought the re application of tariffs
on Indian traders. The conflict was going to be joined anew. The truth of the situation was
that there could not exist two masters in Bengal. While Mir Qasim claimed that he was an
autonomous ruler, the English required that he should behave as a simple tool in their
hands.

Battle of Buxar:
The political independence displayed by Mir Qasim incensed the British administration
in Bengal. The English agent at Patna got irritated with Mir Qasim and as a symbol of
protest he occupied at Patna. This was sufficient provocation for Mir Qasim. He promptly
launched an attack against Ellis who was defeated and made a prisoner in the hands of
Mir Qasim. At this, the English mounted a counter attack against Mir Qasim who was
beaten in three successive battles at Katwa, Gheria and Udaynal. To revenge this setback
Mir Qasim ordered a massive slaughter of all the English prisoners of Patna. There after
he escaped to Awadh to form a common cause with Shuja- ud-daula, the Nawab of
Awadh, and the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. Shuja-ud-daula, the Nawab of Awadh,
intended to undermine the English rule in Bengal. But he could not dare to attack the
English settlement. Before Mir Qasim travelled to Awadh, Shah Alam II, the putative
Mughal Emperor had already taken refuge in the court of Nawab Shuja-ud-daula. He had
already promised the Nawab a large financial aid in case of a fight between the Nawab
and the English. Now the three monarchs such as Shula-ud-daula, Shah Alam II and Mir
Qasim, joined together with a deep resolve to beat the English. They declared war against
the English in 1764.

Their combined army encountered the British forces under the command of Major Munro
in Buxar on 22 October 1764. Major Munro dealt a resounding defeat on their combined
forces. Mir Qasim fled to the North-West and perished. Shah Alam II departed
Shuja-ud-daula and found safety in the British camp. Shuja- ud-daula battled until 1765
when he was completely destroyed.

This was one of the most crucial battles of Indian history for it revealed the supremacy of
English army over combined armies of two of the major Indian powers. It effectively
cemented the British as masters of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa and placed Awadh at their
mercy. At Buxar, in a hard- fought conflict unlike that of Plassey, the British made
themselves the masters of eastern India. There were no longer able to keep up the fiction
that they were more traders,
 In 1765, under a pact with the Mughal emperor, in return for an annual tribute, the
Company obtained the diwani, or tax collecting powers, for the provinces of Bengal,
Bihar, and Orissa. Legally, this made the Company the Emperor s deputy, ‟ as tax
minister, apposition they kept until 1858. The administration of justice, or nizamat, was
entrusted to the nawab. In form Bengal remained a Mughal Province. In fact, however, it
was fully under the administration of the East India Company, for neither the emperor in
Delhi nor the figure head nawab exercised any independent authority over the province.

Clive, who had returned to Bengal in 1765 as its Governor, determined to seize the
chance of power in Bengal and to gradually shift the authority of Government from the
Nawab to the Company. In 1763, the British had reinstated Mir 'afar as Nawab and
collected vast sums for the Company and its senior officials. On Mir Jafar's death, they
placed his second sort Nizam-ud-Daulah on the throne and as a reward forced him sign a
new contract on 20 February I765. By this contract the Nawab was to disband most of his
army and to manage Bengal through a Deputy Subadar who was to be selected by the
Company and who could not be dismissed without its agreement. The Company thus
achieved supreme authority over the administration (or nizamat) of Bengal. The members
of the Bengal Council of the Company once again collected over 15 lakhs of rupees from
the new Nawab

From Shah Alam II, who was still the titular king of the Mughal Empire, the Company
gained the Diwani, or the power to collect income, of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. Thus,
British dominion over Bengal was legalised and the income of this most opulent of Indian
provinces placed at its hands.

The Nawab of Awadh, Shuja-ud-Daulah, was ordered to pay a war indemnity of five
million rupees to the Company. Moreover, the two struck an alliance by which the
Company committed to help the Nawab against an outside invasion provided he paid for
the services of the troops sent to his aid. This alliance rendered the Nawab a subordinate
of the Company. The Nawab welcomed the partnership with the misguided notion that
the Company, being largely a commerce entity, was a transitory force while the Marathas
and the Afghans were his genuine foes. This was to prove an expensive miscalculation
for both Awadh and the rest of the country. On the other hand the British had quite
shrewdly opted to consolidate their acquisition of Bengal and, in the interim, to use
Awadh as a buffer state.
LET US SUM UP:
The East India Company which was created on 31 December 1600 and chartered by
Queen Elizabeth of England for the exclusive purpose to trade with India.

the East India Company's position in India was that of a trading organisation which
brought products or precious metals into India and exchanged them for Indian items like
textiles, spices, etc., which it sold abroad.

