Down Fall Of Mughal Empire

British Expansion In India

British expansion in Indian: Success and failures
There were many attempts made by the British to take control over
lands in India. They used different measures like
•Military tactics
•Political policies
•Indian weakness
Robert Clive:
•Robert Clive was the East India Company clerk but later joined army.
•He was very successful in his army expeditions.
•In 1751, he won the battle of Arcot against the French.
•In 1757, he conquered Bengal in the battle of Plassey defeating
Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula.
•He won the battle of Pondecherry in 1761.
•He was made the Governor of Bengal after Plassey.
•However he had to face corruption charges and he went back
to England.
•The corruption charges were not proven but the disgrace and
addiction to opium made him commit suicide in 1773.
The Black Hole Tragedy:
•A small dungeon in the old fort William Calcutta, where troops of
the nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah, held British prisoners of war
20 June 1756.
•One of the prisoners claimed that they were held overnight in
conditions so cramped that many died from suffocation, heat,
exhaustion and crushing.
•He claimed that 123 prisoners died out of 146 held. However, the
precise number was controversial.
Factor – 1: battle of Plassey – 1757
•The battle was preceded by the attack on Calcutta by Nawab Siraj-
Ud-Daulah, which was the largest and most resourceful province.
•The British sent reinforcement under Colonel Robert Clive, and
recaptured Calcutta.
•Siraj-ud-Daulah had a numerically superior force and made his stand
at Plassey.
•Mir Jafar, Siraj’s army chief betrayed him in the battlefield.
•Siraj-Ud-Daulah’s army was defeated by roughly 3,000 British
soldiers.
Outcomes of the war:
•One of the pivotal battles in the control of India by the colonial
powers.
•Robert Clive became the governor of Bengal and Mir Jafar was made
new nawab of Bengal.
•British influence increased and acquired large concession for
previous losses from the new.
•Indian resistance proved unsuccessful and Bengal was under the
control of British.
•The British used this revenue to increase their military might and
push the other European colonial powers such as Dutch and the
French out of India.
Factor – 2: Battle of Buxar - 1764
•Mir Qasim, Mir Jafar’s son, formed an alliance with Shuja-ud-
Daulah, Oudh and emperor of India Shah Alam II, to drive the British
out of Bengal.
•They fought against the British at Buxar in 1764.
•The British general hector Munro won a single victory over them.
•The emperor Shah Alam II came to the British camp to ask for terms.
•The British had taken the fortresses of Chunar and Allahbad and
were now the virtual masters of Bihar and Bengal.
Outcomes of the war:
Another Indian attempt proved unsuccessful and Oudh went under
the British Control.
The significant outcomes of this battle were as follows:

