Expansion of British Power

Bengal

Murshid Quli Khan (1717–27)

Appointment

• 1717 – Appointed Subedar (Governor) of Bengal by Farrukh Siyar.
• 1719 – Also granted the Governorship of Orissa.

Administrative Measure

• Shifted the capital from Dacca to Murshidabad.

Shujauddin (1727–39)

Position

• Son-in-law of Murshid Quli Khan.
• Appointed Governor of Bihar by Muhammad Shah Rangila in 1733.

Sarfaraj Khan (1739–40)

Succession

• Son of Shujauddin.

End of Rule

• Defeated and killed by Alivardi Khan, the Deputy Governor of Bihar, in 1740.

Alivardi Khan (1740–56)

Legitimacy

• Secured imperial approval through a Farman from Muhammad Shah Rangila.
• Paid nearly ₹2 Crore for official recognition.

Foreign Policy

• Prevented the English and French from strengthening their settlements.
• Restricted fortification at Calcutta and Chandernagore.

Sirajuddaula (1756–57)

Accession

• Succeeded Alivardi Khan as the Nawab of Bengal.

Conflict with the English

• Captured the English Factory at Kasimbazar.
• 20 June 1756 – Fort William surrendered.
• Robert Clive later regained Calcutta.

Treaty of Alinagar (2 January 1757)

• Accepted almost all British demands.
• Soon after, the British occupied French Chandernagore (March 1757).

Battle of Plassey (23 June 1757)

• Defeated due to internal conspiracy and treachery.

Major Conspirators

• • Mir Jafar – Mir Bakshi
  • Manikchand – Officer of Calcutta
  • Aminchand – Wealthy Sikh Merchant
  • Jagat Seth – Prominent Banker of Bengal
  • Khadim Khan – Commander of the Nawab’s forces

Mir Jafar (1757–60)

British Advantages

• Company obtained free trade rights in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
• Received the Zamindari of 24 Parganas.

Removal

• Failed to satisfy Company interests.
• Abdicated in favour of Mir Qasim.

Mir Qasim (1760–64)

Administrative Measures

• Transferred Burdwan, Midnapore and Chittagong to the Company.
• Shifted the capital from Murshidabad to Munger.

Revolt Against the Company

• Opposed misuse of Dastak (Duty-Free Passes).
• After defeat, fled to Awadh.
• Formed a confederacy with Shujauddaula and Shah Alam II.

Battle of Buxar (1764)

• Combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shujauddaula and Shah Alam II were defeated by the British at Buxar.

Restoration

• Mir Jafar was reinstated as Nawab.

Later Nawabs

Successors

• • Mir Jafar (1764–65)
  • Nazmuddaula (1765–66)
  • Saifuddaula (1766–70)
  • Mubarakuddaula (1770–72)

Treaty with Nazmuddaula (20 February 1765)

• • Nawab surrendered control over the Army and Administration.
  • Bengal came under the administration of a Deputy Subedar appointed by the Company.

Treaties of Allahabad (1765)

• • 12 August 1765 – Treaty with Shah Alam II.
  • 16 August 1765 – Treaty with Shujauddaula.

Dual Government of Bengal (1765–72)

   Introduction

• • Introduced in 1765.

   Features

• • Company acquired both Diwani Rights and Nizamat Rights.
  • Company controlled Revenue Collection, while the Nawab retained only nominal administrative authority.

   Abolition

• • Warren Hastings abolished the Dual Government in 1772.

Mysore

Haidar Ali (1761–82)

Rise to Power

• Began his career as a soldier in the Mysore Army.
• Later became the Faujdar of Dindigul.
• Established a modern arsenal at Dindigul with French assistance.

Consolidation of Authority

• 1761 – Overthrew the Nanjaraj (Prime Minister of Krishnaraja I).
• Exercised actual authority while continuing to recognise Krishnaraja I as the nominal ruler.

First Anglo-Mysore War (1766–69)

• Successfully resisted the British.
• Ended with the Treaty of Madras (1769).

Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–84)

• Triggered after Warren Hastings attacked the French Port of Mahe, an area under Haidar Ali’s influence.
• Formed a Triple Alliance with the Nizam and the Marathas.
• Captured Arcot, the capital of the Carnatic.

Final Phase

• 1781 – Defeated at Porto Novo by Sir Eyre Coote.
• Died during the Second Anglo-Mysore War.

Tipu Sultan (1782–99)

Accession

• Succeeded Haidar Ali in 1782.
• Continued the Second Anglo-Mysore War until 1784.

Treaty of Mangalore (1784)

• Concluded the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
• Signed between Tipu Sultan and the British.

Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–92)

• Marathas and the Nizam supported the British.
• Lord Cornwallis occupied Bangalore.
• Treaty of Seringapatnam (1792) compelled Tipu Sultan to surrender nearly half of his territories.

Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799)

• Launched under Lord Wellesley.
• Tipu Sultan was killed during the defence of Seringapatnam.

Economic Vision

• Recognised economic prosperity as the foundation of military strength.
• Promoted state-controlled commerce and financial self-reliance.

Foreign Relations

• Established diplomatic missions to:
  
  • France
  • Turkey
  • Iran
  • Pegu
• Objective: Expansion of foreign trade and strategic alliances.

Revolutionary Ideas

• Planted the “Tree of Liberty” at Seringapatnam.
• Became associated with the Jacobian Club, reflecting the influence of the French Revolution.

Punjab

Rise of Sikh Power

Guru Gobind Singh

• Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last Sikh Guru, transformed the Sikh community into a military brotherhood (Khalsa).

Growth of Sikh Influence

• Following the invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali, political instability weakened the region.
• The Sikhs utilised the opportunity to strengthen their military organisation and emerged as a dominant regional force.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1792–1839)

Early Career

• Regarded as the founder of the Sikh Empire and one of the most distinguished Indian rulers.
• Born in 1780 at Gujranwala.

Expansion of the Kingdom

• Occupied Lahore in 1799 and declared it the capital.
• Captured Amritsar in 1802.
• Subsequently annexed:
  
  • Ludhiana
  • Kangra
  • Attock
  • Multan
  • Kashmir
  • Hazara
  • Bannu
  • Dera Ismail Khan
  • Peshawar

Death

• Passed away in 1839.

Successors of Ranjit Singh

Chronology

• • Kharak Singh (1839–40)
  • Naunihal Singh (1840)
  • Sher Singh (1841–43)
  • Dalip Singh (1843–49)

Decline of Sikh Power

• After the death of Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Kingdom experienced rapid political instability and internal conflicts, leading to British intervention.

First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46)

Outcome

• The Sikhs suffered defeat in all the major engagements:
  
  • Mudki
  • Ferozeshah
  • Aliwal
  • Sobraon

Treaty of Lahore (1846)

• Officially concluded the First Anglo-Sikh War.
• Sir Henry Lawrence was appointed the first British Resident at Lahore.

Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–49)

British Annexation

• Conducted during the tenure of Lord Dalhousie.
• Resulted in the annexation of Punjab into the British Empire.

Administrative Change

• Sir John Lawrence became the first Chief Commissioner of Punjab.

Important Kingdoms Annexed by the British