The Company s conquest of Bengal enabled it to seize control of India s ‟ ‟ richest

province. The resources of Bengal were used by the Company to its future political
expansion. The victories of the East India Company in The fight of Plassey and the battle
of Buxar led the foundation of British control in India which persisted for almost two
centuries.

ROBERT CLIVE
Who was Robert Clive?
● Major-General Robert Clive (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), was the
first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency.
● He began as a writer for the East India Company (EIC) who established the
military and political supremacy of the EIC by securing a decisive victory at the
Battle of Plassey in Bengal.
● He was born in 1725 in England. He Arrived in Fort St. George (Madras) in 1744
to work for the East India Company as a ‘factor’ or company agent. He enlisted in
the company army where he was able to prove his ability.
● He earned great fame and praise for his role in the Siege of Arcot which saw a
British victory against the larger forces of Chanda Sahib, the Nawab of the
Carnatic and French East India Company’s forces.
● He is also known as “Clive of India”.

Robert Clive’s Activities in India

● Clive’s initial stay in India lasted from 1744 to 1753.
● He was called back to India in 1755 to ensure British supremacy in the
subcontinent against the French. He became the deputy governor of Fort St.
David at Cuddalore.
 ● In 1757, Clive along with Admiral Watson was able to recapture Calcutta from
the Nawab of Bengal Siraj Ud Daulah.
● In the Battle of Plassey, the Nawab was defeated by the British despite having a
larger force. Clive delivered a decisive English victory by inducing the Nawab’s
army Commander Mir Jaffar, who was installed as Bengal’s Nawab after the
battle.
● Clive was also able to capture some French forts in Bengal. For these exploits,
Robert Clive was made Lord Clive, Baron of Plassey.
● As a result of this battle, the British became the paramount power in the Indian
subcontinent.
● Bengal became theirs and this greatly increased the company’s fortunes. (Bengal
was richer than Britain at that time).
● This also opened up other parts of India to the British and finally led to the rise of
the British Raj in India. For this reason, Robert Clive is also known as “Conqueror
of India”.

Robert Clive’s Rule of Bengal

● Robert Clive was the Governor of Bengal from 1757-60 and from 1765-67.
● During his first tenure as Bengal’s governor, under the Nawab Mir Jaffar,
corruption was rampant.
● The company’s sole aim was maximising revenue at the expense of the peasants.
● He amassed a great personal fortune in India and returned to Britain in 1760. He
returned to India in 1765 as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bengal.
● At this time, there was widespread corruption in the company. So Clive forbade
the company’s employees from engaging in private trade. He also barred them
from accepting gifts.
● He started a ‘Society of Trade’ in 1765 but it was later abolished. Mir Jaffar’s
son-in-law Mir Qasim had ascended the throne of Bengal.
● He wanted to wrest himself from English influence.
● The Battle of Buxar was fought between the British and the combined forces of
Mir Qasim, Shuja Ud Daulah (the Nawab of Awadh) and the Mughal Emperor
Shah Alam II.
● The British won this battle. As a result of this battle, the Diwani (right to collect
revenue) of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha was granted to the British by the Mughal
Emperor in return for an annual sum of money and Allahabad and Kora districts.
● Robert Clive, who could have had Awadh as well, refrained from annexing it. He
intended to use it as a ‘buffer’ state between the British and the Marathas.
 ● The Nizamat (territorial jurisdiction) of Bengal remained with the Nawab.
● In reality, the English held this power. This was Clive’s Dual System where the
company was the Diwan and the Nawab held the Nizamat.

Legacy of Robert Clive

● He has been denounced by many in India for the atrocities he heaped upon its
peasantry by imposing high taxes and forcing them to cultivate only cash-crops,
leading to famines.
● Robert Clive faced censure in England upon his return due to the mass amount of
personal fortune he accumulated during his stay in India.

