Modern History

Lecture 2
Expansion and Consolidation of British in
India

Table of Contents
Reasons for British success in India....................................................................................3
British Conquest of Bengal ................................................................................................4
Background .............................................................................................................................. 4
Battle of Plassey ....................................................................................................................... 4
Reasons............................................................................................................................................................4
Course of War ..................................................................................................................................................4
Consequences of the war ................................................................................................................................5
Significance of the war ....................................................................................................................................5

Battle of Buxar ......................................................................................................................... 6

Background......................................................................................................................................................6
War ..................................................................................................................................................................7
Consequences of the War ...............................................................................................................................7

British Conquest of Mysore and Anglo-Mysore Wars .........................................................9

Background .............................................................................................................................. 9

First Anglo Mysore War (1767-69)............................................................................................. 9

Reasons............................................................................................................................................................9
War ................................................................................................................................................................10

Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-84) ...................................................................................... 10

Reasons..........................................................................................................................................................10
War ................................................................................................................................................................10

Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-92) ......................................................................................... 11

Reasons..........................................................................................................................................................11
War ................................................................................................................................................................11

Fourth Anglo-Mysore War ...................................................................................................... 11

Reasons..........................................................................................................................................................11
War ................................................................................................................................................................12

British Conquest of Marathas and Anglo-Maratha Wars .................................................13

First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-82) ......................................................................................... 13

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 Reasons..........................................................................................................................................................13
War ................................................................................................................................................................13

Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-05) .................................................................................... 14

Background....................................................................................................................................................14
Course of the war ..........................................................................................................................................15
Significance of the Treaty of Bassein.............................................................................................................15

Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-19) ....................................................................................... 16

Reasons..........................................................................................................................................................16
Details ............................................................................................................................................................16
Result of the War...........................................................................................................................................16
Factors behind the Defeat of Maratha..........................................................................................................17

British Conquest of Sindh ................................................................................................18

Background....................................................................................................................................................18
Anglo-Russian Rivalry ....................................................................................................................................18
Causes of Annexation ....................................................................................................................................18
War ................................................................................................................................................................18

British Conquest of Punjab ..............................................................................................19

Background....................................................................................................................................................19
Reasons for annexation .................................................................................................................................19

1st Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46)................................................................................................... 19

Treaty of Lahore-1946 ...................................................................................................................................20
Treaty of bhairoval ........................................................................................................................................20
After War .......................................................................................................................................................20

2nd Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49) .................................................................................................. 20

War ................................................................................................................................................................20

Policies of British Govt. used to conquer India .................................................................21

Policy of Ring Fence (1765-1813) ............................................................................................. 21

Subsidiary Alliance Policy ....................................................................................................... 21

Doctrine of Lapse ................................................................................................................... 22

British Conquest of Awadh ..............................................................................................23

Background....................................................................................................................................................23

British Conquest of Neighbouring States .........................................................................23

Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16) .................................................................................................... 23

Anglo-Bhutan War (1865) ....................................................................................................... 24

Anglo-Afghan Wars ................................................................................................................ 24

Anglo-Burma Wars ................................................................................................................. 25

Anglo-Tibet War ..................................................................................................................... 25

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 Reasons for British success in India
• Superior arms & military strategy – The English arms such as muskets and cannons were
superior in comparisons to Indian ammunitions of native rulers. This military superiority
provided an edge to the British in the war with different Indian rulers.

• Military Discipline & regular salary – A regular system of payment of salaries & maintenance
of strict discipline in the English army made the troops & officers including Indians loyal to
the company, whereas Indian rulers were facing the issue of salaries/regular revenue to
their soldiers.

• Civil discipline & fair Election system – The company officers & troops were selected on
merit basis. They were subject to strict discipline & were aware of the objectives. But in case
of native rulers, recruitment was mostly based on the basis of caste & personal relations.
This affected the competence of the Indian troops.

• Brilliant Leadership and support of Second Line Leaders –

o Britishers had great leaders like Robert Clive, Warren Hastings, Elphinstone, Munro,
Marquess, etc. The English also had the advantage of a long list of secondary leaders
like Sir Eyre Coote, Lord Lake and Arthur Wellesley who fought not for the leaders
but for the cause and glory of their country.

o The Indian side too had brilliant Leaders like Haider Ali, Tipu Sultan, Madhav Rao
Sindhia and Jaswant Rao Holkar but they often lacked a team of second line trained
personnel.

o Moreover, the India leaders were fighting against each other and not against the
British. The spirit of fighting for a united cause was not their motivation. Thus, they
often supported the British against neighbouring rulers.

• Strong Financial backup –

o The income of the company was adequate enough to pay handsome dividends to its
shareholders and also finance the English wars in India. Also, England was earning
great amount of profits in trade with rest of the world.
o This strong financial position of the company provided an added advantage for the
success of military campaigns in India.
• Nationalist Pride – An economically thriving British people believing in material
advancement and proud of their national glory faced the ‘weak, divided-amongst-
themselves Indians’ bereft of a sense of unified political nationalism. The lack of materialistic
vision and nationalism amongst the Indians was also a reason for the success of the English
company.

