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PMFIAS MIH 07 Role of Governors Generals
PMFIAS MIH 07 Role of Governors Generals
• Robert Clive was the Governor of Bengal from 1757-60 and 1765-67. He played a decisive role in
the Battle of Plassey (1757) in Bengal, laying the foundation of British power in India.
• The Regulating Act of 1773 raised the status of Governor of Bengal to Governor-General of Bengal.
Warren Hastings was the last Governor of Bengal (1772-73) and the first Governor-General of
Bengal from 1773 to 1785.
• By the Charter Act of 1833, the Governor General of Bengal became the Governor General of India.
Lord William Bentinck was the last Governor-General of Bengal and the first Governor-General of
India.
• The Government of India Act 1858 gave the title of Viceroy or Crown's representative to the
Governor-General of India. Hence, from 1858 to 1947, the Governor-General of India was also called
the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to the Viceroy of India. Lord
Canning became the first Viceroy of India in 1858.
Answer: b)
[UPSC 2023] By which one of the following Acts was the Governor General of Bengal
designated as the Governor General of India?
a) The Regulating Act
b) The Pitt's India Act
c) The Charter Act of 1793
d) The Charter Act of 1833
Answer: d)
Administrative Policies of the British for the Expansion of the British Empire
• The expansion of the company's power from 1757 to 1857 mainly occurred in two ways:
1. Annexation of Indian states by the war
2. Annexation of Indian states by diplomacy
• The East India Company (EIC) rarely launched a direct military attack on an unknown territory when
annexing Indian states. Instead, it used the following political, economic, and diplomatic methods to
extend its influence before annexing an Indian kingdom.
1. Warren Hastings’ ring-fence policy
2. Lord Hasting’s policy of paramountcy
3. Wellesley’s system of subsidiary alliance
4. Lord Dalhousie’s doctrine of lapse
• Warren Hastings was the Governor-General of Bengal from 1773 to 1785. During this time, the British
fought two important wars in the South.
1. First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-82)
2. Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-84)
• Although the British could not defeat the Marathas or Mysore, they had demonstrated their capacity to
hold their own in India. They not only managed to survive in the South but also emerged from the recent
wars as one of the three dominant powers in India.
Lord Cornwallis
• Lord Cornwallis belonged to an influential and aristocratic family with wide political connections. He
was also a close friend of Prime Minister Pitt and Dundas (an influential member of the Board of
Control).
• Cornwallis was the commander of the British forces during the American War of Independence.
Although he surrendered at York Town in 1781 before the American troops, his reputation was not
spoiled.
• During Lord Wellesley’s reign as Governor-General, the British fought two important wars in the south:
1. Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798-99)
2. Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-05)
• Lord Wellesley reversed the non-intervention policy of his predecessor, Sir John Shore. He expanded
British territory by using a subsidiary alliance system.
Shah Zaman
• Shah Zaman was the grandson of Ahmed Shah Durrani, who became the king of Kabul in 1783.
• Shah Zaman was invited by the Tipu to join in a concerted effort to oust the British from this
country.
• Shah Zaman attempted to invade India in 1793, 1795 and 1796. After failing in all three attacks, he
invaded India for the fourth time in 1798 and occupied Lahore. He eventually faced defeat and went
back to his country, Afghanistan.
Evolution
• The system of subsidiary alliances was pioneered by the French EIC governor, Joseph Dupleix. In the
late 1740s, he established treaties with the Nizam of Hyderabad and Indian princes in the Carnatic
region to provide the paid British force.
• The system was subsequently adopted by the British EIC. Robert Clive negotiated a series of
conditions after his victory in the 1757 Battle of Plassey.
• Under the System of Subsidiary Alliances, the ruler of the allying Indian state was compelled to accept
the permanent stationing of a British force within his territory and to pay a subsidy for its
maintenance. The ruler, unable to pay the expenses, had to cede a part of his kingdom to the British.
• The British agreed to defend the ruler from his enemies. They also controlled the defence and foreign
relations of the protected ally. In return:
1. Indian ruler of the protected state should keep a British Resident at his court and disband his own
army.
