CH03- Rise of EIC__L03- Rise of EIC (Part 03)
CH03- Rise of EIC__L03- Rise of EIC (Part 03)
CH03- Rise of EIC__L03- Rise of EIC (Part 03)
British vs Marathas:
Fall of the Maratha Power:
● The Successors ofShivajiwere veryweak and inefficient.Real power passed into the
hands of the Peshwa.Under Sahuji,the office of the Peshwa alsobecame hereditary.
● Though the first two Peshwas were empire-builders, theMaratha power received a
staggering blow at theBattle of
Panipat in 1761.
● Marathas lost the cream of their army
and their political prestige suffered.
● Most of all, their defeat gave an
opportunity to theEnglish East India
Companyto consolidate their power in
Bengal and South India.
● In theabsence of a settled system,the
state descended into a terrible engine of
oppression.
● There was anabsence of central authority.In the words ofJ.N.Sarkar,“the cohesion
of the peoples in the Maratha state was not organic but artificial, accidental and
therefore precarious.”
● They did not try to develop a new economy and they were mainly interested in raising
revenue from the helpless peasantry.
● The English were superior to the Marathas in the game of diplomacy. They divided the
mutually warring Maratha Sardars and overpowered them in separate battles.
● Unfortunately, most of the eminent leaders died towards the end of the eighteenth
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century.
○ Ahalya Bai Holker died in 1765
○ Peshwa Madhav Rao II in 1795
○ Nana Phadnavis in 1800
● In 1765 theTreaty of Allahabadoccurred, and between 1765 to 1772 there was a dual
government system in 1772 the new governor of Bengal was Warren Hasting.
● In 1773 they set up aRegulating Act.
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the British were forced to retreat back to Wadgaon but were soon surrounded.
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Maratha Confederacy:
● After the fall of Mysore in 1799–1800, the Marathas
were the only major power left.
● The Maratha Empireconfederacyof five major chiefs:
○ The Peshwa (Prime Minister) capital city of
Poona,
○ The Gaekwad chief of Baroda,
○ The Scindia chief of Gwalior,
○ The Holkar chief of Indore, and
○ The Bhonsle chief of Nagpur.
● The Maratha chiefs were engaged in internal quarrels
among themselves. The British had repeatedly offered asubsidiary treatyto the Peshwa
and Scindia, butNana Fadnavis refused strongly.
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the annual expense of which was estimated to be Rs 26 lakh.
● Bajirao II agreed not to entertain any foreign national hostileto the British in his
service.
● He needed to accept British intercession to settle his differences with theNizam and the
Gaekwad and not to negotiate with any other statehis differences between the two of
them.
● Bajirao II had to surrender the city of Surat to the British.
● He also needs to give up all claims forChauth on Nizam’sdominions; thus, this treaty is
regarded as the"death knell of the Maratha Empire”.
Significance of the Treaty of Bassein:
● The Treaty is sometimes regarded as something thatgave the English the key to India.
● The Treaty allowed stationinga Permanent English force in the Maratha territoryand
gave huge strategic benefits to the English.This made the company's troops much more
evenly distributed and rushed to crisis anywhere without much delay.
● The Company already had troops inMysore, Hyderabad, and Lucknow.
● The company was now in a position to expand its area of influence in a much more
effective way.
● The acceptance of theSubsidiary Allianceon the part of the Peshwa disgusted the
Maratha chieftains; in particular, the Scindia rulers of Gwalior and the Bhonsle rulers of
Nagpur and Berar contested the agreement.
● The British had available over 53,000 men to help accomplish their goals. The British won
decisively.
● British forces were led byArthur Wellesley.
● In 1804, Yashwantrao Holkarattempted to form a coalition of Indian rulers to fight
against the English.
● Treaties Signed:
○ 1803 - Bhonsle → Treaty of Deogaon
○ 1803 - Scindia → Treaty of Surji-Anjangaon
○ 1806 - Holkar → Treaty of Rajpurghat
● By these above treaties, all were reduced to vassalage.
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Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–18):
● Lord Hastingsmade the imperialistic design of imposingBritish Paramountcy.
● During his tenure,the Charter Act of 1813,the East India Company’s monopoly of trade
in India (except tea and China) was ended. The company needed more markets.
● Pindaris were attached to the Maratha armies as mercenaries.
● They started plundering neighboring territories, including those of the Company.
● The English charged the Marathas with givingshelter to the Pindaris.
● Pindari leaders like Amir Khan and Karim Khan surrendered, while Chitu Khan fled into
the jungles.