•It led to the signing of the Allahabad Treaty in 1765 by Lord Robert
Clive with Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II.
•With the defeat of Mir Kasim, the rule of Nawabs came to an end.
•Diwani rights or fiscal rights were secured which meant that the
British would administer and manage revenues of large areas which
included the present-day West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar
Pradesh, as well as of Bangladesh. The British became the masters of
the people of these places.
•In return of this right, the British would give Rs 26 lakh to the
Mughal emperor Shah Alam II.
•After the Buxar victory, the English armies moved towards Awadh
and established their control over Banaras and Allahabad.
•Shuja-ud-Daulah would pay Rs 50 lakh immediately to the company
as expenses of war. He also needed to pay later Rs 25 lakh in
instalments.
•The treaty legalised the East India Company's control over the whole
of Bengal, Ghazipur and its adjacent area The Allahabad fort became
the home of the emperor and he would be protected by few men of
the company's army.
•A vakil of the English would remain in the court of Shah Alam II. But
he was not allowed to interfere in the administration of the country.
Pitts India Act – 1784:
•The Pitts India act of 1784, dual control of India by the government
of Great Britain and the EIC.
•These changes continued till 1858.
•This established the relationship between the british government
and the EIC.
•EIC’s political functions were differentiated from its commercial
activities.
•All civil and military officers of the EIC were ordered to show their
property in India and in Britain
•Severe punishment was provisioned for corrupt officials.
•The act was considered a failure because of highly biased
Factor – 3: Mysore Wars – 1799:
•In 1796, the British, in alliance with Nizam of Hyderabad and
Marathas, fought against Haider Ali, the ruler of Mysore.
•In the first Mysore war, Haider Ali was able to defeat the British.
Haider Ali took his army to the outskirts of Madras and dictated
peace to the British.
•After the death of Haider Ali in 1781, Tipu sultan continued the
campaign and secured victory over the British in 1783.
•He was the most predominant figure but the great treachery and
conspiracy of Mir Sadiq forced him to lay down his life in 4th Mysore
war at Seringapatam in 1799.
Outcomes of the war:
With his death, Mysore in south India went under the control of British.
Tipu Sultan: (11/1750 – 5/1799)
•Also known as the tiger of Mysore.
•Tipu introduced a number of administrative innovations during his
rule, including the introducing of a new coinage and a new land
revenue system, initiating the growth of Mysore silk industry.
•Tipu Sultan was instructed in military tactics by French officers.
Factor – 4: British Entered Delhi – 1803:
•The British feared that the French might overthrow Maratha and use
the authority of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II.
• After the battle of Delhi, Marathas fought against the British forces,
in September 1803 British troops entered Delhi and Shah Alam II, a
blind old man, came under the British protection.
Outcomes of the war:
British took the control of Delhi but they did not proclaim their rule over
India because they were feared of rebellions and focused only in the
administrative affairs of India.
Factor – 5: Defeat of Marathas – 1818:
•The British forces combined with the forces of Nizam of Hyderabad,
attacked Deccan.
•The Marathas were defeated and the British took the control of
Deccan.
Outcomes of the war:
The control of British forces extended to southern India.
Factor – 6: Annexation of Sindh – 1843:
•The British forces attack Afghanistan in 1839 and captured it. In
1841 the Afghans drove the British out of Afghanistan.
•To hide their humiliation, the British forces under Sir Charles Napier
set the Amirs of Sindh against each other and by taking advantage of
the situation they annexed the loosely, governed Sindh, without any
significant reason.
Battle of Miani(Feb 17, 1843):
•British annexed Sindh with a force of 2,800 defeating  20,000 Amirs.
•Amirs didn’t supported the British during the first Anglo-Afghan war
(1839-1842). The British fully supported Napier in September 1842, 
•He forced Amirs to sign a treaty but provocatively seized and
destroyed the desert fortress of Imamgarh.
•Which led to open war.
•At Miani the British prevailed. The army of the Amris was scattered,
and Sindh, except for the state of Khairpur, was annexed.
Outcomes of war:
The British took the control of south western parts of the sub-
continent
Sir Charles Napier:
•In 1842, at the age of 60, Napier was appointed major general of the
Bombay presidency.
•He controlled insurgency of the Amirs following the first Anglo-Afghan war
in 1839.
•Napier’s campaign against Amirs resulted in victories in the battle of Miani
and the battle of Hyderabad, and then the conquest of Sindh province.
Factor – 7: Annexation of Punjab NWF – 1846 – 1849:
•Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab was difficult to be controlled by
the British forces
•After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, kingdom began to fall into
disorder,
•his son Kharak singh took the charge but was removed by Dilip
Singh
•After that Punjab was taken up by British entered Lahore in 1846
without any resistance.
Outcomes of the war:
Western regions of sub-continent went under direct British control.
Ranjit Singh:
•Ranjit Singh was a strong Sikh ruler of Punjab, Kashmir and parts of NWFP.
•He was able to modernized his army with the help of French.
•Muslim of Punjab were not allowed to perform Azan and cow slaughtering
during his rule. He died in 1839.
Factor – 8: Doctrine of Lapse – 1852.
•This was an annexation policy of EIC by Lord Dalhousie(1848-1856).
•This policy incorporated many Indian princely states including Sitara,
Jhansi, Oudh, Kanpur, Jaipur, Sambalpur, Baghat, Udaipur, Nagpur,
Karauli etc.
•According to this doctrine, any princely state would automatically be
annexed if the ruler was either manifestly incompetent or died
without a direct heir.
Outcomes:
The rule replaced the long established right of an Indian king to
choose his own successor.
Also the British could undertake the sovereignty if they decided that
the Indian ruler was not enough competent.
Although the Indians managed to resist like Ranjit Singh and Haider
Ali but the British remained successful because they managed to
create traitors, their better planning and military supremacy.
 Short Question and Answer
Q1. Who were Marathas?
They were a group in Southern India. Under the leadership of Shivaji
a large Maratha empire was established their leader was called
peshwa. They were defeated by ahmed shah and then by the British
in 1818 under the governor ship of Warren Hasting.
Q2. Who was Shivaji?
He was a Maratha Leader. He founded the Maratha empire. He was
a ruthless leader. He was born in pune. He promoted Sanskrit.
Q3. Who was Robert clive?
He was a british officer in india. He was also known as clive of india.
He is seen as founder of British India. He commanded the british
army in battle of plassey and defeated the Nawab’s forces. He was
made the nawab of Bengal.
 Short Question and Answer