2. Indian rulers should not employ Europeans in their service without the approval of the British.
3. Indian rulers should not negotiate with any other Indian ruler without consulting the Governor-
General.
• The British also promised non-interference in the internal affairs of the allied states. However, the
British Resident interfered in the day-to-day administration of the state. All this was done allegedly
for the ruler's protection, but in fact, it was a form of tribute paid by the Indian ruler to the Company.
The System of Subsidiary Alliance was also aimed to prevent French influence from entering India.
Nizam of Hyderabad
• Lord Wellesley signed his first Subsidiary Treaty with the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1798. By the treaty:
All the French troops in Hyderabad were disbanded and replaced by a subsidiary British force.
Nizam had to pay 24 lakh rupees yearly to maintain a subsidiary force of six battalions.
• In return, the British guaranteed the state of Hyderabad against Maratha encroachments.
• The treaty concluded in 1798 was an ad hoc measure; hence, a new treaty was concluded in 1800. The
new treaty increased the subsidiary force, and instead of cash payment, the Nizam ceded part of his
territories to the Company.
Raja of Mysore
• After the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Krishnaraja III was made the king of Mysore. A special treaty of
Subsidiary Alliance was imposed on the new Raja, and the Governor-General was authorised to take
over the administration of the state in case of necessity.
Nawab of Awadh
• The threat of invasion by Zaman Shah of Afghanistan was the pretext for Wellesley to force the Nawab
of Awadh to enter into a subsidiary treaty.
• The Nawab of Avadh signed a Subsidiary Treaty in 1801. In return for a larger subsidiary force, the
Nawab was made to surrender to the British nearly half of his kingdom consisting of Rohilkhand,
Gorakhpur and the territory between the Ganga and the Jamuna (Lower doab).
• Moreover, the Nawab was no longer to be independent. He must accept any advice or order from the
British authorities regarding the internal administration of his state.
Tanjore
• The Maratha state of Tanjore witnessed a succession dispute. In 1799, Wellesley concluded a treaty
with Serfoji. By this treaty:
The British took over the administration of the state.
Serfoji was allowed to retain the title of Raja and given a pension of four lakh rupees.
Surat
• The Nawab of Surat died in 1799, and his brother succeeded him. The change of succession provided
Wellesley an opportunity to take over the administration of Surat.
• Wellesley took over the administration of Surat in 1800, and the Nawab was allowed to retain the
title and was given a pension of one lakh rupees.
Carnatic
• Wellesley signed a treaty with Azim-ud Daulah (the nawab of Carnatic) in 1801. Accordingly, the entire
military and civil administration of Carnatic came under the British.
• Lord Hastings became Governor-General in 1813. He adopted a vigorous forward policy and waged
wars extensively. His aggressive and imperialist policies paved the way for the general expansion of
the British Empire.
• Lord Hastings defeated the Gorkhas in the Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16) and secured the territories of
Shimla.
• In the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-19), Lord Hastings crushed the Maratha power and removed
the last hurdle in the way of British paramountcy.
Policy of Paramountcy
• Lord Hastings started a new policy of paramountcy. According to the policy, the Company claimed
that its authority was paramount or supreme; hence, its power was greater than that of Indian states.
To protect its interests, it was justified to annex or threaten to annex any Indian kingdom.
• However, the process of annexation did not go unchallenged. When the British tried to annex the small
state of Kitoor/Kittur/Kitturu, Rani Chennamma took arms and led an anti-British resistance
movement.
• William Bentinck adopted a policy of non-intervention and non-aggression with Indian states. He
annexed a few states because of the misgovernment of local rulers.
Mysore
• In Mysore, Wellesley restored Hindu rule under Krishnaraja III. In the beginning, the young Raja
functioned well with his able minister, Puranaiya. Later, when the young Raja assumed full control of the
government, he proved to be incompetent.
• In 1831, William Bentinck took over the administration of Mysore State and placed it under the
control of a commissioner. The Raja was given a pension.
• The British controlled Mysore from 1831 to 1881, and in 1881, power was transferred back to the
Wodeyars.