● The Treaty of Bassein was seen as an absolute surrender of independence.
● Lord Hastings' actions taken against the Pindaris were seen as a transgression of the
sovereignty of the Maratha.
● TheUnited Maratha Confederacy under Baji Rao IIstarted the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
● Maratha made a desperate last attempt to regain their independence and prestige in 1817.
● This led to the formation of a united front of the Maratha Chiefsand was taken over
by the Peshwa who were uneasy under the rigid control exercised by the British Resident.
● However,once again the Marathas failed to evolve any plan of action.
○ The Peshwa attacked theBritish Residency at Poona in 1817.
○ Appa Saheb of Nagpur attacked the Residency at Nagpur
○ Madhav Rao Holkar made preparations for war.
● Thepolitical and administrative conditionsof all the Maratha wereconfused and
inefficient.
● Jaswant Rao Holkarhad died, which madeTulsi Bai, Holkar's favorite mistress, come to
the helm of affairs in Poona.
● Bhonsle at Nagpur and Scindia at Gwaliorgrew weak.
● The Peshwa wasdefeated at Khirki, Bhonsle at Sitabuldi, and Holkar at Mahidpur.
● Some important treaties were signed.These were:
○ Treaty of Poona - Peshwa
○ Treaty of Gwalior - Scindia
○ Treaty of Mandasor - Holkar
● In June 1818, thePeshwa finally surrendered, and as a result of it:
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○ The Maratha confederacy dissolved.
○ Peshwaship abolished.
○ Bajirao became a pensioner at Bithur, near Kanpur.
● Pratap Singh, a lineal descendant of Shivaji,was made ruler of Satara.
Why was Marathas Lost?
● Inefficient Leadership:Maratha leaders such asBajirao II, Daulatrao Scindia, and
Jaswant Raowere inefficient and selfish leaders. Their leadership was of no match in front
of English officials likeElphinstone, John Malcolm, and Arthur Wellesley.
● Inefficient Political Organization:The confederation of the Maratha Empire was loose,
first underChhatrapati and later under Peshwa. Hostilities existed among different
confederations which made the empire internally very weak.
● Inferior Military:The inferiority of Marathas to the English was in terms of weak
organization of forces, inferior firearms, and ineffective leadership. Treachery played a
pivotal role in weakening the Maratha army. Negligible use of artillery.
● Unstable Economic Policy:Marathas failed to evolve a sound economic policy to ensure a
smooth flow of revenue. The lack of industries and foreign trade led to a lack of revenue.
● Defective Nature of State:Marathas’ rise was on account of the religion-national
movement. The cohesion of people was not organic but artificial and accidental.
● Efforts towards educating and unifying people were lacking. On the other hand, English
was highly organized and clear in their approach.
● Diplomatic skills of English:It helped them in winning allies and isolating enemies. The
English maintained an organized network of spies while the Marathas were ignorant and
lacked information about their enemies.
● Progressive outlook of English:English was rejuvenated by the Renaissance. They were
deeply indulged in scientific innovations, ocean exploration, and the acquisition of colonies.
On the other hand, Indians were deeply engulfed in old dogmas and superstitions.
● With respect to the fall of Marathas, it can be well said that:The English attacked a
divided house which started crumbling with the first push.
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● Guru Gobind Singhtransformed the Sikhs into a militant sect to defend their religion and
liberties.
● After Guru Gobind Singh,Banda
Bahadurassumed the leadership of
Sikhs. He revolted against theMughals
during Bahadur Shah's reign.
● In1715, Farrukhsiyar defeated and
killed Banda Bahadur, for which the
Sikhs faced a major setback.
● The Sikh polity became leaderless and
got divided intoBandai (Liberal) and Tat Khalsa (Orthodox).
● In 1784, Kapur Singh Fazullapuria united the Sikhs under Dal Khalsa.
● Two sections emerged out of it:
○ Budha Dal: Army of Veterans
○ Taruna Dal: Army of young
● Invasion byAhmed Shah Abdalihelped Sikhs to wrest the benefit of instability and
organize themselves better.
● Theyconsolidated themselves into mislswhich were a military brotherhood and had a
democratic set-up.
● From 1763 to 1773, many misls ruled the Punjab region under Sikh chieftains.
● The credit for organizing the misls and strengthening the strong kingdom goes toRanjit
Singh of Sukerchakia misl.
● 12 misls:Ahluwalia, bhangi, Dallewwalia, Fazilpuria, kanhaiya, krosasinghiya, Nakkai,
Nishaniya, Phulakiya, Ramgarhiya, Sukerchakiya and Saheed.
