British settlement in Calcutta - 15 Minutes Seminar Notes

British settlement in Calcutta - 15 Minutes Seminar Notes

Administration in Calcutta:

• In 1699- Calcutta became a presidency and a president and council were appointed to administrate this settlement. Having acquired the zamindari rights of the mughals the company assumed the function of the zamindars.
  
• Earlier, Zamindar was empowered to collect land revenues. Though, The civil and criminal cased were settled by the separate cases in separate courts. But due to integration of the mughals, the function of the court ceased. Each zamindar was given a court called cutcherry court to decide civil cases. Appeal from cutcherry laid down to the nawab’s court of murshidabad.
  

Two distinct features of this administration:  

• East India Company appointed English man as collector to collect the land revenue and also to decide the civic, criminal and revenue cases. The English collector had a court known as Fauzdari court. The appeals against collector’s court lay to governor or council.
  
• The English collector could take the death decision but did not confirm it with nawab’s courts at murshidabad.
  

Establishment of political power

Battle of Plassey (1757):

• The first major conflict of the British against an Indian power was in Bengal. The history of Bengal from 1757 to 1765 is the history of gradual transfer of the power from the nawabs to the British.
  
• Ali vardi khan was the nawab of Bengal died in 1756. Siraj –ud-daula , his grandson became new nawab of Bengal.  The last independent nawab.
  
• British took advantage of new nawab’s weakness and unpopularity and seized the power.
  
• Siraj- ud – daua teaches lesson to British and attack the political settlement in Calcutta ad captured factory at kasimbazar.
  

The black hole tragedy 1756:

• At fort William, siraj imprisoned 146 British  in a small room for a night. 123 British were died due to suffocation. This became the main reason for Battle of plassey.
  
• Battle of plassey is between British vs  Nawab of Bengal and French allies. Clive bribed Mir jafar the commander in chief of nawab, and the two others. The victory of British is pre decided.
  
• 23 June 1757, E.I.C – Robert Clive and admiral Charles Watson defeated siraj . It collapsed Bengal.
  

Treaty of Ali nagar:

• Feb 9, 1757, Treaty of Ali nagar was signed. Siraj concede all his claims. British captured Chandra nagar, French settlement on 1757.
  
• The company has gained huge amount of wealth in treasury of Bengal and strengthen military force.  It initiates the British rule in India over 2 centuries.
• The company was granted undisputed right of free trade in Bengal, Behar and orrisa and 24 parganas in Bengal.
  

Battle of Buxar ( 1764):

• Mir jafar, puppet of British, became the nawab of Bengal. Clive interfered the most, makes mir jafar unpleased and went against him. Clive initiated and mir jafar from nawab of Bengal and appointed Mir qasim as new nawab of Bengal.
  
• Burdwan, midnapore & Chittagong. British shifted the capotal from mirsidabad to moghyr. British misused the dastak (free duty passes) . Mir qasim revolted against british and got defeated. He fled to awadh and formed confederacy with shuja – ud – daula and shah Alam.
  
• Oct 22, 1764 At Buxar, the fortified town of bihar, located near ganga river at west of Patna. Shuja –ud- daula, Shah alam and mir qasim was defeated by general hector munro.

Treaty of Allahabad: 

• 20 Feb, 1765 treaty of Allahabad was signed. Robert clive concluded and put sparate treaties with shuja –ud- daula and shah alam II and disband the army and administration.
  
• Shuja –ud- dual has given Allahabad and paid 50 lakhs as compensation. Shah allam reside under company protection and diwani rights of Bengal, bihar and orrisa.
  

Anglo-Nepalese war

• It is also called Gorkha war. It started from 1st Nov 1814 to 4th march 1816. It is between the kingdom of Gorkha vs East Indian company and the company won the war.
  
• Treaty of sugauli is signed on 1815 and rectified in 1816. And established the boundary of Nepal.
  

Anglo-Afghan war

1st Anglo- Afghan war:

• The game involved Britain’s repeated attempts to impose a puppet government in Kabul. The British wanted Dost mohammad to break all contact with Iranians and Russians.
  
• In 1883, Shuja shah, the puppet, gained the british support and maharaja Ranjith singh for wresting power from Dost mohammad khan.
  
