Establishment of Company Rule and the First War of Independence

Vocabulary flashcards covering the establishment of English East India Company rule in India, key battles, policies, protest movements, and the Revolt of 1857.

Sir Thomas Roe

An English ambassador to the court of Emperor Jahangir who obtained permission for the English East India Company to trade in India.

Battle of Plassey

A 1757 CE battle in which the English East India Company, led by Robert Clive, defeated Siraj-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Bengal, with the help of Mir Jafar.

Robert Clive

Leader of the English East India Company during the Battle of Plassey who emerged as the de facto ruler of Bengal.

Mir Jafar

Commander-in-Chief who betrayed Siraj-ud-Daula, helping Robert Clive and the English East India Company win the Battle of Plassey.

Anglo-French Wars

Wars fought between the French and English East India Companies that ended French trade in India and established English supremacy.

Battle of Buxar

A 1764 CE battle in which the British defeated Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and Shuja-ud-Daula, winning diwani rights of Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha.

Diwani Rights

Rights won by the British after the Battle of Buxar over present-day Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha.

Battle of Seringapatnam

A 1799 CE battle in which the English East India Company won over Mysore by defeating Tipu Sultan.

Subsidiary Alliance

A policy introduced by Governor General Lord Wellesley requiring Indian rulers to forgo their own army, be protected by Company troops, and give the British control over foreign affairs.

Doctrine of Lapse

A policy introduced by Governor General Lord Dalhousie allowing the Company to annex any princely state whose ruler was incompetent or died without a natural male heir.

Satyendranath Tagore

Brother of Rabindranath Tagore who became the first Indian to qualify the Indian Civil Services Examination in 1864.

1770s Bengal Famine

The harshest famine in Indian history, resulting from British land revenue policies that forced farmers to grow cash crops for poor returns.

Santhal Rebellion

An important protest movement against British rule that occurred in 1855.

Indigo Rebellion

A major protest movement against British rule that took place in 1859.

Pabna Uprising

A nineteenth-century protest movement against British rule that occurred in 1873.

Deccan Riots

A protest movement against British rule that occurred in 1875.

Enfield Rifles

Rifles introduced by the British whose cartridges were rumored to be greased with animal fat, serving as the immediate cause of the Revolt of 1857.

Mangal Pandey

A soldier in Barrackpore near Calcutta who refused to use greased cartridges on 29 March 1857 and was executed, triggering his comrades to revolt.

Bahadur Shah Zafar

The Mughal Emperor declared king by revolting soldiers in Delhi in 1857; his exile to Rangoon (now Yangon) brought the Mughal dynasty to an end.

Sepoy Mutiny

The name given to the Revolt of 1857 by the British, who viewed it as a rebellion by a group of soldiers and miscreants.

First War of Independence

The name given to the Revolt of 1857 by Indian national leaders who cherished it as a fight for freedom from British rule.

Queen's Proclamation

An 1858 proclamation that brought India directly under the British Crown following the Revolt of 1857.