Rise of British Power in Bengal - Vocabulary Flashcards

40 vocabulary flashcards covering key people, places, events, and concepts from the Rise of British Power in Bengal notes.

English East India Company

The company founded in 1600 with exclusive rights to trade with the East, which later gained political and military power in India.

Surat factory

One of the first British trading settlements established in 1612 to serve as a trade base.

Fort St George

The fortified trading settlement at Madras (now Chennai) established in the 1640s.

Bombay (island)

The island of Bombay granted to the Company by Charles II in 1688, becoming a key western base.

Fort William

The fortified trading settlement established at Calcutta in 1690.

Presidencies

Headquarters of British settlements in India (Calcutta, Bombay, Madras), each governed by a Governor.

United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies

The consolidated English trading company, later known as the East India Company.

French East India Company

The French trading company formed in 1664 with Pondicherry as its Indian headquarters.

Pondicherry

Headquarters of the French East India Company in India.

Chandernagore

French trading settlement in Bengal along the Hooghly River.

Carnatic Wars

Three wars between British and French in India, aimed at dominating the Carnatic region.

Calcutta

Largest British settlement in Bengal and a major trading center; capital of the area at times.

Mir Jafar

Commander in the Nawab’s forces who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah and became a puppet Nawab.

Siraj-ud-Daulah

Nawab of Bengal who resisted British expansion and was defeated at Plassey.

Robert Clive

British commander who led the Plassey victory and later held key administrative roles.

Battle of Plassey

Fought in 1757; British victory marked by Mir Jafar’s betrayal, paving British rule in Bengal.

Dastaks

Passes that allowed free movement of goods for the Company.

Zamindari

System of land revenue and landholding rights granted to the Company in Bengal.

24 Parganas

District granted to the Company as zamindari, contributing to revenue control in Bengal.

Diwani

Right to collect revenue and to administer civil justice in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.

Nizamat

Nawab’s powers: general administration, maintenance of law and order, and criminal justice.

Dual Government

1765–72 arrangement where the Nawab handled administration while the Company controlled revenue and defence.

Mir Qasim

Nawab who sought to free Bengal from British control, allied with Awadh and the Mughal emperor.

Shuja-ud-Daulah

Nawab of Awadh who allied with Mir Qasim against the British; defeated at Buxar.

Shah Alam II

Mughal emperor who allied with the anti-British coalition and later confirmed Company rights.

Battle of Buxar

1764 battle where Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah, and Shah Alam II were defeated, consolidating British power.

Allahabad Treaty (1765)

Treaty between the Company, Shuja-ud-Daulah, and Shah Alam II; Awadh returned, Kora and Allahabad taken; war indemnity imposed.

Awadh

Nawab state serving as a buffer between British Bengal and the Marathas.

Kora

District taken from Awadh in the Allahabad Treaty.

Murshidabad

Capital of Bengal under the Nawabs; later associated with British administration.

Regulating Act (1773)

Act that established the Governor General of Bengal and began direct Company control, ending the Dual Government.

Warren Hastings

First Governor General of Bengal; reformed administration and ended Dual Government.

Governor General of Bengal

Chief administrator in Bengal appointed under Hastings’ reforms.

Governor General of India

Title for the head of British administration over India, representing the Crown’s authority.

Farman (Farman) granting duty-free trade

Royal decree that granted the East India Company duty-free trade in Bengal.

Privileges of private trade by Company officials

System allowing Company employees to engage in private trade, often undermining revenue.

Fort St David

British trading fort located in southern India (Fort St David).

Third Carnatic War

Final Carnatic War; British victory ended French dreams of building an Indian empire.

Decline of Mughal power

Declining Mughal authority created opportunities for European powers to expand.

Anglo-French rivalry

Intense competition between Britain and France in trade and politics in India.