Rise of British Power in
India: 1757-1857
Murshidabad
Plassey
Kolkata
Rise of British Power in India : 1757-1857
After Plassey, the British installed Mir Jaf ar Ali Khan as the
puppet Nawab of Bengal in 1757
As Mir Jafar could not meet the demands of the British, he
was replaced by his nephew Mir Qassim in 1760
Mir Qassim was unable to meet the British demands. To be
away from the British, he shifted his capital from
Murshidabad to Mungher in Bihar.
Mir Qassim, along with the Nawab of Oudh and Emperor
Shah Alam II of Delhi together met the British in war in
Buxur in 1764 but their combined forces were defeated.
Mir Jafar’s son Najm-ud-dawla was made the Nawab, but for
all practical purposes, the British East India Company
became the virtual ruler of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
Murshidabad
Nawab Mir Qassim
Battle of Buxur between the Company and the combined forces
of Bengal, Oudh and Delhi 23 Oct 1764
Rise of British Power in India : 1757-1857
Dual Administration in Bengal
In 1765, Lord Clive then Governor of India obtained a Firman from
Emperor Shah Alam II which gave the Company the Diwani i.e. right
to collect taxes in Bengal territory and dispense justice. In return, the
Company will pay an annual revenue of Tk. 25 lac to the Emperor.
The Nawab of Bengal, who was only a titular head, will be responsible
for the Faujdari, i.e. maintenance of law and order. For this the Nawab
needed money, but the money was with the Company and soon the
Nawab became ineffective and a virtual pauper.
The Company’s officials kept pressurizing farmers and traders for
more tax on the other hand law & order broke down because the
Nawab could not pay his forces
Thus by 1770, Bengal witnessed one of it’s great famine. Nearly 1/5 th of
population perished. Diarchy or Dual Administration brought
enormous sufferings to people
Emperor Shah Alam II handing over Bengal’s Diwani to the East India Company 1765
Short Break
Important Governor/Governor Generals of India
Lord Warren Hastings (1775-1785)
First Governor General of Bengal
Took stern measures to curb corruption among Company
officials
Was himself charged with corruption in later years
Accused of torturing the Begums of Oudh to secure jewelries and
valuables from them
Put Maharaj Nanda Kumar to judicial murder in order to cover his
crimes. Case went up to British Parliament.
After 7 Years of legal battle was acquitted but died as a pauper in 1818
Was a patron of local art, culture and literature
Was well-versed in Persian and Urdu
Established Madrasha-e-Aliya and the Hindu College in Kolkata
Place where Maharaj Nanda Kumar was hanged
Madrash-e-Aliya, Kolkata
Important Governor/Governor Generals of India
Lord Cornwallis(1786-1793)
Laid the foundation of British rule and set standards of administration,
courts and revenue collection
Took way the Faujdari power from the Nawab of Bengal, set up criminal
courts in districts and a court of Appeal in Calcutta.
Codified Criminal Procedures and translated Hindu and Muslims Laws in
English
Enacted meritocracy in recruitment and promotion
Outlawed Child Slavery
Enacted Permanent Settlement in 1793:
Created a class of landowners, known as Zamindars who would
deposit a fixed land rent to the treasury annually
Small farmers, called Ryots, virtually became tenants of the landlords
Although Zamindars had no legal powers, but their agents often used
to torture the peasants to collect maximum rent.
Important Governor/Governor Generals of India
Lord Wellesley (1798-1805)
Became Governor General when he was 37
Started large-scale expansion of British Empire
Expansion of empire through outright war:
Occupied Mysore by defeating Tipu Sultan who died a heroes
death in the field of battle in Srirangapatam, 4 May 1799
Expansion through Subsidiary Treaties, whereby the local
ruler was given protection in lieu of permanent stationing
of British troops
Nizam of Hyderabad
Marathas
Nawab of Audh
Kindoms of Jaipur, Jodhpur
Important Governor/Governor Generals of India
Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835)
Made English as the Court Language replacing Persian
Started recruiting English educated local youth into the
Company’s service
Muslims, reluctant to learn English, gradually fell
behind
Carried out social reform in Hindu society:
With Raja Ram Mohan Roy banned Widow Burning (Sati
daho), encouraged widow remarriage, banned child-marriage.
Sati Daha
Important Governor/Governor Generals of India
Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856)
Introduced “Doctrine of Lapse” – if a local prince dies
without leaving a male heir, the territory will
automatically fall to direct Company rule. This was
an expansionist policy detested by the Indians.
A major reformer and modernizer
Introduced telegraph system in 1852 from Kolkata to
Agra
Set up first railway and postal services in India in 1854
Started Public Works Department (PWD) to make
roads, bridges and irrigation works. Reconstructed the
GT Road from Kolkata to Peshawar
Set up a Zilla school in each district, Govt. Colleges in
important cities and a University in each provinces.
First train in India 1854
Map of Indian Railway by 1880
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