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 British Conquest of Bengal
Background
• 1651 – The English had established their First factory in Bengal at Hugli after receiving the
permission from Sultan Shujra, the subahadar of Bengal.
• 1698 – The East India company obtained the Zamindari of Sutanati, kalikata and
Gobindapur from subahdar Azim-um-shah.
• 1700 – The factories in Bengal were placed under Fort William.
• 1717 – Emperor Farukhsiyar granted the trade privileges to the company
• 1717 – Murshid Quli Khan (Diwan & Subahdar) declared himself as the Nawab of Bengal.
• 1740 – Alivardi Khan did not allow Fortifications of French & English factories at
Chandernagore & Calcutta.
• 1757 – Siraj-ud-Daulah became nawab of Bengal. His succession was challenged by two
other contenders for the throne, Shaukat Jung (Faujdar of Purnea) & Ghaseti Begum
(Alivardi’s daughter)

Battle of Plassey

Reasons
• Farman of 1717 –
o This royal Farman became a source of conflict between the Bengal’s nawab and the
East India Company.
• Why Nawab’s were unhappy: - Loss of revenue to the Bengal. The servants of company to
evade taxes on their private trade misused Dastaks.
• Shelter to Krishna Das – The Company had given a shelter to Krishna Das who had fled from
immense treasures against the nawab’s will.
• Support to Ghaseti Begum – The English Company had also supported the claims of Ghaseti
Begum to the throne.
• Immediate cause – To protect itself from the French threat, the company had started the
fortification of Fort William & mounted guns on its walls.
o Siraj requested repeatedly to the company from further fortification, which was not
listened by the English. Hence, Siraj decided to launch an offensive action against
the company.

Course of War
• Black hole Tragedy (June, 1756)
o On 15th June 1756, Siraj-ud-Daulah surrounded the Fort William. During this while,
Governor Roger Drake and some of his men escaped from the back door & took
refuge at Fulta. They were waiting for the help from Madras.
o The Nawab captured the fort on 20th June 1756, renamed Calcutta as Alinagar, and
placed it under the charge of Manik Chand.
o The forces of Siraj imprisoned the commander John Howell and other 145
Englishmen including women and children in a very small room.

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 o It is believed that out of 146 persons, only 26 survived the next morning because of
excessive heat and suffocation. This incident came to be known as ‘Black Hole
Tragedy’
o Meanwhile, the English naval forces reached under the command of Robert Clive.
He bribed Manik Chand (Officer in charge of Fort William) and captured Fort William
again.
• Treaty of Alinagar-
o The surrender of Manik Chand forced Siraj to make peace with the English & sign
the treaty of Alinagar.
o Treaty of Alinagar (Feb 1757)
▪ Nawab restored to the English their former trade privileges.
▪ Granted permission to fortify Calcutta
▪ Nawab will pay compensation to the English for their issues.
▪ However, Robert Clive wanted to change the Nawab & forced Siraj-ud-
Daulah to fulfil all the demands of English. Hence, the war became
inevitable.
• Battle of Plassey (23rd June, 1757)
o On 23rd June 1757, both the armies met at Plassey. But prior to war, Robert Clive
joined the hands with the Nobles such as
▪ Mir Jafar – Mir Bakshi (Commander in Chief)
▪ Manik Chand – officer in charge of Calcutta
▪ Amir Chand – A rich merchant
▪ Jagat Seth – The biggest banker of Bengal.
▪ Khadim Khan – Commanded a large number of nawab’s troops. Accordingly,
the Nawab forces comprised of 50,000 under the leadership of Mir Jafar
stayed away from the battle.
▪ Only a small group of Nawab forces fought bravely under the leadership of
Mir Madan and Mohan Lal.
▪ However, the Nawab forces were defeated and English company emerged
as victorious.

Consequences of the war

• Mir Jafar was proclaimed as Nawab of Bengal
• Robert Clive confirmed as the Governor of Bengal
• The English company was granted undisputed right to free trade in Bengal, Bihar & Orissa.
• The company was granted Zamindari of 24 parganas near Calcutta.
• Mir Jafar paid a large amount of money as personal present to Clive and compensation to
the company’s losses.
• All the French settlements in Bengal were surrendered to the company.

Significance of the war

• The Battle of Plassey was the first political victory of the English in India.

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 • Mir Jafar was appointed as Nawab by the British which shows the real power was in the
hands of the company.
• Change in position of the company- Before Plassey, the East India Company was merely a
trading company but after the Plassey, the company established its monopoly over Bengal
trade and wiped out the French and the Dutch companies.
• Resources under British control – The victory of East India Company in the battle of Plassey
placed all the economic resources of Bengal under the purview of the English.

Battle of Buxar

Background
• Mir Jafar (1757-1760) –
o After the Plassey, Mir Jafar became the Nawab of Bengal with the help of the
Company in June 1757.
o However, Mir Jafar was not accepted as a ruler by some zamindars and soldiers.
o In addition, the Nawab failed to meet the growing demands of Company for
finances and trade privileges.
o Mir Jafar who played the role of ‘Clive’s Jackal’ soon began to turn out against the
English. He started intriguing with the Dutch against the British. But the English
wiped out the Dutch threat by defeating them in the Battle of Bedara (1759).

• Battle of Chinsura (1759)-

o Also known as Battle of Biderra or Bedara or Hoogly.

o Fought Between – Mir Jafar and Dutch against the Company.
o Result – British Won
o As a result, British decided to replace Mir Jafar with the other ruler who could meet
the needs of the Company and remain loyal to them.
o Hence, Vansittart (who had succeeded Clive as a Governor of Bengal in 1760)
successfully removed Mir Jafar and made Mir Qasim (son-in-law of Mir
o Jafar) as the Nawab of Bengal.
o In this way, it could be said that Mir Jafar sowed as he had reaped, got betrayal in
return for betrayal.
• Mir Qasim/ Itmad-ud- Daulah (1760-64) –
o After coming to the throne, Mir Qasim granted the Zamindari of Burdwan,
Chittagong and Midnapore. He promised to give the company half of the share of
Chunam trade of Sylhet and heavily bribed the English officials.
o However, relations of the Nawab and the Company disturbed in near future. Mir
Qasim wanted to free the Kingdom from the British Control. Accordingly, he
gradually started this process through following ways –
▪ He shifted the capital from Murshidabad to Monghyr in Bihar to reduce the
influence of the company in the court of Nawab.
▪ He also reshuffled the bureaucracy and appointed the men of his choice.