• The tripartite treaty was signed between Ranjith singh, sha shuja and lord Auckland in June 1838. Shah shuja will be reinstated on the throne. Sikh armies will provide to him and will determine the foreign policy with the advice of the british. Ranjith  singh claim on the bank of Indus and gave up claims of sind.
  
• British would remain in the backround.
  
• Dost mohammed khan surrendered to the Bristish and shuja was restored to the throne by on august 7, 1839. The Afghanis took shah shuja as a betrayer and shuja ud  daula, ;eading the awam, killed shah shuja on April 5, 1842.
• The Afghanis rose in rebellion and the victim of their wrath were British political agents and many soldiers were killed in adverse cold.
  
• Thus A humiliating treaty was signed by the British and were forced to recognize Dost mohammed as Emir of Afghanistan.
  

2nd Afghan war:

• The first Anglo afghan was had ended. When Lord Disraeli became PM, he sent Lord Lytton to India to increase the influence in Afghanistan.
  
• Treaty of peshwar between Dost mohammad and British reopened the diplomatic relations. Russia stabilized a fixed boundary between Afghanistan and its territories. Russia sends an uninvited diplomatic mission sent by the Russians to Kabul. The British too wanted to send a mission, but sher ali refused.
  
• A diplomatic mission was ordered by lord Lytton, the viceroy of British India, and the mission was turned back. This triggered the second Anglo afghan war. Afghan was occupied by British and sher ali was defeated and he fled towards Turkistan.
  
• The treaty of gandamak was signed in may 1879 to prevent British invasion in rest of the country.
  

3rd Afghan war:

• It is also known as the war of independence, began on may 1919 when the emirates of Afghanistan invaded British India and ended with an armistice on 8 Aug 1919.
  
• The war resulted in the afghans winning back control of foreign affairs form Britain, and the British recognizing afghan as an independent nation.
• It was a minor strategic victory for the British because the Durand line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between afghan and British raj and the afghan agreed not to foment trouble on the British side.
  

Anglo-Burma war

1st Burma war 

• Burma had occupied Arkan and parts of Manipur. British feels threat to Assam and Brahmaputra valley because of ill defined border between Bengal and Burma.
  
• Brutish forces occupy Rango and threaten Burmese capital Ava.1826 – Treaty of Yandabo was signed. Burma recognized Manipur as an independent state. 1 crore is paid by Burma as was indemnity. British resident at ava. And take over brumes coastal provinces of arakan.
  
• Burmese envoy at Calcutta and gives up claims on Assam, Cachar and jaintia.

2nd Burma war:

• EIC Wanted rich forest resources of Burma and new market to sell products. It seized a Burmese ship, leading a war.
  
• EIC troops annexed Pegu – the only remaining independent coastal province of Burma.
  

3rd Burma war:

• New king Thibaw tries to drive out British influence
  
• He started negotiating commercial treaties with French, German and Italians. French given contract to build railways.
  
• Huge fine imposed on British timber trading. Large army sent by lord duffein: Burma annexed to British India.
  
• At the end of 3rd Anglo Burmese war, the British had agreed to acknowledge Chinese over Burma
  
• 1935- Burma separated from British India.
  

Anglo - Tibetan relationship

• Buddhist monk (lamas) was a nominal suzerainty of china. The British efforts to establish friendly and commercial relationship with Tibet not yielded any result and dead lock has been reached by the Curzon’s arrival in India.
  
• The Chinese suzerainty over Tibet was ineffective and Russians influence at lhasa was increasing. 
• Curzon felt alarmed and sent a small gorkha contingent under colonel Younghuband.
  
• Tibetan refused to negotiate and offered non – violent resistance.
  
• Treaty of lhasa was signed in 1904. Colonel  younghusband dictated terms to Tibetan officials
  
• Indemnity of RS. 75 lakh @ Rs. 1 lakh / annum as a security payment would occupy the chumbi  valley, a territory of Bhutan and Sikkim for 75 years. Trade marts would be opened at Yatung, Gyantse, Gartok.
  

Presented By,

Mohana Ragavi

Tnpsc Student 

Magme School Of Banking