Notes on Residents, Subsidiary Alliance, and Awadh

Resident

• The Resident was a representative of the Governor-General.
• They resided in a state not under direct British rule.

Subsidiary Alliance

• A system devised by Lord Wellesley in 1798.
• Conditions for those entering the alliance:
  • British responsibility: Protection from external and internal threats.
  • Stationing of troops: A British armed contingent within the ally's territory.
  • Resource provision: The ally had to provide resources to maintain the British contingent.
  • Restricted agreements: Allies could only engage in agreements or warfare with British permission.

Awadh in Revolt

"A cherry that will drop into our mouth one day"

• 1851: Governor-General described Awadh as a "cherry" ready to be taken.
• Awadh was formally annexed in 1856.
• The conquest of Awadh followed the imposition of the Subsidiary Alliance.
  • Terms of the Subsidiary Alliance:
    • The Nawab had to disband his military force.
    • Allowed the British to position their troops within the kingdom.
    • Operated with the advice of the British Resident attached to the court.
• The Nawab became dependent on the British to maintain peace in the kingdom.
• He could no longer manage rebellious chiefs and Taluqdars.
• British interest in acquiring Awadh:
  • The soil was considered ideal for producing sugar and cotton.
  • The region could be developed into a principal market.
• By the early 1850s, a significant portion of India had been conquered.
  • Including the Doab, the Carnatic.
• The takeover of Awadh in 1856 was a part of territorial expansion begun with the conquest of Bengal.

"The life was gone out of the body"

• Lord Dalhousie's annexation was unsettling in all areas and principalities.
• Most notable in the heart of North India; in Awadh.
• Wajid Ali Shah was dethroned on the plea that the region was misgoverned.
• The British government also stated that Wajid Ali Shah was an unpopular ruler.
• Ali Shah was widely loved, and when he was exiled from Lucknow, there were many people who followed him all the way to Kanpur singing lamentations.
• Widespread sense of grief at the Nawab's exile.
• Observed by one British resident; the life was gone out of the body.
• Referred to Awadh as lifeless after the Nawab's exile.