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 ▪ The Nawab sought to modernise his army along the European lines and
preparations were made to establish manufacturing of Guns at Monghyr.
▪ The Nawab also ordered the dismissal and execution of Ram Narayan, the
Deputy Governor of Bengal for his loyalty towards the Company.
o The misuse of Dastaks by the servants of the company for the private trade caused a
tension between the Nawab and the British. Mir Qasim had understood that the
Company was earning huge profit at the expense of Royal treasury. The issuance of
grants, trade privileges to the English left no space for the Indian Merchants and
Traders to sustainably run their business.
o To solve out these differences, he met Warren Hasting and Vansittart (member of
the Calcutta Council) and kept his concern especially related to private trade by
Company’s servants. Although, both of them assured the Nawab but the Council
rejected the proposal.
o In response, Mir Qasim abolished all Inland Duties to bring the Indian Merchants at
par with the English.
o As a result, the war was broke out between the Mir Qasim and the Company. Mir
Qasim was defeated in a series of war against the English.

War
• After his defeat against the English, he fled to Awadh and formed an Alliance with Shuja-ud-
Daulah (Nawab of Awadh) and Shah Alam II (the Fugitive Mughal Emperor).
• The English army was led by Major Munro.
• The English Forces had defeated the combined forces of Shuja-ud-Daulah, Mir Qasim and
Shah Alam II.
• Hence, this war established the British as a master of Bengal region and Awadh was placed
at their mercy.

Consequences of the War

• Primary Changes –
o Real power of Bengal – Transferred into the hands of English Company.
o Robert Clive – He was reappointed as Governor and Commander in Chief of Bengal
for the period of 1765-67
• Settlement with the Nawab of Bengal –
o Mir Jafar was again brought to the throne of Bengal. After the death of Mir Jafar in
1765, his minor son Najim-ud-Daulah was appointed as Nawab on the following
conditions –
▪ The Nawab would need to surrender Defence and foreign affairs in the
hands of Company.
▪ Civil Administration – Naib-Subahdar nominated by the Company and can
be removed with their consent only.
▪ Diwani Rights (Right to collect the revenue) also taken by the British.
• Settlement with the Nawab of Awadh –

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 o Robert Clive concluded the First Treaty of Allahbad with the Shuja-ud-Daulah on
16th August 1765.
o The First Treaty of Allahabad (16th August 1765)-
▪ The Nawab of Awadh was made to pay a war indemnity of 50 Lakh Rupees
to the Company.
▪ The Nawab was made to surrender Allahabad and Kora to the Mughal
Emperor Shah Alam II and confirm Balwant Singh, the Zamindar of Banaras
to his Estate.
▪ The Nawab was made to enter into an offensive and defensive treaty
(Subsidiary alliance) with the East India Company. In this, the Company will
provide the protection from the outside threat to the Awadh, provided he
paid for the services of the Troops. Thus, Nawab of Awadh became
dependent on the English Company.
• Why Robert Clive did not annex Awadh?
o If the Company had annexed Awadh, then it would be under obligation to protect
the extensive land frontier, which was vulnerable to attack by the Afghans (Under
Abdali), and the Marathas.
o Therefore, Clive converted the Awadh as a friendly buffer state between the British
possessions in Bengal and the territories of Marathas.
• Settlement with the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II-
o Robert Clive Concluded the Second Treaty of Allahabad with the Mughal Emperor
Shah Alam II on August 1765.
o Second Treaty of Allahabad (August 1765) –
▪ Shah Alam was taken into the Company’s protection and given the Districts
of Kora and Allahabad (the Emperor resided in the Fort of Allahabad for 6
years as a virtual pensioner of the East India Company).
▪ In return, Emperor Shah Alam II issued a Farman on 12th August 1765 which
granted the Diwani Rights (Right to Collect revenue) to the Company of
Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

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 British Conquest of Mysore and Anglo-Mysore Wars

Background
• The rise of Mysore under the leadership of Haider Ali was viewed as a threat by the
neighbouring states – Marathas, Nizam of Hyderabad and Nawab of Carnatic.
• Haider Ali saw the neighbouring states as at threat to his Mysore Empire. This provided an
opportunity to the Company to interfere in this conflict and to annex not only Mysore but
also the Marathas and other rulers of South India.

First Anglo Mysore War (1767-69)

Reasons
• The Friendship of Haider Ali with the French had annoyed the English Company.
• The border dispute between Mysore and Madras Government (under English).

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 • Immediate Reason: Nizam of Hyderabad had formed an alliance with the Marathas to
contain the expansionist policy of Haider Ali. Hence, a Tripartite Treaty was signed in 1766
between the English, Marathas and Nizam of Hyderabad against the State of Mysore.

War
• The Company, Marathas and Nizam of Hyderabad attacked the Mysore in 1766.
• However, Haider Ali successfully persuaded the Nizam and Marathas to join him against the
English.
• As a result, the Mysore launched an offensive attack against the Company and reached up to
the gates of Madras.
• He forced the Madras Council to sign the Treaty of Madras on his terms in 1769.
• Treaty of Madras – Through this treaty, both the powers decided to help each other in case
of an attack by the third party.

Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-84)

Reasons
• In 1771, Marathas invaded the State of Mysore and English Company did not arrive for the
help of Haider Ali. This was a violation of Treaty of Madras (1769).
• On the other hand, French was providing all the necessary arms and ammunition to the
Mysore from Mahe (Territory under French control).
• Immediate Cause: The English capture of Mahe caused to be an immediate factor for the
Second Anglo-Mysore war.