● Misl was technically agroupor smallstatewhich was more of a military base, and they
had an equal and good brotherhood.
● Misl was administered by Gurumatta Sangh, asocio-political and economic system.
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○ English would remain neutral in case of aSikh-Afghan war.
○ The English would accept Ranjit Singh, sovereign of Punjab including the Malwa
territories.
○ But the negotiations failed.
● But, onceNapoleonicdanger receded, the English became more assertive, and Ranjit Singh
agreed to sign theTreaty of Amritsar in 1809.
Punjab under Ranjit Singh:
● Napoleon's victories in Europe had alarmed the British, who, fearing a French attack on
the country through Afghanistan, decided to win the Sikhs over to their side and sent a
young officer,Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, to Maharaja Ranjit Singh's court with an offer
of friendship.
● Metcalfe met the Maharaja in his camp at Khem Karan, near Kasur, on 12 September
1808, taking with him a large number of presents sent by the Governor-General of India.
He told him how the English wished to have friendly relations with him and presented to
him the draft of a treaty.
● Ranjit Singh did not credit the theory that the Britishhad made the proposal to him
because of the danger from Napoleon. On the other hand, he showed his willingness to
cooperate with the British, provided the latter recognized his claim of paramountcy over all
the Sikhs.
● He suspected that the real object of the Britishwas to put a seal on his southern
boundary and draw a permanent line between his dominions and their own. Finally, the
Treaty of Amritsarwas signed in Amritsar, on the 25th April 1809, by Mr. Charles
Theophilus Metcalfe & Ranjit Singh.
Treaty of Amritsar - 1809:
● The Treaty was signed betweenRanjit Singh and Charles
Metcalfe in 1809.
● The perpetual friendship shall subsist between the British
Government and the State ofLahore.
● The British will have no concern with the territoriesand
subjects of the Rajah to the northward of the Sutlej.
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● The Rajah will never maintain in the territory occupied by him and his dependents on
the left bank of the River Sutlej,more troops than are necessary for the internal duties
of that territory, nor commit or suffer any encroachments.
● In theevent of a violation,thisTreaty shall be considered to be null and void.
● The treaty was significant both in terms of immediate as well as potential effects.
● It checked the ambitions of Ranjit Singh to extend his ruleover the entire Sikh nation
by accepting the riverSutlej as the boundary line.
● The result was he directed his energies towards the west and captured:
○ Multan (1818)
○ Kashmir (1819)
○ Peshawar (1834)
Anglo-Afghan Relation:
● In Persia, the English influence was getting diminished and Russian influence was
increasing.
● After theTreaty of Turkmanchai in 1827(which concluded
the Russo-Persian war), the English had a firm belief that
Russia could invade India.
● In such a scenario, the English wanted to create
Afghanistan as a buffer state to protect their Indian
occupation from potential Russian invasion.
● There werethree conflicts in 1839–42; 1878–80 and 1919.
● Britain tried to extend its control over Afghanistan and
oppose Russiaso as to have influence in Afghanistan.
● Ranjit Singh signed theTripartite Treaty (1838)with Lord Auckland and ShahShuja to
place the latter on the thrones of Afghanistan by invasion.
● However, he refused to give access to theBritish Army through his territory to attack
Dost Mohammed, the Afghan Amir.
● Raja Ranjit Singh had a weak position vis-a-vis the Company from 1809 to 1839.
● Despite this, he took no step to organize a coalition of other Indian princes ormaintain a
balance of power.
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● After thedeath of Ranjit Singh in 1839,the region witnessed political instability due to
the quick succession of rulers in the Punjab
● The high-handedness of the military and Sikh allies like:
○ Prime Minister Rajan Lal Singh,
○ The Commander-in-Chief Misar Tej Singh
○ Dogra Raja Gulab Singh
● All these issues made the British intervention possible.
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● Daleep Singh, a minor son of Ranjit Singh,was proclaimed as Maharaja in 1843, while
Rani Jindan was a regent.
● Hira Singh Dograwas a wazir. However, he was murdered in 1844.
● Jawahar Singhbecame the new wazir, he was the brother of Rani Jindan and he was also
killed in 1845 by the Army.
● Lal Singh becamethe new wazir, he was a lover of Rani Jindan. He won over the army
and Teja Singh was appointed as the commander of the army.
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○ Daleep Singhwas recognized as the ruler underRani
Jindan as regent and Lal Singh as wazir,
○ Since the Sikhs were not able to pay the entire war
indemnity, Kashmir, including Jammu, was sold to
Gulab Singh in lieu ofRupees 75 lakh.