LORD WELLESLEY
Lord Wellesley was Governor-General of Fort Williams from 1798 until 1805. The 4th
and final Anglo-Mysore war was conducted during his rule, and Tipu was killed.
Furthermore, the 2nd Anglo-Maratha War broke out, and Holkar, Scindia, and Bhonsle
were defeated. The rulers of Jodhpur, Bundi, Peshwa, Jaipur, Mysore, Oudh, Macheri,
Tanjore, Bharatpur, Berar, and the Nizam of Hyderabad all supported Wellesley’s
“subsidiary alliance” philosophy. In 1798, Lord Wellesley came to India as
Governor-General when the British fought a global war with France.

More about Lord Wellesley

Lord Wellesley believed that the moment had arrived to subjugate several Indian
territories to British rule. The Marathas and Mysore, two of India’s most formidable
dynasties, declined sharply by 1797. The Marathas were squandering their strength in
mutual intrigues and battles, while Mysore had been reduced to a mere shell of its former
glory during the 3rd Anglo-Mysore War. The political climate in India was conducive to
(British) expansionism: violence was both easy and lucrative.
Wellesley’s Administrative Plans
To attain his political goals, Wellesley depended on three methods:

● outright wars
● the Subsidiary Alliances system
● Assumptions of formerly subjugated rulers’ regions

Lord Wellesley pioneered the notion of a subsidiary alliance.

The ruler of the allying Indian State was required under the subsidiary alliance system to
accept the permanent stationing of a British military within his territory and pay a
payment for its maintenance.

Alliance of Subsidiaries
The Indian states effectively gave away their sovereignty by forming a Subsidiary
Alliance.

● The right to defend oneself

● Resolving issues with its neighbours
● Its autonomy
● Keeping diplomatic connections intact
● Hiring international specialists

Many of the unwaged soldiers united with the roving gangs of Pindarees who terrorized
India in the early nineteenth century.

On either side, the British reaped significant benefits from the Subsidiary Alliance. On
the expenditure of the Indian countries, they can now afford to uphold a large army.
Every year, the Nizam is supposed to discharge the French-trained men while
maintaining a reserve army of 6 battalions. The Nizam gave a section of his land to the
Company in exchange for financial payment in 1800, and the subsidiary army was
increased. The British pledged to safeguard his kingdom against Maratha attacks in
exchange.

In 1801, the Nawab of Avadh had enforced the precursor, of a Subsidiary Treaty. In
exchange for a stronger auxiliary army, the Nawab was compelled to give up almost half
of his domain, including Rohilkhand and the territory between the Yamuna and Ganga
rivers.

Wellesley was given much harsher punishments by Surat, Carnatic, Mysore, and Tanjore.

Of course, a Subsidiary Treaty would never be approved by Tipu of Mysore. On the

divergent, he had never recovered from the slaughter of half his fortune in 1791. He
toiled assiduously to prepare his troops for the impending war against the British. In
1799, before French aid could reach Tipu, the British army attacked and overpowered
him in a short but bloody conflict. Tipu refused to accept humiliating terms for peace.

Tipu died as a hero on May 4, 1799, defending his capital Seringapatam. His soldiers
stayed devoted to him until the very end.

The Fourteenth Anglo-Mysore War

Napoleon’s army sailed to Egypt in 1798 and conquered its rulers. Napoleon’s next move
would be to take the British possessions in India. The Kingdom of Mysore, whose king
Tipu had wanted France as an ally, was crucial to such a step. In a letter to Tipu,
Napoleon stated that he would deploy his vast armies to India to wipe away the British.
This plan, however, was never carried through since the French were destroyed by the
British at the Battle of the Nile (1798).
Meanwhile, Lord Wellesley had decided to smash Tipu. His soldiers marched into
Mysore and took control of Shrirangpatnam. One of Tipu’s commanders, Mir Sadiq, was
purchased by the British and fooled Tipu, resulting in Tipu being shot and killed during
the favourable English position. Tipu had deployed iron-cased rockets in the Third and
Fourth Mysore Wars. It prompted the British to create their own Rockets.

WILLIAM BENTICK

Who was William Bentinck?

William Bentinck was born on 14 September 1774 at Buckinghamshire, England to
William Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland and Lady Dorothy. His father was a Prime
Minister of Great Britain. Bentinck joined the British army at the age of 16 and had
become a colonel by 1798. In 1803, he was named the Governor of Madras. He later
served as Governor-General of India from 1828-1835. He is credited with reforms in
educational, social and judicial spheres during his tenure as Governor-General of British
India.

Facts about Lord William Bentinck

There are certain facts related to Lord William Bentinck which IAS exam aspirants
should know, that will help them for the UPSC Modern History segment.