War
• Supporters of English – Marathas and Nizam of
Hyderabad.
• Supporter of Mysore – French under Admiral
Ballie de Suffren (reached in 1782 in India).
• English won this war
• Battle of Porto-Novo – The English force under
the leadership of Sir Eyre Coote defeated Haider
Ali in 1781.
• Haider Ali died in 1782 and his son Tipu Sultan
continued war.
• Meanwhile, the American war of Independence
ended and Suffren was called back to France. All
these Factors made the Position of Mysore
weak.
• Treaty of Mangalore (1784) – It was signed
based on mutual restitution of each other’s
territories.

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 • Significance of Treaty – The Treaty of Mangalore was the last British treaty with an Indian
ruler on equal footing.

Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-92)

Reasons
• Lord Cornwallis had the Governor- General of Bengal in 1786. He successfully convinced the
Marathas and Nizam to be at British side.
• French and Turks provided help to the Tipu
Sultan.
• However, Tipu’s attack on Travancore
provided the immediate pretext for the Third
Anglo-Mysore war.

War
• Supporter of British – Nizam and Marathas
• Supporter of Mysore – French and Turkey (This
time not openly but secretly)
• Who had won – British
• Treaty of Seringapatam (1792)-
o Tipu had to surrender half of his
territory to the British and its allies.
o Company acquired – Baramahal,
Dindigul and Malabar
o Maratha gain – Territory on the
Tungabhadra side
o Nizam got – Territories from the Krishna to beyond the Pennar
o Tipu had to pay war indemnity of Rupess 3 crore.
o As he was unable to pay such huge amount immediately, his two sons were kept as
prisoners with the Lord Cornwallis.
o After Lord Cornwallis, Sir John Shore became the Governor-General. He adopted the
policy of non- intervention towards Mysore. He is also known as the Father of
Policy of Non-Intervention.

Fourth Anglo-Mysore War

Reasons
• In 1797, Lord Wellesley sailed for India. By this time, England was struggling for its survival
against the France all over the world.
• In 1801, Napoleon Bonaparte had made an alliance with the Tsar Paul of Russia and prepared
a serious plan to invade India via Herat and Kandahar.
• Tipu Sultan of Mysore understood the importance of Napoleon Bonaparte as an opportunity to
oust the British from the India.

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• Hence, he entered into negotiations with the French and went for elaborate preparations for
war with the English. Accordingly, he planted a Flag of Liberty at Seringapatam and styed
himself as Citizen Tipu.
• He also employed the French Commandant Monsieur Raymond and raised an army of 14000
men with his help.
• All these activities of Tipu had annoyed the Lord Wellesley. Therefore, when Tipu rejected the
offer of Subsidiary Alliance, the war began

War
• Supporter of British– Marathas and
Nizam
• Supporter of Mysore – French
• Who had Won – British
• Battle of Seringapatam (1799) – The
Company had defeated the Mysore
army and Tipu Sultan died while
defending his city.
• The Company, Marathas and Nizam
annexed the remaining territories of
Mysore. The Company had acquired
the sea coast of Lower Peninsula. As a
result, the threat of French from the
Malabar Coast was completely wiped
out.
• The Company had restored the
Wodeyar Dynasty to the throne of
Mysore and brought the two-year- old
Prince Krishnaraja as new ruler. Also,
the remaining territory of Mysore i.e.,
area around Mysore and
Seringapatam was given back to
Wodeyar Dynasty.
• Finally, British compelled the Wodeyar
Dynasty to accept the Subsidiary Alliance Treaty.
• In this way, British succeeded in gaining control over not only Mysore but also almost entire
South India.
• In 1831 – William Bentick took over the control of Mysore over the issue of misgovernance.
• In 1881 – Lord Ripon again restored Wodeyar Dynasty.

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 British Conquest of Marathas and Anglo-Maratha Wars
First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-82)

Reasons
• After the death of Peshwa Madhav Rao, Sawai Madhav Rao became the new Peshwa of
Maratha Empire.
• Raghunath Rao challenged this succession. He went to the British for help This was the
immediate cause for the First Anglo- Maratha War.

War
• Treaty of Surat-1775
o Signed between Raghunath Rao (Raghoba) and British Government at Bombay
o What for Raghunath Rao? – The Company would help Raghunath Rao to become
Peshwa.
o What for the Company – In return, Raghoba would cede territories of Salsette and
Bassein and revenues from Surat and Bharuch to the British.
o Battle of Adas – The English army led by Colonel Keating defeated the Marathas but
they retained control over Poona.
• Treaty of Purandar (1776)- The Calcutta Council rejected the Treaty of Surat. Further
Warren Hasting had sent Colonel Upton to Poona Darbar and signed the Treaty of Purandar

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 o The Treaty of Surat was annulled.
o The British left the side of Raghunath Rao & was sent to Gujarat and decided that he
be given a pension by the Peshwa Government at Poona.
o However, the Treaty of Purandar could not be implemented due to sudden
important events. The American War of Independence was broken out and French
was helping the Americans. As a result, Warren Hasting scrapped the Treaty of
Purandhar and sent the British army to help the British Government at Bombay.
• Battle of Talegaon
o British Army – Led by Egerton (Later replaced by Colonel Cockburn)
o Maratha Army – Led by Mahadji Shinde
o Who had won – Marathas
o The English army surrendered and sign humiliating treaty with the Peshwa named
Treaty of Wadgaon in 1779
• Treaty of Wadgaon 1779
o The Bombay Government would return all territories captured by it after 1773.
o Scindias will get a part of the revenue from the Bharuch.
o However, Hasting rejected this treaty and sent an army under the leadership of
Colonel Goddard and captured Ahmedabad and Vasai.
o However, the Marathas defeated the English army under Goddard in Poona.
o Battle of Sipri (Modern Day Shivpur)-
▪ The British army led by Colonel Pompham captured the Gwalior fort on 3rd
August 1781.
▪ General Calmac defeated the Scindias in the Battle of Sipri.
▪ Finally, conflict was solved through the Treaty of Salbai (1782).
• Treaty of Salbai (1782)
o Madhav Narayan Rao will be accepted as Peshwa.
o The British will not support the cause of Raghunath Rao.
o Raghunath Rao would be given a yearly pension of Rupees 3.5 lakhs.
o The Company gave up Bassein and other territories conquered since the Treaty of
Purandar.
o In return, the English retained the Salsette and Elephanta Island.
o Scindia got back all the area on the West of Yamuna.

Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-05)

Background
• The Second Anglo-Maratha War started in circumstances similar to those of the First.
• After Peshwa Madhavrao Narayan committed suicide in 1795, Bajirao II, the worthless son
of Raghunathrao, became the Peshwa.
• Nana Phadnavis, a bitter foe of Bajirao II, became the chief minister.
• The disagreements among the Marathas provided the English with an opportunity to
intervene in Maratha affairs.
• The death of Nana Phadnavis in 1800 gave the British an added advantage.

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Course of the war
• On April 1, 1801, the Peshwa brutally murdered the brother of Jaswantrao Holkar, Vithuji.
Jaswant arrayed his forces against the combined armies of Sindhia and Bajirao II.
• The turmoil continued, and on October 25, 1802, Jaswant defeated the armies of
the Peshwa and Sindhia decisively at Hadapsar near Poona and placed Vinayakrao, son of
Amritrao, on the Peshwa’s seat.
• A terrified Bajirao II fled to Bassein, where, on December 31, 1802, he signed a treaty with
the English.

• Treaty of Bassein (1802): Under the treaty, the Peshwa agreed:

o To receive from the Company a native infantry with the usual proportion of field
artillery and European artillerymen attached to be permanently stationed in his
territories.
o To cede to the Company territories yielding an income of Rs 26 lakh.
o To surrender the city of Surat.
o To give up all claims for Chauth on Nizam’s dominions.
o To accept the Company’s arbitration in all differences between him and the Nizam
or the Gaekwad.
o Not to keep in his employment Europeans of any nation at war with the English.
o To subject his relations with other states to the control of the English.

• Reduced to Vassalage:

o After the Peshwa accepted the subsidiary alliance, Sindhia and Bhonsle attempted
to save Maratha's independence.
o But the well-prepared and organised army of the English under Arthur Wellesley
defeated the combined armies of Sindhia and Bhonsle. It forced them to conclude
separate subsidiary treaties with the English.
o In 1804, Jaswant Rao Holkar made an attempt to form a coalition of Indian rulers to
fight against the English. But his attempt proved unsuccessful.
o The Marathas were defeated, reduced to British vassalage, and isolated from one
another.

Significance of the Treaty of Bassein

o Admittedly, the treaty was signed by a Peshwa who lacked political authority, but
the gains made by the English were immense.
o The provision of keeping English troops permanently in Maratha territory was of
great strategic benefit.
o The Company already had troops in Mysore, Hyderabad, and Lucknow.
▪ The addition of Poona to the list meant that the Company’s troops were
now more evenly spread and could be rushed to any place without much
delay in times of need.

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 o Though the Treaty of Bassein did not hand over India to the Company on a platter, it
was a major development in that direction; the Company was now well-placed to
expand its areas of influence.
o In the circumstances, the observation that the treaty 'gave the English the key to
India' may be exaggerated but appears understandable.

Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-19)

• The third Anglo-Maratha War, which was fought between 1817 and 1819, was an intense
struggle for power between the Maratha Empire and the British. Throughout India, the
British company won this battle.
• This started with the annexation of the Maratha land. Despite the Marathas outnumbering,
they still got annihilated by the British. There were many Anglo Martha wars in history, but
the 3rd Anglo Maratha War holds great importance.

Reasons
• One of the major reasons that resulted in a war was a dispute between the Pindaris and the
British. Due to this reason, this war is often regarded as the “Pindari War.”
• The result of this war was a formal end of the ruling of the Peshwa. Here onwards, the
British company took over. The British were able to do this because of a lack of leadership,
internal issues related to the bureaucracy and politics, a lack of majority and trust, and an
inferior military system of Marathas.

Details
• This began when Lord Warren Hastings came to India and ruled as governor-general in
1813.
o Pindaris
▪ The hordes of marauders that were from several classes and castes were
Pindaris. The occupation of Pindaris was laundering and looting. They were a
part of the Maratha army, called mercenaries in the army. After the
second Anglo Maratha wars, the Maratha empire started decreasing. Due to
this, the Pindaris were not getting any proper employment. This leads them
to plunder and loot the British and other territories. This all happened after
the first Anglo Maratha war.
• Actions of Lord Warren Hastings
o The British started to charge the Maratha empire for providing shelter to Pindaris.
Lord Warren Hastings decided to defeat Marathas as well as take action against the
Pindaris. This led to the 3rd Anglo Maratha wars.
o Sir Thomas Hislop commanded the Deccan army, and Warren hasting commanded
the northern force to attack Pindaris. Around 1817, the British destroyed bands of
Pindaris and Pindaris sent across the river named Chambal. Pindaris leaders Amir
Khan and Karim khan surrounded themselves, and Chitu Khan escaped. The
Marathas took this war against Pindaris as the transgression of their pride.