• Sir Mark Cubbon was the chief commissioner and de facto ruler of Mysore from 1834 to 1861. His
administration was beneficial to the people. He moved the capital from Mysore to Bangalore.
• Sir Mark Cubbon streamlined the administration, simplified revenue collection, and implemented
important infrastructure projects to improve the state’s economy.
• The famous Cubbon Park in Bangalore city has been named after him to remind his services to Mysore.
Coorg
• Lord William Bentinck deposed the Raja of Coorg in 1834 and annexed the State. Sir Mark Cubbon
was concurrently appointed as the Chief Commissioner of Coorg in 1834.
• In sharp contrast to the chaotic rule of the last raja of Coorg, Sir Mark tried to improve the people's
standard of living. He provided timely assistance in establishing schools and helped German
missionaries upgrade the standard of education.
• Lord Auckland (1836-42) became the Governor-General in 1836. He supported the forward policy,
which advocated an aggressive British intervention in Afghanistan to seize territory and assert
influence to prevent threats to their Indian Empire.
• Auckland’s Forward Policy led to the First Afghan War (1836-42). Due to his failure in Afghanistan,
he was recalled in 1842. Lord Ellenborough succeeded him and ended the Afghan War.
• Lord Dalhousie was the Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856. He was determined to extend
direct British rule over a vast area. He annexed the Indian states using various means and policies.
• During the administration of Dalhousie, the British waged wars against the Sikhs and Burmese,
ultimately annexing the Punjab and Lower Burma.
• Lord Dalhousie applied the Policy of Doctrine of Lapse to annex Indian princely states such as Satara,
Sambalpur, Udaipur, Nagpur, and Jhansi. His strict policy implementation was one of the causes of the
Revolt of 1857.
• In 1856, Dalhousie annexed the Awadh and argued that he was “obliged by duty” to take over Awadh
to free the people from the “misgovernment” of the Nawab.
[UPSC 2003] Consider the following Princely states of the British rule in India
1. Jhansi
2. Sambalpur
3. Satara
The correct chronological order in which they were annexed by the British is:
a) 1-2-3
b) 1-3-2.
c) 3-2-1
d) 3-1-2
Summary
Governors-General of Bengal
Governor-General In Office Events
Warren Hastings 1773-1785 Rohilla War (1774)
First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-82)
Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-84)
Abolished the system of Dual Government
Lord (Earl/Marquess) Cornwallis 1786-1793 Third Anglo-Mysore War (1789-92)
Sir John Shore 1793-1798 Followed the policy of non-intervention in
the Battle of Kharda between Nizam and
Marathas.
Lord (Richard) Wellesley 1798-1805 Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798-99)
Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-05)
Policy of Subsidiary Alliance System
Took over the administration of Tanjore
(1799), Surat (1800) and Carnatic (1801)
Lord Minto I 1807-1813 Treaty of Amritsar (1809) with Ranjit Singh
Lord Hastings (Lord Moira) 1813-1823 Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16)
Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-19)
Pindari War (1817-18)
Lord Amherst 1823-1828 First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-26)
Lord William Bentinck 1828-1834
Governors-General of India
Governor-General In Office Events
Lord William Bentinck 1834-1835 Annexation of Mysore (1831), Coorg (1834),
central Cachar (1834) and Jaintia (1835)
Lord Auckland 1836–1842 First Afghan War (1838-42)
Forward Policy
Lord Ellenborough 1842-1844 Conquest of Sindh 1843
Henry Hardinge 1844-1848 First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46)
Lord Dalhousie 1848-1856 Policy of Doctrine of Lapse
Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49)
Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852-53)
Annexation of Awadh (1856)
Governors-General and Viceroys
Governor-General In Office Events
Sir John Lawrence 1864-1869 Policy of Masterly Inactivity
Duar War or Anglo-Bhutan War (1864-65)
Lord Lytton 1876-1880 Second Afghan War (1878-80)
Lord Dufferin 1884-1888 Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885)
Lord Curzon 1899-1905 British Invasion of Tibet (1904)
Lord Chelmsford 1916-1921 Third Afghan War (1919-21)