Notes British Rule in India

L-17 BRITISH RULE IN INDIA
A. Answer the followings:

Q.1-Define the role of East India Company.
Ans. The East India Company was founded by the English traders. In 1600,
the Company acquired a Charter from Queen Elizabeth I, granting them the
permission to trade mostly spices, textiles with India.
Q.2- Why was the Battle of Plassey fought?
Ans. Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, wanted to check the evil
intentions of the Britishers as they deprived the local rulers of their revenues.
Thus, in 1757 a battle was fought between the British and Siraj-ud-Daulah. It
is known as the ‘The Battle of Plassey’.
Siraj-ud-Daulah lost the Battle of Plassey because his commander-in chief Mir
Jafar joined hands with the British. East India Company rewarded Mir Jafar
by making him the Nawab of Bengal.
Q.3-Discuss the Battle of Buxar.
Ans. The Battle of Buxar was fought at Buxar(presently in Bihar) in 1764. It
took place between the Company and the combined forces of Mir Kasim (the
Nawab of Bengal), Shuja-ud-Daulah (the Nawab of Awadh) and Shah Alam II
(the Mughal Emperor).
The victory at Buxar resulted in the Company acquiring the Diwani
rights(right to collect the land revenue) of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa (now
Odisha).
Q.4-Discuss the factors that led to the Great Uprising of 1857.
Ans. They were as follows:
●The British collected taxes unreasonably high which made the Indians poor.
●The British annexed some Indian states under the policies of ‘Subsidiary
Alliance’ and ‘Doctrine of Lapse' as they wanted to expand their control over
India.
●The Indian sepoys who helped the British to set up their power were treated
with disrespect. They were not appointed at higher post and paid less than
the fellow British sepoys.
Q.5- What were the immediate causes of the Great Uprising of 1857(Sepoy
Mutiny of 1857)?
Ans. It was rumoured that the grease used in cartridge of new Enfield rifles
was made of cow fat or pig lard. It had to be bitten off before loading the
rifle. This hurt the religious sentiments of both the Hindu and the Muslim
sepoys. This incident became the immediate cause of the mutiny(Revolt).
Mangal Pandey , a soldier of 34th BNI (Bengal Native Infantry) at

Barrackpore, refused to use the greased cartridge and attacked his senior
officers. Mangal Pandey was sentenced to death but he inspired Indians to
stand up against the British rule.
B. Give reasons:
Q.1-Why did Britishers suppress the Great Uprising easily?
Ans. Main reasons were as follows:
● The uprising did not spread throughout the country.
● It was an unorganised effort and not planned well.
● The inefficient leadership of the Indians and the superior military
strategies of the British.
Q.2-Why the Great Uprising of 1857 is described as the ‘First War of
Independence’?
Ans. Immediately after the mutiny, the rule of East India Company came to
an end and Queen Victoria was declared the Empress of India. She promised
to look after the welfare of the Indian people. The Great Uprising of 1857
was the first attempt on a larger scale to mobilise the Indians to overthrow
the British rule.
C. Find the contribution of the following legendary freedom fighter.
Rani Lakshmi Bai

The British decided to occupy Jhansi and ordered Rani Lakshmi Bai to leave
the fort of Jhansi. Rani Lakshmi Bai was determined to not give up Jhansi to
the British. When the British forces attacked Jhansi, she fought fearlessly
along with her troops. She died fighting and her army lost the battle. Rani
Lakshmi Bai will always be remembered for her spirit of patriotism, courage
and bravery.
Let’s Explore!
1.Subsidiary Alliance
It was introduced by Lord Wellesley, British Governor-General.
Some of a subsidiary alliances were:
● An Indian ruler entering into a subsidiary alliance with the British had
to accept British forces in his territory and also agree to pay for their
maintenance.
● Such a ruler would not form an alliance with any other power, nor
would he declare war against any power without the permission of the
British.
● The ruler would not employ any Europeans other than the British, and
if he were already doing so, he would dismiss them.
● In case of a conflict with any other state, the British would decide what
to do, and he would accept their solution.
● The ruler would acknowledge the East India Company as the power in
India.
● In return for the ruler accepting its conditions, the Company undertook
to protect the state from external dangers and internal disorders.
● If the Indian rulers failed to make the payments required by the
alliance, then part of their territory was to be taken away as a penalty.
2.Doctrine of Lapse
The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie. According to this
doctrine, if any Indian ruler dies without leaving a male heir, his kingdom
would automatically pass over to the British. Satara, Sambhalpur, Udaipur,
Nagpur and Jhansi were some states which were annexed by the Company
under this doctrine.

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L-17 BRITISH RULE IN INDIA

A. Answer the followings:

Mangal Pandey , a soldier of 34th BNI (Bengal Native Infantry) at

C. Find the contribution of the following legendary freedom fighter.

Rani Lakshmi Bai

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