Result of the War

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 • The British won the war against Marathas. In June 1817, at Khirki, the British defeated Baji
Rao II. The Poona treaty ended with him.
• With Sindhia in November 1817, the treaty of Gwalior happened. The Peshwas surrendered
in June 1818 to the British.
• Then happened the retain of the Baji Rao at Bithur in Kanpur. Finally, the abolishment of the
Peshwaship happened, and the Maratha confederacy came to an end.

Factors behind the Defeat of Maratha

o Mutual Rivalry: Marathas and Mysore
o Presence of factions & interest groups
o Lack of able leadership
o Lack of Resources

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 British Conquest of Sindh
Background
• From 1780 – Sindh was ruled by the Talpuras, a Baluch tribe led by Mir Fatah Ali Khan.
• After death of Mir Fatah, the empire was shared by his four brothers known as Char Yar, also
known as Amir or lords of Sindh.
• After the defeat of Tipu Sultan, an invasion of French threat was shifted to North-West
Frontier.
• Napoleon was planning to invade India via land route.
• Therefore, Lord Minto immediately sent four diplomatic missions and signed the friendly
treaties with their respective Governments. They were:
o Tehran-Malcolm
o Kabul-Elphinstone
o Lahore-Charles Metcalfe
o Sindh-Seton
• 1809 - Treaty of Eternal Friendship was signed between the Amirs of Sindh and the British.
As per the treaty, Amirs promised not to allow the French to settle in Sindh
• 1820 - The above treaty was renewed and Americans were expelled from the Sindh.
• 1832- William Bentick sent Colonel Pottinger to Sindh and signed the treaty with the Amirs,
which allowed the English a free passage to English Travellers & merchants through Sindh. It
also allowed the use of Indus for commercial purpose.
• Later, Colonel Portland was stationed as the Political agent of the British in Sindh.

Anglo-Russian Rivalry
• Lord Auckland wanted to conquer the Sindh for two reasons – To counter the Russian threat
and commercial benefits from the Sindh River.
• When Ranjit Singh captured Rojhan (Frontier town of Sindh).
• Subsidiary Alliance Treaty (1839) – Because of Ranjit Singh action on Sindh, British forced
the Amirs of Sindh to sign the Subsidiary Alliance for the protection of Sindh.
• During the Afghan war (1839-42), the Amirs of Sindh found, themselves saddled with the
responsibility for helping the company and suffered the losses economically and politically.
• 1842- Lord Ellenborough became the new Governor-General of India and Major Outram
was replaced by Sir Charles Napier as British Resident in Sindh. They were eager to annex
the Sindh and merged it under the British Empire.

Causes of Annexation
• To counter the French and Russian threat.
• The Company saw Sindh as a necessary prelude to the annexation of Afghanistan.
• To gain commercial benefits from the Indus river.
• To rebuild the English prestige which had suffered during the first Afghan war.

War

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 • Finally, Governor-General Lord Ellenborough charged the Amirs for hostility and disaffection
towards the English and launched an attack on the Sindh.
• English army was led by – Sir Charles Napier
• Battles of Miani and Dabo (1843) – British defeated the Amirs and annexed the Sindh.
• Napier called the Sindh war as a tail of the Afghan storm.
• 1847- Sindh was made a part of Bombay Presidency.

British Conquest of Punjab

Background
• After the death of Ranjit Singh (June 1839), a political instability arises in Punjab.
• Ranjit Singh had large standing army of 40000 soldiers. After his death, soldiers were not
getting their salary on time and therefore they also started interfering in politics.
• A war of succession also emerged between the many sons of Ranjit Singh. Finally, in 1843,
Dalip Singh (Duleep Singh) had ascended the throne under the guardianship of Rani
Jindan.
• The English were closely watching the happenings in Punjab and wanted to regain their
prestige which they had lost after the defeat in the Afghan war by annexing Punjab and
Sindh.
• As we have studied, British annexed the Sindh in 1843 and only Punjab was left.
• 1843 – Major Broadfoot was appointed as Company’s political agent in Punjab. He
understood the growing disorder in Punjab and recounted every tale of corrupt behaviour at
the court which affected the British attitude.
• 1844 – Lord Hardinge was appointed as new Governor- General of India. He undertook
various measures to strengthen the position of English army. As a result, the Company’s
troops stationed in Punjab and Sindh were trained and fortified.
• 1845 – Lal Singh had become Wazir and Tej Singh was appointed as new commander-in-
chief of Sikh Empire

Reasons for annexation

• It was a part of British policy of territorial expansion and imperialism.
• To regain the prestige which the company had lost due to defeat in Afghan war.
• To conquer the glorious wealth of Sikh Empire.
• Political instability of Sikh Empire after the death of Ranjit Singh.
• Indiscipline of the Khalsa army (Sikh army).

1st Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46)

• The Sikhs had annoyed from the aggressive military preparation of the Company.
• As a result, on 11th December, 1845, the Sikh army under the leadership of Lal Singh
crossed the Sutlej and launched an offensive attack on the British.
• British Army was led by – Sir Hugh Gough
• Total 5 battles were fought :

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 o BATTLE OF MUDKI
o BATTLE OF FEROZSHAH
o BATTLE OF BADDOVAL
o BATTLE OF ALIVAL
o BATTLE OF SABBRAON (10TH FEB, 1846)
▪ This was a decisive battle fought between the Sikhs and the Company.
▪ The Sikhs were defeated due to the treachery of Lal singh and Teja Singh.
They were providing all the critical information to the English.
▪ The British occupied Lahore and the Sikhs were forced to sign the Treaty of
Lahore.

