Unit - 2 From Trade to Territory Learning Objectives ▶ To know the rise of the Political Power of English East India Company ▶ To know the events and impact of Battle of Plassey and Buxar ▶ To know the Carnatic wars and Mysore wars ▶ To know the Anglo-Maratha wars ▶ To understand the growth of colonial army and civilian administration ▶ To understand the principles of Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse Introduction The Black Hole tragedy (1756) In the 15th Century, Europe witnessed There was a smalldungeon room in the Fort an era of geographical discoveries through William in Calcutta, where troops of the Nawab land and sea routes. In 1498, Vasco Da Gama of Bengal Siraj-ud-daula, held 146 British Pris- of Portugal discovered a new sea route from oners of war for one night. Next day morning, Europe to India. The main motive behind those when the door was opened 123 of the prisoners discoveries was to maximize profit through found dead because of suffocation. trade and to establish political supremacy. The power. So, Siraj-ud-daulah decided to teach rule of East India Company in India became them (British) a lesson by attacking over their effective after the conquest of Bengal. The main political settlement of Calcutta. The Nawab interest of the company in India was territorial and commercial expansions. captured their factory at Kasimbazar. On 20th June 1756, Fort William surrendered but Robert Clive recovered Calcutta. Establishment of Political th Power by the English East On 9 February 1757, Treaty of Alinagar India Company was signed, where by Siraj-ud-daulah conceded Battle of Plassey (1757) Alivardi Khan, the Nawab of Bengal died in 1756 and his grandson Siraj-ud-daula ascended the throne of Bengal. The British taking advantage of the New Nawab’s weakness and unpopularity seized Battle of Plassey (1757) 11 Unit-2 HISTORY.indd 11 2/21/2020 10:19:11 AM N BATTLES UNDER BRITISH RULE W E S KASHMIR Panipat Delhi Awadh (OUDH) RAJPUTANA Gwalior BIHAR Mandasor Buxar BENGAL GAEKWAD SINDHIA Plassey Baroda HOLKAR Argaon Surat Deogaon Surjiarjangon Salbai Nagpur Assaye Bassein PHESWA BHONSLE Salsee MARATHA Bombay Kirkee Poona Purandhar Satara ARABIAN BAY OF SEA BENGAL A n d a m L Mangalore MYSORE (Adyar) a Madras n a Arcot k Malavalli Wandiwash a s Srirangapanam n h Ambur (I a d TRAV Chengam ndia d (I Porto Novo N w ndia e i ANGORE c ) e CARNATIC o p ) b I a s l r a I n s l d a s n d s Not to Scale INDIAN OCEAN practically all his claims. British then captured It was fought on 23 June 1757. The English Chandranagore, the French settlement, on East India Company’s forces under Robert March 1757. The battle of Plassey took place Clive defeated the forces of Siraj-ud-daulah. between the British East India Company and After the collapse of Bengal, the company the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies. gained a huge amount of wealth from the 12 From Trade to Territory Unit-2 HISTORY.indd 12 2/21/2020 10:19:11 AM treasury of Bengal and used it to strengthen of his army and to administer Bengal through its military force. The beginning of the British a Deputy Subedar nominated by the company. political sway over India may be traced from Robert Clive concluded two separate treaties the Battle of Plassey. It was the most decisive with Shuja-ud-daula and Shah Alam II. Dual battle that marked the initiation of British System of government started in Bengal. rule in India for the next two centuries. Carnatic wars Battle of Buxar (1764) In the 18th century, three Carnatic wars After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the were fought between various Indian rulers, company was granted undisputed right to British and French East Indian Company on have free trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. either side. Traditionally, Britain and France It received the place of 24 parganas in Bengal. were rival countries in Europe. Their rivalry Mir Jafar (1757 to 1760) the Nawab of Bengal continued in India over trade and territories. however fell into arrears and was forced to It resulted in a series of military conflicts abdicate in favor of his son in law, Mir Qasim. in the south known as the Carnatic wars Mir Qasim ceded Burdwan, Midnapore which spanned from 1746 to 1763. These and Chittagong. He shifted his capital from wars resulted in establishment of political Mursidabad to Monghyr. Mir Qasim soon supremacy of British East Indian Company. revolted as he was angry with the British for misusing the destakes (free duty passes). Carnatic wars However, having been defeated by the British, he fled to Awadh, where he formed a confederacy with Shuja-ud-daulah and Shah Alam. First Second Third Carnatic war Carnatic war Carnatic war 1746 - 1748 1749 - 1754 1756 - 1763 First Carnatic war (1746 - 48) On the outbreak of the Austrian war of succession in Europe the English and the French were on opposite camps increased the Battle of Buxar (1764) hostility between these two forces. The echo The Battle was fought on October 22, of this war was felt in India. 