● It was during his term as governor of Madras that the Vellore Mutiny took place
prompted by his order that the Indian troops be denied permission to wear their
traditional dress. As a result, he was recalled in 1807.
● His career in the army continued. He was also a member of the House of
Commons. In 1828, he was appointed the Governor-General of Bengal. His chief
task was to recover the loss-making East India Company.
 ● He was able to bring about a sound financial management system for the company,
but the process was also accompanied by a policy of westernisation. He was
influenced by Jeremy Bentham’s and James Mill’s utilitarian principles.
● Bentinck revised the court system as well as the educational system.
● In 1831 William Bentinck took control of Mysore on the grounds of
misgovernance.
● He passed the English Education Act 1835 that replaced Persian with English in
the higher courts. He also advocated for Indians to be educated in the western style
so that more Indians could be employed in the administration.
● He opened the Calcutta Medical College in 1835 and it became the first western
medical school in all of Asia where people could be admitted irrespective of caste
or creed.
● Along with Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Bentinck tried to suppress many superstitious
practices prevalent then. Sati, the practice of widow burning, was abolished by the
Bengal Sati Regulation (Regulation XVII) on 4th December 1829.
● He also tried to control, with Ram Mohan Roy’s advocacy, practices like
polygamy, child marriages and caste rigidity.
● The Charter Act of 1833 was passed in his tenure. This Act marks the
centralisation in India’s administration and also made provisions for the inclusion
of Indians in government service. This also made Bentinck the first
Governor-General of India.
● He reformed the military by banning flogging as a punishment in the British
Indian army.
● Bentinck also did a commendable job of controlling organised Thuggee. Thugs
were gangs of professional thieves and even murderers that had created a huge law
and order problem. Thuggee was finished off by 1837. Read more on the Thuggee
and Dacoity Suppression Acts in the linked article.
● He was the Governor-General of India till 20th March 1835.
● Lord Bentinck died on 17 June 1839 in Paris.

LORD DALHOUSIE
Lord Dalhousie, Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856 was born on 22 April
1812. He introduced the Doctrine of Lapse policy which turned out to be one of the major
causes of the Revolt of 1857. This article helps you learn more about the policies
implemented by Lord Dalhousie in India.
● Lord Dalhousie was born James Andrew Broun-Ramsay to George Ramsay (9th
Earl of Dalhousie) and his wife. The family was of Scottish origin.
● He studied at Harrow School and Christ Church College, Oxford.
● He entered active politics in 1837 when he was elected to the House of Commons.
● He was appointed the Governor-General of India and Governor of Bengal on 12th
January 1848.
● Dalhousie regarded his chief aim in India as the consolidation of British power. He
was known to be a hard worker but was also authoritarian and tough.
● His estimate is something of a controversy. He was responsible for introducing a
variety of modern reforms such as the railways, telegraph and postal networks, and
public works in India. The Ganga Canal was completed during his tenure.
● But, he is most remembered for the Doctrine of Lapse policy which many hold
directly responsible for the Indian Revolt of 1857.
● Despite the Doctrine, many regard Lord Dalhousie as the ‘Maker of modern
India’. Lord Dalhousie also started many Anglo-vernacular schools in India. He
also brought about social reforms such as banning the practice of female
infanticide. He firmly believed that western administrative reforms were necessary
and far superior to Indian systems.
● He also started engineering colleges to provide resources for the newly-established
public works department in each presidency.
● He also reformed the military. He prohibited the practice of branding criminals. He
also expanded the Legislative Council of India. He reformed civil services by
starting a system of open competition for recruitment.
● Dalhousie attempted to change the land revenue system. In the process, many
landlords had portions of their estates taken away, and many landholders were
deprived of their entire landholding. This was significant as many of the sepoys
were taken from this socio-economic class.
● His annexation of states through the Doctrine of Lapse, like Satara, Oudh and
Jhansi caused a lot of Indian soldiers to be disgruntled with the company rule.
● Dalhousie also oversaw the annexation of Punjab and parts of Burma through wars
with the local rulers. The Second Anglo-Sikh War was fought during his term.
● He returned to Britain in March 1856 after almost 8 years in India as the
Governor-General. The Indian Mutiny broke out a year later and Dalhousie was
criticized for his policies in India.
● The hill station of Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh was named after him. It was
established in 1854 as a summer retreat for English civil and military officials.
● Lord Dalhousie died on 19 December 1860 aged 48.