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Home , Mir Qasim, Robert Clive, Treaty of Allahabad

THEME 4: TRADERS TO RULERS

RISE OF BRITISH POWER IN

BRITISH EAST COMPANY

THE ADVENT OF THE BRITISH IN INDIA

The British first came to India as traders in the 17th Century. However, by the middle of the 19th Century, the British succeeded in eliminating all their rivals and established an all - India Empire. In their scramble for political power, the conquest of Bengal proved to be an important milestone for the British. It set the stage for further conquests and the establishment of the British as rulers of India.

THE ENGLISH COMPANY

In 1600 CE, a company popularly known as ENGLISH was established by a small group of BRITISH MERCHANTS. The Queen of England, Elizabeth I, granted the Company exclusive right to trade with the East.

The Company made enormous profits by buying Eastern goods and then selling them at high prices in European market. The Queen received a share of the Company’s profits.

The items of goods exported from India to Europe: Linen, indigo, saltpeter, silk, cotton spices etc.

The English East India Company set up its first factory in Surat in 1612. It was a trading settlement consisting of a warehouse for goods, an office for keeping records, and residential quarters for the servants (employees) of the Company. Nothing was manufactured in these factories.

By 1623 CE, the British had established factories in Surat, Broach, Ahmadabad, Agra and Masulipatam. Sir Thomas Roe the British ambassador obtained trade concessions from the Mughal Emperor JAHANGIR.

In 1639 CE, Madras () was given to the British by a local ruler. They established a trading settlement and fortified it and named it FORT St GEORGE.

Fort St George (Madras) In 1688 CE, CHARLES II gave the Company at nominal ate of 10 pounds per year the island of Bombay, which he had received as a dowry when he had married a Portuguese princess. It became the chief settlement of the British on the Western coast.

In 1690 CE, a British trading settlement was established and fortified in Calcutta. It was named FORT WILLIAM.

MADRAS, BOMBAY AND CALCUTTA became the headquarters of the British settlements in southern, western, and eastern regions respectively. These headquarters were known as Presidencies, was placed under the charge of a GOVERNOR.

ANGLO FRENCH RIVALRY:-

By 18th Century, the two major European powers in India were the BRITISH and the FRENCH. They were both equally determined to establish trade monopoly in India. An intense competition followed. Taking advantage of the decline of the Mughal power and unstable political conditions in India, they fought THREE WARS to establish their supremacy. These wars are referred to as the . By the three Carnatic Wars the British succeeded in establishing their political influence over the . The THIRD CARNATIC WAR shattered French dreams of building an Indian Empire. Now the British East India Company became free from all the European rivals set to conquer the rest of India with the help of superior army and its vast resources.

RISE OF BRITISH POWER IN BENGAL:-

Bengal in the 18th Century was the richest and most fertile province in India. Known as ‘the paradise of the earth’, the province of Bengal attracted traders from Holland, France and England. European trading companies from these countries established trading settlement in Bengal, which became a profitable base for their trade and commerce.

FORT WILLIAM CALCUTTA SIRAJ-UD DAULAH

Calcutta was the largest and most prosperous British settlement in Bengal. In 1717, the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar issued a FARMAN, granting the English East India Company the right to carry on DUTY-FREE TRADE in Bengal, and Orissa. This meant that the Company could export and import goods from and to these provinces without paying any taxes to the government. They were given the right to issue passes or DASTAKS for free movement of their goods. With the passage of time the employees of the Company began to misuse this right and continued to carry out their private trade.

The Company made enormous profits. In course of time, the Company began to interfere in the local politics of the Indian rulers. By supporting one ruler against another, they made territorial, monetary and political gains. Their interference soon turned into active involvement and they established the FOUNDATION of British rule in Bengal by the middle of the 18th Century. Siraj-ud-Daula the of Bengal did not like the English traders misusing the trading right and asked the European traders to pay taxes. Refusal to pay taxes by the British angered the Nawab. He eventually came in conflict with the British and was defeated by CLIVE in 1757. He had to give into all the demands of the British.

Robert Clive wanted to remove Siraj-ud Daula with who would cooperate with the British. They gave Siraj-ud Daula a set of impossible demands. War became inevitable and the was fought on23rd June 1757 and Siraj-ud Daula was defeated and was later killed.

The Company gained undisputed right to trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The Nawab became the puppet in the hands of the company. Eventually Mir Jafar was replaced by and this strengthened British position in Bengal.

ROBERT CLIVE 1764:- Three Allies of the Battle of Buxar.

SHAH ALAM II MIR QASIM SHUJA-UD DAULAH

Mir Qasim wanted to free himself from British control. He improved Bengal’s financial position and abolished all duties on internal trade. In 1763 the British with Mir Qasim and defeated him.

Mir Qasim fled and allied with Shuja-ud-Daulah Nawab of and Shah Alam II the Mughal Emperor. Their combined forces clashed with British in BUXAR in 1764 and were defeated. The British were firmly established as masters of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

TREATY OF was signed between Company and Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II in 1765. Awadh was returned to Shuja-ud-Daulah while Kora and Allahabad were taken away. The Nawab had to pay 50 lakh rupees as war indemnity. The of Bengal were reduced to mere puppets of the British.

DUAL GOVERNMENT IN BENGAL 1765-72:-

Dual government introduced by Clive, Bengal had two masters; the Nawab and the Company. The Nawab was responsible for general administration, law and order and justice. Company had military and revenue powers. The revenue was collected by British appointed Indian officials which worsened the condition of Indian peasants.

Eventually the Court of Directors of the Company appointed as Governor General of Bengal. He abolished the Dual Government. Bengal was brought under direct Company control. Nawab was deposed and pensioned off and the treasury shifted from to Calcutta.

WARREN HASTINGS INDIA IN 1765

EXERCISES:-

A. Fill in the blanks:-

1. Madras, Bombay and Calcutta became the headquarters of the British settlement in southern, western and eastern regions, respectively. 2. In 1717, the Mughal Emperor granted the United East India Company the right to carry on duty-free trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. 3. The British and the French fought the Carnatic Wars in India to establish their monopoly in trade. 4. Bengal in the 18th Century was the richest and the most fertile province in India. 5. In 1765, Awadh was returned to Shuja-ud Daulah but Kora and Allahabad were taken away and given to Shah Alam II. 6. Warren Hastings deposed and pensioned off the Nawab of Bengal and brought Bengal under the direct and complete control of the Company.

B. Match the following:- A B 1. Carnatic wars Anglo- French rivalry 2. Farman duty-free trade 3. Battle of Plassey Siraj-ud- Daulah 4. Battle to Buxar Mir Qasim 5. Governor General of Bengal Warren Hastings

C. Choose the correct answer:-

1. The English East India Company was established in the year 1600/ 1700/ 1800 CE. 2. The English East India Company set up its first factory in Surat/ Agra/ Broach. 3. Robert Clive hatched a plot with Mir Jafar/ Siraj-ud-Daulah/Shuja-ud Daulah to replace Siraj-ud- Daulah. 4. The battle of Plassey was fought in 1757/ 1764/ 1772 CE. 5. Dual Government in Bengal was introduced by Robert Clive/ Warren Hastings/ Lord Cornwallis.

D. State whether the following are true or false:-

1. The Carnatic Wars were fought between the British and the French. True. 2. The employees of the Company were entitled to both private trade as well as duty-free trade. False. 3. The English East India Company was given the right to issue passes or dastaks for the free movement of their goods. True. 4. The was defeated in the Battle of Buxar. False. 5. The was signed between the British Company and Mir Qasim. False.

E. Answer the following questions:- 1. Who granted the English East India Company the exclusive right to trade with the East? The Queen of England, Elizabeth I, granted the Company the Exclusive right to trade with the East.

2. Name the British trading settlements in a) Madras b) Calcutta. a) In Madras it was known as Fort St George b) In Calcutta it was known as Fort William.

3. Why did the Farman of 1717 become a bone of contention between the Nawabs of Bengal and the British Company? The Farman of 1717 had made the British very powerful both militarily and economically. Siraj-ud-Daulah wanted to curb the growing power of British in Bengal therefore ordered the Company to pay the taxes to him like any other Indian merchants. However the British refused, this led to conflict between the British and Nawab.

4. State the results of the Battle of Plassey. Following were results of the Battle of Plassey:- i) The English East India Company was granted the undisputed right to trade in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. ii) The Company was given the Zamindari of 24 Pargana. iii) Mir Jafar paid the Company and its officials over 300 lakh of rupees.

5. Why the Battle of Plassey is considered a major turning point in the ? The Battle of Plassey was a major turning point in the history of India. i) It paved the way for the establishment of British rule in Bengal, and eventually, the rest of India. ii) It transformed a trading Company into a political power. iii) The Nawab of Bengal was reduced to a puppet in the hands of the British, who became the virtual rulers of Bengal.

6. What steps did Mir Qasim take to strengthen his position? Why did he abolish all duties on internal trade? i) In order to strengthen his position, Mir Qasim improved the financial position of Bengal and raised modern, disciplined and well- equipped army trained by the Europeans. ii) To put an end to the corrupt practices of British, Mir Jafar abolished all duties on internal trade.

7. Trace the events from the outbreak of war (1763) between Mir Qasim and the British up to the Battle of Buxar. In 1763, war broke out between Mir Qasim and the British. The Nawab was defeated. Mir Jafar was again restored on the throne. Mir Qasim was determined to recover his throne. He escaped to Awadh, where he formed an alliance with Shuja-ud Daulah, the and Mughal Emoeror, Shah Alam II. The combined forces of the three allies clashed with the Company’s troops at Buxar in 1764 and were decisively defeated by the British.

8. Explain the importance of the Battle of Buxar. The importance of the Battle of Buxar:- i) The victory of the British in the Battle of Buxar firmly established them as masters of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. ii) It gave them the political influence and control over Awadh and the Mughal Emperor. iii) It laid the foundation of British rule in India.

9. Explain the terms of agreement signed between Robert Clive and Shah Alam II in the Treaty of Allahabad 1765.

According to the terms of the Treaty of Allahabad following terms were made between Robert Clive Shuja-ud Daulah and Shah Alam II the Mughal Emperor:-

i) Awadh was returned to Shuja-ud Daula. However, two districts of Kora and Allahabad were taken away from the Nawab. ii) The Nawab of Awadh had to pay a war indemnity of 50 lakh rupees to the Company. iii) The British agreed to defend the Nawab of Awadh against his enemies. The Nawab would pay for the cost of the British troops. iv) The British gave Shah Alam II, the districts of Kora and Allahabad and was pensioned off with an annual pension of 26 lakh rupees. In return the Emperor had to grant the Company the DIWANI of Bengal Bihar and Orissa, i.e. the right to collect revenue from these provinces and judge civil cases. In this way Company’s control over Bengal was made legal.

10. Why was the government introduced in Bengal by Robert Clive referred to as ‘Dual Government’? ‘Dual Government’ was a form of Government introduced in Bengal by Robert Clive in 1765, according to which there were two masters of the state: a) The Nawab was responsible for general administration, maintenance of law and order and justice (i.e., criminal cases) b) The Company had military power and the right to collect and use the revenue of Bengal and try civil cases.

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NOTE:

PLEASE READ THE DISCRIPTION OF THE CHAPTER CAREFULLY AND DO THE GIVEN EXERCIES IN YOUR FAIR COPIES.

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