Colonial Rule in India and British Expansion Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms, entities, battles, and annexation instruments of European trading companies and British expansion in India.

Imperialism

A system in which a country extends its control or rule over another country often after defeating it in a war or using military influence.

Mercantilism

An economic policy popular in Europe in the sixteenth century advocating that the prosperity of a country depends on profitable trade.

Vasco da Gama

The Portuguese explorer who was the first European to reach India by a sea route in 1498.

Carnatic Wars

A series of wars lasting almost twenty years (1744–1763) resulting from Anglo-French rivalry in India and Europe, after which Britain emerged victorious.

English East India Company

A trading company formed in 1600 through a charter signed by Queen Elizabeth I, granting permission to trade with India.

Captain Hawkins

An English representative who visited the court of Jahangir in 1608 but failed to secure trading rights.

Sir Thomas Roe

An English representative whose visit to India in 1613 resulted in permission for the English East India Company to establish its first factory at Surat.

Farmans

Authorised privileges granted to trading companies by Mughal Emperors.

Farman of 1691

A grant by Aurangzeb that exempted the British East India Company from paying customs duties in Bengal.

Farman of 1717

A grant by Mughal Emperor Farukhsiyar that exempted the British from paying customs duties in Gujarat and Deccan.

Nawabs

Local governors under the later Mughals.

Dastak

A free pass misused by British traders to exempt European traders, especially Company traders, from paying customs duties in Bengal.

Siraj-ud-daula

The Nawab of Bengal who attacked the English factory at Kasimbazar, captured Fort William, and fought the British in the Battle of Plassey.

Robert Clive

The British leader who recaptured Calcutta, accused the Nawab of Bengal of conspiring with the French, and negotiated with Mir Jafar prior to the Battle of Plassey.

Battle of Plassey

A 1757 battle between the East India Company and Nawab Siraj-ud-daula, leading to the defeat of the Nawab and establishing British de facto rule in Bengal.

Mir Jafar

The commander-in-chief of Siraj-ud-daula who entered into secret negotiations with the British, refrained from participating in the Battle of Plassey, and was made Nawab of Bengal.

24 Parganas

A region in Bengal whose zamindari was given to the British after the Battle of Plassey to maintain a large army.

Mir Qasim

The Nawab of Bengal placed by the British who attempted to improve administration, assigned the jagir of Burdwan, Midnapur, and Chittagaon to the Company, and was defeated by the British in 1763.

Battle of Buxar

An October 1764 battle where British forces defeated the combined armies of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-daulah (Nawab of Awadh), and Shah Alam II (Mughal Emperor).

Diwani

The right to collect revenue in the provinces of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, acquired by the English after the Battle of Buxar.

Dual Governance in Bengal

A system established after the Battle of Buxar giving the British revenue collection rights (diwani) while leaving law, order, and criminal justice (nizamat) to the Nawab.

Nizamat

Administrative rights retained by the Nawab of Bengal under dual government, including maintenance of law and order, dispensation of criminal justice, and defense of frontiers.

Warren Hastings

The Governor-General who ended the arrangement of dual government in Bengal in 1772 and made Calcutta the capital or seat of British power in India.

Haider Ali

The ruler of Mysore between 1761 and 1782 who formed an alliance with the French and restricted trade with the British.

Tipu Sultan

The ruler of Mysore and son of Haider Ali who opposed trade with the British and was martyred in 1799 when the British captured Srirangapatam.

Anglo-Maratha Wars

A series of three wars (1775–1818) fought between the Marathas and the British, culminating in the defeat of the Marathas and establishing British supremacy.

Subsidiary Alliance

An expansion instrument started by Lord Wellesley where the British placed troops in an ally's territory, acquired territory in exchange, stationed a Resident, and controlled foreign relations.

Resident

A British official stationed at the court of an allied ruler under the Subsidiary Alliance system.

Doctrine of Lapse

An expansion policy introduced by Lord Dalhousie where the territory of a dependent Indian ruler without a natural male heir was annexed if the adoption of an heir was refused by the British.

Lord Dalhousie

The Governor-General who arrived in India in 1848, implemented the Doctrine of Lapse, and annexed Awadh in 1856 on claims of misgovernment.

Wajid Ali Shah

The ruler of Awadh who was deposed in 1856 when Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh.