Nearly losing an empire: the British in India, 1829-1858

Who were the Mughals?

Muslim dynasty which rules much of India from 16th to 19th centuries

When were the EIC granted a trading charter?

1600

What was the Battle of Plassey?

1757- EIC forces the defeat of the Nawab og Bengal

What happened to the EIC in 1786?

Acted as regularised subsidiary of the Crown

What changed in the 1813 Charter Act?

Company’s charter renewed for another 20 years, but monopoly on Indian trade (except tea with China) was removed. Missionaries now permitted.

What changed in the 1833 Charter Act?

Monopoly on trade of tea with China removed

How did EIC make income after the Charter Acts?

Civil administration and tax collection

When did the EIC annex territories aggressively?

1829-1857

What were the company presidencies?

Three administrative branches of EIC- Bombay, Calcutta and Madras

What was the Regulating Act 1773?

Created gov council of 5- 2 company members and 3 elected from gov

What was the 1784 Act?

EIC subordinate to the crown, achieved with Board of Control.

Which president was the most important?

Bombay, Madras and Calcutta’s presidents couldn’t make war or accept peace without approval of governor in Bengal

What was the 1786 Act?

Governor general could override his council- executive power

Who was the first governor with the increased powers?

Lord Cornwallis

When did the governor of Fort William become the governor general of India?

1833 Government of India Act

How many troops were in the EIC army?

1820- 200,000

1857- 275,000- majority sepoys

How did the EIC chose who to recruit for their army?

Most warlike religions and castes

How much had EIC territory increased by 1800?

243,000km²

Why were the British concerned about the north-west frontier?

Fear of Russian invasion through Afghanistan or Sind

When was the first Afghan War?

1838-1842 - lost 20,000 troops and cost £15 million

When were Sind and the Punjab annexed?

1843 and 1849

How did the Bengal army compare to those of the other presidencies?

Twice the size and recruited from higher castes

How was racial harmony challenged?

Arrival of white women in the 19th century and the growth of evangelical Christianity. Mixed children no longer accepted nor racial intermingling

How did interracial relationships change?

1780- 1/3 of Company men left something in their wills for an Indian woman

1850- only a tiny proportion did

What were Bentinck and Dalhousie inspired by?

Utilitarianism

Who led the campaign against thagi?

1835- William Sleeman

What was created in 1835 to help end thagi?

The thugge and dacoity department- 1,000 thagi transported/hanged and 3,000 punished

What belief was thagi based on?

Hindu goddess Kali and the belied that they were predetermined to kill their victims

When was sati abolished?

1829

How many women were dying a year due to sati?

600

Who led the campaign against sati?

Bentinck and Wilberforce

When were laws passed against female infanticide?

1795 and 1802

What did Alexander Duff believe?

1830 missionary- thought English was attractive to Indians ambitious for their child’s future and would convince students that Christianity was the best religion

What was the Education Act?

1835- English becomes the language of government and legal courts

When was Dalhousie governor?

1848-1856

What was the Doctrine of Lapse?

1848- If a princely line was deemed to have ‘lapsed’ it would be passed to British control. Previously, Hinduism had allowed adopted sons to continue the line.

Where was annexed in 1856?

Awadh- 7th annexation under Dalhousie’s new policy

How did the British attempt to reform Awadh?

Taking land from talukdars who were unable to prove legal title to their estates, which disturbed the social order

What rumour spread amongst sepoys in 1857?

New cartridges were about to be issued which were lubricated in animal fat- Christianisation

What was the General Service Enlistment Act?

1856- required every new soldier of Bengal army to go overseas for deployment if required, going against their caste system

When did rebellion breakout?

1857- 85 sepoys court martialled so all three sepoy regiments rose in revolt, freeing the original mutineers and massacring local Europeans

What female leader emerged in the rebellion?

Rani of Jhansi

Who did the rebels restore?

Bahadur Shah II, the last of the Mughal dynasty- would’ve posed more of a threat had he been more ambitious

What happened in Cawnpore?

British held out for 18 days before surrendering- 400 killed when leaving and remaining 200 were kept as hostages before being massacred a day before relief arrived

What happened in Lucknow?

Sir Henry Lawrence protected Europeans for 5 months until a second relief force of 3,000 arrived and evacuated due to thin supply lines. Lucknow couldn’t be evacuated immediately due to the causalities that the first relief had sustained.

What was the reward for those who fought in the second relief for Lucknow?

24 Victoria Crosses- highest number for one day

How did the British maintain control?

• Rebels were not cohesive

• The two other company armies remained loyal

How were rebels punished?

Cawnpore- forced to lick clean blood-stained buildings and ear meat before being hanged

Peshawar- 40 men were blown out of canons

What was the Government of India Act?

1858- ended EIC rule in India, now ruled directly by Britain through a viceroy

How much did the rebellion cost?

£50 million- debt transferred to the new Raj. British more careful about taxation this time

What did the Queen promise in her proclamation?

Religious toleration, equal protection under the law and the rights of native princes to their lands were protected

How was the EIC army changed after the rebellion?

The proportion of Indian sepoys in the army was reduced by 40% and British troops increased by 50%

9:1 —> 3:1

Where were sepoys recruited from after the rebellion?

Areas deemed more loyal to the British- ensuring that adjacent regimes had different ethnic and religious backgrounds to prevent the spread of mutiny

What was the long term lesson of the rebellion?

Policy needed to be pragmatic and cautious rather than modernising

How did the British help improve India after the rebellions?

Switched to infrastructure and railways

1861- 1,500 miles of track

1900- 25,000 miles

Irrigation projects