Treaty of Lahore-1946
• What British had received – Territories lying to the south of river Sutlej and additional
territories including Kashmir and Hazara (A war indemnity of Rupees 1.5 crore was imposed
on the Sikh which they unable to pay and hence in return British got these territories).
• Later, British sold Kashmir to Gulab Singh for Rupees 1 Crore.
• The Company had recognised minor Dalip Singh as King with Queen Jindan as his guardian
and Lal Singh as Wazir.
• Sir Henry Lawrence was appointed as the British Resident at Lahore.

Treaty of bhairoval
• The British move of selling Kashmir to Gulab Singh was disliked by the Sikhs. They again rose
in revolt under the guidance of Lal Singh.
• The Company had successfully supressed this revolt and Treaty of Bhairoval was signed with
Dalip Singh. Rani Jindan’s guardianship was annulled and she was pensioned off.
• A Council of 8 Chief Sikhs under the chairmanship pf British Resident was appointed to look
after governance works
• It was decided that the British army would be stationed permanently at Lahore until Dalip
Singh becomes a major.
• Through this treaty, British had become the real master of Punjab.

After War
• After the end of war, Punjab was not annexed by the British.
• But why Punjab was not annexed –
• What British argued? – They considered Ranjit Singh as friend of the English and in
his memory, they decided not to merge Punjab with the British Indian territory.
• Real Reason – Although the Khalsa army was defeated, but was not annihilated. The
British had understood that it was necessary to weak the Sikh Empire– Politically,
Economically and Militarily in order to conquer it.

2nd Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49)

War
• Immediate Cause –

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 o By this time, Lord Dalhousie was appointed as new Governor- General of India.
o He had sent two British officers – Vans Agnew and Lt. Anderson to take charge of
Multan from its Governor, Mulraj.
o However, Mulraj had killed both the officers and rose in revolt. Within a short span
of time, other Sikh chiefs joined the revolt and rebellion soon developed into a
national uprising in Punjab.
o This provided Dalhousie, an opportunity to declare war against the Sikhs and annex
the Punjab.
o As a result, three battles were fought in the second Anglo-Sikh war, namely –
▪ Battle of Ramnagar (22nd November 1848)
▪ Battle of Chilianwala (13th Jan 1849) - In both the battles, the English army
was led by General Gough. The result of both the battles was indecisive.
▪ Battle of Gujarat (21st Feb 1849) - The Sikh army was defeated and it
surrendered before the British army led by Charles Napier.
• Result–
o East India Company annexed Punjab on 29th March 1849 and Maharaja Daljit Singh
was pensioned off. He was send to England for Education.
o Board of administration was entrusted to look after Punjab’s administration.
o Kohinoor Diamond was taken from Dalip Singh and placed in the British royal crown.

Policies of British Govt. used to conquer India

Policy of Ring Fence (1765-1813)
• Associated Governor-Generals – Robert Clive & Warren Hasting as they were the prominent
powers at that time. However, it was not feasible to capture each native ruler by use of
force.
• Hence, the English formed policies like Policy of Ring Fence, Subsidiary Alliance and
Doctrine of Lapse to annex or subjugate the Indian states.
• In all of these, Subsidiary Alliance was more significant as it brought almost entire India
under the control of Brtish purview.
• It aimed at creating buffer zones to defend the Company’s frontiers.
• It was the policy of defence of their neighbours’ frontiers for safeguarding their own
territories.
• This policy of Warren Hastings was reflected in his war against the Marathas and Mysore.
• For instance, British had made Awadh as a Buffer State to protect their territory of Bengal
against an invasion of Marathas and Afghans.
• During Mysore Campaign, Marathas, Hyderabad and Carnatic were acting as a buffer for the
English territory of Madras.
• During Anglo-Afghan war, the Company used Sindh and Punjab as their buffer state.

Subsidiary Alliance Policy

• Associated Governor General – Lord Wellesley.

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• This policy was devised by Lord Wellesley in 1798.
• It was an extension of the ring-fence system, which sought to reduce the Indian states into a
position of dependence on the British government.
• The British would be responsible for protecting their ally from internal and external threats
to their power.
• In the territory of ally, a British army contingent / British army would be stationed.
• The ally would have to provide the resources for maintaining this contingent. In simple
terms, the ruler needs to take care of the expenses of the English army.
• The ally needs to disband their army.
• The ally could enter into agreements with other rulers or engage in warfare only with the
permission of British. Hence, in this way rulers lost their powers related to foreign affairs
and Military affairs.
• The ally needs to act on the advice of British Resident who was attached to the court. British
Resident was the designation of a representative of Governor-General who lived in a state,
which was not directly under British rule.
• States that accepted the Subsidiary Alliance system – Gradually, almost all the native rulers
signed the treaty of subsidiary alliance with the British. Here are the few names
o Hyderabad (1798)
o MYSORE (1799)
o Tanjore (1799)
o Awadh (1801)
o Peshwa (1802)
o Scindia (1803)
o Gaekwad (1803)
o Bhonsle (1816)
o Holkar (1817)
o Rajput States Of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Macheri, Bundi And Bharatpur (1818)

Doctrine of Lapse
• Associated Governor- General – Lord Dalhousie
• He was not an originator of this policy. However, he was the one who popularised it.
• It was a further extension of Policy of Subsidiary Alliance.
• What the Doctrine says? –
o As per this policy, any princely state under the Subsidiary Alliance system would
automatically be annexed, if the ruler was either incompetent or died without a
male heir.
o In simple terms, this policy did not allow for adopted son. This means, the ruler
could not proclaim an adopted son as a king after his death (Only male heir by blood
was required to ascend the throne).
o In addition, the Company would annex the kingdom if the ruler was incompetent or
not capable.
• Accordingly, Lord Dalhousie annexed the following Princely States