Q4. Describe the battle of buxar?

The Battle of Buxar was fought between the forces of under the
command of the British East India Company led by Hector Munro,
and the combined armies of Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal; Shuja-
ud-Daula the Nawab of Awadh; the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam. The
battle fought at Buxar, then within the territory of Bengal, a town
located on the bank of the Ganges river, was a decisive victory for
the British East India Company.
Q5.Describe the battle of Plessey?
It was a battle between the British East India Company and the
forces of Siraj-ud-din and his French Allies. British defeated the larger
army of Siraj. It was because clive bribed the Mir Jafar. He was made
the Nawab of Bengal.
Q6. Who was tipu Sultan?
He was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was son of Haider
Ali. He was also known as tiger of Mysore. He won first 2 Anglo-
Mysore wars but was died in 4th Anglo-Mysore War.
Q7. Who was Black Hole event?
The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small dungeon in the old Fort
William, at Calcutta. There the troops of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj
ud-Daulah, held British prisoners of war after the capture of the Fort.
123 prisoners died out of 146 prisoners held.
Q8.What was Pitt’s India Act 1784?
Pitt's India Act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain intended bring
the East India Company's rule in India under the control of the British
Government. Pitt's India Act provided for the appointment of a Board of
Control, and provided for a joint government of British India by both the
Company and the Crown. A governing board was constituted with six
members.
Q9. What was subsidiary Alliance?
The doctrine of subsidiary alliance was introduced by Marquess Wellesley.
Many small rulers signed it as it gave them security against attack by their
neighbors. The Nizam of Hyderabad was the first to enter into such alliance.
Tipu Sultan of Mysore refused to do so, but after the British victory in the
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Mysore was forced to become a subsidiary state.
The Nawab of Awadh was the next to accept the Subsidiary Alliance.
Q10. What was the regulating act 1773?
The Regulating Act of 1773 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain
intended to overhaul the management of the East India Company's rule in
India. It was replaced by Pitts India act later. It made the East India Company
accountable to British parliament.
Q11.Who was Warren Hastings?
He was the first Governor-General of India. Hasten extended his rule by wars
against Haider Ali of Mysore, his son Tipu and with Marathas. He was
accused to bribery and corruption and there was a trial against him in Britain.
He was cleared but his reputation was destroyed.
 
 Q12. What was suttee?
It was an Indian ritual in which the widows were also burned with the dead
husband. This was first banned by Auranzeb. British Missionaries also tried to
ban it but this bold step was taken by Bentinck.
 Q13. Who were thugees?
They were armed robbers in upper and central India. They claimed that they
serve a Goddess. They murdered their victims. In 1830 all the thugges were
caught and dealt with by british Colonel Sleeman.