Trade and East India Companies to the First War of Independence

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing European trading companies, British conquests, administrative policies, and the Revolt of 1857 based on lecture notes.

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 with the help of Mir Jafar.

Robert Clive

The leader of the English East India Company in the Battle of Plassey who emerged as the de facto ruler of Bengal.

Battle of Buxar

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

Diwani Rights

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

Conquest

Conquering a country.

Annex

Take control over a land.

Battle of Seringapatnam

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

Lord Wellesley

The Governor General who introduced the Subsidiary Alliance policy to expand British rule.

Subsidiary Alliance

A policy under which Indian rulers could not have their own army, were protected by Company troops, and gave the British control over their foreign affairs.

Lord Dalhousie

The Governor General who introduced the Doctrine of Lapse.

Doctrine of Lapse

A policy that allowed the Company to annex any princely state whose ruler was incompetent or died without a natural male heir.

Satyendranath Tagore

The 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, caused by British land revenue policies forcing farmers to grow cash crops for poor returns.

Santhal Rebellion

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

Enfield Rifles

New rifles whose cartridges were rumoured 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 the new cartridges on 29 March 1857 and was executed, triggering his comrades to revolt.

Sepoy

A word meaning soldiers, used by the British when referring to the Revolt of 1857 as the Sepoy Mutiny.

Queen's Proclamation

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

First War of Independence

The term used by Indian national leaders to describe the Revolt of 1857.