1764 at Buxar, a “small fortified town” within Battle of Adayar (1746) the territory of Bihar, located on the banks of The First Carnatic War is remembered the Ganges river about 130 kilometers west of for the battle of Santhome (Madras) fought Patna. It was a decisive victory for the British between the French forces and the forces of East India Company. Shuja–ud-daulah, Shah Anwar-ud-din, the Nawab of Carnatic, who Alam and Mir Qasim were defeated by General appealed the British for help. A small French Hector Munro. Mir Jafar was again placed army under Captain Paradise defeated the on the throne. On Mir Jafar’s death, his son strong Indian army under Mahfuz Khan Nizam-ud-daulah was placed on the throne at Santhome on the banks of the River and signed Allahabad Treaty on 20th February Adayar. This was the first occasion when 1765 by which the Nawab had to disband most the superiority of the well-trained and From Trade to Territory 13 Unit-2 HISTORY.indd 13 2/21/2020 10:19:11 AM well-equipped European army over the Indian Battle of Arcot (1751) army was proved beyond doubt. In the meantime, Dupleix sent forces to Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) besiege the fort of Trichy where Muhammad Ali had taken shelter. Chanda Sahib also The war was ended by the treaty of Aix- joined with the French in their efforts to la-Chapelle which brought the Austrian War besiege Trichy. Robert Clive’s proposal was of Succession to an end. Under the terms of accepted by the British governor, Saunders, this treaty, Madras was returned back to the and with only 200 English and 300 Indian English, and the French, in turn, got their soldiers, Clive was entrusted the task of territories in North America. capturing Arcot. His attack proved successful. Second Carnatic War (1749 - 54) Robert Clive defeated the French at Arni and Kaveripak. With the assistance The main cause of this war was the issue of Major General of succession in Carnatic and Hyderabad. Stringer Lawrence, Anwaruddin Khan and Chanda Sahib were Chanda Sahib was the two claimants to the throne of Carnatic, killed in Trichy. whereas Nasir Jang and Muzaffar Jang were Muhammad Ali was claimants to the throne of Hyderabad. The made the Nawab of French supported Chanda sahib and Muzaffar Arcot under British Jang, while the British supported the other protection. The claimants with the objective of keeping their French Government interest and influence in the entire Deccan recalled Dupleix to Robert Clive region. Paris. Battle of Ambur (1749) Treaty of Pondicherry (1755) Finally Dupleix, Chanda Sahib and Dupleix was succeeded by Godeheu who Muzaffar Jang formed a grand alliance and agreed the treaty of Pondicherry. According defeated and killed Anwar-ud-din Khan, the to it, both the powers agreed not to interfere Nawab of Carnatic, on 3 August 1749 in the Battle in the internal affairs of the native states. of Ambur. Muhammad Ali, the son of Anwar- They were to retain their old positions. New ud-din, fled to Trichinopoly (Trichirappalli). forts should not be built by either power. The Chanda Sahib became the Nawab of Carnatic treaty made the British stronger. and rewarded the French with the grant of 80 The second Carnatic war also proved villages around Pondicherry. inconclusive. The English proved their In the Deccan, too, the French defeated superiority on land by appointing Mohammad and killed Nasir Jang and made Muzaffar Ali as the Nawab of Carnatic. The French were Jang as the Nizam. The new Nizam gave still very powerful in Hyderabad. However, ample rewards to the French. He appointed the predominant position of the French in the Dupleix as the governor of all the territories Deccan peninsula was definitely undermined in south of the river Krishna. Muzaffar Jang in this war. was assassinated by his own people in 1751. Third Carnatic War (1756 - 63) Salabat Jang, brother of Nasir Jang was raised to the throne by Bussy. Salabat Jang granted The outbreak of the Seven Years’ War the Northern Circars excluding the Guntur in Europe led to the third Carnatic war in District to the French. Dupleix’s power was India. By this time, Robert Clive established at its zenith by that time. the British power in Bengal by the Battle 14 From Trade to Territory Unit-2 HISTORY.indd 14 2/21/2020 10:19:11 AM of Plassey which provided them with the Mysore and its Resistance necessary finance for the third Carnatic war.