● Treaty of Bhairowal (1846):
○ The Sikhs were unhappy with the transfer of Kashmir
Sikhs rebelled.
○ Rani Jindanwas removed as regent.
○ Thecouncil for the regencyof Punjab was set up
with 8 Sikh sardars presided over by ResidentHenryLawrence.
The causes of the First Anglo-Sikh War was as follows:
● The defeat in the First Anglo-Sikh War.
● Thetreaties of Lahore and Bhairowalwere highly humiliating.
● Inhuman treatment to Rani Jindan sent to Benares as a pensioner.
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● It surrendered the Sikh army and Sher Singh in 1849and subsequently the English
annexed the Punjab.
● Dalhousie for his service was given thanks and promotion by the British Parliament.
● Three-member board to govern Punjabwith Lawrence brothers (Henry & John) and
Charles Mansel.
● In 1853,the board was nullified andPunjab was placed under a chief commissioner.
● John Lawrence became the first chief commissioner.
● Significance:Both sides developed a mutual respect for each other’s fighting spirit. Sikhs
fought on the British side on many occasions including in the 1857 revolt.
● They were accompanied in other campaigns and wars until theIndian independence in
1947.
Sindh:
Kallora Chiefs
● In the 18th century, Sindh was ruled by theKallora chiefs.
● In 1758, an English factory was built atThatta.
● In 1761, Ghulam Shah ratified the earlier treaty and excluded other
Europeans from trading there.
● This advantage was enjoyed by the English up to 1775. Later Sarfaraz ruled and closed the
factory.
Tilsit Alliance:
● In 1807, the alliance of Tilsit - Alexander I of Russia was joined by Napoleon of France.
● The alliance had a condition of combinedinvasion of India by Land route.
● This compelled the British to create a barrier between India and Russia.
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Lord Auckland and Sindh(1838):
● He started preparation for a possibleRussian invasion.
● The English consolidated their position in Sindh and it was the first step for their plans for
Afghanistan.
● The treaty can’t coerce Punjab.
● The fight between Punjab and Sindh led to anew treaty with the East India Company.
○ The Company assured protection to the Amirs.
○ The Company troops would be kept in the capital at Amir’s expense or
○ Alternatively, the English would be given suitable concessions in return.
● Amirs agreed reluctantly and the treaty provided the British to establish the presence of a
British resident who could go anywhere he liked escorted by English troops.
● Soon Sindh turned into a British protectorate.
Tripartite Treaty of 1838:
● Tripartite treaty (1838) -Ranjit Singh, Lord Auckland, and Shah Shujato place the
latter on the thrones of Afghanistan by invasion.
● Ranjit Singh agreed to British mediation in his disputes with the Amirs.
● The treaty made Emperor Shah Shuja to give up his sovereign rights in Sindh.
● Main objective was:
○ To obtain finances for the Afghan adventure.
○ Amir’s territory operation against Afghanistan through Sindh.
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○ Furnish an auxiliary force for the Afghan war if required.
Capitulation of Sindh:
● Amirs of Sindh did not like:
○ The1st Anglo-Afghan War (1839–42),which fought on their soil.
○ The presence of the British troops in their region.
○ They were asked to pay for all this, which they did.
○ They were neither rewarded nor thanked but were charged with hostility.
○ They were also charged with treasonable activities against the British.
● Ellenboroughwas in a precarious position due to the:
○ Recent Afghan war reverses.
○ Hesent Outram to Sindhto negotiate a new treaty in which Amirs were required:
➢ to cede important provinces as the price of their past transgressions,
➢ to supply fuel to the Company’s steamers plying on the Indus.
➢ And to stop minting coins.
○ Also, a succession dispute intervened through Napier and started a war when the
Amirs rose in revolt.
○ In 1843, under GG Ellenborough,Sindh was merged into the British Empire and
Charles Napier was appointed its first governor.
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Kandesh and Gujarat depending on these forts.
○ By the supplementary treaty of Burhanpur (1804) the British agreed to support
him with a subsidiary force.
● The British started hostilities againstYashwantrao Holkar.TheTreaty of Rajpurghat,
signed on 24 December 1805, forced Holkar to give up Tonk, Rampura, and Bundi
● Treaty of Rajpurghat(1805):To renounce all claims to the area north of the Bundi hills.
Never to entertain in his service any European.
○ On their part, the British promised not to disturb Holkar's possessions in Mewar
and malwa or interfere with the rulers south of the Chambal.
○ To restore those of his possessions situated south of the River Tapti.
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