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 o Satara (1848)
o JAITPUR AND SAMBHALPUR (1849)
o BAGHAT (1850)
o UDAIPUR (1852)
o JHANSI (1853)
o NAGPUR (1854)
o TANJORE & ARCOT (1855)
o AWADH (1856)

British Conquest of Awadh

Background
• After the defeat of Awadh in 1764 (Battle of Buxar), British did not annex it but made it a
buffer state under their Ring Fence policy.
• Though Awadh was under the control of British, Nawab Shuja-ud-Daulah raised an army
of 1-lakh soldiers on European lines and even retained 150 French officers.
• In 1774, he annexed Rohilkhand and Etawah.
• After death of Shuja-ud-Daulah, his son Asaf-ud- Daulah tried to gain control but
Mughals did not allow him to continue because Mughal practise did not follow dynastic
continuity or hierarchy at provincial level.
• Therefore, he made an agreement with the Company and became Nawab of Awadh.
• In this way, British became the master of Awadh.
• Subsidiary Alliance Treaty (1801)- Lord Wellesley forced Nawab Saadat Ali Khan to sign
a new treaty named, Subsidiary Alliance in 1801.
• Apart from these, Nawab had to cede half of his territory including lower doab,
Gorakhpur and Rohilkhand to the Company.
• Annexation of Awadh (1856) –
o Finally, Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh in 1856 (under the policy of Doctrine of
Lapse) on the pretext of mal-administration.
o Awadh was annexed based on Outram’s Report.
o The Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah was kept under House arrest in Calcutta.

British Conquest of Neighbouring States

Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16)
• In 1760, the Gorkhas wrested control of Nepal from the successors of Ranjit Malla of
Bhatgaon.
• In 1801, the English annexed Gorakhpur, which brought the Gorkhas boundary along the
boundary of British.
• In 1803, Lord Wellesley forced the Hindu Gurkha Kingdom of Nepal to sign the treaty of
Subsidiary Alliance and accordingly, British Resident was kept in Kathmandu.

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• Immediate Cause – The conflict started when Gorkhas captured Butwal and Sheoraj in 1814
during the reign of Lord Hasting (1813-1823). These areas were under the authority of the
East India Company.
• Overall four Battles were fought – Butwal, Almora, Malaon and Makwanpur.
• Who had won? - English
o Treaty of Sugauli (1816) –
o Nepal accepted British Resident.
o Nepal ceded the districts of Garhwal and Kumaon, and abandoned claims to Terai.
o Nepal also withdrew from Sikkim.
o British had treated Nepalese ruler as sovereign

Anglo-Bhutan War (1865)

• The occupation of Assam in 1816 brought the English into close contacts with the mountain
state of Bhutan.
• Bhutanese frequently carried out raids in the adjoining territories of Assam and Bengal and
the bad treatment meted out to Elgin’s envoy in 1863- 64 had annoyed British.
• Treaty of Sinchula (1865) –
o The Anglo-Bhutan war is also known as Duar war.
o Result – Victory of British
o Bhutan ceded territories in the Assam Duars and Bengal Duars, as well as around
80,000 kilometres of Dewangiri (Deothang) to British in return for an annual subsidy
of 50,000 rupees.
o It was the surrendered district, which became a productive area with tea gardens

Anglo-Afghan Wars
• First Anglo – Afghan War (1839-42) – Between Dost Muhammad and English
• Victory – Afghanistan
• Governor-General – Auckland and Ellenborough
• Supporter - Shuja (Ex-ruler of Afghanistan) and Ranjit Singh
• Second Anglo-Afghan war (1879-1880)- Between Sher Ali, Yakub Ali and Abur Rehman and
English
• Victory- British
• Governor-General – Lytton
• Treaty of Gandamak (May 1879) –
o The Amir will conduct his foreign policy with the advice of Government of India.
o A permanent British resident be stationed at Kabul
o The Government of India will give Amir all support against foreign aggression, and
an annual subsidy.
o Soon, Yakub had to abdicate the throne under popular pressure and British had to
recapture Kabul and Kandahar. Abur Rehman became the new Amir and Lytton
decided to keep Afghanistan as Buffer State
o In 1921, peace was prevailed when Afghanistan recovered independence in foreign
affairs.

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 Anglo-Burma Wars
• First Anglo-Burma War (1824-26) Victory- British
• Governor-General- Lord Amherst
• Treaty of Yandabo (1826)-
o Pay rupees one crore as war compensation
o Cede its coastal provinces of Arakan and Tenasserim;
o Abandon claims on Assam, Cachar and Jaintia;
o Recognise Manipur as an independent state;
o Negotiate a commercial treaty with Britain;
o Accept a British resident at Ava (Capital of Burma), while posting a Burmese envoy
at Calcutta.
• Second Anglo-Burma war (1852-53)- Victory- British
• Governor-General – Lord Dalhousie
• Results -
o By 1853, the English forces had occupied Rangoon, Pegu (Lower Burma) and region
upto Toungoo.
o Hence, British had gained control over the entire coast of the Bay of Bengal.
o As a result, the Burmese King Mindon Min was forced to shift his Capital to
Mandalay.
• Third Anglo-Burma War (1885)-
• Victory – British
• Governor-General – Lord Dufferin
• Result - British had annexed an entire region of Burma and made it a British Province.

Anglo-Tibet War
• Anglo-Tibet War (1904)- Victory- British
• Governor-General – Lord Curzon
• Treaty of Lhasa (1904)-
o Tibet would pay an indemnity of Rs 75 lakh at the rate of one lakh rupees
o per annum.
o as a security for payment, the Indian Government would occupy the Chumbi Valley
(territory between Bhutan and Sikkim) for 75 years.
o Tibet would respect the frontier of Sikkim
o Trade marts would be opened at Yatung, Gyantse, Gartok

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